You Are The Universe

Bear in the 'Hood, just off the back deck

You have to accept the same fundamental characteristics of the Universe as yours. Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: Creative Power Released – July, 2011)

This morning finds me feeling deeply into a sense of being a part of this vast, infinite Universe. The words ‘You are the Universe. The Universe is you.’ are in my head and felt in my heart, despite living a world that seems hell-bent on denying my true nature. Sometimes that world leaves me spinning as I try to make sense of it and its small, controlling, finite ways.

But then Bear, a teacher who brings forth the unconscious, visits.  Not in a dream, but in the flesh (or the fur) outside, just beyond the deck.  The world doesn't make sense in mystical terms. It can't. It won't. 

Bear helps me remember the vastness that extends infinitely, of free will regardless of circumstance, and of the qualities of this amazing Universe that we are. To define infinity is to make it finite. I am infinite. So are you.

Unlike our world which labels things ‘good’ or ‘bad’ as part of its effort to separate and control, the Universe simply IS. I am. So are you.

The Universe doesn’t compare. It doesn’t worry over whether what it does or experiences today is more/less, better/worse that yesterday, last year, or eons ago. It doesn’t compare you to me or a pine to an oak. It simply flows as ever present energy. I am that energetic flow. So are you.

The Universe IS qualities that are present as potential in each and every one of us: abundance, beauty, harmony, joy, peace, power, love, light (intelligence), and life.

I am abundance. So are you.

I am beauty. So are you.

I am harmony. So are you.

I am joy. So are you.

I am peace. So are you.

I am power. So are you.

I am love. So are you.

I am intelligence. So are you.

I am life. So are you.

Imagine a world where we have learned to step beyond our potential and more fully into who we truly are.  Imagine your world when you dare to journey on that path. From a speck of awareness that You are the Universe and the Universe is You, what’s possible? What step will I take today to live more fully into that potential?

Energy Balancing: The Power of Sound

Blooming Sweetness in the Prickling Cacti

The work of keeping energy balance on earth, in terms of energy, is done through sound. … We are getting the effect of sound today as a result of the total sound history on this planet from its inception. That quality has left its mark on humanity as a whole, and that’s why we aren’t further along.  Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: An Honest Performance - June, 2011)

I’m blessed in my life to spend a lot of time listening. I listen to nature – the hummers are buzzing about in the early dawn this morning. I listen to Luke, a quiet creature who ‘speaks’ more through gestures except when he wants to engage another canine in play or is deep in a dream. And, I listen to people – those I host here at the Dragonfly House, coaching clients, folks whose paths I cross out and about in the community.

In the course of the past week filled with guests, clients, community I’ve heard lots. I wonder how much of what I heard contributes to keeping energy in balance. What do we/I say that makes a positive contribution to ourselves and to the energy of the planet? What might we/I want to think twice about before I give it voice?

Here’s a sampling of the many words that, to me, are positive contributions:

• “What a lovely job the volunteers did planting flowers in town!” – acknowledgement and gratitude
• “Thank you.” – perhaps the best words we can speak, a prayer in itself
• “I will do that.” – determination and will
• “I’m clear on what I need to do next.” – clarity and direction
•  “What do you think?” – seeking input

And, some that, again to me, may contribute more to chaos than to keeping energy (individual and collective in balance):

• Loud, disconnected chatter about what he did, thought – confusion and jarring to the system
• “I know she will …” "I know it will ..." – declaring what another will do or how some event will transpire, which is something we can’t know
• “They should …” – me speaking about what’s none of my business unless I choose to actively participate

I could go on, but you get the drift. We each need to take responsibility for our immediate environment and for what sounds, especially the words, we put into the environment beyond. 

This week, I invite you to listen – to yourself, to others and to engage with the commitment to add your voice in ways contribute to balancing the chaotic energy of our planet. This doesn’t mean not speaking your truth … but that’s a story for another day.

Planting Day has finally arrived ... pots ready (check) ...

Plants ready (check), blog posted (check) ... ready, set, PLANT!

Light In The Darkness

A New Day Dawns ... 

The Universe did not send you here to match you up with the puzzle of society. What you do with you is your contribution. … Picture what it would be like if you were at your ultimate advancement. The power vibrating from you at that point boggles the mind. It would be like a bright light in a dark room. The world as we know it today is a dark room.  Gregge Tiffen (Pleasure Is Short, Wisdom Is Infinite – May, 2008)

This quote was written in response to a question about how to contribute to the world almost a decade ago and, it rings especially true for me today. That’s the way of Universal truths. They don’t change. And, the ways in which we can apply them are infinite.

