Where Can You Do Less?

Autumnal Sunrise Over the Sangres

Notice where you can do less. Jill Van Note

You don’t have and ‘Aha!’ moment. An ‘Aha!’ moment has you. Woody Tasch

Happy Autumn! After greeting the Autumnal sunrise in the labyrinth, the muse niggles that perhaps a better title this first day of a new season might be ‘Falling Into Doing Less’. Cute. I smile at the idea and decide that I like the title as a question. ‘Where can you do less?’ is one of my favorite elements in the Feldenkrais method. I appreciate that it’s posed frequently in most every lesson.

The question gently calls forth awareness. Last week it did so in a profound, expansive, and most unexpected way, when, calling attention to a limb that wasn’t involved in the movement we were doing, Jill, my Feldenkrais instructor, said the phrase I’ve heard countless times: “notice where you can do less …”.

Suddenly, I was aware of holding tension in the ‘uninvolved’ leg. I hadn’t fully relaxed my leg muscles to allow the floor’s full support. I was doing ‘work’ that was already taken care of. Expending energy that I had no need to expend. Wasting energy. My precious energy.

Aha! The question isn’t just about doing less with the parts that are moving! Aha! It’s about the whole body and the support available to be received. Aha! Wow, it’s about all of life: body, mind, and spirit. Aha! The moment ‘had’ me. It’s had my focus and curiosity since.

Wondering ‘where can I do less?’ became a personal ‘energy audit’, discovering where body, mind, and spirit habitually engage where they need not engage, leaking energy like worn out weatherstripping around a door or window. I’m discovering more deeply my habitual tendency to do more than what’s needed. Yes, Cindy, the floor will support you. Indeed, it does.

I discovered (yet again) mental energy wasted thinking of things that I’m not engaged in at that moment (and may not need to engage in at all, at least in the near term). I noticed the monkey-mind of worry creeping in, thinking about how, for example, to word an email when I was far from the computer and not ready to respond, or whether to participate in an event not occurring for quite some time.

I’m reminded of a metaphysical teacher who has on occasion asked me, “are you giving this more energy than it needs or deserves?” Busted! Gratefully busted! I notice the inefficiency, the waste of taking awareness away from the present moment how doing so not only requires more time and energy to complete the task, but likewise reduces the joy and satisfaction that full presence and attention bring.

I’m reminded too of the support provided by the Universe, requiring only that I have the courage to trust and the willingness to receive.

Aha! No wonder the subtitle/subtext of the Feldenkrais Method (and others) is ‘awareness through movement’.

Labyrinth Bell Greets the Morning Sun

Racks & Rain: Power from Source

Rain and Runoff - The Power of Flow

The sun once glimpsed God’s true nature

And has never been the same.

Thus that radiant sphere

Constantly pours its energy

Upon this earth

As does He from behind

The veil.

Hafiz (from Why Aren’t We Screaming Drunks?)

 Zadie Byrd and I headed out quite early this morning for our walk. Before the sun rose over the peaks and its rays beamed light and created the beauty of shadow in the woods out back. The air was crisp, cool, and fresh after a (thankfully brief) shower last night. We’ve been blessed with an abundance of rain over the last week and experienced the impact of minor flooding.

That abundance and starting installation of a solar array, focused my attention and awareness on the power that emanates from Source. This power manifests in many ways and forms, all elements of the natural world of which we humans are a part: fires, floods, earthquakes, pandemics, melting polar ice caps and more.

Such events touch millions personally, often uprooting life as it they knew it only moments before. Events of the natural world likewise support our existence in ways that we often overlook or even have forgotten. Just as our consciousness impacts nature, these events impact each and everyone of us collectively as well. And they do so in every aspect of our lives. If it has shown us nothing else, the pandemic continues to demonstrate that.

I wonder what we have learned about ourselves from Covid-19 and other extreme events? Individually? Collectively? I wonder what we might learn if we ask different questions rather than racing back to a ‘normal’ that doesn’t and won’t exist? I think about such learning wondering how we might apply it more wisely to create a better world for ourselves and especially for our children, grandchildren, and generations (hopefully) to come as the world as we’ve known it falls away.

These are the questions that came to mind this week as I witnessed the power of flowing water in front of and behind the Dragonfly House as heavy rain fell for several hours here in the Sangres cresting rock dams put in place on the property many years ago for just such events.

