Month: November 2020

Deep Ecology

Prayer to Mother Earth

Breathe in your light,

Breathe out love for you.

Let me walk in rhythm

With your heartbeat, Great Mother.

Aatoon Nina Massey

I walk by this tree

At the top of my favorite hill

A long path I walk often.

Each day a different season,

A different look.

The rain will stop

And the sun will come out.

The sun beats down

Making me hot and slow.

The leaves turn gold

And fall to the ground.

The snow cools the air.

A white peace descends.

Everything changes.

A comfort, a hope, a wish.

Aatoon Nina Massey

Standing near a tree, I wonder what it would be like to stand tall, in absolute stillness for hundreds of years.  That inner, stalwart strength a representation of meditation at its deepest. Sitting under a tree, I feel that silence & tranquility deep in my heart and soul.  A sacred place in nature to visit regularly, to offer prayers for Mother Earth has always been a part of my life. Watching the changes of the seasons, the natural cycles give a rhythm to daily life. 

Having a sacred place in nature to visit has been part of the culture of humanity since earlies times.  Groves were used in early pagan and Druid for rituals.  Visiting lakes, rivers and the sea have always uplifted people.  Climbing hills and mountains create a natural elevation of the spirit.  Sites that are visited by many begin to gather the spiritual energy of those who offer prayers, whose states of being are lifted by the very nature of the sacred place. 

Deep ecology is an environmental movement which was introduced in 1973 by the Norwegian and mountaineer Arne Naess.  He believed that we need to honor nature for its inherent value, not only for its usefulness to humanity.  It’s an idea that was written about in earlier times by Rachel Carson, John Muir, John Burroughs and many more. Many have held the sacred, intrinsic value of nature in their hearts throughout their lives. 

There’s a tree at the top of the hill

That stands alone. 

Alone it is looked up to.

Alone it has battled the storms.

Alone it gives shade and a cool restful spot

To the animals seeking shelter from the burning sun. 

There’s a tree at the top of the hill, 

Living alone. 

Standing in stillness and silence,

Reaching its branches to the heavens. 

Aatoon Nina Massey

Meditation is one way to deepen inner stillness and silence of an empty mind.  Transmission from our teachers can help us drop deeply into a state of inner ease and quietude.  If we can be in nature and be fully present, with this deep inner quiet, with whatever is in front, beside or behind us we can enter into the deep listening of the very nature of the forest, the flowers, the sea, etc. An empty mind allows the energetic field to enter our being. We enter a new state of being through the portal into the field of nature. 

I lived in Juneau, Alaska for 30 years.  I hiked in the surrounding virgin forest, the Tongass National Wildlife Refuge nearly every day.  Being outside, no matter the weather is an integral part of daily life up there.  This area is one of the last temperate rain forests in North America.  The mystical beauty of the light rain was often part of the ramble. Partial glimpses of the mountains and the sea through light clouds added mystery to the days. For years, I would walk the same path.  I watched the natural changes of the course of Gold Creek, noticing how its path changed as the weather changed.  Ferns and Devil’s cub, a magical healing plant to the indigenous Tlingit people, flourished on the new banks first. Then willow and alder would quickly grow in the early layers of plant succession along its banks.  They are very strong and flexible, bending with the wind and storms, and still surviving. The taller hemlock and spruce of the forest often sheltered us from the misty rain. 

One summer I had an old friend from high school come to visit because he wanted to fish for salmon.  Every day for about 10 days my sister-in-law took us out on a Lund, a skiff that scoots quickly across the sea.  We would go where the fish were, sitting and waiting for a bite for hours. Contemplating the beauty of the calm Inside Passage, the mountains, the forest, the eagles, the whales, etc. took me into an incredibly deep place of attunement with the water.

We often had retreats with spiritual teachers at the Shrine of St.  Therese.  Located right on the water with a retreat center, we could sit each morning of the front porch drinking our tea, watching the calm, quiet sea of the Inside Passage.  There would be whales swimming about, eagles and raven flying above, calling out for us to listen to their voices. The air and the breeze were fresh, evidenced by the sphagnum moss hanging in the trees. Together we would enter a field of stillness and purity, brought to us by nature. 

