The week in review

Energy Musings. Here. Now

The real state of this union

Waking up to each new dawn, there is a feeling “what will this day bring?” And although this is truth each and every day regardless, right now, that inquiry has a particular tone to it.  A level of uncertainty and weariness.  We can learn to roll with the punches, so to speak; to rise about it all, so to speak; to stay centered and grounded, so to speak.  And yet the unrelenting signature of this inconsistency around us, is to wear us down over time.  In other words:  Its not that easy to escape or remove yourself from this all pervasive incertitude.  

After the state of the union address this week, I noticed a distinct  shift in my personal students.  A new level of “stress” if you will.  That stress originates from the massive disconnect between what was said in that address and what is really going on in our communities and lives right now.  This disconnect feels unprecedented in its enormity. And the disconnect creates an energetic rift in our being.  

Healing this rift, this disconnect, is what is “up” right now. 

Resisting the overwhelming tendency to either run away from it all, hide from it all or be triggered by it all is the first step in this process.  Take a deep breath in and know that you are not alone in this struggle.  It is a personal and collective strain.

We need tools intended to literally clear and work the inner landscape, like meditation (not visualization), tuning forks and Qigong.  

We don’t need “expansion” at the moment because this can be overwhelming and overstimulating to the nervous system and energetic body.  While this acceptable form of escapism might feel good in the short term (depending on your preferences), in the long run, it will contribute to the likelihood of being more triggered and less able to cope.  

The state of the union is chaotic and unpredictable.  Blanketed in deep unknowing and embedded in fear and false pride.  Thats just what is happening.  And we are all truly “in” it.  This lens we are seeing through right now is cloudy and mirky.  Just knowing that, helps to make more informed decisions and to be more centered. 

Take a deep breath in, and blow it away.  (repeat, if necessary)

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Thursday, Jan 31, 2019

Energy Musings.  

Here.  Now.  Today!

Boundaries.

a line in the sand.  the word “no”.  a fence.  a wall.

What do boundaries serve?  WHO do boundaries serve?  This, as in most things, all depends.  Depends on who you are, where you are and what is happening.  Boundaries divide. That is true. But boundaries also protect.  Division.  Protection.  When are these necessary? When are they problematic?  This is the real question.  

Examine your boundaries.  Personal.  Private.  Familial.  Societal.  In your work, your ideas, your relationships, your words.  

Many have a tendency to believe that a life that is unbounded, is the most creative, expressive and desirable.  Many have a tendency to believe that setting limits is restrictive and confining.  

But limits and potential need each other. 

If you try to fill a cup with no edges, what exactly are you filling?  If you can’t fill, how can you experience your wholeness?  If you cant experience your wholeness, how do you know who you are, what you are doing in this precious world?  If you are  the universe (which you are) and have no container for your being, what is your work here?  How do you direct your life force without boundaries?  

This physical form of ours is form of boundary, and it serves us in this time and place.  We are energy bodies in a human form.  If we leave this form, we no longer exist here (some call it death).  But to be alive, is to understand this form, this place, these boundaries.  And to know how to work within them.  We can touch the infinite and have a connection there, but we live in this body.  Our body of boundaries.  

Boundaries can both powerfully serve us and others as well as potentially harm us or others.  By examining your beliefs about boundaries and being honest with yourself (aye, theres the rub!)  there is an opportunity for deeper connection, deeper work, deeper understanding and greater clarity.  Its easy to be deceived by our belief systems, so being as neutral as possible with this examination is key.

When boundaries are up, its time to examine your own first.  Then look to the manifestation of these patterns in the world around you.  Everything becomes a reflection of it all.  The infinite and the individual are not separate.  We are bound together.

 

Song of the Day:  

The Walls Came Down.  by The Call.

 

Saturday, November 10, 2018

Energy Musings.  Here. Now.

This Weekend.

Theres a chaotic energy whipping through the trees today, stirring things up, moving them around.  In some cases, movement/stirring is a good thing.  In some cases, not so good.  A favorite astrologer of mine likes to talk about loss vs gain in astrology (think retrogrades) not from an absolute perspective as “good or bad” but all relational.  For instance, if you lose a beloved pet, that can be seen as a negative. But if you lose weight to get healthier, that can be a positive.  Loss, though often considered negative, can also be what is necessary and desired.