Similar questions guided my decision to install a solar system. I was excited to observe the work and care as racks for the solar panels were installed on the roof yesterday.

The preparation over a few months and the work involved remind me that while the power of Source is always present, tapping in requires conscious choice, commitment, and investing time, money, and guiding energy all along the way.  As I learn more about the components of the system, I see each of them and the solar system itself as a reminder to maintain awareness and consciously choose how I use the power of the Source to which I am and forever will be connected. Solar system as metaphor for our connection to Source. Solar array or not, we each make this choice moment to moment, day by day throughout life. What’s your choice?

Racks on the Roof - My Journey to Solar Power Begins

Living in YOUR Rhythm

Home Sweet (Away from) Home

Conditions become chaotic when you are not in a position to manage the harmonics of your core energy to create. Gregge Tiffen (The Journey Continues: Time Travels – July 2010)

I’m reminded of this Gregge Tiffen wisdom as I look out at the multi-faceted chaos in our world. And, as I walk through current events in my life.

Maintaining order is an inside job. Peace within creates peace and order as we walk through the events presented to us on our path. Managing personal energy by living in your unique rhythm is key.

While others can support us on our walk and may even help discover our rhythm, the responsibility is ours alone to manage our energy whatever the conditions, whatever the event. When we move through life in our unique rhythm – our pace, our style, our ways of being – we can experience life in its glorious flow.

Your rhythm is unique to you. It is the beat of the drum to which you naturally and easily respond. It knows no stress, no overwhelm. There is no right or wrong. Simply there is your rhythm, your tempo – YOUR way of life. When we operate in our unique rhythm we experience harmony in body, mind, and spirit. Life flows.

We find our individual rhythm by experimentation and discovery, listening for our beat, noticing when life flows easily even in challenging times. When that is our experience, we are living in our rhythm. Notice it. Nurture it. Allow it to speak and inform. Notice times when you feel stressed, overwhelmed, or that conditions are in control. These are clues that you are not living in your rhythm.

I’m particularly aware of this as I handle the estate of my dear cousin who died unexpectedly three weeks ago. Her passing necessitated a road trip across five states and 1200 miles. It finds Zadie Byrd and me away from home for an extended time, finding our rhythm in a new environment with new challenges, new opportunities, and more interaction than in our quiet Crestone life. Adjusting, while not allowing events and conditions to overwhelm.

As I began preparing for the journey, I promised myself that I would stay in my rhythm and practice extreme self-care throughout. ‘No rush.’ ‘Everything in its time.’ ‘Allow – don’t push (and don’t be pushed).’ These are my daily mantras. They help me live in my rhythm in this new territory with its rich opportunities for learning. They remind to adjust when stress or chaos creep in.

More than ever, I’m reminded that I/we are not the chaos in the world.  Rather, I am/we are each here to walk through, to navigate, to learn to live in our rhythm, whatever that is, in ways that maintain our peace within. No matter what.

Nourished by Art and Nature

Speaking with Care

Cooperation, Sharing, Joy is the language I imagine the humming birds ‘speak’.

Every time you open your mouth you are charging atomic particles, arranging them and setting them into a pattern of action. Consequently, everything you say, everything you say, is putting some energy effect into action. Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: An Honest Performance - June, 2011)

Words. Words matter.

Sounds. Sounds matter.

On this planet where manifestation begins with sound, the words we speak create our world. Given the cacophony of babel present 24/7, is it any wonder that our world is in chaos? Given the language we use, is it any wonder that poor health afflicts so many or that our society seems more divided than ever? Or, as I suggested a couple weeks ago, how pervasive war is (you can find that post here).

I’ve noticed words and tone used – my own and others – on many fronts this week. Reflecting on my awareness, Gregge’s quote added an important dimension to my reflection and to projects I’m engaged in. Our words, regardless of whether they are heard, ripple out into the infinite Universe living forever.

Is it any wonder …?

I was reminded of how the words I speak affect me this week when I noticed feeling quite awful after uttering a few snarky words about another person. Ick! The effect was immediate, as if I’d made the comments about myself. Of course, having spoken them, some landed right in me just as everything we speak does.