I’ve grappled with the question ‘what does the market need/want?’ throughout the 30+ years I’ve been in business. It’s ‘the’ question that comes early in every marketing ‘how to’.  No matter how the question is posed, to this day it stops me cold.  I literally freeze when I think about defining my ‘target market’ and what ‘they’ need/want? Heck, it’s a full time job knowing what I need/want. In the many courses I’ve taken over these years, I’ve guessed, faked answers or simply ignored the question.

Instead, I’ve put most of my attention on finding ways to express me in the best ways I can whether coaching, or writing, or welcoming guests to my bed & breakfast.  I want to learn to be in the world on my terms, not the world’s. That’s the only path I see to be true to me. And, if I’m not true to me, then there’s little chance I will offer any light in the darkness.

I’m not sure what my “ultimate advancement” would be like. But, when my feet hit the floor each day, using my energy to be the best expression of me I can be seems like a path worth following. And, one that puts at least a little beam of light on the path with each step I take.

Imagine the light that could be brought to this world …

Nature Doesn't Ask What The Market Needs, Yet Harmony Abounds ...

Life: Sandbox or Sandpaper?

Robin sings and brings new beginnings of Spring

As willing adults, we are able to trust, be curious, be enthused, be pleased with ourselves, and be fully generous once again. We are able to know and feel and experience the peace, joy, and love creatively produced by Mother Nature as we live in harmony with Her.  Gregge Tiffen (Mother Nature – May, 2007)

I’m feeling my childlike nature come alive as the temperatures warm, the songbirds sing songs of courtship, and the green of new growth appears on the aspens and cottonwoods. The creek is flowing more freely and swiftly, and budding cones are forming on the pines. Will I embrace new growth and life as my sandbox? Or, will I succumb to the dreary news and the ways of the world that grate like sandpaper on my soul?

The bright green of new growth as the snow melts and Cottonwood Creek flows

I have children on my mind and in my heart this week. Up close and personal, my stepson’s daughter is about to celebrate completing her third year on the planet and begin her fourth. We haven’t met yet other than via the wonders of technology, yet she’s always in my heart.  That same heart aches at the suffering we humans have created for one another, especially for the children who face survival early on in life. Surely we can do better. We must.

It is the nature of a child to be trusting, curious, enthusiastic, satisfied with self, and generous. Those childlike ways of being are pure energetic qualities that we each have access to. They are the sandbox of life.

Somewhere along the way sandpaper arrived on the scene. We lost touch with our nature. Someone, maybe many, told us it was time to ‘grow up’ or ‘get serious’. They didn’t understand that life is a sandbox. Education and other systems of the world echoed this sad message.

The curious eyes of Cool Hand Luke trained on a turkey vulture high on a limb stretching to dry its wings

But changing our nature is not the way of nature. In nature there is consistency, nurturing, and growth. From a seed in the ground a tiny sapling pushes through the earth and, through all of its years, fulfills the pattern in its seed. It keeps on being that tree through cycles, weather events, nesting birds and insects who find a home there.

In staying true to its nature, the tree invites us to do likewise – stay true to our nature as trusting, curious, enthusiastic, self-satisfied, generous beings. As humans with consciousness, awareness and free will it is our choice to do so. Or not. Moment to moment, day to day we can develop our capacity to return to the life affirming nature of our childlike ways.

We do so by accepting the care and protection of the Universe and having unwavering trust in that protection. We experiment curiously with life’s events to discover how life works (and, in the process, we discover things that don’t). We expect and allow our curiosity to nurture enthusiasm as we experiment, explore, and, yes, even when things don’t turn out as we aimed for them to. We allow ourselves to be satisfied. Even when we think we’ve fallen short, we trust that we gave it our best shot and that tomorrow will dawn anew. Finally we give what we naturally have to give – a warm smile, a hug, a word of encouragement, a helping hand, a laugh and, oh, so much more.

When we embrace life’s events as a sandbox with everything needed to build castles in the sky, the rub of sandpaper fades away and we move forward in our natural state to create the world, our world, anew.

Spring! A fertile time for bunnies, ideas, and other new growth.

Nurturing Resiliency

Stormy Weather

If you realize that your strength is in knowledge, which is your experience and the resiliency of your consciousness, no one can affect you. Not even the Universe can diminish that one whit.  Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: Mystical Longings)

Resiliency, defined as the ability to recover readily from illness, adversity or the like, seems worthy of our attention today and in the times ahead. It has my attention this week as my energy is focused on recovering from a, rare for me, bout with a ‘bug’.  In addition to that ‘up close and personal’ perspective, I’ve been reflecting on the need for resiliency in the face of the discord and challenges that seem to be growing in our country and those that exist in so many places beyond.

