Revisiting Living True to Our Roots

Gentle , Nurturing Beauty of Cottonwood Creek

Every celestial body has definitive root characteristics. The root characteristic of this particular planet is that it is a receptive womb. Planet Earth is female and produces a mothering, nurturing base. Gregge Tiffen (Learning Without Experience Is A Bell Without A Clapper – September 2008)

We ARE the Planet. The Planet is US.

As I settled in with the muse this morning, I thought about a response someone shared about last week’s post: Female energy is nurturing and we need more of that right now. It reminded me that the earth is a feminine planet. Her nature is receptive, nurturing. 

I recalled a comment I made in conversation earlier this week that current events are asking us to discover what we think are our limits and move beyond them, understanding our limitlessness. We tend to think of going beyond limits as a masculine thing, pushing beyond limits. That led me back to a post from three years ago. For me it captures the essence of the opportunities before us today. It seems a logical next musing after exploring nature’s extremes last week. And, so today, I share it again …

The visual beauty of the earth here in the southern Rocky Mountains where I’m blessed to live lies in stark contrast to the visual appearance of the devastation we’ve witnessed over the past month. Forest fires, hurricanes, floods, drought have ravaged the earth and seriously impacted millions around the globe.

Here, it’s easy to experience the nurturing touch of the Planet through my senses. Some days the smell of the pines is so strong that I can taste it. To touch a tree is to feel its strength and at the same time its vulnerability. The gentle flow of a mountain stream has been one of my favorite sounds for decades – long before I moved to these mountains. And, the landscape – from the valley floor to the top of the soaring 14,000 foot peaks – is a visual feast every day, every season. Here, even on the coldest, windiest days, I feel the receptivity and nurturing that is the way of Earth.

Likewise that same root – receptivity, mothering, nurturing – is present in the midst and wake of so-called ‘natural’ disasters. Beyond the sense that something old is making way for something new, we witness some of the best in ourselves. Neighbors help neighbors. Strangers help those in need, both up close and personal as well as from afar. These expressions represent the best of our living true to the root characteristics of our planet.

And, that - living true to our roots - is a requirement. It is necessary if we are to ever have a chance at creating lasting peace among all peoples of the planet. It is necessary if we as a species are to continue to inhabit Mother Earth. A sturdy pine does not grow from roots of tender grass. Only grass grows from those roots. Here are the root characteristics that I believe we are meant to live from:

We are meant to have dominion – loving, nurturing, receptive dominion – over the planet. We are not meant to dominate the planet or one another.

We are meant to be fed from the abundance that the earth provides. We are not meant to be gluttonous or to attempt to nourish ourselves with fake food or man’s laws disguised as laws of the Universe.

We are meant to manifest and to understand that everything we think, say and do manifests. From that understanding we can align ourselves with the true nature of the planet. We are not meant to suffer, rather we are meant to learn.

We are meant to adapt, to embrace change as a natural characteristic of the planet. We are meant to evolve. We are not meant to keep things, including ourselves, as they are or to try to return them to something that we or they were in the past.

As you go about your week, consider the roots that Mother Earth gifted you with when you came to the Planet. Are you aligned and living true to your roots?

An American Dipper doing her thing: Dipping in the Creek

Cycles

WSU Museum of Art Staff Loving Pack One of Many Art Pieces Donated to the Museum. Zadie Byrd ‘Supervises’

Stress is produced when you try to regulate productivity based on manmade time. … You lose your creative drive when you are under pressure. … Do what comes to you in sequential order, or the situation becomes a demand, and once there is a demand, there is stress. Gregge Tiffen – The Language of a Mystic: Cycles (August 2009)

As the cycle of being in my cousin’s home and executing her last wishes begins to come to a close, I’m noticing that I’ve used the above words of wisdom from Gregge Tiffen, consciously and unconsciously, throughout my time here. What could have been a quite stressful experience has been relatively stress-free.

That said, I’ve experienced the stress of deadlines – most self-imposed. In unconscious moments of rushing, I’ve begun to catch myself. Noticing that I created the demand. Recognizing that I can operate differently. Recognizing cycles rather than time. Step by step as each presented itself for attention.

