A Deep Bow of Gratitude

When times seem rocky and prickly, focus on gratitude

Remember how much power you truly have. It is important that you handle this power wisely. It becomes obvious that maintaining harmony in your individual space contributes to the harmony of the planet. Gregge Tiffen (It’s Springtime!  Flow with the Power of Nature – March, 2007)

Before rising I spent a few minutes in that peaceful state of tuning into my heart and feeling gratitude. I wasn’t thinking of anything in particular, just feeling grateful and putting myself in a state of heart coherence (https://www.heartmath.com/quick-coherence-technique/).

A bit later as I settled in to discover where the muse would take me this day, an unfamiliar alarm sound blared through the room. As I moved toward the sound and realized that it was my phone, a voice reminded me that as of 6 a.m. this morning all Coloradoans are ordered to stay at home … except of course, those who are exempted.

Reminder noted, I settled back in and the muse said, “LOVE.”

“What shall I say about ‘love’?”, I wondered.  “Gratitude” came the reply.

Amidst the wide array of thoughts, feelings, ideas, even rants and reactions that I might explore, gratitude for those who don’t get to stay home because their work is critical is top of heart and mind. And, along with that a recognition that I’m privileged that my ‘job’ is to stay home and do what I do – connect with others, assist where I can, listen, write, walk the dog, love nature, love life, maintain my center.

I’m grateful for the many, many thought leaders and teachers who are reaching out virtually to offer clarity, tools, and perspectives in this blessed time.  Among those who I look to are Gregg Braden, Lynn MacTaggart, Bruce Lipton. I’m grateful for uplifting posts on social media and the occasional belly laugh from a crazy canine or feline photo. I’m grateful for activists who are creatively adapting to events and continuing their quest for social, economic, and environmental justice.

My deepest bow of gratitude though is for those who are not working in the comfort of their homes: the doctors, nurses, technicians, lab folks, janitors and all who keep our medical facilities operational; the public servants who keep the water flowing and our waste going to treatment facilities; the guys on the trash truck that just came by; EMTs, fire fighters, public safety folks; transit workers; the workers in the grocery; the postal workers; the delivery men and women and those who pack the goods we order; and all others who I have surely forgotten.

I can be where I am in the comfort of my home, because they are doing what they do. They are on the front lines of this pandemic and, indeed, they are on the front lines of maintaining our lives each and every day.  Today and for every day beyond may I give them my deepest bow of gratitude. And, may we as a society not only give them our gratitude, but may we demand that they be compensated well and honored for all they do.

Grateful for the woods, the mountains and the curving road out back.

Blessed Solstice 2019

Ringing in Winter

Winter Solstice is the time when you give up what you have and accept what is being born as the new power within you, the new awareness within you and the new person within you. (Gregge Tiffen, December 2019 newsletter)

All of heaven and all of earth coordinate at the Winter Solstice. Gregge Tiffen (Winter Solstice: The Christmas Story)

Winter Solstice is a time of natural transformation, newness that comes forth with or without our awareness. It is the time when our receptivity is heightened in consciousness. Is it any wonder that with fewer hours of daylight, we are drawn inside into our homes and into ourselves at this time of year?

Solstice is the birthday of the Planet. It was celebrated as such with reverence and respect in ancient times by our ancestors who lived in close harmony with the Planet’s rhythms.

Solstice is the time of completion and of new beginnings. The old cycle is done. We are presented with the opportunity to declare completion and move on with awareness of the seeds of newness planted inside. A new ‘you’ with its potential to bring wondrous change in the cycle ahead is ready. Are you willing to claim it?

In keeping with my understanding of ancient traditions, once again this year I will take time at Solstice to create a personal ‘silent night’, a time to harmonize my rhythms to those of Mother Earth. With love and gratitude I let go of everything from the year behind and acknowledge the seeds of newness inside. I invite you to create quiet time amidst the hustle and bustle of the season to do the same.

A good place to start is by harmonizing with nature. If you are blessed as I am to live in nature’s beauty, take a walk. Observe and honor the rhythms of nature, whether the slow steady growth of a tree or the daily cycles of ocean tides. If nature is not outside your door, then sit quietly and imagine your favorite peaceful place in nature. Feel yourself in that place and allow its rhythms to bring you the quiet peace of the season.