Resiliency is not nurtured by hibernation or closing yourself off from the world (as appealing as that idea sounds some days!).

Resiliency is nurtured when we seek knowledge, in particular knowledge about how life works. This includes both the laws of the jungle, life ‘out there’ as the world defines and dictates, and Universal law, life - up close and personal, you to you and you to the Universe.  We learn a great deal through our participation in the world: relationships, business, politics, finance, health, etc.  We learn through observation, awareness and experience.  We learn when we succeed as well as when things don’t go as we wanted them to.

The lens through which we view life is a key factor in our capacity to ‘bounce back’ as well as to be strong in the face of any challenge.  Think of the stories of the people who face medical challenges, of those who survived concentration camps, of those who lose a loved one to violence only to bounce back and turn the tragedy into a positive movement.

After you’ve reflected on those, think of a particular challenge that you’ve faced in your own life.  In what ways were you resilient? In what ways was your resiliency hampered? What did you learn that built your resiliency for future challenges?  What are you curious to learn?

Directing Energy

Sometimes even the 'best good boy' needs to explore the edge ...

And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. Genesis 1:3

You give energy direction. When you focus on something, you magnetize raw energy.  Gregge Tiffen (The Language of a Mystic: Originality - January, 2009)

Continuing the theme started last week (http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/a-sound-beginning), the Bible as a code for how to operate on our planet, directing energy with awareness and clarity is the means by which we create joy and deep satisfaction in life.  Developing the skill to do so masterfully is perhaps the most powerful learning opportunity of life.

When we direct energy with awareness and clarity, we stay in the driver’s seat and avoid the ‘woe is me’ path of victimhood.  This doesn’t mean things always turn out the way we want. And, for sure, it is not about controlling others or even events.

It is about learning to take and experience life step by step with each step leading to the next.  It is the recognition that I’m always directing energy.  If my experience seems off course, I can choose to be angry, fearful or frustrated or I can choose to reevaluate and redirect the energy available to me.  If I’m feeling that the world is against me and throwing too many obstacles my way, I can take the time to remember that I alone am in charge of me.

As he so often does, my teacher, Cool Hand Luke, provided just such opportunities this week.  I humbly admit that my initial reaction when he disappeared during a morning walk was worry.  Although I was calm, the situation was in control. I was in reactive fear.  So reactive that, without thinking clearly, I walked home  to get the car, returned to the area where we’d been walking and drove down a road that never sees a snow plow in winter. 

Not a good choice, especially in the absence of awareness and clarity and direction.  You’ve probably guessed that I got stuck in a snow bank when I attempted to back out.  In my reactive, doing mode, I hadn’t taken time to give direction to the energy available to me, and I wasn’t paying close attention. 

I see this now, in hindsight.  In that moment, a call to a friend for help provided the reminder that I needed (and a suggestion as to who could get my car out of the pickle I’d created). “You need to be home. Luke knows his way around. He’ll be back. Take some deep breaths.”  And so I did just that. I took a breath. I began to walk home remembering that while I had no control of the outcome, I was in charge of the energy available to me.

I’d like to report that Luke was waiting on the porch by the time I got to the house, but that wasn’t to be.  It was an hour or so before he bounded up the steps (muddy, cold, matted with stickers and a very upset tummy – he apparently had quite an adventure in the snowy woods).  I welcomed him with open arms and a joyful heart. Not a trace of anger emerged in the two hours of tedious clean-up that followed.  In that period of waiting, I made a clear choice.  I let go of the expectations and plans I’d had for the day.  I put my focus on love and care for both of us. 

Just as I finished cleaning Luke up and settled him in his kennel to rest, help with the car arrived. Within a few minutes an easy tow and turnaround had my trusty vehicle back in her berth.  Life had presented me with a day of unplanned opportunities.  It was time for gratitude and a nap.

Although it is simple and in our design as humans on this Planet, mastering directing energy is not a single lesson we learn, but rather a commitment to lifelong learning through practice.  As I learned this week, it starts with simply remembering that the energy is ours to direct.

Great place for a canine adventure!

Count On THIS!

I can always count on Luke's 'Treat Please!' shadow

No matter what the outcome, the sun will rise tomorrow … President Barack Hussein Obama, November 8, 2016

We have an abundant Universe. We have an infinite Universe. We have an omnipotent, creative Universe, and all these things are available to us. We are willing to receive and willing to give thanks as an integral part of creation. Gregge Tiffen – The Power of Giving Thanks – November, 2007

Yesterday I grieved. I allowed the sobs and tears to flow each time they rose from deep within. The tears of joy seeing moms and dads with their daughters and sons placing “I voted” stickers on the grave of Susan B Anthony and my expectation that election day would bring the shattering of a thick glass ceiling,  became sobs of grief as the results of election night rolled in. If the results landed differently for you, I honor that our choices diverge.