This is true of everything that is out there, which makes the complexity of our world quite apparent and calls for the need for true discernment in all situations.

Lately, there has been a serious lack of subtle discernment.  While the main “message” of an event (for instance) may be positive, without full understanding of the energetics of language (in particular) we can find ourselves in a deep mess though that was never our initial intention.

And let me tell you, there are those of us out there who are constantly “cleaning up” energetically after such messes and see the implications that others choose not to see.

The request here is to pay attention, and then to pay attention even more deeply still.  How do we do that?

Come in to stillness.  Come in to silence. Rest here a while.  Let go of all attachments.  Let go of all beliefs.  Let go of all triggers.  Let go of all judgement.

No.  REALLY.  ALL of them.

This is where we fall short.  We let go of the things that we want to let go of, but hold on (sometimes even more intensely) to the places we think or believe in.  And we somehow fall in to the very dangerous and false assumption that “if only all those other people would let go of x,y,z…. then the world would truly change”.  If you notice ANY part of you beginning to externalize or blame in this way, take a GIANT step back.  And repeat the steps above.  Clear your internal slate.

So much is happening in the energetic field right now.  Change wants to come.  But those who are initiating that change for the betterment of all beings everywhere are still BLIND to the places where they are actually holding back that very same change they wish to see fully realized.  They think its others that are holding back the change, and fail to realize it is actually them.

All I can say is this: be honest about your blind spots.  Look for them.  Ask others to help you.  You’ll know what they are when you are triggered.  First, you have to recognize when in fact you are triggered (or listen if someone else tells you you are!!).  Then look there.  Whats behind the trigger? Thats the place for you to work.  When there are no more triggers, you come in to the true ‘neutral zone’ and then… only then… will you see the path forward that has been waiting for you, for us, for all this time.

From the depths of my heart and the trueness of my being, I offer you this today, this weekend, and moving forward.

Song of the Day: High Hopes by Panic at the Disco

Saturday, Aug 18th, 2018

Energy Musings. Here. Now.

The Weekend Report.

Your Authentic self shines behind the clouded sky.  A blanket of grey, like a dusty lens, covers the clarity you seek.  Its only a matter of cleaning a small place to see through, a before you can get a glimpse of the work of your soul.  But when we clear off just one small spot in the midst of  a large dusty surface, it can quickly become consumed again.

This weekend, find a moment to cleanse an area of  your awareness.  There are many ways to do this:  meditation, coaching, yoga, QiGong, art.  You might choose where you go and what you do to “clear your mind”.  From that “clear mind” place, pay attention to what you notice.  This is but a partial view what and who you really are.  And an important starting point.

The question is:  will you remember it the next day? And the day after?   or rather:  HOW will you remember it the next day?  And the day after?!

This is a place for you to be creative and playful.  Write it in a journal, compose a song, make a picture, call your best friend, put sticky notes on your computer.  Find something you do every day anyhow, and add a reminder to the activity.  For example:  I light a candle each evening before going to bed. If I put a beautiful note right next to my candle with my insights, I will see and read it every night.  Then remembering becomes part of my evening ritual.

Eventually, you will be ready to clear more of the lens, take a bigger look: see more, be more.    For now, start with a peek, and let it in.

Song of the Day:  Johnny Nash.  I Can See Clearly Now.

 

Me & the Moon

Why Full Moon Offerrings? 

They are everywhere these days and have become a bit of a marketing hook to get people in the door.  But I have to tell you, from the bottom of my infinite heart, how deeply I resonate with the lunar energy and how my work came to be.  You see, it unfolded over time.  Years, maybe millennia, from a shared communal connection to the moon and her pull, her sway, to something much more specific and directional. She led me to uncloak information in the darkest of darks that came from many traditions over time and space and that required nothing less than to leap into her shadows to know the secrets that lie there.  My moon training is by no means traditional.  Although I have done my share of research and study through both Astronomy and Astrology to understand her waxing and waning and her continuous cycling.  I have also been trained to work with womens rhythms, their cycles and to understand the wisdom through reflection that the moon provides.  