In that atmosphere embrace an attitude of gratefulness. Let go of everything that has come to you in the cycle ending. Empty and prepare space for the new. Let go of not only what doesn’t serve or suit you, of those things you consider ‘wrong’ or ‘bad’, but of everything: every attitude, your wants and desires, your fears, your hopes, your stories about the events of the year ending, the people in your life.

Finally, when you are ready (perhaps after only a few moments, perhaps a few hours), evoke the sound of newness with the declaration “I am new”.  Speak it boldly.  Be still and feel this newness. This is the place where heaven and earth come together in you, as you. The place where ‘heaven and nature sing’. The new you is ready to meet, greet and receive the gifts of the new cycle. 

May the blessings of your unique newness follow you into and throughout the year ahead!

*My understanding and celebration of Solstice, while it is my own interpretation, comes primarily from the work of Gregge Tiffen. You can learn more about Gregge’s work at www.g-systems.com. And, you can purchase from his collected works, including his telling of Winter Solstice – The Christmas Story, on www.amazon.com

Snowy Labyrinth in the Woods Out Back

My Prayer of Thanks - 2019

Grateful for the Blessed Moisture of the Season’s First Snow

The power of giving thanks gives life its vitality! The power of giving thanks comes through your awareness that you are always in a position to receive all the elements the Universe has to offer. Everything is available to you.  Gregge Tiffen (The Power of Giving Thanks, November, 2007)

 This week finds those of us here in the U.S. in the midst of Thanksgiving. While it is good to have a special day to give thanks, the irony of Thanksgiving’s origins in this country deserves a pause for thoughtful consideration. As you give thanks, I’ll leave that consideration to your heart and soul.

Despite the sadness I feel for the atrocities we force upon one another and on our dear planet, I’m grateful for this life and for the opportunities to learn and grow that are ever present.  Despite the irony of the holiday’s origins, I celebrate. I’m grateful for my understanding that, despite history and the current chaos and cruelty worldwide, justice and light will prevail. 

Several years back, sitting quietly by the fire on a cold morning, I began to write in my journal. The words that came surprised me and took me to an unexpected place: gratitude for being me.  As I ease into Thanksgiving Day, I remember all that I’m grateful for and my words then inspire my prayer of thanks for 2019

 I ‘m grateful for how I live my life, the choices I make, the insight and curiosity I experience, my love of quiet and of nature’s beauty. I’m grateful that I take reasonably good care of myself. I’m grateful that I take time to ease into the day and enjoy the morning quiet. I’m grateful for introspection and for how I see the world unfolding perfectly in this human experiment despite events that are horrific beyond my understanding.

I’m grateful for nine years with Cool Hand Luke Skywalker and for all that he teaches me about patience, forgiveness, rest, play, listening and so much more. Although he’s no longer curled up near-by in physical form, his ongoing presence reminds me that life is a continuum not a finite event.

I’m grateful for how I’ve faced the challenges in my life, even those where in hindsight I saw a different way for me to be. Each offered a gift and I did my best to accept it.

I’m grateful that I enjoy my own company as well as the company of others. Both are so very important, yet we humans so very often shun being alone for fear of being lonely, forgetting that in our aloneness we hear Your voice and feel Your presence.

Thank You for always being with me/in me. Thank YOU for allowing and guiding me to be me. I feel so close You, God, in these quiet moments and I am so very grateful.

When we give thanks for being who we are, we tap into the vitality of life.

Wherever this week finds you, may you feel a depth of gratitude that goes deeper and further than any you have felt in your past. May this special Thanksgiving prayer from Gregge Tiffen (http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/thanksgiving-prayer) contribute to transporting you to that place.

Curious, Beautiful Bucks

Popping My Bubble

Checking Out the Woods

The issue is exposure. Exposure is required every day of your life. If you keep your exposure under wraps, there is nothing that can be done. … You have kept the purse hidden away and zipped up tight. Your presence is not available. That is a sad reality and is one of the first things to look at in terms of how you accept universal opportunities. Gregge Tiffen (An Empty Heart Makes An Empty Purse – November, 2008)

As we approach Thanksgiving here in the U.S. thoughts about receiving join my overall sense of gratitude for life. I’m reminded of another of Gregge’s pearls of wisdom:

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)

I often write of the relatively quiet life I live here in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. I love this life and I’m deeply grateful to live in the extraordinary beauty of nature that surrounds me.  Nature and quiet feed my soul in ways I never imagined.  For the past couple years, since closing the bed and breakfast and allowing my coaching practice to wind down, I’ve lived in my mountain bubble - writing, reading, reflecting on life, walking with Luke, and maintaining home and hearth – a ‘semi-hermit’ lifestyle that I’ve come to love.