It was easy to contrast that icky feeling with the impact of an uplifting conversation which inspires me to act or think more deeply. I experienced such a conversation with a long-time colleague and friend who is doing amazing work in the political arena (check out the Bridge Alliance, if want to be inspired).

It was easy to contrast the ‘ick of my snarkyness’ with how I feel when I sing to my cells (you can find one of many versions here), talk with flora in my care or to Zadie Byrd (or sing her name joyfully), and when I speak to the varied life forms in the woods out back. And, who among us isn’t uplifted by a smile and friendly ‘hello’ in passing as we walk through daily life?

Through words we create, we influence. We create the quality of the body we inhabit as well as the immediate environment in which we live, our home, our community. And beyond.

Words matter. Sound matters. Our spoken words today are creating what will emerge tomorrow and in all the tomorrows beyond. We ARE that powerful and with awareness and practice, we can master that power.

What do you say? What energy are you putting into action with your words?

Home Sweet Home to some creatures of these woods …

In The Flow of Life

Leaves on the Trail: The Flow of Life

The whole concept of life is flow, flow and more flow. Gregge Tiffen (The Language of a Mystic: Innovation – October, 2009)

The flow of energy in the Universe is constant, as it is on our precious planet and for each of us. We see this all around whether we are in nature or in the midst of urban life. Nature flows in her cycles. We humans do likewise. As energy flows, change occurs.

Witness the flow of light from night to day and, through the day, the return to darkness. The earth is in motion. Night fades and the gentle light of day comes forth: dawn.  As the earth spins, the sun appears to rise in the sky bringing the bright light of day. We witness this flow of life daily: change, flow, constant, consistent.

We are not mere observers. We participate in the flow of energy as well. The same raw, pure energy that moves the earth is ours to use in whatever ways we choose, or whether we choose or not. That energy is the flow of life.

Yesterday I found myself in the midst of feeling the energy of deep sadness. Tears flowed and, though I had other plans for the day, I didn’t want to stop them. Something needed to flow out, to be released and returned to source. Something wanted to be cleansed.

I cried for Luke’s passing, discovering indeed that tears remained to sooth that loss. I cried because our vet is retiring and won’t be available to provide her loving care for my next canine companion, while shedding tears of joy for her courage to follow her heart’s desire. I felt the curious energy of paradox, of both/and: delight for her, sadness for what feels like a loss to me. I was reminded once again that nothing stays the same. Flow, change, growth are the natural flow of life.

As I felt into the depth of my sadness, I realized that I was shedding tears for others: families who lost their homes and four-legged companions in a nearby community; canines in need of loving homes at the shelter I visited earlier in the week; the creatures in the forest that has been burning some 40 miles north since early September and the humans impacted in so many ways by that same fire.

And, I cried for humanity, for the pain and suffering that we perpetrate on one another and on our planet. I wept for our ignorance which in no way is bliss.

When darkness came, I put my head on the pillow with gratitude for the day’s cleansing tears. As I embraced the day, the grace of wondrous curiosity began to bubble: What else is possible? How might I direct my energy now? What can emerge in the spaces created by what I call ‘loss’ and with the dawn of each new day?

Dawn: How Will I Use the Energy of This 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 Power of Curiosity

What’s ahead on this path of life?

You can apply curiosity to all your experiences in life. Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: An Air of Optimism – May, 2011)

 These words leapt off the page this morning as I began my Thursday immersed in the question: What wants to emerge in The Zone this week?  It isn’t that this is a new idea to me, in fact ‘curiosity’ has made an appearance in no fewer than 66 issues (yep, I was curious and counted them). This week makes 67 … but I digress.

 Being curious is a choice we make, a powerful tool to help us navigate all aspects of life. Is it any wonder that as children before our natural curiosity was snuffed out, most of us constantly asked ‘Why? Why? Why?’ Somewhere along the line our culture, parents, teachers trained us that it is better to know than to ask. So, we stopped asking and started knowing (or acting as if we do, even when we don’t). At least I did. And, although life worked out pretty well, some of the results along the way weren’t so pretty.

 Today, thanks in part to my coach training and 25+ coaching clients to see choices where they think no choice exists, along with my ongoing study of metaphysics, I find myself invoking curiosity quite often. Perhaps it’s become a habit. If so, it’s not one to break, but rather one to nourish so that I can flourish.

