Sleeping With Audio Books

Photo by Maryanne Mesplé ~ Listening  2015 

I cannot sleep tonight without listening to an audio book. How I developed such an addiction is deeply woven between time spent incapacitated by surgical interventions and the pain caused by those interventions and between those weavings of surgeries are the pain filled moments of broken bones, pulled muscles, and a back that goes on strike on occasion - without notice. On a scale of 0 to 10 I am a wimp at 5 when it comes to post operative pain, broken bone pain, swelling pain, and pain in general. I am not stoic and see no value in suffering physically.

My main pain reliever of choice is an audio book. My audio books take me away from my body and away from the pain. I am not saying I don't augment my audible pain killer with medication. I do. I do resort to swallowing pain easing remedies along with putting in earbuds. With my earbuds in place I press play, and then let a story teller's words disconnect me from my physical reality.  I am able to tolerate pain in a more grown-up manner when I can crawl into my auditory escape zone and let my audible book help me heal.

Tonight my ears will be filled with the voice of a story teller as they escort me away from the pain in my feet. Tonight, my broken bones and puffy over swollen tissue will have to throb without me for I will be off solving a mystery, or maybe tonight I will be immersed in the shared experience of stories about miracles and angels and more. Tonight, my audible book library will be appreciated even more as I listen to narratives filled with suspense and mystery and between the words of my chosen story teller I will find comfort away from pain for awhile where there is peace and healing.

I am addicted to audio books. My audio books are my pain relievers and sleeping aids and no, I don't need an intervention ~ I love my addiction.




(All stories blogged by me are my property and protected under copyright laws. No part may be used or reproduced in anyway without my permission ~ Maryanne Mesplé ~ 2015)

Just Not Going To Do This

Sometimes I wonder just where my head is when I charge forward with buying a book, or two or  more. A few years back I was seeking new dimensions within myself so I sought out experiences to provide me with new ideas to add to my philosophy.  My search lead me to a Facebook group that celebrated women, especially entrepreneurial women.  Within that group I discovered many interesting women who projected so much wisdom and knowledge of things I did not know so I joined a class that was designed to teach students the ways of being a Shaman. This is on-line mind you, and I really thought I was going to love this new social media adventure. I was going to love this adventure because I could learn about Shamanism and become a Shaman while sitting on my couch and not expend energy and money traveling to jungles and deserts and mountain tops to find a teacher. I was going to trump Carlos Castaneda.

(photo property of Maryanne Mesple)

I eagerly sent the creator of the on line course on Shamanism my money and then in return, was given access to a secret page where all us students could have our secluded chats about what we were learning. I will not go into detail about my experience but will share this - I quickly learned I am not a Shaman nor will I ever be a Shaman with my certification generated from an on-line course. Period.

After a few weeks listening to the secrets shared by the teacher, I started to get mad. I was getting mad because I could not believe the level of arrogance that was exuding from the top of the ladder on down. Yes, I am not one who plays well in the sandbox when someone elevates themselves above me and begins to kick sand .. and then act as if I should be thanking them for the sand in my mouth, eyes, and ears. Nope. Just not going to do this! So, with the prompting created by an experience I had with the teacher Shaman concerning money I was able to in good conscience excuse myself from becoming a Shaman.

So, now what to do with two books that were a "suggested" requirement  for reading? Throw them on the floor with the belief I would read them. Just not going to happen. I packed up the books when we moved to Texas and put them in a bookcase. My thought is or was, I eventually would read them because they are a part of my list of books to read that prompted the writing of this blog. Nope, Just not going to do this. I am not going to do this "reading" of these two books because they do not in any way interest me or provoke deep thought from me. Not going to read them because of the bad taste in my mouth from my experience with my short jaunt in the realm of Shamanism.

With that said, I am excusing myself from reading The Emerald Tablet. The Emerald Tablet is about alchemy and I suppose the history of such. The back cover explains that Alchemy dates way back to ancient Egypt and other eras in the past but, well, I am not into trying to change lead into gold, not even in the spiritual sense because I know that I am not lead, my spirit is not lead and I was born perfect and made of "gold". I am sure there are a lot of valuable lessons contained within the pages of this book, but the words do not call me to fall into the pages and get lost in the joy of the experience. This book is now officially off my list and will be on its way to a yard sale.

The next book that was a misadventure with becoming a Shaman, which I am not, is this pretty green beauty titled, The Emerald Tablet of Hermes and The Kybalion: Two classic books on Hermetic philosophy. 

