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.

 

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Tuesday Jan 8, 2019

Energy Musings. Here. Now.

Today!

Its a new year, and the beginning of a new cycle.  Mindful of course, that we are continuously cycling so to consider starting and ending points is somewhat arbitrary.  The opportunity to begin again, to bring in the new exists in each and every breath. Not on any calendar date.  Though we celebrate the full and new moon with rituals, the moon of course, is always in a cycle.  And each step of the way is in fact significant.  Each phase has its lessons, its rewards and its challenges.

Its easy to get swept up into the drama and majesty of those end/beginning points.  And to anchor into a particular point is not necessarily irrelevant. But really, the important question is:  where are you in your cycle?  where are you in this cycle?  What are the beginnings and what are the endings that are present right here for you?  In other words, locate yourself in the cycle rather than just imposing it onto you. Without forcing events into a label or construct, just see what is present.  Perhaps, on this New Year, for you it was about closure, or opening, or just being in the middle of it all.  The structure of cycles is fluid and encourages us to pay attention to the moment we are in, not to label ourselves prematurely or absentmindedly.

I’m not quite in “new year” mode yet as dictated by cultural phenomena around me. I’m still shedding, clearing, becoming lighter and more spacious. This process takes the time it takes… no more no less.  And when my “new year” moment arrives, I will greet it with celebration, joy and open arms no matter what date it lands on, no matter what the phase of the moon offers.

Sending blessings on this cycle, your cycle and all cycles,  all-ways.

Peace.
Jeneen

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

Prayer for Tired

Let me go to bed at night, tired.  Not exhausted, depleted, spent, drained or worn out.  Just…. tired.  

Tired from a day well spent.  A life well lived.  A moment fully realized.  

Tired from doing all that I love and cherish and enjoy.

Tired from being awake and aware in every situation.

Tired from muscles that have been used appropriately and vigorously.

Tired from envisioning and philosophizing and working out complex issues.

Tired from going places and seeing people that bring me beauty and nourishment.

Tired from maintaining my home, my sacred space, with care and attention.

Tired from shuttling my children back and forth to the activities that bring them deep joy.

Tired from taking care of all the responsibilities that come with a privileged life.

Tired from sharing my gifts, my talents, my work, my love with my family, my friends, my students, my community.

yes, please, let me be tired.  Every night.  In every way.  

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.

 

Thursday, April 19, 2018

Energy Musings.  Here. Now.

The energy of this moment.

What happens today, when you stop.  Just stop.  Like right now.  STOP!

Stop doing, stop trying, stop moving.  Really stop.  How long does that “stop” take?  As you ‘stop’, what parts of you have stopped?  what parts of you keep going?  Did you really stop?

Stop the excess.  The extra.  The “more than”.  Stop the thoughts, the mindlessness, the triggers.  Stop being lost.  Stop creating suffering.  Stop worrying.  Stop projecting.  Stop.

Then ask: What is essential?  What never stops?  What is vital to your being?  What is vital to this Earth?  What is vital to life as we know it?

We stop so that we can listen, see, hear, feel.  So we can notice.  So we can pay attention.  So we can create IN-tention.  We stop so that when we “go” we go forward with clarity, connection, calm, centeredness and true discernment.  We stop so can remember who we are, why we are here and what are work is.

Sometimes, we think of a stop as a “pause” or a “time in”.  But really, that pause must be a full on, no faking, 100 % STOP.

I remember once a cop pulled me over at a stop sign.  He noted that I came to a sort of “rolling stop” but not a full stop, and he kindly and patiently explained the difference.  A Full Stop is just that: giving your wheels the full amount of time to truly and completely stop.  And then waiting (like a full breath!) before you start again.   And when you start again, it feels like you are starting from the the very beginning.   Like when you first start your car in the morning. How long had I been mostly coming to a “rolling stop” at stop signs and not even noticed?  After that, I paid much more attention to stop signs.  I was grateful to this police officer for calling my attention to a place I had lost awareness.  Now, when I come to a stop sign, (especially the ones back in quiet neighborhoods where I find its easiest to sort of kind of roll to a stop-ish, and keep going because its clear no ones around…) I really, truly STOP.  This is my practice.  And it feels different.  I notice what it means to stop and what it feels like to start again from a place of really stopping.

