Be Kind and Kick Ass

When I read this, I thought, "How wild!" Then I began to truly consider what it was saying and realized it was even more wild a notion than at first read.

Wake up. I hear that term used in two different contexts:
Getting one's behinder out of bed in the a.m.
Becoming aware of one's gifts ~ whether inherent, explicit or provided by others.

The deeper revelation is to reach a place of enlightenment, a higher awareness of everything. As Thornton Wilder said, "We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." I would add that it would be important to not only be conscious of them, but recognize the variety and dimensions of them as well.

Kick ass. That's the phrasing that made me grin. That also gets used in a couple of different contexts:
Instructing someone to beat on another person or thing.
Describing someone or something as respectfully powerful.

My thought was the next step of telling someone (or one's self) to be respectfully powerful. I use the term 'respectfully powerful' because it's often said with a laugh or a proverbial punch in the arm as though telling the person to "go get 'em" in stronger language.

Be kind. Coupled with Kick ass, this seems mutually exclusive. One is an order to be strong and forceful. The other, to be gentle and respectful. Together, they provide a balance: strength and gentleness, force and respect. One should not go forward without the other.

Repeat. Yes. Please do. As often as possible. From the perspective of balance.

 How can you create a more present awareness in your life? What strength of yours is powerful yet respectful? How can you hold power and gentleness in the same space?

Who Am I Today?

Wisdom of Avalon cards ~ Colette Baron-Reid

From the guidebook:

When the Water Faery swims up to you with her liquid magic, she...asks you to consider how you really feel about things, and why. She also reminds you that you are not your feelings; you are the one experiencing them.
Remember, feelings are the fuel for manifesting. Be certain that you want to create what you're feeling. Allow your feelings to pass through and focus on the positive.

When I decided to draw from the Wisdom of Avalon deck, the query that popped into my head was a surprise even to me: Who am I today?

I stopped shuffling the deck. Really? WHO am I? My brain almost reworded the question. Instead, my hands began shuffling again and I focused on the question: Who am I today?

The Water Faery showed up. Of course, She was perfect. Occasionally, I need to be reminded that I am not my feelings, but the one experiencing them. Because of that, I have the power to change how I react to them, how I allow them to express through me.

That expression piece can get to me. The one written about the most is anger ~ don't react in anger; don't allow anger to express in mean or nasty ways. There are other feelings that capture me too: sadness, self-pity, fear, playfulness, exuberance, humor, to name a few. Even feelings that are labeled good can reach beyond the gentle flow of the water and into flood stage.

It's about choice. Who do I want to be? Today, it's the Water Faery.

What feelings are strongest for you right now? What feeling can capture you the easiest? Does it take you in a positive flow? Who do you want to be? How will you choose?

Do Not Feed

Not so long ago, I experienced what was to me a baffling illness. I can describe it more readily by what it wasn't than by what it was. There was no fever, sweats, sniffles or cough. There was no purging from either upper or lower orifice. It was a very, very brief wash of.... something. And that was the baffling part.

So in today's TMI culture, I could have rushed to the computer and typed in the 'symptoms.' My experience doing that is very unclear and over-the-top number of responses. What happens when I begin to read those responses? Fear sets in.

Don't get me wrong. I believe in being informed and in utilizing the 'information highway' to the best of my ability. But even WebMD requires accurate and thorough information from me. Then it spits out information according to a logarithm. No interaction, no questions, no awareness of my previous health history. The information I gain needs to be offset with the human interface. At least it does for me, so I don't feed my fears.

There's a lot of fear on the loose out there. Every request for a campaign donation is laced with fear of 'them' or the other side's policies. Almost every news story on the evening news overwhelms us with how bad things are. For the past several years, I've chosen not to watch TV news. I don't care for the atmosphere of fear it breeds. I continue to work on taking responsibility for my fears and the ripple of fear they cause in the world. It makes my personal world a better, safer, saner, happier place to live.

What feeds your fears? What do you fear? How do you feed the fears of those around you? How can you influence others to release the fears and let love and acceptance flow in? Do you want to live in a fearful world or a loving one?

After the Eclipse

Throughout the night of the Lunar Eclipse, I was awake. I would slip into sleep, then awaken to step outside to see where the Moon, Sun and Earth were in their dance. I would return to bed and the process would begin anew.

