Nature

I love being in Nature.  My stress level drops immediately when I am away from "civilized" life.  Nature vibrates with an energy that benefits humans profoundly if we open ourselves to receiving that goodness.  It is possible for us to have reciprocal conversations when we find ourselves in the midst of natural settings.  At those times we might be focused on a personal life issue. If we sit quietly within the energy of nature's presence, Nature will often speak to us through our thoughts and visions.  We provide the questions.  Nature brings us suggested answers.  It's a wonderful and amazing communication process.

"In every walk with Nature one receives far more than they seek."

                                  --John Muir

      

Structure

We are stepping into the Unknown.  We have lived through two years of something that has created large upheaval.  All parts have been flung into the air, and when they fall back into place they will land in a different configuration.  It will be some version of life that we are not accustomed to, that is begging for reform, and that will be re-formed.  So as chaos seems to continue, I feel invited to imagine what structure will be created for this new arrangement. I made a painting one time called "Searching for Structure in the New."  This has come to mind as I look at where we are, and also at what we might be moving toward.  I have no answers, just an openness.  No requirements, just a wish for positive change.  I have no plan, just a willingness to participate in the process.  I believe that what needs to happen will happen, and we will be put to work as the need arises.  A structure is forming, guided by the Universe.

"I am going into an unknown future, but I'm still all here, and still while there's life, there's hope."                    

                                                --John Lennon

"I dwell in possibility."                      

                                                --Emily Dickinson 

Heart of Harvest

This is a time of reveling in our harvest.  Gardens have abundantly produced food throughout the growing season.  Many items have been preserved and stored.  And we have put those fertile beds to rest for the winter.  This is the northern hemisphere's cycle for animals and people, as the change in available light makes the days shorter.  Outside, time has slowed down.  I love this transition as the pace of life changes.  These days bring us to a more inward focus.  The slower time feels more natural and connected.  I consider this to be one of the parts of harvest that I really appreciate.  Harvest, home, and hearth all connect us to heart. 

"It is harvest time.  Open your heart to receive the abundance you have been able to conceive."

                                                           --Roxana Jones    

                                        

Being Human

We are here on earth at a precarious time.  It's important for us to navigate our way as it best suits who we are.  We are also being asked to grow and expand on our journey through this lifetime.  Part of that growth may include evolving our souls.  As we connect more deeply with our essential being within this human structure, we usually find a stronger connection with our Higher Being.  Making more sense of our incarnation helps us to understand more intimately the Source of our creation.  We are here to help each other to embrace our best selves.  We are sharing an Earth experience, and we are here to lift each other up.

"We need to remember that we are Energy and Light and Love and that we are here to Master these energies in Human Form.  When we can focus on that and release anything that is 'not love' and is not supportive of our essence and our soul, then we can raise up the frequencies and find that place where we feel that we resonate."       

                                                    --Celia Fenn

Amazing

Life is amazing!  Being human in the world is amazing.  We have just shifted into the season of autumn.  In my area that means we get to witness a visual and sensory transformation of the natural environment.  With a chill in the air, tree leaves have begun to change color, and breezes swirl around them when they fall.  I feel like this cycle of events is signaling that the winds of change are blowing.  Indigenous people believe that all winds have life force and symbolic characteristics.  I am feeling a lot of power in these current breezes.  They are activating a process of clearing and cleansing.  They are blowing out past, tired air and are swirling in new, creative air for the present times.  These current times challenge us to pay attention to what really matters in life, especially in the world of humans and nature.  By focusing on what gives us life and what brings us renewal we can fully connect with all that is amazing.

"Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement, get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted.  Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually.  To be spiritual is to be amazed."

                               --Abraham Joshua Heschel

From Fear to Love

Chaos, mayhem, upheaval.  These are words that accurately describe what we are seeing and experiencing in many places in our world these days.  Crises abound in the form of weather related events as well as political unrest.  The phrase "going to hell in a hand basket" comes to mind.  Yes, this is one reality.  And yet, there is another reality.  We have the power to choose how we integrate current frenetic events.  If we live in fear our reality becomes uncertain, and we align with the chaos and sense of being out of control that is around us.  If we believe in love, and we begin to turn that love inward toward ourselves, our reality can be something else.  We are able to choose what energy we want to live in and to express in the world.  We all have a place of calm and quiet within us.  Fear prevents us from connecting with this peaceful center.  Love allows us to disengage from the crises of the world, and then we have an opportunity to connect with our core essence.  This core connection can happen in so many different ways.  Since each of us is unique, it is important that we find what avenues will lead us to this connection.  There is so much beauty and richness in the world.  Love allows us to make the connection to this reality.

" 'The world is so loud and makes so many demands.  Sitting next to you doing absolutely nothing means absolutely everything to me,' said the boy to the tree."

                                        --Sketches in Stillness.com    

Overcoming

Recently, I have experienced a time of stasis, inertia, quiet lack of motivation, and sedentary living.  These times have felt like leftover tatters and remnants from a past experience of wounding.  So many of us have some story or account of wounding from our past.  Once healed, such traumatic experiences will not repeat themselves. The past is in the past.  Each day in the present we create a new life that becomes our future.  In global daily life desperate actions, chaos, and unrest surround us.  We may have previously experienced the emotions of desperation and chaos, but they can no longer touch us.  We are overcoming this old life of the past, and we are being lifted up and out of daily conflict.  We are moving forward in our whole human fullness and beauty, lifted by golden rays of light.

"The most beautiful people I've known are those who have known trials, have known struggles, have known loss, and have found their way out of the depths." 

                                  --Elizabeth Kubler-Ross