‘Zen Nut’ is not an oxymoron

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By Sue Ellen Haning

Columnist

“Everything in life is vibration.”  Albert Einstein

Welcome back nuts of all colors, shapes and sizes.

I assure you the term “Zen Nut” is not an oxymoron. It just takes a nut to mesh the two words. This week we change direction a bit, taking a different look at getting outside our comfort zones. We will investigate new territory,;at least for some of us it will be new.

What is Zen?

When you hear the word “Zen,” what visions come to mind? Someone sitting in the lotus position on a cushion (zafu) or someone staring into space? A building of Japanese architecture?

Zen means different things to different folks. I’ve tried the lotus position on a zafu and hold tremendous admiration for anyone who can keep the position for any length of time without keeling over or having a leg go numb. Up front I need you to know that I am no Zen expert, so I went to the Internet and found the online Urban dictionary which said, “Zen is a total state of focus that incorporates a total togetherness of body and mind. Zen involves dropping illusion and seeing things without distortion created by your own thoughts.”

I can say that I do know about illusion. You do, too, if you have been getting outside your comfort zone.

Let’s pat ourselves on the back. According to this definition, we are already ahead of the game!

During these past 25 years, I have been attempting to get my body and mind together. Not because I am a Zen student, but because it is more and more about getting outside my comfort zone. If learning takes place outside the CZ, then getting outside my comfort zone is more likely to bring together my mind and body than sitting on a zafu. Just when I think I have it together, my emotions get involved and throw a wrench in the works, and then I realize there is another dimension that must be carried across the comfort zone as well.

I have been teaching in one capacity or the other for 42 years and the past 30 specifically tutoring  reading, spelling, English grammar and writing to students of all ages, and my passion for English continues to grow. I am fascinated with English words. My business is Wacky Wonderful Words and will soon be online.

New words are coined regularly in English and psychoneuroimmunology is a more recent term. (The mere ability to pronounce this word will wow your friends and impress your relatives.)

Dr. Robert Ader created this field of study in the 1970s, indicating the effect our thoughts and emotions have on our immune systems. Yes, your thoughts do affect your health. Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of putting it all together, not just body and mind, but body, mind, emotions and spirit. This subject is a fascinating read.

Do you have a favorite English word? One that feels good to say? One that makes you smile? One whose vibrations may tickle your lips? One of my favorites is “mesmerize.” Saying the word sends vibrations through my head and its meaning comes through in the resonance of the sounds. It slowly drips off my lips leaving a tingling residue. It’s hard to say mesmerize with a smile on your face or in an upbeat tone. The word demands its own space. Its pronunciation gives a hint to its meaning. It is fun to play with words, to feel them in your mouth, head and body.

Are you familiar with the word ohm? What about om? These words are pronounced exactly the same and they both have to do with electricity. The definition of ohm is electrical resistance. The definition of om is all that is, which encompasses inside and outside, up and down, far and near, good and bad, creation and destruction, everything. What do good and bad have to do with electricity you may be thinking? We live in a world of opposites and this tiny word om includes all of it. Om is often thought of as the mantra of yogis. It is from Sanskrit. The vibrations coming from these two letters can calm you and center you. The next time you are hyper physically or mentally, give om a try. The key is to say it s-l-o-w-l-y and feel the resonance when you close your mouth to finish the word. The resonance, reverberation and vibration give this word power in your body/mind.

The world is one huge vibrating entity. Our bodies work off electricity. Everything has its own frequency. Some common frequencies are: heart 67-70 MHz, colds and flu 57-60 MHz, and death begins at 25 MHz, even your thoughts have frequencies and vibrate. Do you ever feel like you head will explode because so many thoughts are bouncing around? There’s tremendous energy in those thoughts.

Dr. Masaru Emoto’s work with the structure of water molecules in relation to words spoken to or around the water is intriguing. The results of this experiment make one wonder if the molecular structure of water can change drastically depending on the words spoken to it, and our bodies are 70 percent water, can words change us on a molecular level? When someone speaks harshly to us, we may feel sick in the stomach or tremble. Do these words change our cells and make them sick? If you have access to a computer and haven’t already read about Dr. Emoto’s work, it is a great way to spend 30 minutes or so.

This week, I challenge you to not only listen but also feel the words you speak. In Zen terms, be in a total state of focus on your words. Feel the words as they leave your mouth. “Tune in” to the sounds around you. Listen to the vibrations coming from words.

How do these words make you feel?

Maybe like a Zen nut?

I hope you and your giant are having fun, stepping out and making it happen! We have so much more power than we realize. That power is thinking and choosing. Here’s to some great choices this week.

sueellen.haning@gmail.com