Recently though, I’ve experienced a sense of restlessness, part boredom perhaps, along with missing more engagement with the world. I also recognized that cash has mostly flowed in one direction (out) and that I need to increase the inward flow. 

So began an inquiry familiar to me from times past: ‘What’s next?’  Over the course of several decades, revisiting this inquiry from time to time led me from public service to real estate development to marriage to consulting to coaching to divorce to my move to the mountains and to the bed and breakfast. (Whew!) Each experience held great learning, and each provided for my needs.  

An important element of any ‘what’s next?’ inquiry is to look at where you are now. A candid, honest self-assessment is key to manifesting a powerful ‘next’.  For me that’s meant considering that my lifestyle choices limit the flow of abundant opportunities that can come my way and recognizing the laundry list of excuses I developed to protect it. (Ouch!)

Gregge’s words about ‘exposure’ provided the pin prick that popped my semi-hermit bubble. Today, I’m saying ‘yes’ to possibilities that come my way more often. Rather than making excuses for not attending a workshop out of town, I registered, packed up and drove to Santa Fe. Rather than giving in to ‘it’s too hard to travel in winter’, I’m soon off to see family that I haven’t visited in several years. Rather than using the ‘I’ve never done that’ excuse to avoid exploring a possibility, I’m asking ‘how might I approach this?’.

Although I don’t know ‘the’ answer to ‘what’s next?’ (or even if there is a single answer), the willingness to increase my exposure is presenting an array of interesting new connections, synergies and possibilities.  It’s good to remember that receiving is not a spectator sport. It requires reflection, willingness, opening to possibility and action. We receive.  And, then, we give thanks.

And Now I’ll Rest

It's NOT Beyond Me (or You)!

Fall Sunset over the San Luis Valley and San Juan Mountains Beyond

No matter what knowledge you want, no matter what guidance you seek,and no matter the circumstances, there is a place in the Universe that is personal and directly accessible for you to meet any one of your requirements.  Gregge Tiffen (Earth and Second Earth, Book 3 in The Collected Works of Gregge Tiffen)

A common thread that weaves through much of my adult life is a curiosity around tapping into knowledge, intelligence, wisdom that is beyond what I can observe using my five senses.

Perhaps I was born with it. As a child I would wander down to the pasture and talk with the cows. In this moment I don’t remember the substance of those conversations, but my guess is that they were more interesting and, perhaps, informative than interactions with people.  Indeed, most likely it was people particularly family and teachers, who interrupted that communication flow and my trust in it. After all, I’m sure their message was something like ‘be normal’ or ‘this is the right way’.

In college I was introduced to ‘Silva Mind Control’ and much of the reading and learning I’ve participated in over the years includes this idea of tapping into to ‘something’ beyond my five senses. As I reflect this morning, I’m grateful for what I know and use. I’m humbled by the tools that I’ve learned, but lie dormant, dusty even a bit rusty, from lack of use.

I wonder why that’s so in our world where science continues to ‘discover’ the ‘secrets’ known in ancient cultures?  Then, I remember my childhood in the pasture with the cows. That wasn’t considered normal. Whatever ‘it’ was, it wasn’t what needed to be learned or how to learn it.

Like many others, I was guided away from anything that wasn’t rational or logical. Beyond my own personal childhood experience, I see that logic and rationale are tools of control, used by us all to influence one another for good or for ill. And, used by those who want power over others.

The knowledge of our individual power and our personal, individual connection with the Universe has been drummed out of the culture for ages, hidden away by those who desire to control others.  As a result our systems – education, finance, business, health, politics, government, religion – have control as their foundation. They are based on power ‘over’ rather than power ‘of, by, and for’; domination rather than dominion.