Although many things have required scheduling, approaching them sequentially and thoughtfully, and being flexible has eased what could have been many stressful days.

I noticed there’s some magic in this approach. For instance, help packing appeared from an unexpected source just when I needed it most.  Looking in the basement for some antique items, a local friend in need of a freezer found just what she needed, along with some useful antique boxes. I suspect that had I been operating on a rigid schedule I wouldn’t have experienced this and other ‘magic’.

When stress creeps (or roars) in uninvited, take a step back and notice what demands are present. What can you shift to ease the pressure?

Mother Nature’s Art Stays in Place

Adaptability Required!

Rolling Hills of The Palouse

Movement and change is the real element and essence of life. Gregge Tiffen (The Language of a Mystic: Cycles – August, 2009)

For almost everyone I’m working with as I handle my cousin’s estate, the requirement to be adaptable, flexible, nimble is top of mind. Gregge Tiffen spoke about it often, noting that change is the essence of life. And, that rising to and flowing with that change represents opportunity for growth – physically, mentally, spiritually.

In taking a bit of time for reflection this week, I’m aware of how true this is. In the cycles of my life the month of August has brought significant events requiring me to adapt: my mother’s death 41 years ago, Luke’s passing just last year, the start of The Zone (now The Pivot) seven years ago and an unplanned move. And this year, the need to travel cross-country during Covid.

As I begin the eighth year of these weekly musings, I took at look at one of the very first posts. The topic? Being flexible. While the events were different in 2013 than today, they called on me to be nimble. You can read that post here.

We are each being called to reflect and to choose anew. Often moment to moment. In doing so we are creating what’s next in our lives and the world beyond our door.

Adaptability is the skill set that as we build keeps victimhood at bay. As we create within the environment we are given, we are creating the environment that will be our tomorrow. Let’s do so with a sense of purpose, clarity, and joy.

Campus on the Hill — Washington State University, Pullman

Ponder THIS Possibility

Water’s Response to Love and Gratitude

To give your positive or negative attention to something is a way of giving energy. The most damaging form of behavior is withholding your attention. … Water records information, and while circulating throughout the earth distributes information. This water sent from the universe is full of the information of life... … If we consider that the human body is a universe within itself, it is only natural to conclude that we carry within us all the elements. Masaru Emoto - Hidden Messages in Water

You operate beyond negativity when you are in control of you not by attempting to control conditions. We live in the ocean of consciousness that is boundless. All things in the ocean have available to them the same things. All of love, happiness, and freedom are available in the ocean of consciousness. Gregge Tiffen – The Language of a Mystic: Awareness

Throughout the time since March when Covid 19 was declared a pandemic, I’ve been curious about what messages, what lessons the event and the virus itself might teach us. I’ve observed our fear and how it is being used to divide us and further our sense of separation. I’ve explore my own fear as it has arisen and invited me to put it to rest.

I’ve observed and experienced love, the best within us supporting one another showing our care and love. Being masked and keeping our distance without allowing those masks or physical distance to isolate.

Indeed we are navigating a different world and in so doing we are creating the world that will be in the future. This time is ripe for reflection, consideration of new perspectives, especially ones that challenge the mainstream thinking seeking to control conditions rather than gracefully ride the waves.

A thought-provoking idea crossed my path last week. What if the coronavirus is an evolutionary driver?

Viruses like all life contain information. What if we became curious about what this virus has to teach us? What if we loved rather than feared it?

Thinking about that reminded me of Masaru Emoto’s powerful work and images demonstrating the power of our thoughts and the impact of sending love and gratitude to water. I first heard of his work in the film What the Bleep do We Know? The film’s website (click here) has some of the stunning images of from Emoto’s work. Take a look. Contrast water’s response to love, gratitude, Mozart to its response to ‘you make me sick’.  Then consider, what perspective you choose to hold about this virus?

What if, like water as it circulates through the earth, this virus (perhaps all viruses?) imparts information as it moves through our body?

