Mountain Zen Den Podcast

Welcome to Walden Wednesday!

Today we visit with naturalist and nature writer Enos Mills as he shares from the first chapter of his wonderful book, "Wild Life On the Rockies".

Relax in the mountain winter solitude and enjoy…

Welcome to the Mountain!

Every season has its purpose and has something to teach us.

The Dead of Winter – Teaches us about Hibernation & Dormancy

Dormancy:

1. The state of having normal physical functions suspended or slowed for a period of time.
2. The state of being temporarily inactive or inoperative

-Dormancy is when living things such as plants are awaiting the necessary environmental conditions such as temperature, moisture, nutrient availability, etc.

4 TYPES OF DORMANCY

1. Hibernation – low metabolic rate, reduced heart rate, slow breathing and lowered body temperature.
2. Obligate hibernators– can sleep regardless of access to food and temperatures.

Ex. European Hedgehogs, mouse lemurs, various ground squirrels & butterflies

• Facultative hibernators– hibernate when it's too cold and the food supply decreased Ex. Black-tailed prairie dogs

(Bears, squirrels, groundhogs, marmots, skunks, raccoons, opossums, dormice and bats are examples of mammals that hibernate.)

• Diapause – (Observed in all life stages of arthropods, like insects, common during egg and pupa stages. Marker by lower metabolic activity.)
• Aestivation – (desert plants & animals- low rainfall and high temps i.e. "dry heat")
• Brumation- Dormancy in reptiles (only wake up to drink water and then go back to sleep) Can last 8 months. Triggered by decrease in daylight hours. (e.g. Snakes)

Just like us, plants are deeply affected by temperature and sunlight. Plant growth slows as the day length slows, thus commencing the dormancy process.

In today's show we discuss the idea of slowing down in the winter. Instead of fighting these feelings of being a little more tired than usual, we invite you to get into the flow with Nature and slow down a bit…go dormant, as much as possible until spring when there is more sunlight and the days start to grow longer. And… use this dormant time to look back at past failures and successes and plan for future outings and hikes and camping trips, and other adventures!

What are you grateful for today? What's the first thing that comes to mind that you are thankful for?

This is always a good place to start our meditation practice.

On Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, we celebrate the gift of Courage, for which I am truly grateful.

If it weren't for the courage of leaders like Dr. King, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and a host of unnamed others, so many of the freedoms and benefits and pleasures we enjoy today would not be available to us.

Did you know that "Fear not!" is the most repeated command in the Bible? 366 to be exact; one for every day of the year plus leap year! This should be encouraging. Literally!

So what is Courage? What does it look like and how do we attain it?

Let me start by saying, courage is not the lack of fear. It is the willingness to act in the face of fear; an acknowledgment of the fear and then, "fearing not", so to speak.

Philosopher, Brian Johnson, founder and CEO of the company Heroic, and the creator of Optimize says,

"Of all our basic virtues, courage is the one that helps us to live exactly the way we want and provides the psychological fuel we need to create, take risks, help others, and face hard times."

Put another way, Socrates said that a person is courageous "whose spirit retains in pleasure and in pain, the commands of reason about what he ought or ought not to fear."

Courage comes from the Latin word for "Heart". And just like the heart pumps blood to your organs throughout your body, Courage pumps energy to your other Virtues of Well-Being.

If you're a regular listener to this podcast, you've probably made the decision to step out of your comfort zone to become the best version of yourself. It takes courage to make the decision to set out on a new and risky adventure. Like Indiana Jones, you don't know what dangers await…be it quicksand, rockslides, poisonous snakes and precarious twists of the road…all the scary unknowns you will have to face on your journey of Personal Transformation, figuratively speaking of course. But you have decided in advance to face those unknowns with courage. Right?

According to the "Indiana Jones of psychology", Robert Biswas Diener, author of the book The Courage Quotient, the definition of Courage contains two primary internal elements: It is

"The willingness to act, and the ability to control fear."

He says, "When you can successfully curb your fears, and boost your ability to take action, you are better able to live a full and virtuous life. You are more likely to face challenges with grace, connect with and inspire others, and be a force for good."

If you are like me, and struggle with fear of one kind or another, I want to help you see that you have more courage than you realize. We need to look back in our past and remember that, like the cowardly lion in The Wizard of Oz, we have demonstrated courage in some of our darkest moments.