 Curiosity is a powerful tool for creating a shift in our personal energy.  Asking yourself a question with a sincere desire to discover an answer can move you from being angry, stuck, fearful (and a host of other low energy places) to being calm, ambitious, loving, and in action (even if that action is simply reflection or research).

 I experienced a reminder of just that this week, after enrolling in a program to give my writing a boost. My excitement quickly shifted to dismay as I read the ‘Welcome Letter’ which included an ‘offer’ for yet another program, which it sounded as if I needed in order to get value from the one I’d just signed up for. My immediate reaction was ‘Ugh! Here we go again …’ 

 Somehow I remembered to pause and take a breath. I stopped myself from holding on to the assumptions that I’d made (They just want more money. This program will never work for me.). Then, I decided to get the facts (i.e. is my success in the program conditioned on the info in the second?). In that pause, I saw clearly past disappointments in programs.

 Rather than blaming the programs, I questioned my level of commitment to make them work for and provide value to me. My answer wasn’t especially pretty, yet it opened the door that allowed me to become clear about my commitment to this one: I will engage fully from a place of curiosity about how I can make the program work for me (rather than expecting ‘it’ to do the heavy lifting that is mine to do). The first day of engagement was fabulous! Curiosity energized the process (and no cat lost their life in the process).

 In an earlier post, I wrote ‘Stress flies away on the wings of curiosity.’ Today I can add that applying curiosity to the experiences in life is a pathway to peace, joy, creativity and satisfaction.

 How will it serve you to be curious today?

Curiosity is never at rest here.

Lifting the Fog of Indecision

A foggy spring day in the Sangres

Weariness can occur as a result of thinking we know but not knowing that causes all sorts of indecision. Patrece on behalf of P Systems (PS 52 Series 11 If So, What Now? Week 31) www.p-systemsinc.com

Earlier this week, the words above landed on me like a bright ray of sunshine breaking through fog. This week’s PS 52 landed in my inbox right on time, adding clarity to my morning journaling and connecting the dots of energy and indecision.

My early morning observation started with awareness that when I speak of ‘my energy’ (as in ‘my energy has been really low’) I separate myself from the pure, raw energy that we all create with/from. Yep, I know, that’s not possible to actually do, but I had one heck of a mental construct supporting my illusion.

I was the victim of my ‘low energy’. I’d been experiencing a sense of feeling scattered, unfocused, and unable (or perhaps unwilling) to exert my will. I felt tired. I remembered hearing Gregge Tiffen share his practice of speaking the words ‘let the energy flow through me’ to energize action. THAT felt like an invitation to life and living fully. I felt an internal energetic shift (it’s truly challenging not to write ‘my energy shifted’ here, but I’m clear that I hold no ownership of energy) head to heart to toes.

I felt gratitude for the awareness of what seemed to be deepening into my bones. I was ready to bring on the list of projects and to-do’s so I could focus and take action. I had new clarity about energy and a reminder that it’s my job to direct it. Onward!

But before I dove in, this week’s PS 52 landed in my box, offering even greater clarity. What I’d labeled as ‘my low energy’, weariness if you will, was (at least in part) the effect of not making clear, intentional decisions to take action.  Indecision was leading me to meander wearily through many days, scattering my attention, and, if I was ‘lucky’, accomplishing a few tasks in the process.

I (re)discovered that when I do make clear, intentional decisions, the action (mostly) comes easily. The energy flows through me from one action to the next.  One decision paves the way for another. A course of action becomes clearer. My sense of ‘low energy’ dissipates. My will is strengthened.

I’m feeling deeply grateful and blessed for being shown this connection. And, I’m under no illusion that my new awareness is a ‘magic pill’ or ‘silver bullet’. I’m betting I’ll have days where I simply want to pull the covers over my head to rest. I’m sure to experience days where the path doesn’t seem so clear and choices seem hard. I aim to allow such foggy days to be and to bring to them my curiosity about what they have to offer, for surely they too have purpose. The energy flowing through me is here for me. And, it’s here for you. Let it flow! Let us flow!

And, as she always does, the sun breaks through!

Using These Times to Benefit YOU!

