Name: Oriah
Where you live: I live in the country, about two hours north of Toronto, on five acres of land surrounded by four hundred acres of conservation authority forest.
What you do as a vocation or avocation?
I write- books, poems, thoughts, dreams, analysis, commentary, mulling, musings and memories. But mostly I write stories that help me understand, see, shape, celebrate and continue the life I have been given.
When I am not writing, I sit and watch the brilliant red cardinal feed his mate bird seed and let my paying attention be my prayer. I listen deeply and hear the divine ask me to move slowly and to soften. I forget, and I speed up and start to get sharp edges. And then I remember. . . . and I slow down again and I soften. . .. and then I forget and start running and get prickly. . . . and then I remember again to listen and slow down and soften. . . .
Your two favorite books: Hmmm. . . . two fantastic novels come to mind:
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Your two favorite cd's: in this moment:
Chill Out Classics (a collection)
Anything by Keith Urban. There- the secret is out- I like (and sing along with) country music!
Why you are interested in spirituality?I am interested in life, in living fully, in offering something to the world in my brief time here and in learning to love well so that I and those around me can be happy. Spirituality- the practise of going to essence, of cultivating a connection with that which can be experienced as the divine and sacred core of who and what all things are- helps me open to the possibility of love and life more fully.
Your favorite quote:"Everyone does the best they can with what they have to work with at any given time." Don House (my father)
Your favorite web sites: Oh no. My age is showing. Do I have a favourite website? Well. . . .I bookmark the local cinema site, the weather sites and my bank sites- but I don't think these count. Sorry.
Your hero?
I had trouble with this one. "Hero" is an archetype that has much more juice in the US than it does in Canada- so my "heros" tend to be smaller, everyday folks. My husband is my hero because, at 55 he has had to courage to go back to the core of who he is and is creating the music that is his soul's offering to the world. My father is my hero because despite being raised in a horribly abusive household he took full responsibility for his own life and became a loving father and caring husband. My friend Linda is my hero because she quit the job that was kiling her despite her fear, and because she is always open to learning. The men and women who get up every day and do what needs to be done to feed the children are my heros.The elderly who continue to be open to life and learning despite the cultural disrespect and physical limitations they suffer are my heros. Immigrants who leave all that is familiar to them and come thousands of miles to a strange culture and the snowy landscape of Canada to build a new life, often knowing no one here, are my heros. . . . .I find myself surrounded by heros everyday.
A spiritual lesson you hope to learn?
To remember to listen and slow down and soften a little more often. :-)
A place in the world where you feel spiritually "connected?"
In the wilderness, on the granite rocks of the Canadian Shield, amidst the lakes and pines of northern Ontario.
Where you live: I live in the country, about two hours north of Toronto, on five acres of land surrounded by four hundred acres of conservation authority forest.
What you do as a vocation or avocation?
I write- books, poems, thoughts, dreams, analysis, commentary, mulling, musings and memories. But mostly I write stories that help me understand, see, shape, celebrate and continue the life I have been given.
When I am not writing, I sit and watch the brilliant red cardinal feed his mate bird seed and let my paying attention be my prayer. I listen deeply and hear the divine ask me to move slowly and to soften. I forget, and I speed up and start to get sharp edges. And then I remember. . . . and I slow down again and I soften. . .. and then I forget and start running and get prickly. . . . and then I remember again to listen and slow down and soften. . . .
Your two favorite books: Hmmm. . . . two fantastic novels come to mind:
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Your two favorite cd's: in this moment:
Chill Out Classics (a collection)
Anything by Keith Urban. There- the secret is out- I like (and sing along with) country music!
Why you are interested in spirituality?I am interested in life, in living fully, in offering something to the world in my brief time here and in learning to love well so that I and those around me can be happy. Spirituality- the practise of going to essence, of cultivating a connection with that which can be experienced as the divine and sacred core of who and what all things are- helps me open to the possibility of love and life more fully.
Your favorite quote:"Everyone does the best they can with what they have to work with at any given time." Don House (my father)
Your favorite web sites: Oh no. My age is showing. Do I have a favourite website? Well. . . .I bookmark the local cinema site, the weather sites and my bank sites- but I don't think these count. Sorry.
Your hero?
I had trouble with this one. "Hero" is an archetype that has much more juice in the US than it does in Canada- so my "heros" tend to be smaller, everyday folks. My husband is my hero because, at 55 he has had to courage to go back to the core of who he is and is creating the music that is his soul's offering to the world. My father is my hero because despite being raised in a horribly abusive household he took full responsibility for his own life and became a loving father and caring husband. My friend Linda is my hero because she quit the job that was kiling her despite her fear, and because she is always open to learning. The men and women who get up every day and do what needs to be done to feed the children are my heros.The elderly who continue to be open to life and learning despite the cultural disrespect and physical limitations they suffer are my heros. Immigrants who leave all that is familiar to them and come thousands of miles to a strange culture and the snowy landscape of Canada to build a new life, often knowing no one here, are my heros. . . . .I find myself surrounded by heros everyday.
A spiritual lesson you hope to learn?
To remember to listen and slow down and soften a little more often. :-)
A place in the world where you feel spiritually "connected?"
In the wilderness, on the granite rocks of the Canadian Shield, amidst the lakes and pines of northern Ontario.
1 comment:
The "What do you ache for" title reminded me of a conversation Ihad just last week with the dad of a college student. He was beginning to realize he would not be able to make a living doing musical theater, or really with his music. But he LOVES it; it's who he is, and we talked about how that would ALWAYS be part of his life, even if he ends up an accountant. Spirituality, living one's life fully and embracing life are topics that fascinate me. I especially like how science and spirituality co-exist (at least in my world). A scientist named Leo Kim is about to have a book published that kind of explores that science/spirituality tie. It's called "Healing the Rift." Kinm draws upon his own personal experiences, publications and research, plus cites other luminaries. He explains the science in simple terms with lots of entertaining exmaples and anecdotes.
Post a Comment