So…it's important to remember all the moments in life when you faced your fears and overcame your situation with courage. You can do this in your quiet time as you meditate. Take some time today to remember and picture yourself doing this.

Another thing you can do to cultivate Courage is to create a courageous "role" for yourself; a persona of a person whose courage you admire.

Todd Herman, in his book The Alter Ego Effect, dressed kids up in Batman or Dora the Explorer outfits, and observed that it dramatically boosted their courage. They were more gritty and persistent in going after their goals.

Another interesting study, conducted by Ellen Langor in her Harvard lab, called "The Psychology of Possibility", dressed ordinary adults up like Air Force pilots and tested their eyesight. She discovered that just by dressing the part dramatically improved their vision.

That is wild! There is amazing power in the imagination and role-playing.

Revisiting The Courage Quotient, remember, Courage contains two primary internal elements: It is the "The willingness to act, and the ability to control fear."

Willingness to act begins by developing a New Narrative; an inner dialog of Affirmations we learn and remember by repetition. So the next time you feel fear begin to overshadow you and keep you from taking a next step towards being your best self, you can try saying things to yourself like,

"I face my fears with courage. Anything is possible. What if it all works out? What if goes right? Fear is an illusion of the mind. I set myself free from the fearful stories in my mind. I have access to all solutions and answers. There is nothing to fear."

MEDITATION

Questions to ask ourselves:

"What is one area of my life where I know that fear is holding me back and keeping me from accomplishing something I really want to do?"

"What can I do to boost or pump up my willingness to act? And, 'What tools can I use to successfully curb my fears?'"

"When was a time I courageously faced my fears in order to get accomplish something I wanted?" "How can I see all those times in my past when I have demonstrated courage in the presence of fear?"

Quote for the Day:

"It matters not how straight the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul."

~ William Ernest Henley – Invictus

RESOURCES

Brian Johnson – Optimize

The Courage Quotient by Robert Biswas Diener

The Alter Ego Effect by Todd Herman

Great to have you here on a Fireside Friday at Mountain Zen Den.

We're almost half way through January! So how are you doing with your goals?

Today we discuss the concept of staying on course with your dreams, goals and New Years' resolutions. Here are a few tips and lessons learned from our mountain climb on Mt. Elbert – 14,440' above sea level, Colorado's highest peak.

A few of the points that came up:

• Plan ahead
• Pack and Prepare well
• Enjoy the Journey
• Keep the Goal in Mind but remember, ultimately, the Journey is the Goal
  • It's about "Who is the person who attempts and accomplishes this amazing thing?"
• Beware of False Summits
• Be tougher than your dream (Don't give up)
  • Hercules & Epictetus
• Remind yourself of your "Why"
• Celebrate the Victories

Stay the course!

Oscillate with your natural rhythms.

Remember…the Buddha says, "A pot is filled drop by drop."

Optimize with Brian Johnsonhttps://www.optimize.me/

"The awakening of consciousness is the next evolutionary step for mankind." ~ Eckhart Tolle´

"The key to growth is the introduction into higher dimensions of consciousness." ~ Lao Tzu

It's good to have you here for another Meditation Monday. I know you probably have a very busy schedule, like most of the planet… Thanks for showing up.

So how've you been?

Are you having a good start to your New Year?

Or are you finding it difficult to maintain or keep up with your New Years' resolutions?

If so, I've got good news. You're not alone. You may find today's show quite helpful. We are going to be talking about the concept of Transcendence.

Continuing on with our series here at Mountain Zen Den where we've been discussing the concept of cultivating what we call your "Garden of Well-being"…That is, traits and qualities you would like to develop and have in your life; things like Gratitude, Love and Simplicity, Joy and Tranquility; developing an appreciation for Beauty, and a sense of Wonder. Last week we talked about cultivating Wisdom.

Now we're going to try and put it all together, and talk a bit about "how" we do this.

In the midst of life's struggles, sometimes it can be really hard to maintain our focus and stay the course. "I don' feel like showing Gratitude, or Faith, or Love or Joy when things aren't going my way." So how do we do it? We do it through Transcendence.

What is Transcendence?

I like to think of Transcendence as allowing oneself to rise above the mist and clouds of doubt and confusion and obtain a 30,000 foot view in order to live in a new understanding of life with joy and grace and ease. It is a complete surrender and trust in that new perspective or lens through which we choose to view the world.

