Earth Day Every Day

Bonner & Gilley patiently wait for Aunt Cindy to gear up for a walk.

Our role with nature is to work in harmony with it to bring its elements to the highest degree of their manifestation. (Gregge Tiffen, Life in the World Hereafter: The Journey Continues)

One day is not enough to care for the earth, Mother Nature, our home.

This week found me back in touch with the deep appreciation I have for Cool Hand Luke and, indeed, all pets. The two canine companions that I cared for last month while my cousin travelled died on Monday. Although my heart aches, I know that they have returned to “the nature pool – an infinite source of energy connected to this school, the natural force of this planet” (Tiffen, Life in the World Hereafter). Although they are no longer here in the forms of Gilley and Bonner Mullen, the energy lives on.

Reflecting on my time with them, their deaths and long walk in the woods with Luke brought me to a place of peace. Rather than following one of our usual trails, yesterday we set out meandering through the woods. As best I could, I followed where Luke’s nose led. We simply wandered. Luke taking in the smells while I reveled in the deep quiet, the beauty of old tree stumps, vibrant young pines, the earth herself. We were even blessed with a short, light shower of rain and snow mixed.

The nose knows ...

It’s easy to be at peace and feel harmonious with the planet when I am there.  It’s not so easy when I’m in the thick of a water district issue or considering finances and where I want to focus my energy. It’s not easy when I get caught up in following the so-called ‘news’ or the problems and fears that emerge on social media.  It’s easy to become discouraged and feel impotent when I allow the state of the world to wash over me.

Yet it is those times when it’s not easy that I most need to remember that every thought I have and every word I speak never dies. My thoughts and yours contribute to mass consciousness moment by moment, day to day. The planet responds to that consciousness. That is her design.

This earth day and every day beyond, let’s deposit thoughts of harmony into the bank of the collective consciousness. 

Simple beauty in the woods

Awake. Now What?

Tashi Gomang Stupa right here in the Sangre de Cristos

Yeah, right; now what? Isn’t that the moment-by-moment question we are meant to be asking ourselves every day? Patrece on behalf of P-Systems (PS52, Series 8, Week 29: The New Experiment)

 Coursing through us is a Universal flow of energy to give us the power to think, move, and create. Under the conditions of a normal day, we use this power without thinking about it. Gregge Tiffen (Tax Time: Are You Taxing Yourself?)

I woke this morning with this word: unsettled.  I lay quietly with it for a bit to notice whether it was just a word or if I felt unsettled. No, just a word; the word to focus today’s post. Hmmm … If I don’t feel unsettled, what’s the point, the message? 

I took myself to the dictionary. Beyond calm, quiet, and free of disturbance or upset, what does ‘settle’ mean?  To put in order, arrange or adjust as desired.  Oh. That.

In prioritizing rest over activity since returning home, I haven’t put my home and office back in order the way that I function best. When my energy returned, I leapt over that to re-engage in the bed and breakfast (lovely weekend guests!) and projects for the local board I serve on. And, since it’s the beginning of my personal new year, I’m asking ‘what do I want to accomplish this year?’

I notice a bit of angst about not knowing the answer.  How do I want to direct the energy that’s available to me this year? That’s my big ‘now what’ question. I have some ideas and some choices that I’m mulling over, allowing to percolate.

While they are percolating, the more immediate ‘now what?’ is putting my attention on creating the order that I so need as fertile ground.  There is clearing, organizing, and preparation to be done not just in the garden plot, but here inside: my office, the closet, and some cabinets as well. Yes, the garage too.  The body could benefit from a purge as well. After all it is spring cleaning time!

That’s settled. And…

Asking ‘now what?’ moment to moment has the added benefit of keeping flexibility in my life.  Yes, there is value in ‘having a plan and sticking to it’. There’s also value in taking an unexpected hike as Luke and I did with friends yesterday up to the big Stupa.

Our canine friends rest in the cool shade ...

Asking ‘now what?’ creates awareness of our choices and keeps us from operating without awareness.  

Now what? Where is your attention and your energy focused this week?  Are you trying to figure something out or to get unstuck with a problem? You have the energy, the power. Perhaps a simple ‘now what’ will open the door to the direction you need.

... and we find a quiet place for contemplation and peace beneath these Buddhist prayer flags.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep...

