Season’s First Dandelion!
Your attention is a magnifier. Jan Engels-Smith (www.lightsong.net/)
What are you energizing? What am I energizing? We are each and all paying attention to something 24/7 (yep, even when we sleep) and in doing so we energize whatever that something is. So, what ARE we energizing?
On many fronts we are collectively energizing the very things that we rail against. When we put attention on that which we don’t like or what we fear rather than on what we want and how we want life to be, the former is energized.
What inspires you? Put attention on the source of inspiration and the possibilities it calls forth rather than on the fear so rampant in our culture. Magnify that which represents the life you want to live and the world you want to be a part of by giving those possibilities, those dreams, those ideas and ideals your attention. Call them forth in thought, in word, in deed. This is the magic we have available 24/7.
Want justice? Focus not on the vast injustices present in society, but on what true justice looks like to you, how it feels, what and who inspire you in this domain, and what part – small or great – you can play?
Personally, I have a growing concern about and interest in food systems and how they impact our health. I hold a deep desire that all have access to food which not only nourishes and fuels our bodies, but also feeds mind and spirit. While I’m aware of the devastation being created by many practices in corporate agriculture, my attention is focused on what is possible, indeed what IS being created by regenerative practices, restoration of water sources, and the emerging (and new to me) field of agroecology. I found this recent presentation to Humanity Rising’s Global Solutions Summit (https://humanityrising.solutions/) both inspiring and informative: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJdpu1QWYi8).
I’m deepening my awareness that I ‘vote’ each time I eat. I want the dollars that I invest in food to support the people, businesses, and systems that show care for the land, the waters, the environment, and the well-being of all creatures, including we humans. I aim to magnify positive progress and possibility. In the process I know there are pivots to make – new choices about what I eat, how and where I shop, and probably letting go of a few tasty favorites.
In working the magic of magnification it is important to align what we think, what we speak, and the actions we take from the inside out. That is the great opportunity of learning, of life, and of this moment in time. Doing so is at once simple. AND, it is not easy.
Aligning thought, word, deed with values requires attention, practice, commitment, and consistent awareness. It is a process not an end goal, and while there are vast, diverse resources for support, most are not found in the mainstream. One needs to seek and search – inside and out.
Yesterday was the beginning of a new cycle of the moon, the sixth new moon of the year. Ancient wisdom and indigenous teachings point to the new moon as a time to set new intentions and to recalibrate, reenergize those which are ongoing. The energy of the new moon and the first few days thereafter call us inward, if only briefly, to look at what we are energizing in life and to refocus our attention on what is important to us as well as to let go of what is not. It invites us to ask: What am I energizing in this moment? And, what about the next …?
Mountain Magic - Beauty Abounds!