When fear is used to control us, love is how we rebel. Rivera Sun – The Dandelion Insurrection

Let’s spread some new thinking. Keep wearing our masks while we unmask new possibilities for creating life in harmony with all of nature.

What's In Front of You

Whatever is in front of you is what you have in front of you. That’s it! Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: Creative Power Released – July, 2011)

For a couple days I’ve thought about taking a vacation from these weekly posts. This morning I pulled out one of Gregge Tiffen’s booklets, Do the Angels Take a Vacation?, thinking I might find a pithy quote supporting that choice. Of course, the angels, the etheric, the unseen worlds operate 24/7/365. So, where I was led instead was to a different booklet.

The quote above immediately jumped off the page and into the muse. I had an awareness of my commitment to showing up each week to discover what wants to be shared. THAT’s what is in front of me on Wednesday morning each week.

Yes, I could use the family matter that is the focus of most of my attention these days as a reason to take a break. But as I let that choice try to settle in my bones, that ‘reason’ felt more like a cop-out, an excuse. Not that I was laying a guilty ‘should’ at my feet,  taking a break was a choice that would not bring me any sense of satisfaction.  I would miss the connection that I feel when I tap the ‘send’ button.

As I realized this and shifted my choice, my spirit lightened. I didn’t need to choose ‘this’ OR ‘that’. Both are possible and when the post is complete, I can easily put the other matter right back in front of me without a sense of pressure or overwhelm. Whew!

What’s in front of me is what’s in front of me and I am at choice about the quality and the quantity of attention whatever that is receives.

There is much in front of each of us these days. Some of it very close and personal. Some a broader focus of our care and concern for humanity and the planet.

While we may not choose the details of the event before us, ever present is the choice of how we walk through each event and how we use them to contribute to our personal growth and expansion in a world that needs our unique piece of the puzzle in order for it to unfold.

So, what IS in front of you right now? How will you use it for you?

Sign of the Times

Stewardship in The Great Turning

Sunrise in the Sangres

If there is to be a livable world for those who come after us, it will be because we have managed to make the transition from the Industrial Growth Society to a Life-Sustaining Society. . . . While the agricultural revolution took centuries and the Industrial revolution took generations, (the Great Turning) has to happen within a matter of years. It also has to be conscious—involving not only the political economy, but the habits, values and understandings that foster it. Joanna Macy (from Pace e Bene’s This Nonviolent Life: Daily Inspiration for Your Nonviolent Journey - July 3, 2020)

Merriam-Webster defines stewardship as the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care (emphasis mine).

We are stewards, you and I. Each of us. All of us. Individually. Collectively. I’ve written here many times (hopefully not ad nauseum) that every thought we think, every word we speak, every action we undertake matters in the grand scheme of the Universe and Universal cycles. That is the nature of stewardship: careful and responsible management of our thoughts, our words, and our deeds.

Stewardship requires awareness and willingness to take full responsibility for every choice we make. Stewardship asks that we identify our values and commit ourselves to aligning our choices with those values.

Stewardship demands that we think and act independently and with awareness that we are part of the web of infinite and interconnected life. As frustrating and confusing all forms of media and the world of ‘alternative facts’ have become, when light is shined on their dark shadows, we are given the gift of seeing how media is used to promote particular agendas.

That awareness offers us a pivot point – a point of choice about what resonates deep within our being. Choosing wisely asks that we know what we value. And to act consistent with those values. It may invite us to swim upstream for a time, eschewing following the crowd. Perhaps it is akin to what Joseph Campbell called ‘the hero’s journey’.

Which brings me back to stewardship in this pivotal time. I value creating a life-sustaining society, one with true ‘liberty and justice’ for all. I value a deeper understanding of Universal law, Universal cycles and living life from that understanding. I value learning to live ‘in’ the world without being ‘of’ the world.

Aiming to filter my choices through these values, one of several domains of life I’ve begun to re-evaluate is financial, asking the question ‘are my money habits – what I spend and where I spend it, what and where I invest – consistent with what I value?’.  I am far shy of a ‘perfect 10’ in this domain.