Home Sweet Home in the Labyrinth at Sunset

The spiritual purpose of sleep is to refurbish in order for you to create. Gregge Tiffen (The Language of a Mystic: Application – April, 2009)

Since returning home last week, I’ve been sleeping. Sleeping lots: naps, early to bed every night, waking later than my norm most mornings.

I didn’t recognize it clearly until after being home for a day or so. But as I observed how I was operating (or not), I realized that the five weeks away, many days on the road, canine care and different (though mostly comfortable) environments had an impact. Physically and mentally I was tired. I needed to rest before I could truly re-engage in my life at home.

Mirror Selfie & Cool Hand Luke Skywalker on the the Road

I’m not complaining. The journey was fun and rewarding on many levels. I have much learning to integrate, some with conscious awareness and some at a deeper level.  The importance of rest may be part of that learning.

Stopping by a stream to stretch, rest, and explore

So, it was no surprise that as I began reading Gregge’s April booklets, the above quote was the first to catch my eye.  As if to affirm me after drafting this post, my daily reading in Science of Mind began with this quote:

How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward. (Spanish Proverb)

I observe the calendar and the rising temperatures daily. I see buds on the trees. My favorite spot on Cottonwood Creek is flowing freely. Some locals have already seen evidence that the bears are awake.  Winter is past. Spring has sprung. Yet I want to emerge from winter and my journey slowly, gently, on my schedule, at my pace.

In part that means recognizing and honoring this need for rest.

I’m grateful that I haven’t fought or ignored it as I’ve done so often in the past, pushing through exhaustion to complete a project.

I’m grateful as well that I’ve developed the habit of expressing thanks for the day and of creating a peaceful atmosphere when I lay my head on the pillow.

So often we humans go to bed to escape, bringing with us worry, anger, exhaustion, and the frustrations of the day. If this is you, STOP. The Universe magnifies the atmosphere you create when you sleep.  Consider the atmosphere you want to rest in. Call it forth. Do it for you. Do it for humanity and for the health of the planet.

Utah's Canyon Country: Our beautiful planet deserves our best attitudes

Earth + Sky + Art = Beauty

Humility

Spring is bursting out all over Southeast Hill!

All animals on this planet help forge a living energy chain, tying together the power of Nature to the manifestation of life.  Gregge Tiffen (It’s Springtime: Flow with the Power of Nature – March, 2007)

As I end this month that found me focused on caring for beloved canines far away from my home, my heart is touched by two aspects of nature: the beauty of flora and the steadiness of fauna.   

I’m writing this week’s post a bit early with the intention that, as it lands in your box on Thursday morning, I will be driving through the canyon lands of Utah.  Today, as I prepare to head home to begin a new month and another trip around the sun, I’m struck by how nature simply IS.

I’m humbled and in awe of the buds and the blooms that have burst forth in the past week here in the neighborhood that’s been my home this month.  I’m curious how spring will reveal herself along the 1200 miles or so of our journey.  How will spring be showing when I reach home in a few days?

But as much as I love trees and flowers, it is the animals that I hold dearest in my heart this day.  I’m grateful for all the animals on the planet and for the energy that they receive in support of all life, including that of us humans. In the year ahead, I want to deepen my understanding of this vital relationship.

And, I’m especially grateful for Luke and my cousin’s dogs. My three weeks caring for them were rewarding beyond measure. I’m humbled by what they have given me the opportunity to learn: grace, dignity, adaptability, patience (to name a few), and even humility itself. 

Happy Homecoming!

So often in life we avoid humility, fearing that we don’t or won’t measure up. That we’ll be humiliated, embarrassed, feel low or foolish.

Noticing my own feelings over these three weeks, led me to explore the word ‘humility’. I discovered that its root is the Latin humus, meaning grounded, humble, of the earth.  I loved that discovery! It put a whole new depth and light to my feelings.  They are right in tune with and flowing from the earth.  There is no humiliation in that, no matter what stories I might conjure up or comparisons to others I might make. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

And so it is with most everything we do if we are willing to make that our choice no matter what.

Power Source

Stormy weather ...

