The Rama Meditation Chair

The Rama Meditation Chair

http://www.zenbydesign.com/en/content/2/chairs/88/the-rama-meditation-chair/

While researching products and ideas for a current Pagan book project, I came across the website Zen by Design.  Specifically, I was looking for meditation chairs that would offer the user complete support and comfort while practicing meditation. 

The practice of meditation is growing rapidly, in both Pagan and non-Pagan environments, and comfort is becoming a large concern – especially in the beginner population. Beginners who lie down to meditate often fall asleep.  Meditators who practice in chairs or on couches in common rooms are often interrupted.  Meditators need a seating arrangement that provides them support, comfort and the mobility to be able to move the chair to a quiet, uninterrupted space.

I had found some chairs that while interesting and mobile, comfort and support did not seem to be a part of their description at all. 

Sure a “ball chair” might look like fun, but for someone meditating, especially if they are a beginner, do you want to have to constantly worry about balancing yourself while performing your meditation, or do you want to actually be able to focus on the meditation?  While a chair woven from water hyacinth sounds great, the comfort level is severely lacking. Wicker and caned chairs simple do not last very long and are not ideal for people who are either on the heavier side, or who have a sudden temporary weight gain such as from pregnancy.

The Rama Meditation Chair from Zen by Design is a solid, sturdy, and easy to assemble, extremely comfortable chair for your meditation practices. 

This chair arrived well packaged so it did not sustain any dents or scratches. I was able to put it together in just a matter of minutes, and was astounded by how sturdy and comfortable this chair is.

You can also choose your own colors with the chair, wood colors are one choice, and then cushion color is the second choice giving you several different possible combinations to personalize this chair to your own liking.

While you are going to pay more for this chair than you would a weaved or rattan chair, it is well worth it.  This chair will easy last through many years of wear, while that simply can not be said for the other types discussed here. 

This is the ultimate chair for meditation.  It is a beautiful design, built for comfort, security, and balance.  It even makes a beautiful show piece.  When people see this unusually designed chair in your home, they are sure to ask about it, and you will have the opportunity to share your love of meditation with others.  Perhaps you can get them hooked too.  Don’t be surprised when anyone who sees it wants to sit it in!  I don’t think I’ve had someone look at it yet, and not ask if they could try it out!

Review: Talks to Moon

Talks to Moon by Alf Vitaro. Illustrated by Rio Meek.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Talks-To-Moon-Childrens-Book/197489790290250

http://www.talkstomoon.com/

This truly touching children’s book tells the story of a young sacred white buffalo. This story covers several different important lessons – including bullying, faith, and unconditional love in an easy to understand manner, suitable for children of all ages.

Just as the full moon appears from behind a cloud, this little white buffalo is born into the world, in the middle of a whispering herd that doesn’t approve of his color.

He is teased, harassed, even “buffalo-napped” and thrown into a mud pit. His parents, Maska and Helaco show their love and faith in their little boy however, and encourage him that someday the whole herd would realize just how special he really is.

The ties to bullying are important, and no child is too young to learn how to deal with being teased by his or her peers. No child is too young to have the love of a parent reinforced.

When this little buffalo works up the courage to run with the herd, he is chased off into a dangerous situation, and feels as though he has failed, not only himself, but his parents as well.

As he wanders through the wilderness, the full moon again rises, and shines down upon the little white buffalo.  The buffalo looks up and sees the moon and begins talking to it each night. 

One night the moon doesn’t appear, and the poor little buffalo cries, believing the moon has left him for another friend.   As the little buffalo cries, he hears a voice speaking to him. It turns out the voice belongs to a little Indian boy named “Talks to Stars”.  Talks to Stars explains to the little buffalo that when you love someone, even if you can’t see them, you can always find them right in your own heart.

The two go off in search of the moon and after they find it, Talk to Stars vanishes from sight, but his voice comes to the little buffalo telling him to go find his family.

The little buffalo goes home to find the herd being hunted.  As the little buffalo leaps in the way of an arrow to protect a member of his herd, the Indian Chief sees the sacred white buffalo and feels severe remorse.  The little buffalo is unharmed however, and the Indian Chief explains to him how they have been waiting for his birth for he his the sacred white buffalo.  The Indian Chief also tells the baby buffalo about how his own son Talks to Stars, had saved his own life on the battlefield.

