Furious Dancing

As the nights grow longer and various holidays approach, many people find the season difficult. Busyness abounds, people's spirits bounce between happy and desperate, and the continual cheeriness of holiday music adds to the disorientation.

Add to that, the results of the US elections ~ no matter your vote ~ and the occasional rockiness of the financial markets. Whew! Lots of situations out of our immediate control! Together this suggests this is a difficult time.

Personally, I love the concept of furious dancing to counter the effect of the hard times. Women have always found movement alleviates stress. Although men in some cultures dance, they mostly participate in other movement-oriented patterns. Music, dancing, rhythmic swaying ~ all these ways of releasing and changing the energy. The harder we dance, the more we release our sadness, fears and worries. When our bodies are in a strong rhythmic place, our minds move with the same rhythm. The more furiously we move, the more quickly our thoughts slip through our minds. We literally move into a higher vibration of being ~ more awake and aware to our surroundings and less willing to hold onto the darker space. Let's all find time to dance up a storm to whatever rhythm and music we choose. If nothing else, it's great exercise!

What do you do to get through hard times? Can furious dancing fit into your plans? How do you shift energy when feeling overwhelm? What other form of movement could help you get through these times? Does the growing darkness affect your mood? What else can/do you do to alleviate that?

Dream World Solitude

Anais Nin ~ one of the world's most incredible diarists ~ had much to say about solitude, quietude and exaltation. She lived her life to the brim ~ and often overflowing. She was also a very strong, confident and self-reflective writer.

This particular quote of hers surfaced when searching for quotes about 'letting go' ~ her unique point of view.
"In the world of the dreamer there was solitude: all the exaltations and joys came in the moment of preparation for living. They took place in solitude."

Solitude arises as I set out on my journey into each day. Mornings bring quiet and light and nature's sweet waking songs. Joy bubbles into those moments. Not only the lighthearted passing moments of appreciation of the beauty of the day, but also the deep-set, amazed joy bringing warmth to every beat of the heart.

I wake within the dream state. Mostly, I recall my dreams in that instant of awakening ~ barely stepping into the interstice between the veiled world and the solid one. Sometimes, I record the dreams. Generally, I grope my way into them, allowing the sensations to wash over me. My constant expression is gratitude. Thanking the Divine for the gift of dreams, memory, veiled world, and breath.

No matter that I wake alone or with another. In the moment when I awaken, I am in solitude. Totally. Completely. I feel the Glory of contact with the Divine, the Breath of the Divine entering my body. Connection.

How do you feel when you dream? when you wake from a dream? Do you like solitude? Do you appreciate it? Does it feel more like joy? or loneliness? Do you feel awake? aware? lost? afraid? How do you relate to Anais Nin's view of dreaming, solitude and joy?

Wheady Mile

From Byegones, May 20th, 1874:

'A wheady mile, a mile beyond expectation, a tedious one';...a long mile, a mile longer than it seems to be. And thus, too, every task or labour which turns out to be greater than was at one time anticipated, or anything that is peculiarly long, tedious, or wearisome, is a 'weady job,' or described as 'mighty waydy.' Anglo-Saxon wide, longus. The common word to wade is probably akin to this.

When the term wheady mile showed up in a Facebook post, the very sound of it struck my fancy. I determined to uncover how it might apply it to my life as well as to define it.

I am in the process of completing a wheady mile in my life.... one of those places and spaces ripe with the readiness to move on, yet I have not. This one involves my job. Being a teacher is not only what I do, but strongly who I am. Yet there are many pieces of the puzzle of public education today that have less to do with connecting with students and their learning than with proofing a product for college or employment. Each curve of the path lately turns back upon itself and provides shorter-lived moments of joy than previously experienced. It shouts to me of the need for shift. I am stepping away from the wheady mile and find a new path.

Can wheady mile apply to emotional states too? I'm bone-weary of waiting for changes to happen. Sometimes, the distance between making a plan, implementing and fulfilling it, is longer than expected. As I await this expected change, ready to move on, other opportunities percolate into view. I recognize some of them from past moments along the way. Others are totally new and offer a perspective not previously noticed.

I also feel more awake and aware now. My dreams have shifted as well. I spend time in preparation within them ~ cleaning debris away from a three-way intersection; directing people on how to cross a busy crosswalk-less street; hanging rugs and tapestries on huge lines in the sun; herding people into well-stocked, comfortable trucks for an important and necessary journey. Each of these are snippets carrying a similar theme AND each part of the whole speaks to an integral shift. The feeling is akin to sitting in an unfamiliar vehicle, preparing for a road trip: mirrors checked and adjusted, seat adjusted, steering wheel set-up and all gauges checked. These are slight shifts from getting into my own vehicle ~ common adjustments to fit me rather than the previous driver.

What does wheady mile mean to you? Is there something happening in your life that feels wearying to you? Is there a shift needed? What messages from your dreams align with this?

December's Capricorn New Moon

Accompanying the Winter Solstice this year is the Capricorn New Moon. As ever, Capricorn is about deep reflection and introspection fitting perfectly into the winter cycle of hibernation and allowing time to ponder what newness and shape may be coming into one's future.

In this reflective stage ~ and the 'letting go' phase of the New Moon ~ I consider the brand new year approaching as a time to take action, to deepen my connection with my higher self and with the Ineffable One. I choose an empowered and authentic life.

Moving forward from this New Moon, stepping into the New Year, is perfect timing for releasing the past ~ all of the past, whether I deemed it good, bad or indifferent. I choose to spend this time grounding and centering myself to establish my deep, heartfelt next step with honor, integrity, boldness and courage. I disengage from any false beliefs and self-limitations as I ride the wave of transformation into my next twelve month cycle via the current cultural calendar, awake, aware, conscious, grounded.