The Power of potential is not the power of humans, but rather the spiritual Power invested in us on a Universal level. It is the Power of consciousness being aware of its omnipotent force in the Universal scheme of things.  Gregge Tiffen (Deserve Success and You Will Command It – March, 2008)

The planet is a friendly place. The world is hostile. It has never been otherwise. It is designed for mass subjugation of the populace. The laws of the system are designed to keep you in check. However, every single individual is powerful. Patrece on behalf of P-Systems (Self Enhancement Series for Cindy, April, 2007)

The first several hours of this day found my mood matching the weather: unsettled and stormy.  The day is gray. The wind is howling. Rain and sleet have fallen periodically since before dawn. It’s a snuggle-in sort of day, and I’m grateful that my only need to go beyond the back door is to take the canine pack out to stretch their legs.

As I get quiet to ask for clarity, I find two things tugging at my heart: one personal, one global. Personally, I’m missing home and wanting to be back in my own environment. Four plus weeks is a long time away, and my body is weary from pounding pavement rather than the mountain roads and trails of home. Although he’s adapted to a very different life here, I’m guessing that Luke too longs for the leash-free life of home.

Beyond my own personal desire, as I observe the world, I’m struck by the intensity of the discord. It’s not new of course.  It occurs to me that real change requires not just a political revolution (though perhaps that’s a start!) but an evolution of the spirit where every individual has the awareness and courage to operate from their spiritual power. This power is not from the mundane world, but rather the gift to each and every one of us from the Universe.

We’ve been disconnected from awareness of this true Power, unplugged from Source. This is the way of the world and its systems, made by man to serve man, but not mankind. Humanity suffers.

Despite the world, spring dawns ...

So, it’s no wonder that there is so much angst and anger. We’ve been duped into believing that this world is our source and that the pie is not big enough for all to share. Some can have. Others cannot. 

We blame. We fear. We fight.

On this path, we lose.  Momentary victories of one group over another do not sustain any of us over the long term. We need look no further than the vitriol in our national political discourse or that of radicals of all persuasions to see this today.  History is replete with examples of winning and losing. Even the “war to end all wars” didn’t.

We are hungry for leadership that understands and is not afraid to acknowledge the Source of individual power. We need to harness that understanding to build systems that do the same.

Sometimes real change happens only after we’ve hit bottom.  Perhaps that is the good news. As I survey the global political environment and take in the daily news (or so it is called), I wonder “are we there yet?”

... and Spring blooms. Onward!

Be The Cause

Daily walks are a bit different here ...

For every minute you are angry you lose 60 seconds of happiness. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do not ignore your role regarding the quality of life here on Earth. It is your input that contributes to determining whether tomorrow will be a beautiful day.  Gregge Tiffen (It’s Springtime: Flow With the Power of Nature - March, 2007)

Gregge Tiffen’s quote above refers to our impact on weather. “Weather is an atmospheric blanket that surrounds us” he continues, “… our mental movements affect the atmosphere. If we are angry, upset, fearful, exhausted or in any way upsetting the normal flow of Universal energy, we affect our weather.”

As I reflect on what I’ve witnessed in the national political arena this week and notice my thoughts about and reactions to that, I wonder when, where, and how the anger will manifest. I wonder how much upset it takes to generate a hurricane like Katrina that struck New Orleans, Louisiana in August, 2005 or any of the many “natural disasters” throughout time.  I’m curious about the impact of both the travesty of how our government responded to Katrina and the impact of the upset and fear of the people impacted.

And, then I bring my reflections to me.

How many ‘seconds of happiness’ did I abdicate yesterday when I reacted in disgust to the sad state of our political discourse?  What is my responsibility for helping shift that climate simply by living life more gently and expressing kindness as an act of creativity?

What about those moments of being annoyed by a canine cancer patient who isn’t sure if she wants to be inside or out?  She teaches me so much about how to live when she lights up and jumps with joy when ‘ball, walk, and park’ are in the same sentence and we head out the door.  And, what about those times when I’m upset with me? Perhaps that’s a story for another day.

I’m struck by how the Universe continues to march forward in its own natural flow, adjusting as required to keep an infinite number of celestial bodies from crashing into one another. Who do we need to be to tap into that knowledge and wisdom?

I’m humbled to be a speck in this unfolding and to know that what I do, what I say, what I think matters and that the atmosphere I create in the moment for me (and my canine crew) impacts the weather. 

And, so it is for each of us.  Know the importance of doing that which makes you happy and brings you joy this day (and the next …). Be the cause that creates the effect you want on the planet. Do it for you. Do it for humanity. Do it for the planet. Moment to moment. Day to day.