There is something about the colors we soak in when we are in nature that is also healing.  The ocean can be a light blue, gray, green, etc. depending on the color of the sky it reflects.  The sky of course changes as well, blue, white, gray, etc.  Green is said to be a healing color, so soaking up the deep emerald green of grass and plants can be invigorating and a remedy for what ails us. And of course, we are often gifted with the vibrant beauty of colorful flowers throughout the spring and summer. 

“My heart is tuned to the quietness,

that the stillness of nature inspires.”

Hazrat Inayat Khan, Nature Meditations

A tree that I love

Sits alone by the sea

Battered by storms

By the wind and the waves.

It still stands

Roots holding tightly

To the earth it loves

Standing sentinel

To the beauty of the sea.

Aatoon Nina Massey

Ancient forests growing tall,

Reaching for Father Sky.

Roots growing deeply

Into Mother Earth,

Supporting the life of man,

Giving wood and oxygen.

We give homage to these

Ancient stalwart trees.

Aatoon Nina Massey

Song to the Willow

Standing alone

Where the land reaches out

To meet the sea,

A little willow tree

Reaches its roots,

Deeper and deeper into the earth.

The wind, rain and snow

Blow hard across the sea.

Its trunk grows tall and strong,

Swaying and bending with the force.

A little willow tree

Reaches its roots

Deeper and deeper into the earth.

Aatoon Nina Massey

Thinking about Leadership

Leadership

During this pandemic, many of us have taken on new roles, as well as new ways of doing our roles. Ways of leading, guiding and teaching one another have changed.  The role of parents, and teachers have become immensely complicated by social distancing and quarantines. The supervision of adults working from home has been a challenge, as bosses find new ways of monitoring workers. Reaching out for support from others in a similar position becomes more and more important. Remember, we are all trying to do the best we can, because we care!

Thinking about Teaching

Do you remember your favorite teachers in school? Perhaps you loved them because they infused you with inspiration, curiosity, wonder?  Perhaps they modeled loving relationships and respect for all. Maybe they were calm, and created an atmosphere, an oasis of peacefulness within the chaos of the school day. Maybe they had a great sense of humor, laughing at themselves, their mistakes, their own humanity, and with you about life. What qualities made you love a special teacher?

On the Sufi path, we say a prayer called Pir.  The Pir is the Sufi teacher or guide.  Lessons are given individually and in groups, often in sacred conversations called ‘sohbet.’  I contemplate this prayer daily, as a meditation with devotion for my teachers, but also as a way of understanding that if I can recognize these qualities in a teacher, they also exist inside me.  I want to bring them forward in a conscious way, in order to honor and inspire my students. 

Pir

Inspirer of my mind, consoler of my heart, healer of my spirit,
Thy presence lifteth me from earth to heaven
Thy words flow as the sacred river
Thy thought riseth as a divine spring
Thy tender feelings waken sympathy in my heart.

Beloved Teacher, thy very being is forgiveness.
The clouds of doubt and fear are scattered by thy piercing glance.
All ignorance vanishes in thy illuminating presence;
A new hope is born in my heart by breathing thy peaceful atmosphere.

O inspiring Guide through life’s puzzling ways,

 in Thee I feel abundance of blessing.

Affective Domain 

The affective domain deals with our feelings, emotions and attitudes. It is where we find our motivation, what moves us to act. The prayer above is a daily motivation for me to be the best teacher I can be. In what other ways can we be the creative force that helps others want to do or create what is theirs to do? 

Motivation and inspiration are important to the roles of parents and employers.  Surveys of employers indicate that they care more about communication skills and teamwork than about cognitive skills.[1]  Other important qualities include integrity, respect and good customer relationships. Work ethic is of great importance as well. How to help instill these qualities in our coworkers and our children?  How do we create a classroom and work place atmosphere that encourages and values these qualities?  Perhaps we could look closely at the examples we set as role models. 