In their book, The Inner Work – An Invitation to Freedom and Lasting Happiness, Mat & Ash, (also known as the Yoga Couple), break down the work of Dr. David Hawkins, best known for his book Power Vs. Force and The Map of Consciousness, which is a proven energy scale to actualize your ultimate potential. Deep, exciting, heady stuff, I'll admit, but simply put, a proven method to becoming your best self.

It was Abraham Maslow who said, "That which a man can be, he must be."

You and I were created with a purpose in mind, and until we begin working toward realizing that purpose, we will never be completely free or happy. That, my friend, is what the Inner Work is about. And as the name suggests, it is work, but as you strive to become the best version of yourself, there comes new, powerful joy and energy, transforming you into that which you were made for; Clark Kent becoming Superman, so to speak.

So step into the phone booth and let's begin…

As we start on the journey of personal transformation, we encounter the limiting themes of consciousness like shame and guilt, hopelessness, grief, fear, anger, desire and pride. These are all lower themes of consciousness, egoic thought patterns we can all identify in our life, and then aim to transcend them. It begins with recognizing and identifying them.

Shame, for example, is the lowest theme of consciousness, rooted in the thought,

I am unlovable, unworthy, unwanted and undesireable,

"It is triggered by perceived rejection. Shame represents the complete opposite of the Truth, and is the ultimate forgetfulness of who we truly are. It can range from mild embarrassment to the epitome of "evil" and rejection by the Divine".

It generally stems from the mind's story of past experiences and memories of rejection, failures, embarrassments, abuse or neglect. We've all been there in one way or another. The really sad and ugly thing about shame is that, taken to its extreme, it can lead to suicide, murder, genocide, rape, hate crimes and torture. Bottom line, shame represents the ego's desperate cry for love by ironically trying to prove how unloved and unlovable it is. It's the darkest of places to be. I know. I've been there.

So how do you and I Transcend this lowest theme of consciousness and all of its many layers? In The Inner Work, Mat and Ash teach that "in order to let go of the story of shame, we have to replace it with compassionate understanding of ourselves and others. We do this by remembering that we were, and always are, innocent. Our innocence is still there, and can never be taken – only temporarily hidden due to misunderstanding. Our ultimate healing will eventually come by forgiving all those who wronged us in the past, thereby setting ourselves free… For as we do unto others, we do unto ourselves."

This is so beautiful, and yet so seemingly difficult, if not impossible. What are some practical steps we can take to do this?

Well, we can begin by developing a New Narrative. An inner dialog of Affirmations we learn and remember by repetition. We release the old thoughts and replace them with the new.

For instance, your New Narrative to transcend the theme of Shame could look something like this:

I am always loved. I can never be beyond God's love. I am perfect as I am. I am whole and complete exactly as I am. Other's opinions of me have nothing to do with me, but are a reflection of themselves. Anyone projecting shame is living with their own shame. I give this shame back to its sender. I love myself. I am divinely beautiful. I am loved as I am. I am accepted. My voice matters. I will not allow abuse any longer. I will speak my truth.

You get the idea… Can you feel that? That shift in Energy as you affirm the Truth that you are loved and whole just the way you are?

You can do this with all of the limiting themes of consciousness that are holding you back from being your best self; with guilt and fear and anger, etc.

To learn more you may want to check out The Inner Work by Mat & Ash for starters.

We'll leave a link in the show notes.

Now, if you're ready, let's do our meditation for the day…

As you begin meditating in the mountains today, focusing on your breath, picture yourself letting go of old, destructive thoughts and habits and feelings and emotions, and replacing them with new, energizing, loving healthy ones…

The Inner Work by Mat & Ash

Nature Soundscape Rocky Mountain National Park Courtesy National Park Service

Great to have you here on a Fireside Friday at Mountain Zen Den.

Winter is definitely here! Today Melissa and I discuss and share some tips, thoughts and ideas on how to connect with Nature on really, really ridiculously cold winter days.

A few of the ideas we talk about include:

• How do you define "Nature"?

• Grounding/Earthing

• The benefits of simply looking at trees and other Nature

• Starting an indoor herb garden

• Creating a Nature niche

• Reading Nature books

• Watching Nature movies

• Putting together nature puzzles as a family

• Setting up a tent in your house for "indoor camping"!

