The Art of Doing Nothing

You have been taught not to daydream, not to waste time, to always rush through whatever task you are attempting to do. To work too slowly, or stare into space is laziness.

What if we were to tell you that your body and spirit need down time just as much as they need food and water. You can understand this in terms of sleep, but sleep is not enough. Your body and mind need rest throughout the day. Of course, you take breaks, but you cheat on them. You are skimpy with your rest times. You work through them, you make phone calls, you watch television.

If your rest time were food, it would be a sugary coffee drink with whipped cream and a frosted pastry on the side. It looks good, but does nothing to recharge your energy.

Just as you have learned (or are trying to learn) that your body responds better when it is fed high quality food, your energy level responds to quality down time or break time.

Doing nothing, is not as simple as it looks. There is an art to getting the most out of it. Sometimes you have to work hard at doing nothing.

Let's take daydreaming, for instance. From a physical standpoint, you are doing very little. Your imagination, however, is running wild. For this period, you are allowing the ideas to surface without judgement. If you release the guilt of doing nothing, and pay attention to your thoughts, you will have many wonderful and creative things to share when you rejoin humanity.

Meditation is the ultimate in doing nothing. No movement, no judgement, release of thoughts that surface. Again, it appears unproductive, but the benefits are tremendous. In addition to releasing stress which causes many of your physical ailments, you clear your mind of the unproductive thoughts which clutter it causing confusion and distress. It's like cleaning and decluttering your home. It feels better and it's easier to find what you need.

Even a brief nap, can leave you feeling recharged, if you allow yourself to rest and forget to feel guilty about it.

So, today, goof off, loaf around, and stare blankly into space. This is not permission. This is your homework. Get to work at nothing. The sooner the better. ~ Silas

Jinnzania's side notes: I've had a long, busy week. For two nights, the insomnia has been pretty bad and the good nights I get about four to five hours of sleep. So today, I was up early and feeling guilty about the fact that I was tired and wanted to go back to sleep. I took a walk then came home and sat on the porch and started to daydream. That is why you are reading these words right now. Letting go of self doubt and mental clutter can do wonders for my receptivity. That is why I often feel rushed and overwhelmed. I need to slow down instead of speed up.

This message definitely came through for me and I imagine it will speak to others as well. So, read, enjoy, absorb, then go stare out a window. It has most likely been way too long.

The Feeling

When you need to make a difficult decision, you have two sources of information to draw from. One is better than the other, depending on whom you ask.

The first source is the wisdom and factual information you have gained from experience and learned from others. It is like viewing a picture on a wall. Much of it is accurate, it is easy to reference, and most others can verify the facts you see before you.

It is what you might call, the "safe" source. It can be physically seen and the facts can be verified. It gives you the information that makes you feel good, and secure.

The second source is your intuition; what you would call your "gut" feelings. This source cannot be proven. Following your intuition occasionally means taking risks. Others around you may call you crazy. When things work out for the best, they call you lucky.

Imagine seeing a picture on a wall. It has two dimensions. There is a cat in the picture. You know it's a cat. You can see it's height, shape and experience tells you it's a cat. You can very safely from all the evidence point to it and say, "That's a cat". Actually, it's not a cat.

It is a very life-like creation by a talented artist. It was designed to be photographed from one angle. It has height and the right shape, but it is completely flat. It was exactly what the photographer needed for the picture, but you want a real cat.

If you'd used your intuition, you would have gotten a "no" message or a flat, blank feeling. Then you might be guided to take a different route home. It leads you to an animal shelter. As you walk in the door, a cat walks up to you and rubs against your legs purring loudly. The attendant tells you the cat is up for adoption, but is scheduled to be euthanized in a few hours. You adopt him, saving his life and he in turn enriches yours.

That is the difference. Factual, observable data is not always the "sure thing" that you think it is. If your lucky, it will pay your bills and get you where you need to go, but you will not always be lucky.

Learning to trust your intuition, if you are open to the experience, can bring your wildest dreams to life and take you to places beyond your dreams. It is like a muscle in your soul. Once you start to exercise it it grows stronger. It will begin to bring you answers to questions you have not yet thought to ask.

To access it, you must step away from what you think you know with your mind, and embrace the wisdom of your heart. There is a mistaken belief that the heart can lead you astray. It is always your brain that talks you into doing the things you shouldn't. The heart never lies. ~Silas

Jinnzania's side notes: After a year of living on my own one hundred fifty miles from everyone I know, I am going home. I was offered a job to replace the one that ended, but decided to follow my heart and turned it down.

