Nature's Lessons

I went to the Galapagos Islands in January and, as predicted in my last blog, swam with a sea turtle. I had visions of her before I left and then there she was circling me with graceful strokes and ancient wisdom.

These amazing islands contain their own great wisdom. They pulse as one magnificent organism, every creature having the single purpose of survival and yet the global purpose of being in balanced, harmonious relationship to the whole. Hawks attack vulnerable baby birds hunkered down in their nests. Delicate pink flamingos adapt to living on jagged, harsh lava flows. Small colorful fish clean the algae from the backs of giant, crusty sea turtles. Each creature has the will and means to survive. And each acts responsibly and efficiently in doing so, assuming its role in the order and fluidity of the Natural World.

This is our World too. But we suffer from the illusion that we are separate from Nature and that it holds little or no meaning for us. Yet, watching the animals interact, I saw them demonstrate so many important lessons about life and death, adapting to one's environment, soaring with one's fullest potential and being in right and balanced relationship with all those in the circle of life. I am grateful for Nature opening me to her wisdom. I encourage you to look into your day and see the opportunities to let die what does not serve you so that you can live more fully, to accept openly what your day has to offer, to shine with all your potential and to be in harmony with your partner, your co-worker, your parent, your child.

Eagle's Eye View

My New Year's Resolution is to hone an eagle's eye view of my life. When I feel annoyed,irritated or stressed, I plan to fly up into the nearest tree or to soar over the landscape of my life to get a broader perspective. This week, I'm getting ready for a trip (as many of you know, that happens fairly often). This time I am going out of the country, and there are more details than usual to consider. From my familiar place on the ground, it looks like a lot of scrambling for here to there, collecting and organizing what I need. But from my perch high above, I clearly see a network, all connected for my behalf. The man at the diving shop who sold me my new snorkel mask is linked to the neighbor who is taking in the mail, who is linked to the pilot of my plane, who is linked to the sea turtle with whom I plan to swim. It's like one big living organism, all in cahoots to support me and guide me on my journey. From up here it is awesome to behold.

I Have No Words!

This post begins in dreamland, like the last one I wrote. In this dream I was visited by a huge sea mammal. I asked her what kind of animal she was and was told it is not important. She simply wanted me to "come on in and feel who I am." So I did. I became huge yet I swam with grace. Water swished across my body and shafts of sunlight hung in the water above me. I flapped my flippers and glided with ease while little fish darted by, tickling my skin. I knew this animal, and I needed no words or categories to describe her.

As my day unfolded, I took several opportunities to ignore descriptive vocabulary and look, feel, smell and touch instead. I inhaled the scent of lavender oil; I tasted the smoothness of homemade hummus on my tongue; and I felt music coming from my heart. But, of course, I have no words to describe to you the experience. Each experience began with my senses; from there I dove in and made a connection. If I had begun my experience with words I would only have skimmed the surface and never had the chance to swim in the depths of the sea.

Jail Time

Last night I dreamed I was in jail. As the dream evolved I realized I was the one who had actually built the jail and even chosen my jailers. Amusingly, I could leave my cell everyday for lunch and then return again later.

When I awoke this morning I wondered...is this what I do in my life...create my own jails and hire my own jailers? I would have to say...yes, I do. I construct my cell of daily pressures, disappointments and annoyances then choose my jailers from those I perceive expect too much, cause me stress or let me down. I lock myself up.

Yet, I have the key to my freedom, right in my pocket. After all, in my dream, I opened the door and took a break for lunch! Just before I woke up, the jail vanished and I expanded to fill its space, all beauty and light. Lying in bed, I set an intention to bring more freedom into the day. So despite all of the twists and turns in my imperfect day, I opened several jail doors and fired a few jailers and came through the day happier and very grateful for my freedom!

