Home

  Radiant Courses 

  Radiant Workshops

  Radiant Hearticles

  Radiant Practices

  Radiant Art

  Radiant Soul Friends

  Radiant Links

  Radiant Blog

  Radiant Gifts

  Who We Are

  Contact Us

To support the development of this site and the work of soul friendship you are invited to express your appreciation through the spiritual practice of Dana

When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree,
there will be an answer, let it be.

For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see,
there will be an answer. let it be.

Let it be, let it be, .....

And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light, that shines on me,
shine until tomorrow, let it be.
I wake up to the sound of music, mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, .....

Radiant Poem

To Meditate

To meditate means to observe.
Your smile proves it.
It proves that you are being gentle with yourself,
that the sun of awareness is shining in you,
that you have control of your situation.
You are yourself,
and you have acquired some peace.

- Thich Nhat Hahn

"The Practice of Presence - Reward at no cost at all"

In Corrogue I practice many things.  I practice writing. I practice thankfulness. I practice breathing. In addition I practice looking, walking and feeling. All this practice is simply one practice. It is what is referred to in Buddhism as "the practice of mindfulness."

With any skill we wish to develop you need discipline. We need the discipline of regular practice. This is each and everyday through all moods and all resistances. We practice being present to our art. It may not be art in the conventional sense but it is practicing our art. It is honoring our talent and our individual creative process. It is not higher nor is it lower. It is not to be judged "good" or "bad." It is only to be entered with a creative heart.

With this practice of mindfulness you live each day more abundantly. Helen Keller once talked to a friend who had just returned from a long walk in the woods. She tells us when she asked her friend what she had observed her friend replied, "Nothing in particular." Helen writes,

"I wondered how it was possible to walk for an hour through woods and see noting of note. I who cannot see find hundreds of things: the delicate symmetry of a leaf, the smooth skin of a silver birch, and the rough shaggy bark of a pine. I who am blind can give one hint to those who see: Use your eyes as if tomorrow you will have been stricken blind."

She goes on,

"Hear the music of voices, the song of a bird, the mighty strains of an orchestra as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow. Touch each object as if tomorrow your tactile sense would fail. Smell the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel as if tomorrow you could never taste or smell again. Make the most of every sense. Glory in all the facets and pleasures and beauty of which the world reveals to you."

This is mindfulness. This is coming to your senses. This is practical advice on living a full life. One day you may not have an hour to walk in the woods. It takes a great deal of unawareness to walk for an hour and observe nothing. This is what most of us do throughout our waking day. We practice being unconscious of beauty. We live our cerebral life divorced from our body.

We learn this from all those around us. We have never known what it is to be awakened. Jesus is awake. Buddha is awake. There are many, and have been many, who are awake. They tell us in different ways to come to our senses and wake up. Helen Keller tells us to wake up. She who is blind instructs us how to see.

In the beginning waking up requires practice. Usually we start the practice of waking up because we want a bit of relief from the stress and strain of living our daily lives. If we did not suffer to some degree we would never think about waking up to the wonder of being alive. There are many practices to assist waking up. 

The practice of breathing is one I recommend. Everyone can do this practice. It is available to do at any time and at no financial cost. You cannot use the excuse that you have no time or money. It is a miracle available for use right now. This practice discriminates against no one.

You can practice when cooking. You can practice when lying down. You can practice when watching television or reading a newspaper. You can practice anywhere and at any time. You are required to breathe so why not learn to do it consciously. This will impact your well being in all sorts of positive ways. 

You will feel calmer and more relaxed. You will feel more centered and able to work more effectively. There are no disadvantages to learning the practice of breathing. There are no side effects. This practice will assist you in becoming more childlike. You can then follow the advice of Henry Miller the American author, who advised,

"The thing is to become a master, and in your old age to acquire the courage to do what children did when they knew nothing."

Is this not great wisdom? We are advised to become masters of nothing. This is a very special mastery. It is the mastery of being with the Beloved. It is the mastery that Meister Eckhart the great German mystic advised when he said, "God is not known by the addition of anything but through the subtraction of everything." These are the words of a master who knows.

We spend much of our lives living an idea of a future. This we imagine to be a time when we can let go and relax. This is the idea of a time when we can do what we want, go where we please and really enjoy our lives. Only to few of us get to experience such freedom. This freedom to enter joy is never in the future it is only ever now. 

Continue to Page 2

© Tony Cuckson 2008