Winter's Bluster

Everyone awaits the arrival of the first snowfall of winter, whether in dread or excitement. Weather forecasters were touting a winter storm so most schools and even some offices closed in anticipation. Early morning unfolded itself with bright gray skies and negligible precipitation. Was this storm going to be another bust?

Our first snowfall arrived mid-morning starting with scattered flakes no bigger than dust motes. Eventually these grew to a significant enough size to form a passing white-out over time. We watched from the safety and warmth of the local Starbucks. When the bluster passed, I stepped outside to snap this picture. Nothing much to show for all the ruckus this storm caused. Then the storm shifted. The temperatures kept the snow on the ground while the snow flurries turned to rain. Everything got coated with a layer of crunchy, slippery ice. Ah.... this was what we'd been waiting for.

As I watched the storm front roll through, I thought how like us winter's bluster was. We put out signals to our friends, family, co-workers and acquaintances. Each person reads those signals differently. Some will see the approaching mood, our version of a storm, as dangerous and immediate. Others will recognize that it might bring some danger, but mostly it will blow over. Still others will call it a slippery, sliding place and steer carefully and clearly around it. The bluster that comes during the storm front of our moods occasionally shakes us and those around us into a new form of actions. Yet those who know us best, who have spent time with our moods, will weather them all in the best possible way.

Not all moods are negative, just as not all storms are bad. Whatever mood shows up ~ from excitement to playfulness to sullenness to anger ~ is part of the bluster that makes each of us human. We feel and we express those feelings in our moods. It's healthy, as much part of our nature as a wintry snowstorm is part of the Earth's nature. As with those wintry flashes, damages sometimes occur. We need to work together to repair those damages between people as diligently as we work to repair damages caused by ice and snow.

How do your storms show up? Can you predict their direction? What do you do when they reveal themselves? How do you assist in repairing the damage when damage arrives? Who can you count on to help you? What moods have shown up most recently in your life?

Be the Lighthouse

My latest Teabag Tarot took me by pleasant surprise today. By nature, I am clearly a dualist.... half light, half dark. I swing from one to the other and every stage and step in between.

When people tell me to change my beliefs, emotions or actions in some way, my first reaction is to dig in and refuse. I want to acknowledge what is currently true for me before stepping into the change space. Change is also part of my nature ~ early on in my life my mother called me Windy because my moods changed like or with the wind. I want to own the change myself. And I do. I swing back and forth ~ and I do it to my own tempo.

That made today's Teabag Tarot especially pertinent. It felt quixotic.... and it felt grounding. All at the same time. I look at what is most important to me, what feeds my soul, what rises out of the dark depths of my being. What I find in those depths is that gentle spreading of the light at dawn ~ or at the rise of the full moon. I love bathing in the often surprisingly soothing light of the full moon. Everything in me gets lighter. No matter what the situation around me, I find myself smiling, wanting to dance or prance in that light.

First, the light has to spread inside me ~ to fill my dark corners and brighten my senses. Then, I can stretch out and be the lighthouse. The light inside me beams out toward others. I know they see and feel it. It is reflected in them, in their responses to me. It's not particularly MY light or a glaringly bright light. It's gentle, accepting of where they are, helping to carry them on to the next place or moment or day.

Being a lighthouse means essentially two things: the light comes from within and it shines through the fog, the dark and the storm. There's no need for a lighthouse in the glaring noonday light or when everything is going our way. It's more important now than ever: when we are all in the midst of turmoil, darkness and change. I'll do what I can.

What are you doing to encourage the light within you? How are you being a lighthouse? Are you in need of a lighthouse? Where do you look to find that light? Who in your life spreads that light and encouragement? Are there moments when you can find the light within? and moments when you can't?

Wait Out the Storm

The Enchanted Map by Colette Baron-Reid

From the guide:

Now is not the time to engage in any activity that brings unwanted chaos or drama into your life. This kind of storm can be destructive, and you'll regret your actions later. Hurtful words will be carried on the wind and bring a tornado of betrayal, anger, and unnecessary angst. Find shelter. This turbulent weather will pass, and your house will be untouched. Say no to drama. Wait till the storm blows over--only then will you be heard.

When I was a child, we lived in a place where there were many fantastical storms. Other than winter snow, most of them blazed with thunder and lightning. My mother would gather us and take us into the basement, where we would weather the storm. We had games there and snacks and a radio. It was a quiet, peaceful time.

It was more difficult to gather us if I got outside as the fireworks of the storm began. I loved the lightning shows and the booming of thunder. I would stand at the back door of the attached garage and stare across the yard and into the whirling dark sky. Storms entranced me.

In college, I worked for and with a woman whose 25-year-old son loved to chase tornadoes. We lived in Tornado Alley. Several tornadoes formed and some touched down every Spring/Summer. Talking with my boss gave me pause to recall my childhood fascination with thunder and lightning.

When I saw this card, Reversed as it is, and read about the possible coming storm, all those memories flooded in. Many happenings in my life, my world, could easily turn into chaos. Especially if I act impulsively or incautiously. People around me in some of those situations are on edge, wound up, feeling overwhelmed. It's time for me to hunker down, find shelter, be judicious with my words, and let the storm roar past. No tornado chasing for me.

Can you relate to the storm scenario? How do you hunker down when life gets stirred up? What settles the storms for you? Are you attracted to tornado chasing, in all its forms? How do you resist that when it would be unseemly to engage in the chase?