But thats not even at the heart of my path, of my work.  I live in ceremony with the moon at all times and hear her whispers, and sometimes her desperate calls, as she directs me to work in specific ways through monthly patterns and flow.   It is absolutely not just about me showing up and “going with the flow” and being spontaneous.  I don’t work with the moon because its “cool” or “trendy” or even “fun”.  Its actually, an incredible service and an enormous amount of work to be fully present with her. Before each lunar event, I go deep into meditation to listen to and respect her guidance for that particular creation.  For this reason, no two moon events are ever identical AND it is almost impossible for me to script the details too far in advance. 

Her overall guiding message is to be gentle and nurturing for even as her work contains and embraces the shadow, we must remember that this life, that this being, is fragile and delicate and must be held with the utmost care and tenderness.  I use sound mostly now, but in the past I have used dance and movement and art and silence as my main tools.  The sound in collaboration with my Moon offerrings is very consciously crafted to move through cycles for connection, which, by my training and experience, requires the most reverential approach for establishing long lasting quality harmony within each person present.  This harmonizing requires an intimate knowledge of ceremony and discernment that cannot be learned quickly or superficially, but takes place over a long un-folding, over a lifetime, and many lifetimes.  

The moon, she is powerful.  And we would be best served by respecting and honoring her power with those who have dedicated themselves to guiding on her behalf. 

Blessings on this moon, and always.

Monday, March 5th, 2018

Energy Musings. Here. Now.

Today!

Neutrality is key.  How do you maintain a state of equilibrium especially in challenging times?  It is one thing to practice accessing this inner space on your own, and quite another to put this into use through your day, your life, your interactions.

Of course, we all have to start where we are at.  Begin with the breath, begin with finding a quiet place, begin with a class or a book or an app.  Begin by connected to this state of neutrality. What does it feel like to truly be ‘neutral’?  How does your body respond?  Your breath?  Your being?  Is it a familiar comfortable place, or does it put you on edge?  Notice what is here as you practice coming into a state of equanimity.

But remember to include these skills and tools as you move off your cushion into the world.  Asking the same question with the same non-judgmental sense. Pay special attention to your home, and those  closest to you.  While sometimes this may feel the most challenging place to make change, your honest reflection will give you a true sense of the results of your practice.  Without judgement, be willing to see what is here and where you are caught up.

Neutrality is up this month as a theme.  And this week, we look at ourselves, our relationship to our inner life and our interactions with our loved ones.  Starting here, we begin to cast our “neutrality net” in ever widening circles.

Word of the Day:  ataraxia. noun.  a state of freedom from emotional disturbance and anxiety;tranquillity.

Song of the Day: Equanimity by Ryan Stewart.

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Energy Musings.  Here. Now.

Today!

Happy March!  This new month transitions us from the depths of Winter to the renewal of Spring.  From deep within the Earth, questions are calling:

What are you masking? What are you hiding? What are your “best intentions” that are really concealing other motives?

You’ll be asked to search deeply and to look honestly at these places.  Its especially easy right now to skim this process and miss the point.

You might try asking it this way:  Who’s approval are you seeking right now most?  Who do you most want to impress?  How do you judge your own success?  What are the invisible ‘inner’ rewards and results that nobody else knows about?  Are you OK with accepting this quality of reward over external fame, success or wealth?

Not that you need sacrifice one over the other.  But this Spring, with its customary burst of creative energy, you will be given a remarkable opportunity to align yourself with your greatest potential…. IF you are able to let go of the need to please others, to seek external reward, to impress your peers or teachers or parents.  And, as often happens, you might THEN  find yourself in that place of “success” you have long been chasing after all.

But there are not shortcuts to this process and certainly no trickery involved.

Be honest. Be real.  Look yourself in the mirror.  And be willing to see your own reflection.

 

phrase of the day: ‘lay it on the line‘

song of the day:  Secrets, by One Republic.

Friday, January 26, 2018

Energy Musings.  Here. Now.

This Weekend and coming Week!

Unplug

In the next week leading up to a very potent full moon closing off January, its a great time to unplug and tune IN.  This could mean literally, stay off the devices and anything that connects you to the internet or set strong boundaries around this area and stick with them.