Going beyond the logical, rational, mechanistic world is simply not supported by the systems around which our culture is organized. That we need new systems is a muse for another day. For now, I recognize that, though dormant, the seed of curiosity was planted, and whatever I’d learned was part of me. Stumped or confused about a decision I was facing, I shunned ‘I don’t know’ in favor of ‘I wonder if’. From time to time, I’d pull out and dust off a tool and apply it to whatever issue happened to be in front of me.

While that’s served me pretty darn well in life, I’m curious what more I can tap into. With deeper awareness what more do my cells have to say? What knowledge might the 70 plants that I’ve just moved indoors for winter have to impart? What messages do the creek, the sunrise, the sunset, the wind, the pines, the nuthatch hold for me if I will but listen? Beyond this plane, what knowledge and wisdom are within reach, if only I will listen within?

I’m grateful for remembering that nothing – NO thing – we need or want to know is beyond us IF we truly want to know and use our will to go beyond what’s normal, or easy. Then, with focus and courage apply ourselves to the quest.

Six of 70!

INWARD and ONWARD!

Tending the Creative Tree

Sunset in the Woods Out Back

You need to prune often especially after you have gone through a significant experience. … The whole object of pruning is that improves your growth, it regenerates your brain, and it opens up new opportunities. Experiences that are no longer being used in a positive manner should be cut from the creative tree inside of you and taken away. Gregge Tiffen (Lessons in Living: Give Nothing, Get Nothing)

Pruning is an apt description for how I’m feeling now in the wake of Luke’s passing four weeks ago. It also describes what I feel guided to do and how I want to be in this cycle of creating life anew.

Although I experienced a gigantic wave of grief and tears earlier this week, the sadness is waning. A sense of new growth and new possibilities lies beneath the surface. While not quite ready to burst forth, the creative tree has my attention and, as Luke often did, guides me to the care that it needs, IF I dare listen.

Pruning heads the list. My personal drumbeat is ‘marching’ me inward to identify and prune habits of mind, body and spirit that no longer serve my highest good.   In another verse that same beat calls me to look beyond my energetic body to the ‘stuff’ in my environment and to examine what is meaningful and useful to maintain. It is a time to cull, inside and out, preparing the field, my field, for what is to come.

When a cycle ends space is created. Often we rush to fill that space, especially when a cycle’s end is the passing of a loved one (human or of the furry kind). Several people have inquired if I have a new dog yet? No. I’m finding value sitting with the emptiness, even when it hurts like hell. Others want to know what I’m ‘doing’ and/or going to do? Not much that’s visible (at least for now); I’m allowing time to ‘be’ with no pressure to ‘do’. ‘Doing’ self-care and the tasks required prepare for winter in the woods is enough.

In the spaciousness of no pressure, insights come to guide me in tending my creative tree. I’m reminded that speed is not the issue; learning is.  After all, the pines in the woods out back have been growing for hundreds of years. They remind me to operate at my pace, on my frequency, just as they do.

At my pace I walk in peace, with loving gratitude for my life here in the mountains. On my walk this morning, I found several (okay 13, to be precise) heart rocks. I’ve found a few almost every walk these past four weeks. I recalled someone recently sharing that they never found heart-shaped rocks, and while we were talking, I reached down and picked one up on her driveway.

As I walked through the woods toward the labyrinth, I thought about the differences in how (from my perspective) that person and I approach life. I didn’t realize until that moment that these days I’m not looking for heart rocks on my walks, I’m looking AT love and loving all the beauty of my surroundings.  The heart-shaped rocks reveal themselves.

That’s not always been the case. In the past, I along with others, like the person I was talking with, looked for heart-shaped rocks much as we may look for love, abundance, success – without recognizing that we are swimming in the midst of all that and so much more.

From that experience and insight, I’m inspired to prune more. What habits of thought is it time to retire? What ‘stuff’ in the garage (and a few other places around the house) needs to be re-homed?  

“Inward, outward, forward march!” The creative tree needs pruning to burst into bloom.