The little buffalo realizes how important Talks to Stars is to him, and goes looking for his friend once again.  The little buffalo also decides his name should be Talks to Moon.

This bold and emotional story literally brought tears to my own eyes.  It’s well written, both grammatically and creatively. Children are able to learn about other traditions and themselves in this beautiful tale.

Review: The Little Crystal Meditation Album CD

The Little Crystal Meditation Album CD by Philip Permutt. Paradise Music, 2008.

http://www.paradisemusic.us.com/albumsDetail.asp?id=63

www.paradisemusic.us.com

Though this CD isn’t new on the market, it is still just as relevant today as it was when it was released four years ago.

While many Pagans include meditation as a part of their practice, it is becoming very popular with people of all religions (and even with those of no religion).

This CD combines two worlds of practices together – meditation, and working with stones and crystals.

Six different meditations are presented on this CD along with six different crystals. These include:

Meditation 1 – Kyanite. This meditation focuses on relaxing you as a blue light washes through you, purifying and eliminating stress.

Meditation 2 – Celestite. This meditation helps you focus power into your crystal to help you achieve dreams, ideals and goals in life.

Meditation 3 – Morganite. In this meditation you will work with your emotions and your heart chakra.

Meditation 4 – Lingham. This meditation washes away negative energy and gives you a spiritual detox.

Meditation 5 – Amethyst. In this meditation you will create a dome of amethyst light that is used to help you relax and feel safe.

Meditation 6 – Quartz. This meditation works with the versatile quartz crystal. You will be guided into the crystal to explore the chambers and caves and their inhabitants known as the “very old wise people”.

While the CD states you do not necessarily need to have the crystal to perform the meditation, I would highly recommend picking them up. You should be able to get all 6 crystals for around $20.

Philip Permutt has a soothing and relaxing smooth voice, which gently leads you through each of these guided meditations. With each meditation averaging a little less than 10 minutes, you can easily choose to perform just one, or all of the meditations at one time.

I would recommend doing just one of these meditations a day so as to not overload your practice too much. Not too mention, with the relaxing way Permutt speaks, it may be difficult to stay awake through all 6 meditations in one sitting!

Whether you are new to the world of meditation, or a practicing pro – these crystal meditations can be used by anyone wanting to add to their spirituality.

Review: Mystical Ireland: CD Gift Box Collection

Mystical Ireland: CD Gift Box Collection includes The Virgin’s lament, Vox de Nube, The Darkest Midnight by Nóirín Ní Riain. Sounds True. 2003

http://www.soundstrue.com/shop/Mystical-Ireland/572.productdetails

Nóirín Ní Riain works with the monks of Glenstal Abbey to bring these three CDs to life, creating a highly spiritual experience for Christians and Pagans alike. This music is specifically designed to combine the roots of Christianity and Paganism together to celebrate traditional prayers, hymns, and laments of Irish history.

Each CD brings forth it’s own special spirituality, to enrich and entertain your soul.

The track listings for The Virgin’s Lament include: http://www.soundstrue.com/shop/The-Virgin%27s-Lament/570.productdetails

1. Caoineadh Mhuire (Mary’s Keen)

2. Gol na dTri Muire (The Weeping of the Three Marys)

3. The Darkest Midnight

4. Seacht nDolas na Maighdine Muire-Uibh Rathach (The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary)

5. An Bhainis Phosta A Bhi I gCana (The Wedding Feast at Cana)

6. Seacht nDolas na Maighdine Muire- Cuige Chonnacht (The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary II)

7. An Caoineadh (The Keen)

8. Caoineadh na hAoine (Friday Lament)

9. Posadh Naofa Cana (The Holy Wedding at Cana)

10. Dextera Domini (The Lord’s Right Hand)

11. Caoineadh na Maighdine (The Blessed Virgin’s Keening)

The Darkest Midnight (Religious Songs from the Irish Tradition) CD includes:

http://www.soundstrue.com/shop/The-Darkest-Midnight/86.productdetails

1) The Seven Rejoices of Mary

2) Christmas Day is Come

3) Songs of Jerusalem

4) Ye Sons of Men

5) Good People All

6) Song for New Year’s Day

7) The Darkest Midnight

8) Sciathluireach Mhuire (Mary’s Breastplate)