People in my office have asked me what I'm doing, and the HR people have all but had me committed. Staying didn't feel right, leaving does.

All of the factual evidence is telling me I've just made a huge mistake, yet I feel excited to be returning and hungry for new experiences. When I think of coming home, I feel joy and expansion in my heart. When I think of staying, I feel cold and closed off.

I came down here to heal and I'm going back to realize my dreams. Scoff if you will. I may look delusional riding my white unicorn, but he sweats glitter and poops rainbows. Life can be uncertain, but there's no need to lose your smile......and you can get a unicorn of your own if you like.

Turn a Corner, Grow Your Mind

We have said before how precious this human experience is. There are many souls who would love to stand in your shoes. You have travelled far and had many experiences to bring you to this point, yet, many of you choose to keep your world small and confined.

You believe your lives are busy and interesting, yet, you hide yourself in your familiar surroundings and routines. It is as if you live a block away from an ice cream parlor that you frequently visit, but every time you go, you get vanilla.

There is sense to this. Vanilla is tasty. You know you will like it and therefore will have a good experience at the ice cream parlor. You may even become so used to the vanilla flavor, that the others cease to exist. The servers see you coming and make it before you order.

It is routine. It is safe. Like a warm blanket in Winter. Warm blankets are wonderful, but they aren't fun. They don't teach you anything new. They don't take you on adventures. Sometimes, it's good to risk the cold in order to expand your experience and your mind.

Will you always like every new thing you try? Probably not, but you might discover something you love. You will give your brain a workout as it processes the new information. Your mental muscles will grow and your life becomes more of an adventure than a routine.

We do not suggest pulling up stakes and moving to another country, but try going to a new lunch spot. Take a different route home. Walk to a local destination instead of driving, or jog, ride your bike or roller skate. Read about something online that you'd always wondered about. Try the raspberry cheesecake ice cream in a waffle cone with sprinkles.

Open a door that you always walk by. It might just be a broom closet, but now you will know. Every new experience makes your world a more vibrant and colorful place. Every new bit of information, makes you just a little bit smarter, as your brain grows to make room for it.

In some of your video games, you reach a point where you find a new screen as your character turns a corner. A whole new world with new opportunities and resources is now at your disposal. The solution to the problem you've been wrestling with is suddenly obvious. Your lifelong dream? There it is! It's been so close, but you've been so stuck in your routine that you did not realize this.

So, try turning a new corner. Expand your mind and your life, and don't forget the whipped cream. ~Silas

Jinnzania's side notes: As I prepare to move from my current residence, I have come to realize how many things in this area I have not explored. I drive by restaurants and shops, knowing them only by the front windows I can see from the street. I drive by streets that I don't need to go down, wondering where they lead. I live a little more than a mile from the Atlantic Ocean, but have not been to the beach. If I could access it without swimming across canals or trespassing on private property, that might have been different, but I never tried very hard to get there.

I've had many great experiences since I moved here, but I'm amazed at the things that are all around me that I've missed. No time for that now. Lesson is learned and the time has come to move on. I'm returning to my former home, a place I've lived most of my life and have yet to fully explore. That will change. I'm looking forward to returning with new eyes, and expanding my experiences. It's always fun to go into a new shop and be amazed at how big it is, or turn down a new street and find a restaurant or club I'd been hearing about.

I'm moving from one paradise to another. I can't go wrong. If I hit a theme park or the ocean, I'll just turn around.

Loving Your Past

As you look back at your life. You will see that you have come a long way.

You may have lost weight, found a better job, you stand taller, prouder, you have walked away from abusive situations, and learned to stand up or yourself. You are proud of who you are, and you hate who you once were. We ask you not to be so hard on your past self. After all, they did the best they could, and didn't have the advantages that you have.

You proudly go to the gym and pound your muscles into submission. You have become a workout warrior, enjoying the sweat and the minor aches and pains. The struggles you faced however are nothing compared to the task faced by the person you once were. That person fought low self-esteem and inertia, went outside for walks feeling that their too large body made them the object of ridicule. They kept going, fighting a daily battle bravely gaining ground through hard work and perseverance.

You go home after work and relax. You are now able to work smarter, and have all but forgotten the days of working hard for a low wage and little respect. The person, who updated their resume on their off time and kept looking, calling and updating their skills so that you could have a job you love.

You love who you have become. You forget the days when your heart was broken and you used every bit of strength you had to force yourself to get up in the morning. The person you were had to face and process a lot of pain to get you to this point. Healing is not for the weak.

Always be grateful for who you are right now, but do not hate who you were. It is that brave soul that one day said, "ENOUGH", and made a difficult decision to change. This person is the real giant slayer, this is the warrior who stood in front of the enemy and gave their life for the cause.