Heart Rocks on the Trail

The Other End of the Rainbow

Sunset in the Sangres

To realize Universal reality, we need only open ourselves to our innate, insatiable curiosity to seek the broader knowledge of many things – then to embrace the adventure. Then we will know ourselves as children of the Universe. Gregge Tiffen (Life in the World Hereafter: The Journey Continues)

… You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should … Max Ehrmann (Desiderata)

If, as I suggested last week, adaptability is a pot of gold at one end of the rainbow [http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/adaptability-a-pot-of-gold], then surely curiosity must be the gold at the other end. Or, heck, perhaps curiosity stirs the pot …

Gregge Tiffen’s words above struck a chord this morning as I began my day, curious about the direction of this week’s post.  What, I wondered, was the common thread among the week’s experiences that ranged from lots of time for quiet reflection to a few profound interactions with others?

What does the writer/social activist in the midst of revising her next book have in common with the woman whose daughter collapsed and was given a five percent chance of survival? What does the mystical writer have in common with a friend spending hours at her elderly mother’s bedside? What do I have in common with each of them and with the seasoned professional evaluating where to take her career and life next?

We are each on a quest. Beyond caring about results (we do!) we are curious to know what we’ll discover along the way. Each of us in our own individual way is using curiosity as a force: energy to move us forward (hopefully, more gently than not) on our own path, at our own pace.

But, curiosity does not operate alone. Perhaps more important than the thread of curiosity itself, I realized that curiosity operates within the context of our beliefs (duh! blinding flash of the obvious!).

When those beliefs are centered in gratitude and love, curiosity calls forth the commitment and courage necessary for us to step into action. While curiosity and love may not clear every obstacle (what fun would that be anyway?), with loving curiosity, obstacles become mere challenges and opportunities along the way.

With loving curiosity, we can embrace our childlike nature, knowing without a doubt that we are indeed children of the universe, and despite appearances to the contrary, a benevolent universe that is unfolding just as it should.

The Heart Rock Collection Grows!

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!

Cycles, Symbols, & Letting Go

Love, Light & Treats - Honoring My ‘Ol Buddy, Ol Pal’ Luke

Cycles produce constant change. Gregge Tiffen (The Language of a Mystic: Cycles  – August, 2009)

This 312th post marks the completion of the sixth annual cycle of sharing these weekly mystical musings, a ritual that is one of the great joys in my life.

This post also marks a new cycle: the first written without the gentle, patient physical presence of my beloved canine companion, Cool Hand Luke Skywalker Reinhardt.  Last Thursday afternoon CHLS rested his head on my lap one last time.

Nature is intimately partnered with us in this physical experience, and that is perhaps the greatest boon of our incarnate existence, as nature is directly connected to and informed by the Universe. … Some of our most endearing partners are our pets. … they are there waiting for us, ready to fulfill our desire to feel all-giving and unconditionally accepting energy. Isn’t that what love is all about? They accept our tears, soothe our angst, and make us laugh. … Animals are here as companions and stabilizers. Having a direct connection to the earth, they serve the important function of being able to ground and stabilize our energies by taking our excess energy and feeding it back into the earth. They – along with plants – absorb a lot of negative energy. As we nurture and care for them, they leave us calmer in the midst of our sometimes chaotic incarnate experience. … When they die, all elements of nature are returned to the nature pool, where their energy can be used for whatever needs to be generated.  Gregge Tiffen (Life in the World Hereafter: The Journey Continues)

In my almost nine years with Luke at my side (or leading the way on a trail through the woods), he demonstrated nature as Gregge describes it. He was (and IS!) one ‘helluva’ teacher.

Leading the Way - One Last Time

Like his human, Luke was private and stoic. When our vet discovered a large growth on his spleen in mid- May, he asked that I share the news sparingly. I honored his request, sharing only with a few close friends (“No mopers!” he directed.) and subtly suggesting that I was facing a ‘personal challenge’ in some recent posts.

Committed to knowing and honoring what Luke wanted, I reached out to Miranda Alcott, the Animal Communications Counselor and medical intuitive who helped us several years back.  (https://mirandaalcott.com/).  Agreeing with our vet’s recommendation, Luke didn’t want to fight with surgery or aggressive treatment. He needed relief, and was open to ‘seeing how alternative treatment would help.’  The protocol was effective, easing his discomfort and increasing his energy. We were blessed to have two and a half months to walk daily, take a few short hikes, play, laugh, and hang out. 

