Mindfulness and Signs: Stirring Up Your Own Juju

By: Maya Talisman Frost
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:41:51
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I am not one of those people likely to exclaim, "It's a sign!" whenever there's some kind of event that seems to indicate a universal knock-knock.

But that doesn't mean I don't notice when those occur. I absolutely do.

I was watching "Lost" on television the other night (um, Spanish practice? Reading the subtitles works for me!) One character uttered this quote: "Don't confuse coincidence with destiny." Or maybe he said "fate"--I was busy reading the Spanish.

Anyway, it's a valid point. And yet, it's fun to consider that those little moments might actually be part of a master plan--or at least a swirl of cosmic juju all around you.

That's how I feel about the jacaranda trees here in Buenos Aires.

You see, I have a thing for the color purple. It moves me. It touches me. And I love this line from Alice Walker, author of the book, "The Color Purple":

"I think it pis*ses God off when we walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it."

I make sure I pay attention to purple.

I have used the color purple as my own mindfulness trigger and taught it to many students looking for their own cue for greater awareness. I even wrote a fun ebook of haiku called "Purple Round M" based on this concept.

And so, I can't help but smile when I step outside my door here and see a huge tree absolutely dripping with vibrant purple blossoms. I turn the corner and look down the street--it is lined with more jacarandas, and the parks of nearby Palermo are absolutely aflame with violet.

I smile. I laugh out loud when the jacarandas drop their blooms on my head as I pass underneath. Purple is hitting me on the head, quite literally. I'm in my element.

Oh, sure, there are plenty of other places where the jacarandas grow. There are likely to be other cities in the world with mile after mile of purple street trees.

But that doesn't matter. What matters is that I am floating in this gorgeous cloud of purple, and I am CHOOSING to see it as a sign that I'm in the right place.

Logical? Maybe not. But sometimes we can find tremendous joy in connections that WE make.

We don't need to believe in a master plan in order to feel that what we're doing is right for us. All we need to do is pay attention when a sign--of our own choosing--drops on our heads.

What's YOUR sign? Learn to notice moments of sensing a flow that is effortless and benevolent. Swim there for a while, and you'll know exactly what to look for in the juju current around you.

Purple just makes it prettier.

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