Author Archives: Chuck Miller

• 1 Comment

•

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.  Henry Ford

Off I went to visit a friend.  Everything went smoothly as I arrived at the airport, checked my bags, made it through security and finally boarded the airplane. We taxied out to the runway and took off and I settled back for an uneventful flight.  About thirty minutes into the flight, there was a loud bang, the plane shuddered, and the oxygen masks deployed!  As the plane settled into a descent, I noticed the elderly gentleman next to me struggling for breath!  I reached for an oxygen mask and……placed it on my face! ...continue reading →

•

 

Being still does not mean don't move. It means move in peace

E'yen A. Gardner

If you recall the previous post, the lesson you should have come away with was:

Breathe in……..breathe out……..wax on……..wax off……..oh wait – wrong theme!  Sorry about that!

Seriously (and that is difficult for me), we learned that the key to stillness is finding a way to disengage from the thoughts constantly flowing through our mind.  We found we can do this by focusing our point of attention elsewhere.  In the previous post (Meditation: Stillness Through Breath) our focus was exclusively on breathing techniques.  We will go beyond that in this post! ...continue reading →

•

Even when in the midst of disturbance, the stillness of the mind can offer sanctuary.

Stephen Richards

I think I forgot to pay the electric bill – must check on it……gotta call Mom back, she’s probably wondering why I haven’t called……got to finish that schedule for my boss today……my nose itches……got to cut the grass on Saturday - wish I could go to the beach instead……ugh! My nose is still itching……

Does your mind ever go crazy with these kinds of thoughts?  Well, if it does welcome to a typical beginning meditation session!  I can almost guarantee that anyone that has meditated has encountered this problem – the dreaded “monkey mind.”  So why do all the experts keep telling us to meditate if this is what comes out of it?  Read on and find out…….. ...continue reading →

•

Quiet the mind and the soul will speak.

Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati

If you’ve read my self-discovery series, you may recall that in Part 2, I asked you to meditate.  I suspect many of you visiting Codex Vita may already have a daily meditation practice, but for those of you that don’t I felt a bit guilty with the brief instructions I left you with.  However, I did promise to explore meditation with you – and so here we go with the very first of (what is destined to be) many posts on meditation. ...continue reading →

•

I was in a time machine the other day attending an epic musical performance of Dhun (Dadra And Fast Teental) by Indian masters Ravi Shankar(sitar), Alla Rakha(tablas), and Kamala(tambour).   Uhhhhh.............ok, so it wasn’t really a time machine – it was more like a YouTube video.  But in my mind, I was transported back to their performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival!  What is so enchanting about this video (beyond the incredible music) is that almost half of the video is devoted to views of the audience.  Imagine for a minute – 1967, the hippie counterculture movement, the Vietnam War, The Great Society, some of the best rock music ever!  Ahhh, but I digress…….. ...continue reading →

•

The Wisdom of Your Face: Change Your Life with Chinese Face Reading

by Jean Haner

Rating:    5-stars

I do a lot of reading and have gone through my share of good books, but I wasn't prepared for the impact Jean Haner’s "Wisdom of Your Face" had on me.  There I was lying flat on my back one day with a generous number of needles sticking out of my body, chatting with my friend Gina.  Gina is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, and was giving me an acupuncture treatment so this was actually a normal occurrence.  We frequently discussed spirituality, self-discovery, and other topics of that nature during my treatments.  It was during one of these conversations that she had occasion to point out several of my personality traits that she identified simply by looking at my facial features. Her reading was surprisingly accurate!  From that moment on, I was hooked on this fascinating topic.  Gina recommended that I read "The Wisdom of Your Face" to gain a better understanding of what face reading was and how to do it.  It was exactly what I needed at that moment in time! ...continue reading →

• 2 Comments

•

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.

Aristotle

In part 1 of the Self Discovery series we learned that a true understanding of who we are is critical to living an authentic, holistic life.  Without this knowledge, we tend to fall into a robotic daily routine and end up living according to the will of society and the people around us.  This way of life leaves us empty and unfulfilled.  We also discovered that finding out who we are is not a straightforward process.  Most of the knowledge we seek resides in our subconscious, which is not directly accessible.  Part 2 is where we began the journey of self-discovery.  We participated in two exercises that began to stimulate our thinking with regard to our knowledge of who we are. Those exercises laid the groundwork for the next step we are about to take in our journey of self-discovery. ...continue reading →

•

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.

Aristotle

In Part 1, we established the need to access our subconscious mind so that we might gain an understanding of who we are and what we want out of life.  We also learned that we can’t gain direct access to the subconscious (ok, I’m ignoring hypnosis for the moment) and so we have to find an indirect method.  Part 2 of this series is where we actually begin the journey.  So let’s go “kick the tires” and “look under the hood” ...........of our mind! ...continue reading →

• 2 Comments

•

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.

Aristotle

Ever find yourself barreling through life on autopilot?  That was me for certain a few years ago!  Too often we follow set patterns in our life, ignoring our true feelings and self.  To some extent, we are forced into this mode, especially if we have a family that we have to provide or care for.  But when we operate on autopilot, much of what we do is dictated by others and may be contrary to our own desires and needs.  We try to conform to the expectations imposed by society, family, school, friends, and our culture in general.  Much of the time we don’t even realize this.  We are zombies - animated creatures with no discernable life purpose and seemingly mindless.  At the end of the day we wind up feeling drained and empty inside and we are not certain why we feel this way or how to break out of this pattern of lethargy.  ...continue reading →