breathe -

mary jane dodd

mjdodd 2016 - morning mantra plaque

as the moon sets

and the sun rises

may i begin my day

awake.

mjdodd - 2016 

may i move through each moment

mindfully

lightly

and

with clarity.

a heart bursting with love,

a mind propped open,

mjd - finished, sealed and mounted

morning mantra plaque

may i shine to lessen the darkness

of another being's

suffering. 

mjdodd

---------------

this plaque was the result of a customer request and for which i am most grateful. adapting skills and techniques i'd developed as a jeweler, i was able to enlarge the scale. 

3 breaths

mjd - 2016 - 3 breaths

in my young adulthood i learned the practice of stopping during the day to take 3 deep breaths. inhaling through the nose to the count of 5 and exhaling through the mouth with slightly pursed lips to the count of 7, quickly showed me how shallowly i was breathing in my constricted, tension-filled chest.  

mjd - 2016 - 3 breaths

a deep sense of peace, awareness and grounding immediately were felt and i found myself returned to the present with an awakened mind. to this day, i often notice that some of my senses are heightened for a bit afterwards. one of the greatest benefits (to my thinking) of having a practice that is grounding is how it can turn knee jerk reactions into thoughtful responses because you can take a step back from your emotions instead of being engulfed by them. we all get triggered, but at least we come at it from a more stable, less inflamed base. 

mjd - 2016 - 3 breaths

these are my interpretation of the tibetan buddhist 108 bead mala. in place of the guru bead, i have placed 3 makers (in copper, sterling or sterling and gold) to remind you of the breathing practice and to move you through it. 

have you, will you

mary jane dodd

pick a word for the upcoming year?

by lolamonkey

by shimmercreek

by madebyaiza

nascent has been an important word for me - i chose it for 2 years in a row... 

i invite you to share your words with us here - on the 3rd, i will post the responses!

what repetition is teaching me

mary jane dodd

while repetition can be tedious 

we all know that there is a time and place for it... 

it is in repeating an action (or thought) that it becomes familiar... 
in familiarity it becomes known... 

in being known it becomes understood... 
and once understood it can be refined... 

i think the problem begins when we fight it... a brain in overdrive can be all over the place... what feels fulfilling is meeting one need... it can be exciting... adenaline pumping... 

but balance is necessary... 

i think i am maturing in my process... i am fighting the urge to rebel against repetitive tasks... instead of making the 2 rings (or leaves or whatever) i might need at the moment... i sit down to 10... 

at times i feel like i am battling a storm in getting my mind to quiet... but it does... and it gets easier and easier... as does the task... 

i am not here decreeing that i am against one of a kind work - this is quite the opposite... not production at all... but the ability to work on one's craft in order to raise your bar... 

in order to spark the 'what ifs'... in order to give yourself the best you have... with solid foundations that allow you to fly higher...

what dragon do you wish to slay? is it really your mind that needs calming and not the task? (and can we allow the dragon to be the teacher it is?)