During that time, Luke let me know that maintaining dignity was important to him. Both Miranda and our vet suggested that he would likely ask for help leaving his body before it seemed like the ‘right’ time (little did I know that this is common in dogs, a sign that we humans often miss in our quest to cling for life).  As best I could, I prepared to ‘hear’ and to honor the request when he made it. I was as ready as I could be when he asked to move on to the adventures in the nature pool across the rainbow bridge. Summoning all the conviction and courage I could muster, I wanted to show my love by letting go.  

Nature’s beauty is infinite, but the trail is empty without CHLS.

Symbols serve as a true roadmap to assist us in getting through life with the minimum amount of difficulty and upset. Gregge Tiffen (Do The Angels Take a Vacation? – August, 2007)

Although my heart is heavy, I’m filled with love, peace, joy, and gratitude for the love, lessons, and laughter that we shared in our all too short (at least for me), yet divinely perfect, time together.  And, although this cycle is complete, Luke’s lessons and gifts live on.

After our final ‘goodbye old buddy, old pal’, the dear friend who accompanied us on that final journey and I decided that we needed to eat and ground ourselves for the hour drive back home. We went to a burger stand nearby, ordered burgers, and chose a remote picnic table. As I approached, I noticed something lying on the table and, when I arrived, I found a heart-shaped rock at the place where I planned to sit. LOVE lives! The table was damp, and we blotted it with a paper towel. When we turned it over, we found the image of a paw print. LOVE lives!

Parting is sweet and sacred. Luke is free from pain. And, I’m free from the worry and anticipation of saying goodbye.  The cycle of physical presence is complete. Yet, my learning from Luke continues since, in spirit, there is no end. LOVE lives!

Symbols - LOVE Lives!!!

Happy Solstice!

Summer is bursting into bloom!

Nature is intimately partnered with us in this physical experience, and that is perhaps the greatest boon of our incarnate existence, as nature is directly connected to and informed by the Universe. Gregge Tiffen (Life in the World Hereafter – The Journey Continues)

A cycle ends. Another begins. Here, north of the equator, spring gives way to the summer season at 9:54am Mountain Daylight Time tomorrow, Friday June 21.  At the same friends south of the equator will bid adieu to autumn and celebrate the Winter Solstice.

Nature, quiet and restful in winter, began her slow awakening in late spring here in the Rocky Mountains of southern Colorado. Right on time, she is now bursting forth toward full bloom. Bird songs and the buzz of hummingbirds fill my listening heart with joy and gratitude for our planet and for where I’ve landed on it. The roar of Cottonwood Creek, just past peak flow from the snow melt, and the howl of coyote add their voices to morning’s song.

The cycle we call summer begins. It is a time of action, activity: planning, planting, having fun. Projects that languished in winter find new energy and focus. New opportunities present themselves abundantly, offering outlets for our attention. How will we choose to expand, to learn, to grow?

Summer Solstice is a sacred time to remember our partnership with nature. It is a time when heaven and nature sing ‘joy to the world’, not with ‘chestnuts roasting on an open fire’, but with the clear voices of birds and beasts responding to the renewal that the cycle of summer brings. Bountiful blooms and with the burbling Cottonwood Creek add to the chorus of auditory and visual delights. It is a time to remember that cycles of life move with nature, and that nature knows nothing of the clocks and calendars of man’s world.

As I write this morning, a mere 24 hours of spring remain. Having experienced a couple weeks with more scheduled, timed events than are usual for me, I look forward to celebrating the longest day of the year quietly here in the woods, enjoying the warm of the sun and allowing the flow of the day to inform me whether to move or not.

My celebration begins unexpectedly when, midway through writing, I open the door to check on Luke. New sounds entered the soundscape: clip-clop, clip-clop, the clip-clop of a horse’s hooves and a sound that I can’t describe, yet I knew it was my neighbor’s buckboard coming up the road. As she passed, I hollered a cheerful ‘good morning!’, and she invited me for a short ride. I accepted the gift as a reminder of the flow that is present always, in all ways. An auspicious beginning!

As I do in December with its partner, the Winter Solstice, I will use the Summer Solstice to recalibrate, syncing myself to the new cycle: the light that nature, my intimate partner on this journey, brings forth right on time. I invite you to give yourself some quiet time in nature to do the same.  

Flow! An unexpected start to my Solstice celebration!