Gleaming Peaks in the Morning Light

If there is anything you don’t want in life, it is to plateau out. You want life to challenging. You want it to give you all sorts of elements which allow you to use yourself in a variety of ways. … Humans have the opportunities to move within events and gain something from them. Gregge Tiffen Down to Earth as quoted in Open Secrets: Revealing Habits – February, 2011

Over my years of coaching I frequently heard ‘I just want to retire, stop, get out the rat race, do nothing’. I see it today in social media posts and in financial institutions advertising their services to lure people in to get to the so-called ‘good life’.  Like the side effects of drugs that seem, at least to me, to outweigh their benefits, stopping for anything other than a respite to restore is not in our interest. Doing so removes us from the flow of life and the energy of learning, our prime purpose on this sojourn.

In these, shall we say interesting times, we may find it easy to want to retreat from where the flow of life seems to be heading. For many it’s easy to fall into despair, anger, fear, overwhelm, or faithlessness when looking only at the surface of events globally. This is especially true when we forget that we are here to learn and that, indeed, we learn from the experiences provided in the events that engage us. The magnitude of those events matters not. We can learn from them all – from the ginormous life changing ones right down to our daily walks with the dog and taking care of ourselves.

Without a doubt, these are intense times. In the midst of such intensity we may forget that there is no ideal end state that we’re aiming to create (then everything will be hunky-dory) or that ‘if I just do this’ then ‘that’ suddenly everything will be okay (whatever the heck that means). 

This week I began to ask myself:

• How are you using these intense times?

• How do you want to use them?

• What do you want to learn?

• What do you want to contribute?

• What more do you want out of this sojourn?

Questions like these bring me back to my center. That’s my purpose in reflecting on them.  I’m not aiming for enlightenment level ultimate answers, rather for a simple guidepost to my next step or two. Importantly, such questions remind me that I’m not a victim to the extremes at work in all aspects of life.

Remembering that I am an integral part of an infinite, intelligent, kind Universe moves me forward rather than into destructive patterns of thought. Coupled with remembering that I am here, now, on a brief learning journey – just one stop in the infinite journey that is my individual consciousness – puts the world in perspective. That world, crazy and hostile as it may seem, is merely the environment of the campus on this current school called ‘life’. From this place I can choose how and what I want to create and contribute.

Without a doubt, these are intense times. And, they are but a teeny, tiny blip on the infinite timeline of the Universe. Systems are crumbling and we know not what will be created in their place. Whether or not we are front and center on the lines of creating what is to come we are contributing, consciously or not, to their form and their qualities with every thought we think. Ponder on that. What are your contributions?

Icicles

YOU Are Important!

A last bit of fall color before the snow.

We either recognize our importance by living an important life, as we see it, or we don’t. … Every word you have ever uttered, every move you have ever made and every thought you have ever had never dies. Gregge Tiffen (An Empty Heart Makes An Empty Purse – November, 2008)

If you don’t see your life as important, STOP. Reconsider. The Universe does not agree with you (although if you continue that point of view, the Universe will accept it and give it right back to you, magnified).

In Universal terms, terms of the flow of energy, there is no thought, word, or deed that does not matter. The Universe does not look at your thoughts, or hear the words you speak or observe the action you take and judge it (or you) as better than or less than any the thoughts, words, and deeds of anyone else.  The Universe does not compare, contrast, or choose.

The Universe receives, reflects back, and magnifies: EVERY thought from each and every one of us; EVERY word, and EVERY act.  It does so without regard to the tone of your skin, the language you speak, where or how you live, etc. The Universe doesn’t care how much money you have, how many hours you work, how much you give to others. It receives, reflects, and magnifies with no judgement.

The Universe does not categorize our thoughts, our words, or our deeds. The Universe does not care who wins the next election. Those choices are left to us and our free will to choose.  A Cherokee elder’s story to his grandson seems apropos to the power of our choices:

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all.  One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."  The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Whether you see this time as one of doom and gloom or one of opportunity, the Universe will respond in kind. THAT is how important you are.

Let’s rise to the challenge of feeding the ‘good wolf’,  choosing thoughts, words, and actions out of love not fear, light not dark, abundance not lack, harmony not discord. Let’s lead where our so called ‘leaders’ don’t. We ARE that important!

SNOW DAY! Let’s Play!!!!