Love always, who you are, but also love and cherish who you were. True heroes deserve a bit of worship. ~Silas

Jinnzania's side notes: Looking back at my past, I found it easy to become angry with myself. I was vulnerable and weak. I believed everything I was told without question. I was overweight, so I didn't feel like I needed to worry about my appearance. I sat home and did nothing for nearly two decades.

Then one day, in meditation, I got in touch with my past self. I felt her fear, her feeling of powerlessness. She felt that she was all alone in the world, even when people were surrounding her.

I realized that it wasn't me who made the big changes in my life that brought me to a much better place. It was her. With all the odds against her, she fought to keep living. She survived and sacrificed her life so that I could have the life I have now. My gratitude and love for her grew. I let go of my anger and embraced my past.

Every experience I've ever had in my life, good or bad, has led me to this point. I like where I am. I love what I'm doing to make my life better, and I love what she did, when she had much less to work with. She is my past, she is gone, she is my hero.

It's Retrograde All Over Again

It's back! Double check your calendars. Forget trying to diet. Don't buy a house! Oh dear, you have a presentation at work. Nevermind. Go inside. Lock your doors. Stay inside for the next three weeks or you're doomed. Mercury retrograde is here again!

How did you ever get along in life before you found out about this frightening phenomenon? Quite well, apparently, as you are here reading this.

It is easy to fear, what you do not understand, so let's get to the bottom of this time of misunderstanding, delay and fear. The Universe is not picking on you. There is a purpose. Let us explain.

Let's say, you are working hard at your job. You have accomplished many things, and you are in the flow. Your energy is propelling you forward, and then.......

Your boss comes over to you and says, "You need to take a break". How could she? Does she not see how well you are doing? Why stop you now?

There may be many reasons. She may see a change in your posture as you tire. A change you may not have noticed due to your activity level. She may have noticed mistakes you've made. Everyone makes mistakes, right? She may just be kindly reminding you that you need a rest and are legally entitled to one.

So, you can yell at her; complain that she's trying to sabotage you; ask why she's not satisfied with your work, but you're still taking a break. After all, she is the boss.

So, you take a break. You realize you are thirsty and have some water. You stretch out your sore back and legs. You think about what you were doing well and what mistakes you were making.

Then, when the break is over, you go back to work. Your mind is clear, your back feels better. You are rested and motivated to do an even better job then before.

Your boss knows this. You are a valuable employee and she admires your work ethic. She doesn't want you to burn out. In the end, everyone feels better, and the work gets done.

You are the employee, the Universe is the boss. So check your work twice, be clear in your communications, do not take on new projects, and relax. You've earned this break. ~ Silas

Jinnzania's side notes: Mercury retrograde has been a source of tremendous stress for me. When I knew it was coming, I felt that I needed to hurry up and hastily complete projects. My computer would go down, I'd miss important calls, it was like Spirit was out to get me.

What was the point of ever starting anything new when it would come to a grinding halt for three weeks.?

One year as a retrograde period approached, I decided not to fight it. Strangely, nothing bad happened. I realized that it wasn't stop time, just rest time. It gave me the opportunity to look at the past few months and see what I'd accomplished. It was a period of cleansing. I could release what was holding me back and embrace what was propelling me forward.

I started to celebrate it as a time of learning and growth. Things that needed to be healed would surface so I could be free of them.

When Mercury goes direct, I feel lighter and stronger. Like the Road Runner hitting the highway, I take off at full speed and nothing can catch me.

My life is in transition right now. The timing couldn't be better. I'm looking forward to finding out what will stay in my life and what will go. I'm ready, BEEP BEEP!

The Right Place at the Right Time

You are always obsessed with time. You want to save it, you want to savagely kill it, you never have enough or you have too much. Such fuss over an imaginary concept you have created.

Yes, we are aware of how real time is to you. It has been helpful in navigating your three-dimensional existence. However, like a magnificently beautiful forest, it has lured you in and you have gotten lost. You focus on the time and not the task. You dwell on how many minutes you have left, as you squander them away.

One day, when you have left this Earth, your mind will be able to grasp the concept of an existence outside of time. You will do what you need to do without deadlines or time limits.
Your concentration will be on the manifestation of your goal and you will accomplish a lifetime of achievements in what you would measure as a fraction of a second.

You always have enough time, if you let go of the obsession and work on the task at hand. Sing and dance through it; play games. Remember there are countless souls who would love to experience the opportunity to play in three-dimensional existence.