Luke's 'cousins' Bonner & Gilley

Luke sporting his protective shirt (and that's another story for another day!)

Three Dogs Night (& Day)

Our Neighborhood Away From Home

You operate from the spiritual base of value, or you struggle with everyday details. It’s up to you to harmonize your body cells in order that events are not based on the issue of survival. Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: The Nature of Feminine Truth, March 2011)

This week, I’m picking up from where I ended last week’s post: “So often when we step out of our routine life, as I’m doing these next few weeks, we let events define us.  I’m aiming to follow a different path, the road less traveled of awareness in the moment of each event as an opportunity for learning and for using what I’ve learning to this point in choosing each step.” [You can read the full post here: http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/march-mantra]

You won’t be surprised that Cool Hand Luke has been a model of masterful adaptability, blending nicely with the dogs I came to care for, enjoying our daily urban walks on leash and mostly pavement. And, he’s learned to navigate the ‘doggie door’ and the freedom it brings to hang in a fenced yard when it isn’t raining. 

Charlie Brown Watches Over Our Neighborhood

I’m grateful for his reminders in this tricky domain of adaptability. And, feeling blessed that I my own ability to adapt has me feeling comfortable and very much at home here.

Gilley and Bonner, the two dogs that I traveled here to care for are excellent teachers as well.  Gilley is 14 years old and moves slowly, thus our walks are slow and easy. He ambles and sniffs. I observe and wonder what aroma has caught his attention. Bonner, the cancer patient, is content with the slow pace as it gives her the opportunity to sniff out things to consume, hoping that Aunt Cindy won’t gently tug the leash and declare “no, Bonner!”. 

The Canine Family: Bonner, Cool Hand Luke, & Gilley

On our walks and here at their home, they remind me to observe through the lens of the senses. By making seeing, hearing, and smelling a practice to deepen my ability to use these senses more consciously, I believe that I will sharpen my intuitive senses.  More importantly, it supports my cellular harmony and builds my confidence to navigate should an emergency with one of them arise while they are in my care.

At some time in my past, I’m sure that I would have experienced this journey (if I’d made it all) as an obligation, a burden that I just wanted to survive so I could move on to the next problem. Sadly, that is the level of consciousness from which so many operate. I hear it in the tone and rhetoric of politicians and in how we are responding to them. And, that is perhaps, a topic for another day.

Let's be more like this!

March Mantra

Raven graces a final hike to the Ziggurat before our journey west begins.

If you are not learning, you are not living.  Gregge Tiffen – The Journey Continues: Near Life Experiences (March, 2010)

I’m living!  And, my mantra for this month where we will welcome spring reflects the curiosity I hold for the learning opportunities available to me moment to moment, day to day.

Since posting last week’s blog suggesting an adventure in my future, Luke and I traveled 1,226 miles across four western states, and we’re settling into a new environment from which I’ll be creating my experience for the next few weeks.  The learning opportunities are vast: adaptability, flexibility, patience, courage, along with some very specific learning about canine care and how to travel cross-country with a dog.  And, those are the ones I’m aware of now. I suspect others to join me on the journey.  

I’ve come to eastern Washington to take care of a family member’s dogs so that she can make a long-planned trip abroad.  She has courage and passion in places where I don’t. She loves the adventure of travel to other cultures, this trip to Nepal. She has the courage to follow her passion despite the chaos in the world and the possibility that she will not see her beloved canines again.  One is elderly. The other was diagnosed with cancer late last year.

With support from her vet, Cousin Marty and I have outlined the possibilities and I’m prepared to both use my judgement and follow her wishes regarding decisions that may present themselves while she is away.

As I write this morning, Luke is at my feet, ever the model of composure and adaptability.  Gilley and Bonner are alertly waiting for their mom to return. She’s out for a last round of pre-trip errands before departing tomorrow.

So often when we step out of our routine life, as I’m doing these next few weeks, we let events define us.  I’m aiming to follow a different path, the road less traveled of awareness in the moment of each event as an opportunity for learning and for using what I’ve learning to this point in choosing each step.

Our home away from home in March.

Life: The Great Experiment

Opportunities As Vast As the Valley, As Beautiful As the Sunset

View your whole day as a fantastic learning opportunity. Welcome the next moment with love and excitement. Today’s experiences are different than yesterday’s and tomorrow’s will be different from today’s.  Gregge Tiffen (Fanned Fire and Forced Love Never Did Well – February, 2008)

Life isn’t so much a singular experiment but rather a laboratory where we are each given full access to opportunities to learn:

•       to live in a physical body that is with us for only a blip of time;
•       to use mind and discover what emerges;
•       to discover spirit, that part of us that is infinite, had no beginning and has no end. It simply is.