• Listening to the sounds of Nature

• Taking a "Nature Memory Walk"

• Do Nature sketches, artwork and journaling

• Forest-scented incense and candles

• Studying Nature Field Guides

• Be in the moment with your pets and generate oxytocin

• Buck up, dress appropriately, and get outside anyway!

Links to a few suggested books:

Healing Trees – A Pocket Guide to Forest Bathing by Ben Page

Nature Anatomy – The Curious Parts of the Natural World by Julia Rothman

The Nature Fix – Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams

Here are on this Walden Wednesday, we are celebrating National Bird Day by taking a few moments out of our day to slow the heart and mind down enough to truly listen, and absorb the thoughts, ideas, philosophies and writings of great thinkers, naturalists and lovers of Nature like Emerson, Whitman, Muir and Thoreau. And then, as always, we give you a little time at the end to just "Be", in a natural environment, and settle into a deeper state of awareness as you go through your day, fully-awake, fully-present, alive and intentionally growing into becoming your best self.

Today we are visiting the writings of one of my heroes - naturalist, wildlife photographer, and Nature writer Enos Mills, who lived at the base of Longs Peak, one of the highest mountains in Colorado. Widely regarded as the "Father of Rocky Mountain National Park", he worked and fought hard for the legislation that, in 1915, eventually won the preservation and protection the 415 square miles of paradise in the Colorado Rockies that now make up what is the 10th oldest, and now the 3rd most visited national park in the U.S.

This was all due to a "chance" meeting he had as a young man with the wizened old nature sage John Muir, who inspired and encouraged him to establish Rocky Mountain National Park, considered by many to be the "Crown Jewel" of the national park system.

Mills went on to not only take on Muir's advice, but he wrote about the beautiful mountain wilderness of the area and its wildlife that he loved and treasured so much. It was said of him that he was a kind of evangelist of the wilderness, and that when he preached the gospel of the wilds, you were convinced of the sincerity of its divine invitation.

Today we will visit with Mills in a passage from his book, Wildlife on the Rockies, (one of my favorites), titled "Bob, and Some Other Birds".

Something to consider as you listen, is Mills's heart for educating people about the preservation of our precious wild lands. In fact he coined the term "Nature Guide" and is the founder of the nature interpretive program widely used by our rangers today.

So now, in honor of National Bird Day, I invite you to sit back and enjoy this passage from Wildlife on the Rockies, one of his 18 beloved nature books. I love how he poetically reveals to us the "brave pines", and the eagles soaring in the "quiet bending blue" sky over the Rockies. May you be inspired by the beauty and intimate connection with birds and nature that Enos Mills so greatly treasured.

Hey Gang, so glad you have joined us today, because this is an exciting day for us here at MZD! Not only are we celebrating our 100th episode, but it is also our first Fireside Friday where we sit back here in the Zen Den, as we like to call it, and have a chat with writers, and naturalists, artists, musicians and great thinkers and lovers of Nature, all for the purpose of personal growth through connection with Nature.

And I'm especially pumped to be introducing a very special person in my life, the only other person I know personally who is as crazy about Nature and wildlife as much as I am, and who I am crazy about – my Best friend, my wife Melissa…

And together, we are just a little more crazy than we are apart, which you will definitely pick up on in today's episode, as we share a few tips and ideas that we've been learning that have helped us immensely in this past stretch, especially since the pandemic hit.

Well there happens to be a beautiful snow falling outside today, so grab your favorite beverage or hot drink, and come on in and have a seat by the fireplace on our first Fireside Friday as we talk about Ten Simple and Practical Things You Can Do Right Now to Dramatically Improve Your Life.

Ten Things You Can Do to Improve Your Life Right Now

1. Meditate
2. Do Affirmations
3. Visualize what you want
4. Excercise
5. Read Personal Growth Books
6. Journal
7. Get Quality Sleep
8. Move regularly throughout your day - 10,000 steps per day
9. Eat healthfully
10. Get Outside and Enjoy Nature!

If you want to learn some Meditation Basics you can check out MZD Episode 79 – "How to Meditate"

"The Miracle Morning" by Hal Elrod

In the most recent series here on Mountain Zen Den we've been talking about cultivating what we call your "Garden of Well-being"…

Today we will discuss cultivating Wisdom in our lives. What does this mean?