Developing positive relationships with students and coworkers is one of the most important qualities of a good teacher. Truly seeing students in the depth of their being and their hearts, and recognizing with honor who they are is one of the greatest gifts we can give to our students. If students like and respect their teacher, they are motivated to listen and learn.  If a teacher takes the time to listen to her students, and carefully learn about their individual strengths and weaknesses in learning and completing projects, she can produce the intended impression that will assist in the needed result.  A teacher must find effective ways to help students develop a pattern of behavior conducive to learning. A teacher can model effective and polite ways of communicating, thereby motivating her students to communicate in ways that other students respond to with reciprocal thoughtful and pleasant ways.  

Trust is built when a student feels their teacher enjoys being with them and likes them as a person. When disciplinary procedures humiliate and break trust, there is a breakdown in engagement and motivation. When a teacher is caring and kind, taking time to listen to students, being patient, greater achievement can occur.[2] Natural consequences have a way of changing behavior, if the adult responds with empathy and understanding. This helps avoid defensive kickbacks and emotional outbursts. However, if the action of a child causes danger to self or others, a different method should be used. 

Teaching is one of the most complicated jobs in the world.  Each situation and subject ask for a different approach.  A teacher is asked to help with a child’s attitude and moral development, their ability to think and develop skills of all sorts, and their knowledge and understanding of content.  Organizing and orchestrating the myriad needs, materials, schedules, etc. requires an incredible amount of focus, and presence. 

Enthusiasm and love of teaching can assist a teacher in having the fortitude and stamina to continue this work year after year, while dealing with an enormous workload and how the current problems and issues in society affect the conditions in the school and classroom. Loving the subject matter and the students brings a commitment as well as exciting and engaging lessons in the day-to-day practice. 

Also, of great importance for any leader is the inner work, looking inside at motivation, desire, how power operates within and without.  This deep work can be accomplished with the assistance of friendships and community support.  Sometimes we are blessed with coworkers who are willing to discuss and help us learn from self-reflection.  Sometimes we find renewal in spiritual retreat and community. All of us need support and refreshment, rest and respite.  We must seek it out to be able to perform at our best.  

Engagements of the Mind

It’s a trap.

These engagements of the mind.

The power struggles

Over who will do what.

Trapped in the mind,

Unable to act from the heart.

Unable to see what the children need

To develop their souls’ potential.

Nina Massey

Expectations

Never give up on a student. A great teacher believes in all of her students and their ability to succeed. She sets high expectations. Setting and communicating clear objectives allows students to set goals.  Immediate feedback with careful recognition of closely approximated success, as well as clear directions for the next step in meeting goals helps motivate students to try again. Recognizing the innate potential in each student honors their ability to accomplish the next step. 

Prepared & organized 

Being prepared and organized is a must.  Setting up organizational systems to facilitate ease of finding materials helps a teacher to remain calm, and to keep students engaged in learning more minutes of the day. Also, a clean organized environment is a more pleasant place to spend time. Once I heard that the condition of a desk is reflective of the condition of its owner’s mind.  Perhaps this is so sometimes.  Definitely it is worth reflecting on the value of keeping the classroom environment less cluttered and pleasing. Students need a space for learning that is theirs to manage.  They can learn to keep it clean and organized in a way that is conducive to learning and the work they need to do.  A sense of ownership and control of the space will motive a student to perform at their best. 

Learning & Teaching

We live in a time when what makes a good teacher is much debated.  Some believe that high test scores are the best measure.  Others look at value added measures, in which effective teachers raise the scores of lower students more than expected. But what about the importance of the affective domain? 

In a 2015 Pew research survey[3], Americans responded that the most important skill kids need to gain in school are good communication skills. Team work came in 4th after reading and math skills.  A good teacher models communication skills with every interaction in the classroom.  Being kind and polite, while using a friendly tone of voice sets a standard of expectations for interactions, and shows kids how to be that way.  

Community building is another important part of creating an atmosphere in the classroom.  Cooperative learning and teambuilding techniques can help students learn to collaborate together.[4] There is research showing how cooperative learning techniques improve social skills, relationships and academic achievement.  Students learn to enjoy working together and becoming part of a team. 

