Madhu B. Wangu, Author at Madhu Bazaz Wangu
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Author:Madhu B. Wangu

Thursday, 16 January, 2025

Posted on January 15, 2025
in Journaling, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds
4 Comments

It feels so good to empty all that anguish in your trustworthy friend, you journal. This writing exercise has two advantages. One, it lightens your heart and clears your mind. Two, when you reread it after one year or five, it feels different. You notice how it has lost its power over you. It turns into ash yet saves some energetic embers of ideas for you to use. What you pour on the blank pages of your journal can be compared with autumn leaves. The mountain of dried leaves of your mental trash is all biodegradable. It decomposes into mulch with a few seeds which sprout later. It often happens, that upon rereading your journal you gain greater insight into the things that had happened the previous year or many years...

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Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Posted on January 13, 2025
in Journaling, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds
4 Comments

The eminent social psychologist, James Pennebaker in his book, Opening Up by Writing Down, writes that not fully expressing negative emotions, suffering in silence and keeping secrets—swallowing or pushing them down—affects your heart, mind and body for the rest of your life. By hiding your fears, anger, and hurt from the world, you hide from yourself. In order to replace the mask of social “goodness” and “niceness” with authenticity you must first recognize the anger, hurt or fear buried deep inside you. The recognition must be followed by acceptance of the negative emotions. Some of us may require therapy or hypnosis to cleanse the system but most of us can do this by writing in various forms. If you like, write a letter to the one who emotionally hurt you or pushed you...

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Thursday, January 9, 2025

Posted on January 8, 2025
in Journaling, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds
5 Comments

The way we observe physical hygiene for cleanliness, we must cultivate emotional hygiene for mental clarity. What practices do you follow to cleanse your mind? Journaling is one. It clears your mind of the mess that is created every day. Writing it down lends an ear when you need it but can’t share what you have to say with others. It reveals possible solutions to your problems and heals emotional wounds. So if there is a problem on your mind or something is hurting or knotting your belly, why not jot it down on as many pages as it takes? Your honest outpouring in words carries an energy, it has power. Dump all that down and, depending upon the problem, watch how you come up with doable intentions and make resolutions...

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Tuesday, January 7, 2024

Posted on January 6, 2025
in Journaling, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds, Spirituality
3 Comments

When you shine the light of awareness on yourself, you begin to awaken to an authentic life. How does one become conscious of one’s own self? Partly, with the help of daily journaling. When you pen down the thoughts and emotions that run through your mind like a broken record, leave them behind on the pages of a notebook. They will washout and leave you with clear mind and lightened heart. Place the bubbling thoughts of bitterness, anger, resentfulness or sorrow triggered by a family or social event on the pages of your journal. Then watch the petty or vindictive thoughts, careless actions or unnecessary words get soaked up by the pages. So go ahead, pour your heart out in that notebook and watch how it cures you. Your private thoughts...

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Day 3, Friday, January 3, 2025

Posted on January 2, 2025
in Journaling, Meditation, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds
4 Comments

The cave you fear to enter may hold the light you seek.”—Rumi If you're new to this site, welcome! Perhaps you are not familiar with your inner Self. You may not have looked within or paused and asked, Who am I truly? Now is the time to begin. Choose a cozy and comfortable space in your home and with a blank notebook and a free flowing pen begin writing whatsoever is on your heart and mind. This is journaling, one of the five disciplines I plan to practice with you through 2025. These five include Journaling, Meditation, Reading, Walking, Yoga or any physical exercise and any Creative Activity you enjoy doing. I know many of you with the help of the Practice (called Writing Meditation Practice) have connected with your Authentic Self or...

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Day 2, Thursday, January 2, 2025

Posted on January 1, 2025
in Spirituality
6 Comments

Happy New Year Greetings Continues . . Happy New Year to All from Our and Our Daughters' Homes!Here is the auspicious platter to welcome 2025. Kashmiri families prepare a “thal,” to welcome each New Year. This is the first things each family member is expected to see after waking up on the morning of January 1. It includes bowls of milk and yogurt, sugar and salt, fresh and dry fruit, flowers, book/notebook, pen/pencil, gold/money and a mirror. The items are placed over uncooked rice. Other items may include hot chili, pods of tamarind or similar items. At the end of the day each ingredient is transferred back to its containers.Rice symbolizes sustenance, and gold/money, abundance. The transformative process of milk turning into yogurt signifies the skill, method, duration and patience it...

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Day 361, Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Posted on December 30, 2024
in Journaling, Meditation
6 Comments

Three cheers for completing your year-long journey of mindful writing meditation practice! Today is a good day to journal! Here are a few prompts to get you started. How do you feel? Overwhelmed? Content? Proud?  How is your focus on daily tasks now compared to before you began this journey?  Do you find yourself going deeper into meditating, journaling, creating, and reading than ever before?  How has your writing/journaling skill honed?  How has your sense of awe and wonder over nature and the simple things in daily life changed?  Have you started to travel or have you become more mindful during your regular travels?  Do you spend time in solitude?  What small daily goals have you added?  What do you now view as your life’s purpose?  The year has passed by too fast but you have cultivated good daily habits. You...

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Day 360, Monday, December 30, 2024

Posted on December 29, 2024
in Creativity
2 Comments

Reflections Inspiration The final morning of our arduous yet fulfilling, calming, heart-widening year-long journey has arrived. Tomorrow we return to where we started, but with our minds sharpened and hearts wide open. I hope the year provided you perspectives on every significant aspect of your life: physical, emotional, intellectual, creative, and spiritual. It underlined how fundamental regular writing, reading, and spiritual matters are for your well-being, and how important emotional bonds are in familial relations and friendships. You have finished reading the book. That was the first rough look. Now you may start all over again. From tomorrow, explore the gift of each day as it unfurls, partly as you know and partly in some other way. But one thing is certain – the habits of meditation, journaling, reading, writing, and walking have now become...

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Day 359, Sunday, December 29, 2024

Posted on December 28, 2024
in Journaling
2 Comments

Reflection Inspiration The daily habit of Writing Meditation Practice has brought me closer to myself. I’ve discovered joy amid pain and suffering, joy amid sitting, joy amid peace and joy amid creativity. This is the reason I felt a deepening urge to share this practice with whomever would listen. And more importantly, why I felt compelled to share the personalized practice with you, dear reader.  When the joy of practice overflowed and I could no longer contain it, I was ready to shout it from the rooftops. I wanted you to feel one with the “other,” to feel aligned with the universe, to see yourself in the eyes of the one you didn’t know yet. I wanted you to feel grounded, to harmonize your life, to experience joy and feel blessed whenever you...

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