9) An Teicheadh Go hEigipt (The Flight into Egypt)

10) Now to Conclude Our Christmas Mirth

11) O Pia Virgo (O Blessed Virgin)

Vox ge Nube (Voice from the Cloud) CD includes: http://www.soundstrue.com/shop/Vox-De-Nube/87.productdetails

1)Magnificat cum Alleluia (Song of Praise)

2) Pater Noster (Our Father)

3) Lob/Ehre, Christe: Joa Bolendas (Praise/Glory to Christ)

4) A Dhia Ghleigil (Oh Glorious God)

5) O Viridissima Virga: Hildegard of Bingen (Most Holy Virgin)

6) a) A Song for mary Magdalen, b) Pater Superni Luminis (Our Father of Light)

7) Kyrie Eleison: Hildegard of Bingen (Lord, Have Mercy)

8) We Venerate Thy Cross

9) Cum Processit: Hildegard of Bingen (When You Came Forth)

10) An tAiseirl (The Resurrection)

11) Go mBeannaitear Duit (Hail, Mary)

12) Homilia Sancti Bernardi Abbatis (Homily of Saint Bernard)

13) The Beatitudes

14) Regnavit Dominus (The Lord Now Reigns)

15) Saint Brighid’s Prayer

16) O Frondens Virga: Hildegard of Bingen (Oh, Flowering Stem)

17) Seacht Suailci na Maighdine Muire (The Seven Rejoices of mry)

18) Ar nAthair (Our Father)

19) In Paupertatis Praedia (In the Farmland of Poverty)

20) Vater Unser: Joa Bolendas (Our Father)

The haunting sounds of the Monks of the Glenstal Abbey, will transport your mind into a different world. The voices are soothing as the chants draw you into a hypnotic like trance.

Each one of these CDs is deeply spiritual, and can be used for deep meditations, yoga practices, ritual, or other spiritual connections.

Review: Sacred Chants One by Orenda Blu

Sacred Chants One by Orenda Blu. (Orendablu.com) Paradise Music

http://www.paradisemusic.us.com/albumsDetail.asp?id=243

I love chants. I love adding them to rituals, to meditations, and even to help unpleasant chores go more quickly. Sometimes I even chant in the shower just to get my day started off on a positive, energized foot.

I was looking forward to this CD hoping it would be one I could easily pick up the chants to add to my own “repertoire”.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite the chanting I expected it to be.

Fortunately, I really liked it anyway.

While I don’t know how easy it will be for me to pick up these chants to practice myself, (actual English is much easier for me!) this is a beautiful CD to listen to, and possibly chant along with.

Orenda Blu has a beautiful, honest and true voice; that is able to turn these Sanskrit mantras into a relaxing, musical and spiritual experience.

The small CD insert does contain the words to the mantras, though no type of translations are provided.

I had hoped for slightly more contemporary chants, and as I stated before, in English, as I think for many people it is easier for them to make a deeper spiritual connection if they are able to understand what they are chanting on a more comprehensive level. Yes there are many Pagans out there who will understand these mantras for what they are, yet I have to believe there are more who would be able to connect deeply to something more modern, especially for those who do not work with any eastern philosophies.

This CD is wonderful the way it is though, my own expectations did get in the way a bit, and I had to set those aside to really hear what was in front of me. 

Obviously, this is a great CD for meditation.  If you do want to chant along while meditating however, I suggest taking some time to familiarize yourself with the words and pronunciations, along with the patterns in which the chanting flows.

It would also be another great CD to use with your yoga practices, and could possibly be used in some types of rituals. It is also a great CD to just chill and relax to.