What picture comes to mind when you think of wisdom?... (Socrates, Aristotle, King Solomon, Confucius, Gandalf, Dumbledore, Yoda…"wise you are", or maybe an owl…)

What does Wisdom look like? And why do we need to cultivate it anyway?

Wisdom has been defined as: "Knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action." Meaning, it is Life Experience thoughtfully reflected upon, and then lived. It is the ability to make thoughtful observations, that is "If…then…" assumptions, to see the end outcome, or result of good and bad choices and decisions, and then make the right decision.

So how do we cultivate Wisdom in our Garden of Well-being?

You don't have to be an old, white-bearded sage to begin cultivating Wisdom. (Especially if you're a woman). It begins with Listening; truly listening, observing, thinking and reflecting on what is true and right, and then acting accordingly upon that observation.

If you can do it once, you can do it again, and then again and again until it becomes a habit, and then a personality trait, until one day you find yourself acting upon Wisdom on a regular basis, flourishing in your wise choices, and as a result, are happier than you've ever been. That is how you cultivate Wisdom.

Where can you find these traits of Wisdom in your daily life?

A good place to start is by reflecting on the Ancient Wisdom of the natural world…as seen in the endless changing of the seasons, the inner workings of the Universe, the planets and stars in their orbit, the stillness of the deserts, steadfastness of the oceans, the joy and flow of rivers and streams; in the continual growth and peace found in forests and woodlands; in the freedom of birds in flight and all wild things of the Earth; and even in our bodies, and the miraculous principles that allow us to procreate, give new life, grow, walk and run, and heal, and think, and work and play…

Wisdom is a 30,000 foot view. It is not only about gaining life experience, but about slowing down enough to stop and consider. To ponder and discern what is really going on and what really, truly matters in life. It is about returning to a Foundation of what is real vs. what is prevalent in the world today, and can only be seen with the eyes. True Wisdom looks like Mindfulness. And mindfulness begins with presence and awareness found in meditation.

The Jewish king, Solomon who is often referred to as the wisest man who ever lived sought wisdom as a jewel or treasure. He spent his life seeking it in pleasure and work and in building things, and not withholding one desire from himself. In the end, as he writes in the book of Ecclesiastes, he says that "Everything is vanity", and that "Wisdom is better than strength." He points out:

"It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage."

Finally he observed, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven."

This time for everything can be seen in Nature. In the rising and setting of the sun. In the fruit that grows on the trees, and the seeds that fall to the ground. In the birds that carry and distribute the seeds, and the bees that pollinate the flowers. In the seasons. In the planting and growing of these seeds, and the harvesting of the crops. In the birth and life and death of all things.

The observation of all of this, and in the recognition of a Designer with a Hand greater than all, is the beginning of wisdom. And with wisdom comes acceptance, and with acceptance, peace. One of the greatest qualities of the wise person is their quality of Peace. Tranquility and deep, deep underlying joy that comes with alignment with the Universe.

Let's tap into this peace and Wisdom through today's meditation.

Great to have you here on Walden Wednesday at Mountain Zen Den, where we intentionally carve a few moments out of our day in a relaxing nature setting.

We do this for the purpose of slowing the heart and mind down enough to truly listen, and absorb the thoughts, ideas, philosophies and writings of great thinkers, naturalists and appreciaters of Nature like Emerson, Whitman and Thoreau. And then at the end we give you a little time to just "Be", and settle into a deeper state of awareness as you go through your day, fully-awake, fully-present, alive and intentionally growing into the person you desire to become.

In today's reading we will visit with American New Thought writer Wallace D. Wattles as he writes, "The First Principle in The Science of Getting Rich".

He Says, "The purpose of Nature is the advancement and unfoldment of life," and he posits the idea that "you can render no service greater to God and humanity than to make the most of yourself, and you can't do that if you're poor;

A great question to ask as you listen is "What does getting rich have to do with mindfulness in nature?"

Or better yet, maybe the question is, "Why is it important that I be rich, and what can Nature teach me about abundance?"

Two very good thoughts to keep in mind as we listen to today's reading.

So now, I invite you to take a deep breath and enjoy a passage taken from the classic, The Science of Getting Rich, by Wallace D. Wattles. This reading is from Chapter 4, "The First Principle in The Science of Getting Rich".