Be a Swirling Vortex in 2017

Most of us are ready to put 2016 behind us. Our reasons include: personal illnesses and traumas; loss of family, friends and significant public personages; the elections and all they brought up; finances; and it goes on. We all have the general idea.

A couple of weeks ago, this quote by Dr. Richard Bartlett showed up:

You are more than your thoughts, your body, or your feelings. You are a swirling vortex of limitless potential who is here to shake things up and create something new that the universe has never seen.

As we step into the New Year, here's a new feeling, a new thought to bring with us. We are more than who and what we think we are. There's a potentiality in us that is without limit. No matter our age, our gender, our education, or our background. We are here to create anew.

Over the years, I've heard a multitude of speakers tell me these things. It's not that I haven't believed them. I've felt the truth of what they've said. And I imagine we all have done the same on some level. The message is overwhelming until we are ready step into the unknown.

The definition of potential is a latent quality that might be developed in the future. In physics, potential energy is the stored energy of an object. Any way we look at it, being a 'swirling vortex of limitless potential' is unknown. What is the direction of our potential? How to we tap into it? How do we harness its energy for good? Even the basic question Is it good? leaves us without an answer until we step into that swirling vortex ourselves.

Stepping into a new year certainly has the potential of a swirling vortex. Something that may move us forward or sideways or into another dimension of ourselves altogether. Yet... yet... that potential may carry us away from what we know ~ and that includes our place of safety. But if we're truly ready to let go of the old year and the old ways, can a swirling vortex bring us renewal? or revive our sagging spirits? or offer us the change we seek? I'm ready to step off the edge. Are you ready to join me?

What do you want to leave behind in the old year? What are you looking for in the new? How do you plan to move forward? What newness do you expect or want as you cross the threshold into the new year? Are you willing to step into the vortex and embrace your potential?

Full SuperMoon in Taurus 2016

Tonight's ~ or tomorrow morning's ~ SuperMoon will be the largest since 1948 and will not happen again, in this range of size, until 2034. However, depending where you are, it may not be at its perigee until the wee hours of the morning. So the visual at sunset may seem disappointing.... or not. In all honesty, I haven't been able to discern the subtle difference in the nearness of the moon from one SuperMoon to another.

Some specific information:

A supermoon typically refers to the concurrence of two phenomena. One is when the moon is within 90% of its closest position to Earth in its orbit. ... The other phenomenon is syzygy, which is when the Earth, sun and moon all line up as the moon orbits Earth. When both a perigee and syzygy occur and the moon is located on the opposite of the earth from the sun we get a supermoon. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2016/11/13/tonight-record-breaking-supermoon-biggest-68-years/#58d05c0c6574)

Looking at other aspects of this moon, it occurs in Taurus, a steady, practical earth sign. Its energy is about illuminating the goal to motivate and realize our fullest potential. This particular SuperMoon will help us see things in practical and logical ways for implementing action plans with calm and clarity. It's a reminder to focus on worth ~ self-worth and emotional worth as well as financial issues ~ for the sake of security and overall, global responsibility.

There is conflict ~ or more precisely, a back-and-forth pull ~ between expansive Jupiter calling us out and Pluto in Capricorn wanting us to release the old and play it safe at the moment. It becomes a matter of letting go of people who no longer match with us as well as ideas that no longer serve our higher good and pacing ourselves to continue forward. All in all, it's about trusting the process ~ which in the moment, feels awkward at best, crazy at worst. Yet it remains our only way forward.

Are you living your life to your fullest potential? What self-limiting beliefs do you have? What are you willing to release? How do you feel in the large light of the SuperMoon? How are you creating security for yourself? and those you love? What darkness is this SuperMoon illuminating for you?

Your Unique Potential

When I first read this Joseph Campbell quote, I thought about the career I chose to pursue when I was in school. I focused on that pursuit being the definition of my unique potential. I went away from the quote for awhile.... left the image sitting in a folder on my computer. When I returned to it, the words seemed somehow changed.

What truly changed was my reading of them. That very first line snags my mind with a wild image: "...never was on land or sea." As though what we seek is unique to each of us individually even if the basic job descriptions or life descriptions share the same wording.

When I consider the number of times I could have let my own uniqueness shine, I realize that I instead spent a chunk of time fading into anonymity. Why? Several reasons. One is that I am, at heart, an introvert. Being in the limelight does not come easily to me. Another is the fear of failure. In order to truly succeed at stepping into a fuller potential, there is a better than even chance of failure. Now I understand that 'failure' is simply a word with greater or lesser emotion attached to it. For me, it used to be greater. It's growing lesser with each passing season. I also was negligent of the possibility of success. What would it take? Was my dream, my desire, big enough?

An important lesson I've learned lately is that it is never too late to reach for a dream. I've been blessed with a number of course changes during my life. Currently, I'm heading for another. It's all good ~ and bringing me closer to becoming something that "never was on land or sea."

Have you reached your fullest potential? How unique do you see yourself being? Is there something more calling to you? Are you willing to head for your own course change? Where would that lead you?

Shedding Tension

"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world."

~ Ada Louise Huxtable

Shedding tensions. Summer certainly has that potential. The weather is warmer and the days are brighter, longer. Grass grows faster. Flowers bloom brighter. Fruit ripens and is sweet to the taste. Everything and everyone turns towards the sun. Long days provide more time for celebration and relaxation. Travel happens frequently during the summertime and people are pleasant when they are able to shed the drudgery of their homes and go elsewhere. Returning home is a joy after a trip. It's the place we are willing to return to. Even though we are there regularly all the rest of the year, in the summer everything just seems better.

Shedding tensions. Warmth is a relaxant. It eases stiff and sore muscles. Summer provides me the opportunity to shift gears. There are fairs and open air markets and concerts in the park during the summer. These events are all over and readily accessible. Even at later evening hours, it is still light outside when returning from them. With activity and accessibility comes the chance to see people I miss seeing in the winter. I love the slower pace, the brighter days, the shifting sense of time. With less tension, I relax into the joy of right timing for everything.

What is it about summer that helps you to shed tension? What makes summer different from the other seasons for you? How does it help you feel that all's right with the world?