In the Dark

The power went out in our neighborhood the other night. I had so many things planned for the evening and there I was in total darkness. At first every step was uncertain; what would I bump into? I kept thinking it would end any minute and there would be light again. Then I got it...why try to navigate when I could just relax and soak up the darkness? Instead of being uncertain; I decided to be curious and open to the "mystery." I found that as I became more present in the darkness, the more light there seemed to be. The moonless sky was brilliant with stars stretching into space. I began to recall memories of starry nights long ago; my imagination began to play and the night became magical. Who needs the electric grid?!?!!? We really do have the power to create our own light.

New Moon Meditation

The Moon is in the darkest part of her cycle today, the New Moon, when the light dies away and we linger and await its renewal. During this time, from the depths of the darkness our deepest emotions can swim to the surface. We all know the dark emotions of fear, anger and grief and can recognize their effects in our everyday lives. On an energetic level, these emotions can short-circuit our loving nature. They can muddy our relationships, cloud our judgment and even clog our organs and cells.

In the darkness of the new moon, take a few moments in meditation to sit quietly with your emotions. Pick one…fear, anger or grief. Acknowledge the thoughts or the story that is attached to that feeling. Then let it go and sit with just the emotion. Don’t resist it. In fact, acknowledge it, give it the respect it deserves! Just let it become detached from you. Be an observer of it. You may discover that the emotion does not seem so dark and troubling. In fact, as the light of the moon returns you may step into that light and find it shining through to your more truly creative and joyful nature.

Gratitude

Where does gratitude come from? I am little hesitant to admit that it just dawned on me. This is how I discovered it…try this…for the next two hours become a receiver. Just use your senses. Receive the taste and aroma of a delicious fresh tomato and basil sandwich, the warmth of a hug from a dear friend, the fall breeze rustling your hair, the lull of the wind chimes in your neighbor’s yard, the goose bumpy feel you get from looking at a beautiful twilight sky. The opportunities are, quite literally, endless.

After this concentrated intention to receive, you will notice a kindness in your interactions and a patience and love that you bring to what you do. That is the expression of gratitude, imbued in every encounter you have and action you take.

The secret for me was to stop being a doer all the time and to receive. Then gratitude began to flow and I knew that I could bring a fuller and richer expression of my Self to the world.

Let's Think....

A friend told me that she took 15 minutes out of her busy thought-burdened day to sit out in nature. She was amazed to hear the flapping of birds' wings, smell the pine scent and feel the warm sun on her cheeks. Her senses woke up! But she was still aware of her thoughts. Only now it was different; her thoughts had more space around them and were less rushed. There was a calm and clarity to them.

We hear that our thoughts are the product of our egos, that we are way too attached to what we think. Thoughts bog us down and make us the victims of our own stories. But thoughts also guide us and teach us when they are born from a calm and nurtured spirit. So head outside, tune in to Mother Nature. Be in her embrace for just 15 minutes and then see where your thoughts take you.

Freedom through Forgiveness

Like everything else in life freedom is not an endpoint; it's a process, a journey into deeper self-awareness. It is the process of letting go of old issues and the fear, anger and grief that give those issues life.

I was witness to just such an event a few days ago. A 30 yr.old young man was telling his parents how much he resented the way they handled his teenage years. He was not looking to revisit those teenage arguments and they did not judge or justify their actions. They listened with love and compassion. The energy that bound them to those difficult times was being released. No one resisted and no one hung on to the fear, anger and grief that lived and breathed during that time in their lives. They began to forgive one another, a journey called Freedom.

Growing Gardens

What is growing in your garden? Is it a new relationship, business, song or maybe a blog entry, that is taking root? Like the DNA within the seeds we bury in the soil, blueprints for new life are stored in every word we speak, encounter we have and action we take. Each of our creations has the capacity to manifest with fullness and grace. We simply need to cultivate, encourage and commit to that fulfillment.

I don't think of myself as a very good writer. So as I write this blog, I realize I am not cultivating very fertile soil for my words to grow and manifest. Can I pull out the weeds of judgment and self-doubt and just be a self-loving presence in this glorious garden of endless possibilities? How free and fun would that be?