When did we lose connection to what it really feels like to stop?

Today, re-connect yourself to the experience of truly stopping.  Throughout your day, as you remember to, whenever and wherever you are.

Stop.  Look.  Listen.  Then see how the very next moment unfolds for you.

Word of the Day:  Stop!

Song of the Day: Stop and Smell the Roses by Mac Davis

The cult of the new

I only need one Gong.  One Crystal Bowl.  One drum.  One.  Only One.  More than one confuses things, can create chaos or can shift the focus.  The mind, the being then is trained to want more, to desire bigger, to yearn for “better”.  Both in the one who is receiving the work and, more problematic still, in the one who is guiding the work.  By “better” I don Not mean in the sense of of what is truly best for us, but in a false perception that more is better.  that bigger is better.  that larger, that stronger, that higher, is better.  

Perhaps this is human nature. The tendency to get caught in the trap that we need MORE.  That somehow, in this very moment, we, it, they, us….. are not ‘enough’.  That somehow if only:  we had more money, a new job, a bigger house,  more trainings, more tools, better marketing… that we’d take off and fly and leap into the life of our dreams. 

 I am here to hold the space of understanding that includes the life of our dreams as it is here and now. This heaven on earth. Through the radical lens of acceptance.  Not through the lens of wanting, desiring or grasping.    We have lost touch with the most fundamental knowledge we possess:  the completeness of simplicity, the truth of this moment, the wholeness of our being which needs nothing more to be Full except this very breath.  In fact, I don’t even need the Gong, or the Bowl, or the Drum or any “tool” at all.  And neither do you.  All the work, the depth, the transformation, the shift, the release, that you long for, can be achieved by simply sitting in silence together. With one who knows how to guide in the dark and in the stillenss. I don’t even need any technique, no scripted visualizations or guided imagery, no mantra or meditation ‘style’, no book or quote, no message cards or fun games,  none of it.  That is the truth.  The only truth. Every tool we use is in essence an illusion.  The danger being, we can confuse the path itself for the ultimate goal.   We can confuse the ‘method’ of our choice for the end result.  Then we will be stuck forever, on this treadmill of thinking we are progressing, but really being stuck .  We might be stuck in an “ok” place and so that may feel “ok”.  And we might even register “ok” as ‘good’! But sooner or later, sooner or later, our soul remembers its eternal longing and realizes it has been tricked and this is when we truly wake up.  And I must tell you, it is a rather rude and shocking awakening. (set apart by the many false awakening that arise in ones life which are often described as “aha” moments) And in that moment, we understand that we truly need nothing and we let it all go, without any hesitation. And then, only then, do we really know what it means to fly.   

Thursday, April 5th, 2018

Energy Musings. Here. Now.

Today!

How are you?  No…. really.  Move inside yourself, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and ask yourself “how are you?”  “how am I?”.  And then Listen.  Listen to your Self.  Listen the way you would listen to a dear friend.  With patience and true care.  With all your attention focussed on the listening.

At first you might get the stuff on the surface, the stress from work, the business of your days, the tiredness in your body, etc.  This, you probably already know, but still…. listen.  Then just keep asking “how are you?”  like a mantra repeated and just keep waiting, listening, patiently.

Ask your bones, Ask your tissue, Ask your cells…. How are YOU?  Ask you organs, your blood…. How are you?  Ask you mind (be ready for an earful!)….. How are you?  Ask you emotions, feelings, sensations….. How are you?  Ask your eyes, ears, mouth, nose, throat….. How are you?

Ask and ask again.  Without any expectations. Without any need to change anything.  Without any necessity to do anything. Just to listen and ask and listen and ask and listen and ask.  How are you?

Ask you breath…. How are you? And let the breath show you the breadth of its wisdom and knowing. Let it move through every part of you and reveal the inner landscape with its keen awareness.  Listen.  Listen. Listen.  Listen to the breath.  Really get to know, How you are.  And then keep asking, throughout the day:  How are you now?  How are you Now?  How are you now?  And notice, notice the shifting or rigid landscape that is your experience.  Notice what it means to be tuned in to you.  Notice and love and hold and be patient and kind.

How are you now?

 

Song of the Day:  Hello, I love you. by the Doors

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.