Although I’m not aiming for perfection, I am looking to be a better steward in both the spending and investment categories. I’ve long invested in ‘socially responsible’ funds, but my exploration led me to wonder ‘is that the best I can do?’ How can I do better?’  It was no surprise that resources and helpful information began to flow my way as I engaged the question. Indeed, the Universe does respond and magnify our thoughts, words, deeds!

This introduction to Marco Vangelisti’s ideas of ‘no harm’ and ‘regenerative’ investing are getting me started on the path to improving my financial stewardship. His article Making Amends Through Regenerative Investing gives me hope as we awaken more deeply to our impact on ourselves, on one another, and on our precious planet.

Taking stewardship to heart is a bold act of caring.

Evening Shadows

Sacred Fare for Cultivating Health

Sunset in the Woods - Waiting on the Full Moon to Rise

Health is the state of natural harmony producing optimum performance. Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: The Hidden Wealth of New Worth – April, 2011)

A different morning pattern emerged today. ‘Walk first,’ I heard as I rose and began to move about. Usually I sit and, on blog day, write the post before the morning walk. But the nudge felt right. We geared up and headed out.

The morning air was crisp; the sky, a bit hazy. Still. Quiet. We walked slowly. That is Zadie Byrd’s way. I’m grateful. She reminds me of my pace and to stop, observe, use my senses as she tunes her nose into the corner ‘doggie-net’ to discover who has already come by.

Although today’s musing was but a bundle of seed thoughts in my mind, I relaxed into the patterns of our walk, knowing that one of the seeds would sprout, wanting to be shared. No rush!

What emerged once we returned home and I settled down, pen and journal in hand, was what has been a theme for many of us these past few weeks: maintaining health.  I was reminded of Gregge Tiffen’s definition of health that I wrote about several years ago (read it here - http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/healthy-thinking)

Creating and maintaining our health is a personal, individual path. That’s true today amidst the pandemic, and it will be true beyond this event.  The choices we have are, perhaps, more pronounced today, but boil down to choosing between love and fear. Which will we feed?  Will we tap into the raging fear or find a fare that better serves us? How might we reorder the letters of ‘scared’ to create this as a sacred time and feed ourselves a fare that cultivates health of body, mind and spirit? How can I acknowledge fear when it is present, without giving it my power?

These are the questions I’m asking myself from day to day. And, then I’m listening and observing and exploring.  What dietary fare does my body need and want this day?  What supplements?  What dietary advice is out there that will support my health?

I’m struck by what an individual journey diet, exercise, rest, and such are. There is no ‘one size fits all’.  It has me wonder, beyond current events, how with a better understanding of our individuality we can create a true ‘health care’ system rather than our current disease management system that seems stretched beyond its capacity.

But I digress. I find myself doing so frequently these days, putting attention on ‘from this, what else is possible?’ personally, locally and globally. While there will be an ‘after this’ that I’m curious about, today I want to put attention on our health, yours and mine, and share a bit more about the path I’m choosing.

I’m aiming each day to remember that there is a Universal hand in this experience and all events. That the qualities of the Universe (spirit, God, or whatever you choose to name it) are ever present and available: abundance, beauty, harmony, joy, love, light, life, peace, power. Where one is present there be them all. Find one wherever you are.

I’m being gentle, VERY gentle, with myself as I aim for more awareness and mindfulness in my choices. As I carefully choose food for my body, I’m choosing information and spiritual food that will support my mental and spiritual health. I limit news to reading (not watching or listening) what is current in my community so I can adjust as warranted. Beyond that, I scan for trends that may inform my choices in all domains of life and feel that politically curious part of me with a scan of headlines and staying informed about social, economic and environmental issues and movements that I care about.

But my main fare in keeping this journey sacred is spending time in the beauty of nature that surrounds me (I am so very, very blessed!) and reading or listening to thought leaders presenting thoughtful, uplifting ideas and tools to consider and practice. Among the many that have move me this week is Sounds True founder, Tamy Simon, interviewing Michael A. Singer (author of The Surrender Experiment). Find it here along with many other good listening experiences on Simon’s podcasts) https://product.soundstrue.com/resilience-in-challenging-times/?_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJjaW5keUBzdAWNjZXNzem9uZS5jb20iLCAia2xfY29tcGFueV9pZCI6ICJKTURnYXEifQ%3D%3D.