I have skimmed through the pages of The Emerald Tablet and The Kybalion and I am not enthused at all. The information is not new, just served up a different way than my taste buds like. So, I am just not going to read this book and it too is officially off my list of books I have bought and need to read. Garage sale? Maybe, or I may let it grow old in one of my book cases. 

(All stories blogged by me are my property and protected under copyright laws. No part may be used or reproduced in anyway without my permission ~ Maryanne Mesplé) 

The Red String Book

I was dabbling in the waters of Kabbalah theory and practice out of curiosity when I found this book. Often, my curiosity about an unexplored modality to improve my life is peaked due to debilitating dramas in my life. I now recall what was going on in my life, and why the wearing of a red string on my left wrist became so appealing. In this little book written by Yehuda Berg, I became acquainted with something beautiful and useful for my life - love and protection. I needed protection against forces that were out of my control and forces that were destroying my life, my body, and my faith in people. I needed love to heal and to rekindle my faith in people.

Yehuda Berg succinctly outlines what the Kabbalah is, what it is not, and its influence on life,  in the first three little chapters and the rest is about the red string and its application. There is so much involved that I feel I do not justice trying to explain it all, so this is one of those little books that you would benefit from by buying and then devouring. I love being served snacks in words that deliver entire main courses, and this little book does exactly that.  I had no idea what the Kabbalah was other than a thought system that I associated with the Jewish faith. I thought the Kabbalah was a book in the Torah. I love setting my wrong conclusions straight. According to Yehuda, the Kabbalah is "Technology for the Soul" a technology for the soul that is as ancient as wisdom can get and offers an answer the first question ever asked, "why am I here".

The book is a priceless read, one I enjoyed and still do enjoy. The title, The Red String, is apropos since the book is all about protection and wearing a red string. The Kabbalaistic red string is wrapped around the tomb of Rachel to imbue the string with love and protection which are the two character traits attributed to Rachel from the bible. The string is then cut into pieces and you can wear one of those cut strings on you left wrist to protect you from the evils of the world.

I know thoughts are "things" meaning we manifest what we focus on - what we think has a huge impact on our lives. When we adorn our bodies with the Kabbalah red strings on our left wrist, we are placing a memory jog on our body to help us remember we are loved and protected in life. We help ourselves to move beyond the evils of the world and so much more. This little book is jam packed with so much helpful information. 

I lost my red string, I need to get me some more and share them. Nothing wrong with making a visual statement about love and protection. If you are curious about the Kabbalah and believe you can impact your life through positive actions then perhaps you would benefit from getting a red string for your left wrist, but do yourself a favor and know why, and then share some of those red strings with people you love. 

Maryanne

All in a Name.

Small book. Should not take 8 years to read, right? Right. Well, I did read this book in one night, but I did not do all the 72 Names of God Kabbalistic meditations. In my world, life is here and there and all over the place and I was too busy chasing too many paths of self discovery to be disciplined and focused.   Unfortunately for this beautiful little book, it occupied my floor, next to my bed where it was of no use to my life - which is why I bought it in the first place. I bought this book to give me an insight into Kabbalistic thought and practice via meditation.

In this little red bound book each name given for God in Hebrew is coupled with a brief definition and paired with a meditation to help clear one's internal muddy waters. As a reader and meditator you can time travel, recapture sparks, make a miracle, eliminate negative thoughts, heal, enhance your dream state, gain some sexual energy, remove hatred, stop fatal attractions, dump depression and 62 other personal causes should you want to address them.  

Personally I am a life time committed meditator and I know that learning the art of meditation changed my life for the better. This little book is great for helping one have a focus, and a focus that is geared toward helping one deal better with life and let go of negative self limiting thoughts. For me, using a scripted meditation is not for me, I am more of a let it all go while floating in silence. In my internal silence I experience deep relaxation and often find those lost keys to unlock my creative flow. In addition to relaxing in silence and rediscovering my creativity I also receive answers to navigating what feels like obstacles during meditation and that is where scripted words interfere with my process. I do understand that for many, having a script is very helpful and if that is you this little book it perfect. 

If you are interested in Kabbalistic studies and want to stretch your mind a bit in focused contemplative meditation you may like this little gem. 

You can find The72 Names of God online. I use Amazon for a lot of my book shopping. Here is a brief description of The 72 Names of God via its listing on Amazon.

"Yehuda Berg’s The 72 Names of God Meditation Book is your personal torch to highlight the areas of your life where you need to shine. Through the practice of meditating on the 72 Names of God, you will stir the Light within your soul to help you. See the impact of your decisions before you make them; bring more money into your life whenever you need it; heal yourself physically and emotionally. The 72 Names of God will activate the power of miracles when you need them most."

On to the next book.