I felt strong, connected, thrilled ~ anything but tired. When I awoke in the morning ~ well, when I finally got out of bed to prepare for work ~ I felt rested. What a strange mix of activity, power, light, life and connection!

As I was leaving for work, I was agape at the tremendous beauty that shone above me. I snapped the above image. As often happens, the photo only scratches the surface of how captivating the moon and clouds were.

I often feel energized and electic with power on and around the Full Moon. That coupled with the Lunar Eclipse left me tired, ready to sleep and dream. The stages through which the Moon passes share energy with our own phases of life ~ sometimes even of day.

How does the Full Moon affect you? Do you feel the pull of the Moon? How does it happen? How connected are you to those phases?

Almost Eclipse Time

©2014 by ML Monroe

Tonight ~ or more precisely, in the wee small hours of tomorrow morning ~ there is going to be a lunar eclipse. I'm hoping to wake up enough to see it and perhaps even snap a few shots of it.

As I went for a walk after dinner tonight, the Moon was above the horizon, but still in the region of the sky where it looks huge. I love those moments of seeing Her in a way larger and appearing closer than at any other time in the night sky. The nearly cloudless sky made for a bright and beautiful view of Her. I would stop every now and again on my walk to take a few more pictures.

In the view of some folk, I may be considered lunatic. The Moon is an attraction I do not challenge. She is my passion. Or perhaps, more precisely, She reflects my passion. I love the night ~ and look for Her in it, no matter Her phase.

As the time for the lunar eclipse draws near, I am tired and yawning, but excited. I got some great pictures during the last one and would love to get some this time as well. However, it's the thought of the entire lunar eclipse process, and what it means, that captures my imagination and holds me in thrall. That at the fullness of the eclipse, She cannot reflect the light of the Sun because Earth is in the way. What part does that play in the continuing relationship of Luna and Sol?

How do you feel about the lunar eclipse? What do you think about the process? What effect does the eclipse have on you? What would you like it to have?

Lunar Web

©2014 by ML Monroe

The moon is waxing toward full ~ and toward a lunar eclipse. As I took a picture of it through the branches of a tree, I did not see the fine lines of a spider's web. Not until I was looking at the pictures on my computer were those threads visible.

What a fitting hidden attribute for the month of October! Grandmother Spider weaving Her web to catch Luna. Even if Luna were to come close to Her web, Grandmother Spider could not hold Her.

Once, a very, very long time ago, Luna's feet touched Gaia, the Great Mother Earth. She was one of the Great Mother's daughters. She radiated beauty, reflecting the joy and effervescent life around Her. Where many of Her sisters were loud, She spoke quietly, Her laughter as a tinkling bell. Because She was so quiet, She could often wander off by Herself without anyone noticing.

When She wandered into the sky, Sol noticed Her and demanded an explanation as to how and why She was in His territory. Sol had noticed Luna's presence, but He had not taken note of the full extent of the beauty of that presence. Since Luna was prone to wandering into unknown territories, Sol requested Grandmother Spider weave a net to keep Her out of His sky.

Grandmother Spider wove the web as Sol asked, but neither He nor Luna knew how the thoughtlessly requested web would come to trap them both.

Have you ever made a request when you were upset that you may not otherwise have done? How would you treat an intruder into your space? Do you keep your upset feelings in check? or do they rule you in the moment?

Relax and Enjoy

My life of late has been busy and full. Work keeps me busy for five days of the week. Weekends are full of relaxation.

Although that phrasing ~ full of relaxation ~ sounds like an oxymoron, it is not.

The busyness of work is all about performance. Doing my best at a particular set of tasks. The tasks are defined by my superiors with little input from me. Creativity, encouraged on some level, is not always needed, useful or applicable. All that's okay on the job. I like what I do and I keep getting better and better at doing it.

The fullness of the weekend is creativity, which is singularly relaxing. It doesn't matter what I'm doing ~ gardening, walking, visiting with friends, shopping, reading, writing, photography ~ all of that, which encompasses and is encompassed by my creative energy, is relaxing.

While I was out today ~ watching a movie, wandering an art show, walking with a friend ~ I saw the nearly full Moon showing Her face in the daytime sky and snapped a picture. For me, today and often other times, the Moon symbolizes my shifting and creative energy. Any time She poses in the sky, I gladly take Her picture.

What do you enjoy? How do you define relaxation? Does it differ from your job? Where does your creative blossom?