Here at ground level on Planet Earth humanity seems to have lost sight of this enormous learning opportunity. Despite the wisdom of the ages coming forth through many voices, we have forgotten why an individual consciousness enters a body for a period of time, then moves to another realm, equally exciting and important for learning, but of a different sort.

For most of us, our experiences in school were more about being controlled and forced to learn ‘facts’ that we never used. We weren’t taught to think, to be independent, to embrace life with joy and wonder. 

I wasn’t encouraged to experiment with life to discover what would happen, learn from it, and adapt as the next experiment unfolded.  But slowly, step by step, day by day, moment to moment, I’m waking to this purpose. As I prepare to embark on an experiment to experience life away from home for an extended period, I’m doing so with excitement and curiosity. There are new landscapes to see and new people whose paths I’ll cross. There will be a few familiar places and faces, an opportunity to care for a friend’s beloved pets while she travels.

And, there are a few trepidations. What if …?  Each gives me the opportunity to choose. Is this something I need to attend to or something to let go? I’m discovering lots of opportunities to let go; to trust.  After all, it is “fantastic learning opportunity”!

How grand is life when we come from this perspective – life as a “fantastic learning opportunity” in which we welcome each moment with love and excitement?  Does it seem like a fantasy as you navigate yours world today?  What is front of you right now? What happens when you look at it from this lens?

A Morning Walk Starts Another Beautiful Day!

The Flame of Fulfillment

Winter makes way for spring and our annual melt has begun.

Uncovering a learning point within ourselves is the fuel that fans the flame for moment-by-moment discoveries. Gregge Tiffen (Fanned Fire and Forced Love Never Did Well – February, 2008)

Fulfillment is not just getting things right. It is the joy in the learning that comes when you don’t and when you see that you and you alone have a choice.

As often happens, today’s post started on quite a different track. As I followed my thoughts and reflections on the sad state of politics, I was led to a seemingly unrelated experience that I had yesterday. It was one of those moments that changed the tenor of my day. And, in doing so likely shifted what I will create and experience in the month ahead.

In the moment, I simply accepted it and stepped into the energetic flow which carried me through an exciting, and in part challenging, day. Today, I reflect on the experience to see what knowledge I can bring forward.

Most of us have heard the phrase ‘change your language, change your life’. Perhaps, like me, you aspire to be conscious of the language choices you make and how they influence your life.  Yesterday in my morning quiet time, I was journaling about a coming event. And, just such a choice presented itself.

I started to write the word ‘looming’ with its seeming foreboding feeling, but quickly “corrected” myself and wrote ‘pending’ instead. I say “corrected” because that’s the feeling that I had. I didn’t want to face the dread I was feeling.  Often, I just keep writing, but the polarity of these two words and the feelings underneath were too great to ignore.  Which word would I choose? And, how would I honor the feelings connected to the word that I would leave behind?

The point of choice wasn’t about what to do.  I’d made that decision. The choice was (and is!) about how I want to be.

I realized that in those decisions were the keys to how I will create and experience the event. Will I create it with a sense of dread and allow myself to be miserable?  Or will I create it from a sense of possibility, curiosity, and ambition? 

Obviously I found this an easy choice.  Yet it became a choice only when I had the awareness to question and be clear about what I want rather than simply accepting without making a conscious choice.

I discovered that it is a choice which we often don’t give ourselves because we lack the awareness to recognize that we’ve uncovered a ‘learning point’.  In our all too often rushed lives where we cram in more events than we need for our learning, these ‘learning points’ are often missed. When we are aware of them, we view them with disdain “Ugh! Another learning lesson,” we groan as we slog our way forward.  To do so breeds discontent, and we see this almost everywhere we look.

To stop, recognize choices and ‘learning points’ nurtures fulfillment, like giving a spark the air it needs to flame.

Fulfillment is not just getting things right. It is the joy in the learning that comes when you don’t and when you see that you and you alone have a choice.

How well are you choosing?

An 'eye' over the Sangre de Cristos reminds me to see my choices. Grateful to live in such inspiring beauty.