Someone once said that the best teachers are the best students.  I have been teaching now for 41 years at many different levels in many different capacities.  I have never lost my thirst for learning, trying new ways, considering the ideas of others, etc.  I think that this innate curiosity has kept teaching alive for me. I can’t imagine ever stopping learning.  There is always something new to consider and learn about!

You have been a voice

Of the spirit

Trying to come through these souls.

You have been a voice

Asking for creativity and flexibility.

Asking for these souls

To be listened to and to be heard.

Asking for change as the souls change

And the times change.

Desiring more

Than can be given in these times.

[1] Bortz, Daniel.  5 traits employers really want younger workers to have. Retrieved from https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/must-have-traits-young-workers-1116

[2] Peterson-Deluca, Ashley. Top Five Qualities of Effective teachers, According to Students. 2016: Pearson.  Retrieved from https://www.pearsoned.com/top-five-qualities-effective-teachers/

[3] Goo, Sara Kehaulani.  2015.  The skills Americans say kids need to succeed in life.  Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/02/19/skills-for-success/

[4] Kagan, Dr. Spencer & Miguel.  Kagan Cooperative Learning.  Retrieved from https://www.kaganonline.com/free_articles/research_and_rationale/

Facing Death

On the Sufi path, forgetting about the Divine is considered a kind of death.  When I recently faced my own mortality, while extremely ill in the hospital for 7 days, I found that remembering the Divine was more difficult than I thought it would be.  The fog of illness and medications covered my mind, even while awake.  It was the simplest of practices that helped me the most.  I had recently taken a class on healing with Murshid Aslan.  He gave simple practice which I had adopted in my daily morning practices, as I have been dealing with a rare autoimmune disorder. The practice is simply breathing in a relaxing manner, perhaps with the breath of the earth, in and out the nose, with Ya Shafi on the in breath, Ya Kafi on the out breath,  21 times.  The 21 times became a way of continuing this prayer longer than I might have in the weakness of my illness. Lengthening and deepening the breath bit by bit helped improve my oxygen levels. Focusing my mind on the Divine Healer bringing a remedy which my body, heart and soul needed, kept me uplifted and hopeful.  And finally, the surrender to the will of God allowed a level of relaxation and peace to enter my heart. I prayed that if I could still be of service to the Divine, I would recover.  If it was time for a transition, that was all right as well. 

Each of us travels a different journey with challenges along the way.  It is my hope that within these reflections on my recent experiences, that I can perhaps give some insights which might be of help to others. 

I had the incredible blessing of having a near death experience in the early 90’s, in which I was above my body looking down on it, my body in a state of immobility.  I felt an incredible state of utter bliss.  I did not want to go back into my body in fear of leaving behind this feeling.  In fact, I mourned for weeks afterward, and tried to find my purpose and reason for living again. This experience has helped me understand that death is not an ending, but a beginning of a new adventure. I can remember the state of bliss with concentration. It removed my fear of death.  

I know that I will mourn the loss of loved ones when my time comes, knowing that this same mandala of incarnations that share my life will never be the same.  Once, I met a friend in Alaska who played a bodhran in an Irish band and was a fantastic storyteller.  I dreamed of living with him in Ireland that night.  I was a sculptor, making a bust of him, as he was in that life in Ireland.  He did not look as he did in this lifetime, but I recognized him and his spirit. I know I will meet my loved ones again.  But it will be challenging to leave them all behind, just as it is to let them go if they leave first. 

Unveiling

Each morning I do my set of practices and meditate, hoping for a taste of Divinity’s inner stillness.  Often insights arise out of the feelings that are in my heart when I look deeply into it.  I only allow myself to read or think about spiritual teachings before my practices, as much as my daily life concerns and responsibilities allow. 

Today, I had to take my medication with food before my practices, as I had a late start to the morning.  I began reading the introduction to a new book by Kabir Helminski, In the House of Remembering.  A student of his recalls the experience of his first Sufi retreat with Zikr, the ecstasy and heart opening he experienced. As I read, I felt jealous.  Why hadn’t I had that intense of an experience at my first retreat?  