The tracks on this CD include:

1. Jay Ambe
2. Govinda Jai
3. Om Namo Narayana
4. Ganapataye Namaha
5. Moola Mantra
6. Jai Kali Ma
7. Om Shanti

Living in Gratitude: A Journey That Will Change Your Life

Living in Gratitude: A Journey That Will Change Your Life by Angeles Arrien.  Sounds True: 2011.

http://www.soundstrue.com/shop/Living-in-Gratitude/3574.productdetails

If you are a follower of my blog, you already have an idea how much I have enjoyed reading this book.

This book is set up to be read a chapter a month, giving you a complete year of exercises and questions to work with to help you live a life of gratitude. While the book is set up by month, you don’t necessarily have to wait for next January to roll around to start working with this book.  You can either start with the current month, or you may possibly want to start with January since its chapter is titled “Begin Anew”.  You could then move on to your current month.  Whatever you decide, you can start at any time.

The topics in this book are as follows:

January: Begin Anew

February: Attend to the Heart

March: Compassionate Service

April: Mercy and Atonement

May: The Gift of Grace

June: The Power of Equanimity

July: Embracing Nature

August: Cultivating Peace

September: Opening to Guidance and Wisdom

October: Letting Be and Letting Go

November: Grateful Seeing

December: The Mystic Heart

Epilogue: Living in Gratitude – Where We Have Been and How We Can Continue

For those living in the southern hemisphere, you may also want to switch things up so your exercises in Embracing Nature are done during your own summer instead of your winter.

Each of the monthly chapters are broken down into sections.  Each one begins with a prayer, and the author uses prayers from several different traditions. The chapter then explains the topic, and breaks it down into plain and simple concepts.  The author never speaks over the readers head and keeps a very conversational tone and style.

The chapters include Reflections (these are questions for you to answer and work with ), Practices, (different exercises to work on over the month), Review and Integration, (where you take a look at gratitude in the 4 quadrants of life) Blessings, Learnings, Mercies, and Protections, (in which you work with some more reflections) and then end with Internal Questions and External Questions.

I would highly recommend keeping a journal to answer the presented questions, and to write about your reflections and practices as you complete them.  With the Reflections  and Practices sections, the author suggests you pick two of each to work on.  By doing this you can use this book for years, making different choices each year. Or you can choose to do more each month.

So many of the quotes in this book hit home for me in an extremely positive way. After just making several changes in my own life, I found this book to be a wonderful sign to show me I am now on the right path for me.

If you are looking for a change, or even if you aren’t really looking, this book can help give you a new life, or at the very least enhance the one you are living. 

Community

From Living in Gratitude: A Journey That Will Change Your Life by Angeles Arrien:

          Harvests and celebrations involve bringing clusters of people together and
          are essentially community endeavors.  The word community (common unity)
          comes from two Latin words that mean "fellowship" and "shared by all".
          Community is natural to our species, as it is to the rest of nature. ...Human
          beings are happiest in groups where they can share and contribute the most,
          whether they are participating in the joys of life or it's tragedies.

          
This quote brought a few ideas to mind for me. While I thought I understood completely what community is about, I would have to say I must have forgotten some things myself.  This definition made me understand why certain communities I have been in, have fallen apart. The part on "shared by all", is what started me thinking. 

If people are supposedly involved in a community, and they aren't sharing - are they really involved in that community?  No, they can't be.  They aren't fully invested. Which of course begs the question - then why be involved at all? To which the only answer I can come up with is they are focused on purely selfish needs instead. A community is one of give and take - hence the last part of this quote -- people are happiest where they can share and contribute the most - whether for joy or through tragedies.  People who aren't sharing in a community will eventually learn they aren't happy either. They are denying themselves a human instinct. So while being selfish, taking what they can get, they are also denying themselves the ability to share with others.

If you are involved in any sort of community, it does become easy to tell who is committed and who is not, and as they say, hindsight is 20/20. Look back over communities you have been involved with.  Do you have someone in your own community who shows up only occasionally? Do they always come empty handed? Do you hear excuses like, "I didn't know" a lot?  These are all easy giveaways that the person in your midst is not interested in real "community", they are instead interested in what's in it for them only.  It's impossible to build a real community with people who are unwilling to participate in the give and take community requires. Those who are unable to share or give,  perhaps need to take a deep look inside themselves and figure out why. Until they do, they will never find a true community to completely need all of their needs.