This New Moon lights my way to embracing my Shadow, loving both my Light and my Dark. I continue on the path to wholeness and balance, redefining my beliefs along the way. I do not get what I want; I get what I believe. I get what I call forth from the Darkness of the New Moon into the Light of the coming year and next Full Moon.

What do you believe? What does this New Moon say to you? How do you empower yourself? What do you call forth into the New Year?

Awake Inside Your Breathing

O Beloved,

your way of knowing is amazing!
The way you recognize every creature
even before it appears.
The way you gaze into the face
of every human being
and see all your works gazing back at you.
O what a miracle
to be awake inside your breathing.

~ SYMPHONIA by Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen lived in 12th century Germany. When she was 8 years old, her parents sent her to a Benedictine monastery where she learned to read and write and eventually live out her life. When she was 50, she became abbess of the monastery. Hildegard's life story is a fascinating one. All the more so because she wrote not only books, but also music. She was the mystic of the greening; she saw the intensity of growth all around.

This snippet of Hildgard's Symphonia is lovely. Although she is speaking of God as her Beloved, she could be referring to any of a multitude of Divine beings. I so love the sound and flow of it ~ calling the Divine "beloved" and feeling the awe and amazement of being seen. That's what the Divine does for us ~ helps us to be seen, to be know as an individual.

When I think of the phrasing of the last line, to be awake inside your breathing, I feel the gentle pull and the warmth of the breath of the Divine. I feel the moisture of that life-giving breath. It is a miracle and I am grateful!

What presents you with the beauty of the Divine? What do you love most about it? Do you have a favorite poem that connects you with the Divine?

Storyteller Within

"Mouse. Mouse! It is not safe to go near Owl! It is dangerous!"
Mouse heard the chattered warning from the other woodland creatures as they crawled, slunk or flew away. Yet Mouse was not afraid.
Owl was the woodland storyteller, the ancient one who remembered the Whens and the In-the-beginnings. Mouse wanted to hear those stories again. Mouse wanted to become a storyteller herself. So she scampered up the stump carefully and quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping Owl and waited for the Storyteller to awaken.

There is a place deep within each of us where we ourselves become the teller of the tale of our being. Mouse awaits the awakening of the Storyteller to hear once again Owl's stories of the woods. What are Mouse's stories? What can awaken the Teller within her?

What do you think will happen when Owl awakens? What of your own internal storyteller? Is yours awake? What are the stories you tell?

Seeing Snakes

Often lately, while I'm walking around the neighborhood ~ or more precisely, the newly-being-built part of the neighborhood ~ I'll see one of these little garter snakes. Although I am fully aware that they are not harmful, their rapid movement across my field of vision startles me. I'm certain they're startled by all the activity happening in what used to be their home territory.

On my last walk, the snake was simply stretched across the road directly in front of me. I easily walked around it. Before doing so, I paused to acknowledge Snake in my life and in my path. It stretched, head up, looking in the direction it was traveling, yet, at the moment, motionless. I thought, 'How fitting! I am fully aware of this tiny creature yet it seems unconcerned about my huge presence right next to it.'

How often do I do that? Stop in my forward motion, perhaps because something seems odd or off in that motion, yet without truly seeing what the cause of that sensation may be. Recently, that seems to happen less. I'm growing more aware, more awake, more conscious. For that I am grateful.

In Pocket Guide to Spirit Animals, Dr. Steven Farmer says:

You're about to go through some significant personal changes, so intense and dramatic that an old self will metaphorically die as a new self emerges.
You're going to feel a surge of energy that will sharpen your senses, alert your mental faculties, and open up new channels of awareness.

From http://www.linsdomain.com/totems/pages/snake.htm:

The Snake is wisdom expressed through healing. It is a protector and guardian totem, along with its sister totems, the Dragon and the Serpent.
Snake energy is the energy of wholeness, cosmic consciousness, and the ability to experience anything willingly and without resistance. It is the knowledge that all things are equal in creation.
Snake is fire medicine, the medicine of transmutation.
On a material level, it is vitality; on an emotional level, it is ambition and dreams; on a mental level, it is intellect and power; on a spiritual level, it is wisdom, understanding and wholeness.

 I'm looking forward to increasing my awareness ~ my healing senses ~ my connection to fire! I feel my resistance to intense changes... this may be a wild ride Spring!

What creature has shown up in your life? What is it teaching you? What are you willing to learn? How do you express your gratitude for the lessons?

Playing Small, part 2

"There is no passion to be found in playing small ~ in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."

~ Nelson Mandela

There's been some craziness going on in the ethers lately. At least that's what I've read. All I know is that I seem to have more physical energy than I have in the past; none of which is directing itself to writing or blogging. Yet... yet... when I sit down to write, words flow in a manner I love to experience. It's as though my system resonates with something greater than me.

When I think of that, when those moments of awake show up in my being, I recognize a much deeper truth regarding the concept of playing small. Nelson Mandela's quote sums it up quite nicely: there is no passion in it. We move forward without thinking, without being awake or aware, without feeling passion. Not that we aren't busy or chock full of emotions. Only that the passion, the zeal for life, isn't at the core of what we're doing. Days go by as though they are meant to be simple. One day we awaken to the thought that we've missed actually living a huge chunk of our lives.

I have friends who live their lives in the fast lane with lots of things happening: travel to exotic places, writing books or plays, making money hand over fist ~ or a variety of other things. Sometimes realizing their dreams, sometimes not. I find myself wondering if the fulfillment of our personal dreams is what we are intended to do. If so, what happens to those of us, those around us, who do not do this? Does that mean we are living small?

What does living small mean to you? Why?