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning when I finally put my tearful head on the pillow, President Obama’s words, “the sun will rise tomorrow …” offered a measure of comfort and a reminder to return to my wisdom, my core beliefs. I’d even found a surprising touch of hope in the tone and words of President-elect Trump’s victory speech.

After a few hours of restless ‘sleep’, I woke to the quiet and allowed the depths of my sorrow to rise with me. Through the sorrow, I realized indeed that the sun had risen. In nurturing myself in nature, I found solace. Like the sun, the mountains were in their place as beautiful and majestic as ever. The trees seemed to hold me in their care, embracing me before I reached out to hug them. And, Cool Hand Luke was his unconditionally loving self. Ah, This, This I can count on.

In nature, I count on the gentle, sweet presence of deer giving me a watchful eye from time to time.

Throughout the day I sought wisdom and understanding, mostly within on my ‘inner-net’, the receptive heart and soul of my being.  Receive and give thanks.

I ventured outward with cautious, selective curiosity seeking very little input yet wanting to know whether Hillary had spoken and what thoughts a few select colleagues and friends were sharing. I listened to a replay of Hillary’s message and found her generous, clear, consistent, committed, humble and grateful. Following that I listened to President Obama’s steady, graceful words reminding us of the fundamentals of our democracy and reaching out to wish the new president well.

How many among us can reach out after being as viciously attacked as the President and wish our attacker well?  I think of and am inspired by the Water Protectors at Standing Rock reaching out to the police who have attacked them. Could I be so graceful, so courageous?

How many among us could suffer a stunning setback and, within hours, stand tall publicly to gracefully wish our opponent well as Hillary did?

I looked in the mirror and reflected on how I’ve engaged in recent conflicts. Perhaps ‘grace in conflict’ as a learning opportunity doesn’t resonate for you, but I know that it is a part of my learning path as I seek to navigate ‘in’ this world without being ‘of’ it.  I aim to muster the courage to put my feet in the water of that muddy pond, and to experiment, up close and personal.

Deep in my soul, so deep that sometimes it is out of reach, I know that a divine plan is unfolding. It does so in ways I don’t expect, sometimes don’t like, and frequently don’t understand in human terms. My cells know this, but my awareness in this body and with this mind has not fully reached that level of acceptance. But the words of a mentor and friend yesterday reminded that I have eons of time and as many lifetimes as I need to experiment and to learn.

And I count on the nourishing beauty of the mountains and the trees.

Atmospheric Conditions

Perfect Atmospheric Conditions Required for Flight!

At times, by the use of a word, an attitude, or an action, you plug into some kind of energy that you are not aware is there.  Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: Invisible Action – November, 2011)

There were times in my life that I took just a speck of inspiration that I could feel and expanded upon it to pump more vitality into that sense of acceptance. Patrece (undated personal communication)

In the midst of atmospheric conditions that feel, sound, and look dark and ominous, one can sometimes feel that other energy isn’t there for our use.  I find myself with that challenge more than I’d like.  At a time when I (and I think humanity and the planet) need an atmosphere of well-being, it seems that the overall atmospheric conditions are dense, dark and in need of lifting.

On waking the first day back from my week away, I found myself slipping into a funk. Beyond ‘the world seems to be going to hell in a handbasket’, a closer look revealed a sense of obligation about many tasks and activities that needed my attention. Even activities that I wanted to participate in felt obligatory.

What energy had I unwittingly plugged into?  More importantly, what energy did I want and what atmosphere would I prefer to create?  The questions themselves along with recognizing that we each contribute to the overall atmosphere by the atmosphere we create for ourselves, provided an opening, a reminder that I could walk through a different portal to a different attitude, a different atmosphere.

Over the years, I’ve found many things that nurture and support me to create an atmosphere of well-being around me.  Daily walks in nature with the handsome Cool Hand Luke and joy of caring for him rank high on my list.  Music, listening and singing; poetry, reading and writing; mystical and spiritual works are other fertilizer to nourish and expand on little bits of inspiration. Creating a nurturing environment for my B&B guests supports me in many ways.

A Favorite Inspirational Spot on Cottonwood Creek

Gregge Tiffen’s work, both his general writing and notes from my consultations with him over 30 years, likewise is an always reliable source.  A look at my personal BiCircadian calendar (one of many tools of his legacy) provided just what I needed to shift from obligation to exploration: two planets in positions that supported lightness, fun, creativity, and spontaneity. Although I didn’t exactly jump up and shout “bring it on!”, I felt the heaviness of obligation lifting and the curiosity of exploration beginning to bloom.