Later, as I was meditating, the insight came that I have been veiled by experiences of sorrow, anger, frustration, fear, anxiety, etc. in this lifetime and others.  That my experience of the fogginess of illness and medication gave me an opportunity to encounter the depth of veiling over my heart. During my illness, I felt like I was trying to dive under the fog to get to the place in me where the Divine resides, to my own true inner being. 

I realized that I needed to forgive myself for allowing this covering of my soul to occur.  This habitual pattern of protecting myself closed my heart to not only the pain, but also the love, joy and happiness that come with daily living.  Glimpses of Divinity kept me searching.  Daily practices and meditation help bring about a gradual upliftment. But sometimes we are given opportunities to learn what we need to do during sudden events. My daily practice of the three forgiveness wazifas have taken on a new meaning.  New levels of understanding are being uncovered, even after years of daily repetition.

Ya Ghafar asks us to allow in the idea of forgiveness and accept its possibility.  Ya Ghafur works deep in the heart where we have stored pain and suffering, asking us to let go of it.  With Ya Tawwab we turn away from our perceptions of anger, grudges, etc. to the Divine.  Ya Afuw washes away the last remnants, just as the wind blows away footprints in the sand. 

Following my Dreams 

I had the great fortune to study Jungian dream therapy for years in Alaska with a wonderful spiritual teacher, David LaChapelle.  He was trained at Naropa in Boulder.  He studied and practiced many paths, including Buddhism and the Lakota teachings of John Fire Lame Dear.  For years we met weekly in dream class, each sharing a dream and learning from it.    Personal assignments designed to explore inner life were given to each.  Mine included many painting and drawing assignments, hiking and exploring the outdoors, weaving, etc.  

I learned that watching and paying attention to my dreams helped me understand the state of my subconscious.  When I was in the hospital, it was very hard to stay asleep long enough to get to deep sleep or dreaming. Someone is always coming in to take vitals, draw blood, administer medications, change IV bags, etc. But when I did go into a dream state, it was always something simple from daily life, like teaching preschool kids.  Lots of love and pleasant states.  This seemed like a good indication that for now, I did not have many demons chasing me.  Not anger, frustration, anxiety, etc.  Since I have come home and been able to sleep for longer periods of time, the same simplicity and pleasant thoughts have followed me.  I feel blessed, and know that I have made good choices about what I allow to enter and fill my mind. I have worked hard to feel at ease with my imperfections, mistakes and human frailty. 

I learned about this when my older sister was in the hospital in Norway.  I took a leave from work and traveled across the sea to be with her and help get her home to Seattle. The medical system in Norway was fabulous.  The nurses and doctors met daily and communicated across all departments concerning the care of the whole person. They took paid attention to all her needs.  When we were finally able to take her home to Seattle on Air Ambulance Norway, she then entered Swedish Hospital.  The American system is very different. Specialists separate care into different parts of the hospital.  Communication happens with charts hung on beds, hoping they will be read. My sister entered an infectious disease area of the hospital. She was taken cold-turkey off a medicine for the psychosis that had arisen while she was on morphine for 41 days. The med had not been approved by the FDA yet.  No substitute was prescribed.  She began hallucinating, having extreme paranoid thought about people and events. Her mind was replaying thoughts of fear and anxiety over and over. I later found out it was partly because she had always had a love of horror.  She read horror novels like Steven King and watched all the horror movies she could find.  She had filled her mind with thoughts and dreams of the most horrific scenarios. I learned about how important the ‘entertainment’ we fill our minds with can be to our mental health, particularly when medications loosen our control of our thoughts and dreams. 

Gratitude 

Looking at life with gratitude can keep our minds on the Divine.  Ya Shakur Allah for all the beautiful teachers who have entered my life, filled me with love, and taught me so many ways to be of service with love in my heart. Ya Shakur Allah for all the generous and loving family members and friends who have helped me and each other. Ya Shakur Allah for a the beautiful, healing glimpses of nature which I have had the fortune to view in my life. Ya Shakur Allah for the opportunity to live this life!