If you have too much time, then do some detective work. What would you like to create? How will you do it? Allow your mind to play, do not limit yourself. Then start making it happen. Take little steps; take big steps, play at a pace that feels right.

You always have enough time. You move through days, months, years and lifetimes, thinking you have not done enough.

If you have only one breath left in your physical body, you have enough time to achieve your life's purpose. Just open your mind, ignore the clock and do it. ~Silas

Jinnzania's side notes: I wish I could say that I fully practice what is written on his page. I am improving, but still a work in progress. I've always lived by the clock. If I was going somewhere I'd have to be early so that I could walk in right on time.

You would think I was the master of time. Instead I was the slave. I would come home from a job I didn't like, and soothe myself with reruns of my favorite television shows. After work, it seemed, I only had time to make dinner, spend a few minutes on the computer, and go to bed so I could start it all over.

I was overweight, my house was a mess and my life was not satisfying. I didn't have time for a satisfying life. I had bills to pay. I was exhausted from work and had no time to prepare healthy food and exercise. Hopes? Dreams? What are those?

One day, I'd had enough. I took a good, hard look at my life and saw where my time was going. I weaned myself off of the television, and strangely, didn't miss it. I started organizing my home and my life, not by thinking, planning and contemplating, but by doing it. Not always perfectly or efficiently, but taking action. I found that a small amount of directed action brought about huge results. Then, I had tons of free time. I had to find things to do. I started walking and exercising. I made meals from scratch. My time limitations had only existed in my head.

I still get caught up in the time trap, but I now realize it's just an illusion. I can create as much or as little of it as I choose, and I'm always right where I need to be when I need to be there.

The clock is my b#%ch!

A Delicate Condition

You just had the most brilliant idea. It is truly exciting. It makes your heart beat faster and your brain gets a feeling of intoxication as you imagine bringing the idea to life.

You begin to think about it, analyze it, list the pros and cons. Maybe you tell a friend, co-worker or family member. You consider the risks, the costs, the probability of failure. Your enthusiasm begins to wane, the tiny flame of inspiration gives off a spark then dies in a puff of smoke.

This is why your dreams remain in your head and never make it into the real world.

When you dream, you dream small and practical. You estimate that your current resources and talents are not enough to fulfill your dreams. You allow others to pour their doubts and fears upon your dreams. You place them far off into the future, and you keep them there. Forever they remain illusive and just beyond your reach.

Time only exists in your mind, therefore, the future, present and past, are all now, and now is when you have the power to create.

Your inspirations are seeds. Do not toss them on the rocks. Plant them by taking some small action quickly (brainstorming, researching, gathering resources). Water them with more small actions. Fertilize them by taking small risks on behalf of your dreams. Make your dream tending a routine.

Once you have pushed past your initial inertia, small steps become easy, and larger ones become possible.

When that spark hits you, anything is possible. Don't lose it because you need more computer time, five more minutes of sleep or have to watch more of your favorite television show. The spark is your unborn child.

You are in a delicate condition. Negativity can hurt the baby. Guard it and protect it as only a mother can. Care for it in its tender infant stage. Stay close to provide help if needed as it grows, and do not put your "baby" in a corner.

Love and nurture your creative impulses. Once you're in motion, you will want to keep moving, and you will have the time of your life ~ Silas

Jinnzania's side notes: I've dreamed big all my life. I've also feared big. Guess which one usually won out? One day, I realized how effective I had become at manifesting my fears. I spent most of my time worried and anxious. I worried about money, about making a living and about my marriage. As a result, I was usually broke, in a job I hated, and my marriage, was in trouble.

When I realized how effective I was at creating what I didn't want, I turned my attention to what I wanted. I got a better job and my financial situation improved. My marriage crumbled, because it had not been built on a solid foundation. It was not healthy for either of us to live with the constant tension. I've grown more confident and independent as a result. For the first time in my life, I am at peace with my own energy and I have come to realize, that I don't want to change who I am just to be in a relationship.

Currently, I am living in a new city, having manifested the space I needed. I enjoyed the experience, then realized, that I wanted to be closer to home. So, without realizing it, I sent out a message to Spirit. My job's contract has ended, and rather than taking a job that I was pretty sure would not be to my liking, I decided to release it and go back home. So a space is now open for a great new career. Perhaps, I could help it along by worrying about hiring an accountant to help manage all the money I'm going to make or get stressed over where I'm going to take my expensive new clothes to be dry cleaned. Instead, I think I'll just pick up the story of my life and excitedly turn the pages to see what fun adventures the next chapter will bring.

No need for stress. I've already decided that there will be a happy ending.