Maryanne 

The Mindfulness Solution Solved

                            

      The end of the book came with peace of mind. I will not lie nor will I pretend to be a master of being "mindful" at all times because I read this book. I will admit to being "mindful" a lot with many moments  where I experience the beauty of who I am in the moment  and for that I am filled with gratitude. 
     The book, The Mindfulness Solution, is more of a review of what I have learned and or read about from many different teachers/authors in my lifetime. I also attended a 10 day retreat that was all about being mindful. The retreat did not allow talking for 10 days so we all could learn to be with ourselves, being mindful of our body and of our thoughts and of our actions and habits. For some, the isolation experienced because of no connection through sharing of language was just too much to bare. Those souls left the retreat within the first 72 hours. Unlike a retreat of total silence like I attended which the author refers to as "formal practice" where you have one focus, this book offers many practices and many approaches to assisting one discover the best method for the reader to (hopefully) experience mindfulness as much as possible.
   I am glad to be done reading this book and done doing the practices suggested by the author (which I enjoyed) because I have my own routine that I will be relieved to return to doing like my meditations while floating in water. I am also glad to be finished with this book because I am anxious to begin reading the next book on my list! I would recommend this book for anyone who is not already well versed in meditation and who is not knowledgeable about the impact our thoughts have on our lives and also for learning some wonderful meditative and of course, mindful practices.

     Now, on to my next reading adventure.

Oh my, the title is very interesting!

Still Being Mindful

(http://alohadharma.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/the-myth-of-mindfulness/)

     Yes. Yes. Yes. I am STILL reading, The Mindfulness Solution ~ Everyday Practices for Everyday Problems by Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD. Today is the first of July, 2011 and I started reading this particular book awhile back. I am being very mindful as I read and I am doing every single exercise and meditation the author puts forth. It takes awhile to get through a book if you are really dedicated to not only reading the words but also dedicated to putting into practice what is recommended by the author. After all, how can one give an honest opinion of a reading experience  that is about developing mindfulness if one does not actually do the work? Today, I noted I am about to begin reading page 126 and the heading for the information that will be shared is, "Life Preservers for Rough Waters". Nice.

     Before reaching this place where the author will teach me about mindful life preservers I read about concepts that once again are not new to me. Well, heck, the concept of the whole book, mindfulness, is not new to me. I spent 10 days at a silent retreat learning to develop mindfulness several years ago and what an experience that was! The retreat of silence is a whole other story for another time but you know I am just itching to talk about it!

     Again, I am toting around in my purse a book that I take out and read at every opportunity. A book that sleeps at my bedside and that I look at just prior to falling asleep, pick up, read a few pages, then due to severe head bobbing I place the book down and succumb to sleep. Can't complain that I am keeping myself up at night worrying about stuff.

(reproduced with permission obtained from cartoonstock.com)

     I project into my present moment that I have not yet fallen into that I will be the master of my thoughts and will rise above moments where by appearances "life" is testing my ability to be mindful. Perhaps by the time I reach the end of this book and by the time I have test drove each exercise outlined between the pages I will be spending a lot of mental moments at the beach.

Hugs,

M

    

Reading Adventure # 3 ~ The Mindfulness Solution

http://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Solution-Everyday-Practices-Problems/dp/1606232940/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306644822&sr=8-1

On the 24th of May, 2011, I opened my third book in my list of 13 books that I promised myself I would read. Book number three is The Mindfulness Solution by Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD. I am not going out and buying the books on my list of 13. Nope, I don't have to buy these books because I already own them ... I just have not read them. As a re-cap my book list came about after I had a burst of energy and did some serious deep cleaning and became acutely aware of all the books I own but have not read. And I am not talking about just the 13 on my first list! The list of 13 is comprised of the books that I found next to my bed ... I have yet to make list of my unread treasury to be found in  bookshelves and other places around my home where my unread books are kept.

As I read the first paragraph in the preface of The Mindfulness Solution I  became aware of a thread of commonality in the first three books on my list. The apparent similar theme is awareness of and control over our thoughts and how we can alter our perception and experience of life with awareness/control. Or at least from my perspective and from the pages I have turned thus far that appears to be the theme :-) This thought, this concept, this idea of becoming the master of our thoughts is not a new concept and not a concept that I have never put into practice. 

I am looking forward to discovering how Ronald D. Siegel shares his experiences in applying mindfullness to his life. Maybe, I will come across a fresh, new method of Mindfulness practice? Maybe. Maybe I will become "re-inspired" to put more effort forth towards my own meditative practice?  Maybe.  Maybe, I will discover something new within the pages of The Mindfulness Solution. Maybe.

Hugs,
Maryanne