If you’re challenged to dance with fear and transform it, my colleague and friend, Kathy Wilson has written an informative series over the past three weeks in her newsletter The Journal of Spirited Coaching (click here for a list on her website) http://www.warrior-priestess.com/Newsletters/#archives

All that we take in must be digested and either absorbed for our health or eliminated. That’s true of our food as well as the fare we feed our hearts and minds. Be care-filled in your choices.

Smells Good Enough to Drink on a Warm Spring Day!

Participant AND Observer: YOU!

Oh What a Beautiful Morning!

When you get up in the morning until the time you go to bed at night, you are in some kind of an event. Every one of those events produces some kind of information in bits and pieces. It is to your advantage to become an observer and a participant. At first that is a real juggling act, but you will find the wisdom you search for as you practice participating and observing. … To willingly accept living in the world with the energy expended and the returns received is very important. Gregge Tiffen (The Journey Continues: In Search of Wisdom  – September, 2010)

We live in search of wisdom. Yep. The purpose of life is this: adding to and building upon the wisdom that we brought into this life in this body at this time. There you have it. Now you can breathe. The mystery of all mysteries is solved. No more searching for the purpose of life. Whew!

Yet, within that mystery of mysteries, are the questions that rise on our unique and individual quest: WHAT am I here to learn? HOW will I learn it?  At the same time we explore these questions, the body’s survival depends on our participation in life – money, careers/jobs, relationships, home, health, mobility, community, recreation, creative outlets, etc.  And, our body couldn’t care less about wisdom (learning is not its job – survival is!).  

The body’s job is to participate in these activities of life. It does so, mostly willingly, when we feed it, rest it, and give our body the care that it needs. The body is like a car – it requires fuel and needs its systems to be well maintained so that it can function properly.

Your body is the vehicle consciousness uses to get you around town from one event to another.

Gregge Tiffen

And, that takes us to engaging consciousness, as the observer. Knowledge, learning and the wisdom that’s distilled from our participation requires that we observe as well as participate. The awareness that comes from observation supports us to adjust, adapt, and learn. We carry that learning forward as we’re guided to the next event.

When we participate rotely, without observation and awareness, we don’t learn. We may even put ourselves and others at risk. Who among us hasn’t suddenly found ourselves at our destination and not remembered stopping at the stop signs along the way? Yet that very awareness is an act of observing (and hopefully a reminder to be more mindful of our drive next time).

As the participant in an event, we engage in ‘doing’ the event. As the observer, we bring awareness and our ‘being’ to that event. With practice we can expand our capacity to observe concurrent with participating. Call it awareness, mindfulness – whatever you choose – it is through observation that we learn. And our learning puts us at choice.  

Sometimes it’s simple: I observe that I’m not enjoying or benefiting from an event. I draw that conclusion from observing that noticing some form of physical discomfort or that I’m antsy or not paying attention, etc. From that awareness, I can choose whether or not to continue, and perhaps shift my perspective. Absent observation, I complete the event, end up in a cranky mood or exhausted, and wonder why I feel so bad.

From participating in and observing our experiences we learn, we adapt, we grow. Wisdom from the knowledge gained in the events and experiences of life is what we are here to attain. It is all we take with us when we leave this vehicle behind, continue our journey in the unseen realm, and carry with us wherever we go into infinity and beyond. What could be a more awesome return on your energy investment than THAT? 

What will you practice observing as you participate this week?

First hints of fall - the leaves they are a changing on this hazy fall morning.

The Gift of Pain and Ignorance

Waterfall on Cottonwood Creek - The Flow of Life

The pain you experience is your ignorance holding itself up to you so that you may find the knowledge it requires. There is always an opportunity to learn when you are ready. Our particular ignorance leads us to our next school, next lifetime, next family, next mate, next job, next health challenge, next drama, or next crossroad. Gregge Tiffen (excerpt from Life in the World Hereafter, The Journey Continues in The Journey Continues: In Search of Wisdom – September, 2010)

Earlier this week, an article I’d written was turned down for publication. Ugh! I was surprised. It’s a great article (one of those that flowed easily onto the page when the opportunity presented itself) and I knew that the publisher needed it. I was hurt. And, I was a tad angry.