Your passions, particularly strong held ones that have been suppressed (perhaps necessarily) will be bubbling to the surface so watch your words carefully and keep email to a minimum.  Theres a danger here of your intention being easily misread.  Rather, take this burst of conviction to a creative outlet:  dance, draw, sing, play, write.  Allow it a creative voice rather than an argumentative one and you’ll be setting the right path forward.

As issues come up on your radar and those around you get triggered,  keep a light heart and an open mind.  And remember the powerful effect of the Full Moon as the time approaches.  The Super (appears larger than usual) Blue (2nd full moon in a month) Blood (lunar eclipse) Wolf (traditional name of Jan moon) Moon.  Phew.

Are you ready for it?

Song of the Day:  I am Woman by Helen Reddy

Wednesday, Nov29th, 2017

Energy Musings.  Here. Now.

Today!

Each day is a brand new 24 hours.  But sometimes, it can feel like you’re stuck on repeat. Asking yourself “haven’t I DONE this already?” :  “haven’t I been here before?”.  The question is always:  what is new in what is old?

Patterns are a part of Nature and Life itself.  Patterns are present everywhere in our mind, body, pyche, history, family, and so on.  A pattern, by its nature, is repetitive.  In that repetition there can either be stability or blockage.  The blockage comes when you are a stuck in a loop.  Some kind of feedback creates a reactionary response and then you’re doing it all over again.   But a pattern, when seen in its expanse, can also be grounding, anchoring and freeing.

Which patterns serve you and which are your Achilles Heel?  These patterns are up for deep understanding.  Remember, deep understanding may have a component of analysis to it, but that is only a small piece.  Don’t just ask your brain what IT thinks, be sure to check in with your heart, your belly, your body, your soul, your higher self.  Balancing out these lenses, you will see a clearer picture of what is happening and were and how to direct your life force.

Is change needed now?  Is routine needed now?  Is whats comfortable needed now?  Look for the patterns and make a conscious choice on how to approach them.   Then breathe into the newness of the present moment.

 

Word of the day:  Pattern

Song of the day:  Patterns by Simon & Garfunkle

Wednesday, Aug 16, 2017

Energy Musings. Here. Now.

Today!

With the “Great American Eclipse” approaching soon, there is a lot of buzz in the air.  Some people are giddy with excitement over this coming event while others are already triggered into fear places and are on high alert.  Know that both these perspectives hold an element of ‘truth’.  For understanding your best course of action however, it always best to remain neutral.   Being neutral means coming into balance in your being, clearing yourself fully, grounding into your truth, and filling with your life force.  It is very easy in this day & age, particularly with our social media outlets, to become “swept away” by others excitement, worry or other impulses.  Being neutral does not mean being aloof or dismissive.  It means paying close close attention to what is really happening and how you need to respond.

Take a look at the eclipse, its meaning, its significance. Take a look at the hype, the pressure.  Take a look at this “once in a lifetime experience” and understand what that means to you. For some, it will mean intentionally traveling to be in the path of totality, for others it will mean staying closer to home to see what they see, for others still it might mean not seeing it at all.  In this seemingly obvious observation, there is actually a lot to consider and pay attention to.  Its interesting to note that through the lens of Astronomy this is a magical, fun, really cool thing to see.  But shift to the lens of Astrology and eclipses historically are not exactly seen as positive.  Energetically, they are portals that bring the darkness to the surface to be examined.  They temporarily block out all light so that you must face your deepest “blind spots”.  Imagine the entire US flocking to this path of totality for an awesome cosmic event but unaware of the energetic component to this same event.

Consider ALL lenses, know which perspective you hold, and balance that thoughtfully with other perspectives.  Through full understanding of what “it” is, you can let go of any extraneous attachments .  Look out for the following patterns:  Do you hate feeling “left out”?  Do you have a need to know what everyone else is doing?  Are you  addicted to curiosity? Are you worried you might “miss something”?       Do you tend to follow the crowd? Any way you answer these questions will give you insights into your motivations and impulses. Its best to clear these places before you ask yourself : where do I need to be?  what do I need to do?

Word of the Day: Perspective

Song of the Day: American Idiot by Green Day