Zen Christmas Wallpaper

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

In keeping with the theme of having a simple Christmas this year (see ‘The Zen of Christmas’). I created this wallpaper especially for your laptop/computer desktop to serve as a subtle reminder. 🙂

Happy Friday!

The Zen of Christmas

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Keep it Simple

As you are all probably well-aware of, Christmas has become the most over commercialized holiday on record.

Where are those Christmas Day’s that saw us making presents for each other, or simply buying one token of appreciation for that special someone instead of amassing them with a dozen gifts whilst maxing out your credit card?

It all seems a bit over-the-top to me. Christmas has gone haywire! We overspend, over-consume and over-indulge.

A Change for the Better

In an attempt to rekindle the spark of this festive season, my family and I have decided to get together for a celebratory meal, to exchange gifts that are either home-made or to stick to a budget of no more than around $8.00 (or a really nice idea is to donate to a cause close to their heart, in their name).

The focus is going to be on having fun, counting our blessings and having the honour and privilege of being together.

Bring the Sparkle Back with Simplicity

Let’s try to bring back the magic to Christmas by making things simple.

Prepare a simple meal (you know what I mean — most people go way over the top and end up cooking for a small army).
Make, or even better, bake your gifts! There’s nothing that says you care more than a gift from the heart (especially a tasty one!).
Simply be kind to everyone you meet (you should try to make this an everyday practice and not just a seasonal tradition — but to start at Christmas-time would be a giant leap in the right direction).
Instead of hyping yourself up with all the preparations and festive manic fiasco’s, do a ‘go slow’. Maintain a calm and peaceful resolve and enjoy yourself — make it about fun and festivities, not chaos and tears. I promise you will get more done this way. Simplify and you will gratify.
Try to play it safe this season. Limit the alcohol intake, the traveling (unless you really have to) and on pain of death — don’t combine a mixture of the two!

Free Zen e-card and Festive Timeline

Below you will find a free zen e-card that you can send your family and friends and you can jazz up your Facebook timeline with this zen-themed picture for the season.

Here is your free zen Christmas e-card (click on the picture, right-click and ‘save as’ to your computer, then upload from your computer or just simply copy and paste into the e-mail):

Here is your festive zen-themed Facebook Timeline (click on the picture, right-click and ‘save as’ to your computer, then upload from your computer onto your Facebook page as a cover):

Check out the ‘Zen of Life’ HERE

Other posts you may enjoy:

Zen Christmas Wallpaper

The Zen of Life

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

We make life complicated. The key to true happiness lies in our ability to simplify our lives, not to busy them.

Peel away the onion layers…find the innate within.

(To download the above quote as a desktop wallpaper, click on the picture — then right-click and ‘save as’)

I’ve come up with a Christmas card design — going with this ‘zen’ theme. 🙂 Here it is:

Have a great weekend!

Check out the ‘Zen of Christmas’ HERE

Other posts you may enjoy:

Finding God and a Reason for Being Here

The Fine Balancing Art of Yin and Yang

Zen Christmas Wallpaper

The Zen of Art

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

What better way to gift yourself than to spend some quality time creatively expressing your inner feelings?

“The Dreamers Night Sky” by Cherie Roe Dirksen

I have only recently allowed myself to truly ‘let go’ and I found my form of expression which is more abstract than traditional (see above). It has been a liberating experience to finally have the freedom to do this and no-one was stopping me but me.

“My first step was awareness of the deep need for my true expression to come through.”

When I discovered this, it was my call to action. My first step was awareness of the deep need for my true expression to come through. I then took responsibility for blocking myself and learnt the lesson behind why I was doing that. The final step I took was action — to bring about a new timeline or creative direction for myself.

A Call to Action

Free up some space this weekend or in the evening to tap into the inner child that just wants to finger paint and get mucky, cut out colourful pictures and make a collage or just do some ‘mindless’ doodling.

Why is this important?

When we give ourselves time out to practice creativity we are:

Honouring ourselves by allowing time for ‘play’

Tapping into the right hemisphere of the brain and our source of creativity

Setting a scene of tranquility and ‘time-out’ from the noise of our left brain

Allowing ourselves freedom of expression

How will this benefit me?

Expressing your creative flare is priceless but here are some key factors for why allowing yourself time and space for artistic endeavour is good for you:

De-stressing

Calming

Personal Fulfillment

Integral Time for Inner Reflection

Inner Balance

Try creating a tranquil, serene place where you can retreat to when you feel like you are in the ‘zone’ for artistic expression.

Is there anything stopping you? Please feel free to comment on any of these questions or others that may arise…

What has been blocking your creative flow?

Are you feeling constricted by the lack of artistic expression you are allowing yourself?

What practices do you use to overcome creative blocks?

What things do you tell yourself are more important than expressing yourself?

Dont forget to SUBSCRIBE and get your FREE copy of ‘Creative Expression — How to find your inspiration…’ SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE 100% FREE and you can opt out at any time.