For a little while I let these emotions have their way. I moped a bit and threw myself a little pity party. On some level I knew that my reaction is not who I am or how I choose to be. Yet, the emotions overtook what I know, and, in that moment, I could see no path other than the dark, slippery slope I was on.

I went in search of distraction: something to make the discomfort go away. Thankfully, no relief there.

So, I went to the woods and walked the labyrinth out back.  Slowly, step by step in the spiral, I let go. The shock, the hurt, and even the anger slowly floated away.  Then I was able to engage curiosity and ask ‘what is the opportunity here?’ What can I learn from this? What do I need in order to step into the exhilaration and flow I was experiencing before this little bump in the road?

Simply asking the questions with a sincere desire and intention to know shifted my energy. As I consider possible answers, one leads to the next. Step by step. New questions emerge. My view of opportunity expands beyond our culture’s definition that limits opportunity to business, money, going somewhere or doing something – external matters, doing not being.

We are here to have experiences through which we acquire information and knowledge that someday distills to wisdom that lives with us beyond this life, this body. Those experiences from other lifetimes are in us, in our cells. That is how we ‘know’ those things that we cannot explain how we know or where we learned them. That experience is what comes forth as intuition and instinct. That is the wisdom of the universe available to us, if we are willing to learn to tap into it.

Ignorance is not bliss. It is simply the lack of information or knowledge.  Pain is but physical or mental discomfort or distress. Both are barometers indicating change that asks for our attention and opens the door of opportunity for growth. We ignore them at our peril.

Labyrinth in the Woods Outback

Adaptability: A Pot of Gold!

There is definitely a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow!

In this planetary school where adaptability is one of the key teaching assignments, making adjustments is a constant demand.  Gregge Tiffen (The Language of a Mystic: Cycles – July, 2009)

This 313th post begins a new annual cycle, year seven for The Zone. I wonder what adjustments are ahead in this new cycle?  This week also finds me in the midst of adjusting to life without the heartbeat of my canine companion nearby.

My capacity to adapt is being engaged once again. Adapting to ‘life without Luke’ has evoked tears and laughter, sadness and relief, the stillness of reflection and movement into action.  As with all events in life these days, I aim to see my journey with Luke and this loss as an opportunity to learn and grow.

A beautiful rainbow here in the mountains late last week, reminded me what a blessing the need to adapt is. In the stillness of reflection, I came to see making adjustments, adapting if you will, as an abundant pot of gold, IF (and only IF) we embrace it with love, not fear.  For, if we face change with fear, it will be a molten pot of lead, heavily weighing us down, evoking struggle and pain.

In the presence of love, I discover that laughter accompanies tears and that sadness lives concurrent with relief. In the presence of love, the stillness of reflection brings clarity to the rearranging needed – inside and out.

In the presence of love, I discover that rearranging is mostly an inside job. I allow waves of sadness to wash over me as they appear and let them find their expression in tears. I want grieving to have its time, though I won’t allow it to drive the bus. I smile at a moment when some past time playing with Luke crosses my awareness. Without guilt, I embrace with gratitude the sense of relief and freedom I now feel. 

In the presence of love, I’m simply being with what is. I open myself to new possibilities and questions: what’s next? how do I want life to be now? what changes will serve me?

In the presence of love, being gives way to doing: putting away things not currently needed, packing some up and delivering to canine friends nearby, rearranging furniture, reviewing a manuscript, attending to projects set aside while Luke was ill, planning a short trip away.

In the presence of love, I experiment with new routines, allowing old habits and paths to give way to the new.

In the presence of love, I experience the grace of ease in the flow and I find heart rocks most every day.

Mined with love, I know that the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow brings forth abundant blessings. What else could be at the end of such beauty? Love Lives!

This week’s heart rock finds!