All too often we accept the atmosphere we find ourselves in as ‘just the way things are’.  We forget that there is a choice about the energy we plug into and the atmosphere which that creates.  We wander away from ‘home’, look outside of ourselves (our cells), and latch on to whatever energy is present. In a world that needs the vibration of our well-being, perhaps that haste does indeed make waste, and taking time to make a conscious choice serves us as well as serving humanity.

Question for the week: How do you recognize specks of inspiration and what are your favorite ways to nurture them?

Handsome. That IS All.

The Humbling Side of Awareness

May All Your Paths Be Paved With Gold!

The whole technique, in terms of living, is the means of being aware, curiously aware and questioningly aware.  Gregge Tiffen (The Language of A Mystic: Innovation, October, 2009)

Being aware brings a great deal of excitement, interest and joy to daily life. It can also bring moments of humbling truth.

In the midst of exploring a gnarly, conflict-filled situation with my coach, she asked a question with implications far beyond the event we were discussing. “Do you need the extremes, the conflict?” she inquired.

The answer in that moment for that event was a clear resounding ‘no’.  Yet, as I suspected, the question had legs and would stay with me as I observed my thoughts and actions afterwards. Over the next several days as I put the event behind me, I was quickly aware of and mostly able to manage judgmental, conflict-oriented thoughts about the situation.  And, I also noticed something else: other thoughts (more that I would like to admit) that engaged the themes of extremes, conflict and judgement.  Ugh! 

Beyond the ‘ugh’, I mustered some curiosity and began to notice even more. Some of my interest in conflict was energizing in a positive way. For example, seeing the extremes in the current Presidential race here in the U.S. can move me into action supporting the views that I believe in.  That kind of engagement is rewarding in terms of self-expression and satisfaction.

But I also noticed a ‘dark’ side, other thought patterns that, while they may energize in the moment, actually drain my energy. These are thoughts that put my attention on others, on comparison, and judgement in a way that creates an atmosphere of conflict where none exists nor is it needed.

Discovering these stories and acknowledging that some offer the illusion that I am ‘better than’ another has been humbling. Seeing that they energize in ways that don’t serve me is a gift of that awareness.

From these discoveries I can release any dependence on this form of conflict to energize me. I can choose when to engage and explore ways to do so in alignment with my true nature. I can notice when these thoughts arise and create different ones. I can experiment and practice; then rinse and repeat.

I can be ‘curiously and questioningly aware’ and THAT is LIVING!

Nature's Beauty Abounds ...

Challenge for the week:  Engage your curiosity and questioning to discover what among your many thought patterns serve you and which ones do not.  Share your discoveries over on the blog site.

Early Morning Light and Beauty with Luke

Organizing From Within

A morning cloud cap as the sun hits the mountains

When you are organized from within, you are allowing your central nervous system and all your interior functions (even the things we call spiritual) to operate at an efficient level. Gregge Tiffen (Deeds Are Fruit, Words Are Leaves – October, 2008)

As I garner more years under my belt, efficient operation becomes more and more important to me.  The cost of inefficiency is simply too high.  Efficient operation can’t co-exist with chaos.  Awareness is required and adjustments need to follow.  

In a world that seems to become more chaotic daily, initiating my day from a calm, grounded place sets the stage for efficiency. To do so requires me to give myself plenty of time each morning for reading, writing and reflection before I plunge into my day.  When I fail to do so, I find that I’m unfocussed and accomplish little despite lots of action.

Cool Hand Luke, who, when getting up, always stretches always stretches before he moves into action, reminds me to give myself this time and to take breaks during the day to check in and make adjustments.

When I’m in the midst of busy-ness or chaotic, stressful events, taking time to organize from within is even more critical.  It’s also more challenging as thoughts about the event and other players easily dominate my awareness unless I use discipline and strength to put them aside.

That’s a difficult task, requiring awareness and commitment to reach a calm, grounded place before jumping into action (or, more accurately when I fail to take time, costly reaction).  Yet it is just that commitment to organize from within that brings clarity to what my right action is, while remembering that my right action may not be what’s right for another.

Operating efficiently is critical to my well-being – my health, my wealth, my happiness, and the quality of life itself. With that commitment, it’s easy to make choices, to discern what activities and events I will participate in and which ones will be left behind.

Is efficient operation important to you? How do you maintain it?

Luke - stretched out and on the move this beautiful autumn day!