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!

The Power of Our Thoughts

His Holiness, The XIV Dalai Lama

The history of humanity is, in some respects, the history of [human] understanding. Historical events, wars, progress, tragedies, and so on, all of these reflect the negative and positive thoughts of [humankind]. All the great personalities of history, the liberators, the great thinkers, all such people reflect positive thinking, whereas tragic events, tyranny, and terrible wars have resulted from negative thinking. Therefore the only thing that is really worthwhile is to increase the power and influence of positive thinking and to reduce the occurrence of negative thinking. If you let anger and hatred run loose, you are lost. And no sensible human being wants to be lost.  Tenzin Gyatso, The XIV Dalai Lama

Seventy years ago this day my consciousness accepted this vehicle to navigate life on planet earth. What a journey it’s been. What a journey it continues to be! What a journey it is in this moment!

Just over six and a half years ago (346 weeks, but who’s counting?) I began this weekly practice of sharing ideas, musings, challenges and such. I’ve written, though not published/shared, throughout the decades of my professional life, especially my almost 30 years as a coach. 

I share this to provide a context for the essence of today’s message, which was written almost two decades ago on September 13, 2001 when our country was gripped in shock, fear and grief as a result of the events two days earlier.  I can imagine that similar fear swept the country in the wake of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and in the depths of the Great Depression as well as other tragic events.  I find myself longing for leaders that utter positive words of conviction as Franklin D. Roosevelt did in his first inaugural address:  So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. (emphasis mine!)

Yet as I look deeply at my longing, I realize that I have a responsibility to go within. To find my own conviction, and to act from that alone as, like each of you, we navigate multiple new terrains. The Dalai Lama’s words above strengthen my belief in the power of our thoughts as the starting point that sets direction.

His wisdom echoes the message that I wrote just after 9/11. It’s title: Most Important Now is What We Think. Here’s what I said then and what I believe even more strongly today:

Our strength as a nation and as a worldwide community lies in our beliefs. Each of us contributes our individual thoughts to that belief. While governments will take the actions deemed appropriate and necessary, our individual thoughts are part of the collective consciousness that will set the direction. We will move either deeper into hatred and anger or out of conflict and into peace. Each of us has the opportunity by our thoughts and intentions to bring light into this darkness. By our thoughts we each have a role, a responsibility, to determine whether the responsive actions that are certain to come lead to a world of hope, peace and freedom or to revenge which fosters more hatred.

As individuals, our greatest challenge today and in the days ahead is to wake up, to become aware of and to choose our thoughts carefully. We need courage, stamina and time to go beyond our reactive anger and to explore what we believe, what we want for our country and for the greater global community of mankind of which we are a part.

How can you meet this challenge? First, don't get sucked into the drama and repetition of media reports. Take from the media information that you need to make intelligent decisions for yourself, your family, your business. Then turn the media off. Don't let anything outside of you determine how or what you will think. Give yourself time to be clear about your beliefs and your thoughts. Take time to go beyond your anger and the desire for revenge. Take time to go beyond even your thoughts and prayers of comfort to those most directly impacted by the events. Take time to have bold, courageous, clear thoughts about the good that may follow.

Each thought you think is a powerful thing. Today more than ever in recent history, is a time to become aware of that reality and to take responsibility for thinking thoughts that contribute to the peaceful world we all desire. The collective thoughts of all of us will establish the direction of the future. What thoughts will you choose?

Our opportunity as we navigate the current pandemic is to find the information we need to make decisions on a daily basis without getting hooked into the media fear factory. That requires not denying when we feel afraid, but rather acknowledging and working with our fear until we can put it to rest. The choices that will serve us best, individually and collectively, are those flowing from positive thoughts grounded in love and care, not fear.

We can do this, my friends. Indeed, we must.

I gain strength from all of nature, especially these mountains

Spring! Awaken, Think Deeply, Pivot

Yield and step into the flow of nature.

Life seems to fail us because we do not make new space for ourselves. … life is a continuum of things being ‘broke’. Unless you are willing to take a new stance, walk a new path, find a new answer, develop a new character, build a new body, express in new terms, and see through new eyes, everything will remain the same. … Nature moves down two pathways. One assures equal balance on the planet. The other leads to a natural development and advancement of all living things.  Gregge Tiffen (It’s Springtime! Flow with the Power of Nature – March, 2007)

Spring! The earth spins and the season of new growth begins here in the northern hemisphere. Half of the globe is springing into newness and light. The other half ‘falling’ into the season of harvest with the darkness of winter just beyond.

But no matter the season, life has changed drastically for all of us. We have the power to decide how that change will emerge. As nature moves down her two pathways, balance and advancement, will we step into her flow, listen deeply to her voice, reflect on her cries, and pivot to create new ways to live on our precious planet?  Or, will we simply pause, rest, entertain ourselves in the hope that life will soon return to ‘normal’? Which will I choose?

Do we have the courage to challenge the thinking of scientific materialism that has taken us further and further from nature, our mother? Do I?

Are we willing to be honest with ourselves about the destruction we each cause in our daily participation in a culture that values science and the material world over spirit, not understanding that the two are not separate? Am I?

Might we examine the life we call ‘normal’ knowing (even complaining about) the stresses that it creates in our bodies, our relationships, and all of life? Might I?

Our children who haven’t yet lost their connection to nature are asking and, rightfully, demanding. From Greta Thunberg, to the Sunrise Movement (www.sunrisemovement.org), to your own children and grandchildren as voiced by this young person’s question to ‘mom’ over breakfast posted by a colleague yesterday on Facebook:

Mom, we’re doing our part and staying home from school, not seeing our friends, not going outside. We are doing this even though Coronavirus won’t kill us. We’re doing this to help the adults and the older people to live longer and healthier lives. So, when this is all over, will they repay us by making changes to save the environment? So that we will be able to live longer, healthier lives when we are their age?
Because, you know, that seems fair to me.

How will we respond? How will I?

Will we simply hit the ‘play’ button when this pause is over and scramble to return to life as it was or as close to that as we can make it? Or will we use this time to think deeply and pivot to creating a culture and systems that recognize and use both spirit and science/material things, that honor the ways of nature and acknowledges that we will not control her?  Will we boldly demand a culture and systems that respect ALL life?

As I watch the snow fall in the woods out my window my heart knows that these are questions. And, as history has shown us time after time, a ‘war’ on the problem is not the answer.

Use this time wisely. Rest. Take extraordinary care of yourself and those you love. Hold those whose choices you loath in light and love for they too are on a journey of learning just as each of us. Muster the courage and willingness to think deeply and honestly about your life. Build upon that courage to pivot to walk through life anew.    

The calendar says ‘Spring’. Mother Nature says ‘not yet’.

Revealing Habits

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

As we value experiences above things, we get more conscious and more open to more profound and more complex experiences. Nisha J. Manek, M.D. (Bridging Science and Spirit: The Genius of William A. Tiller’s Physics and the Promise of Information Medicine)

Now is the time to take the corrective measures to break out of old habit patterns. Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: Revealing Habits – February, 2011)

An experience this week and the awareness that it presented reminded me of just how much our habits are like the water a fish swims in. Like that water, many – perhaps most – of our habits are transparent to us, operating as our navigation system through daily life. Generated over lifetimes of experiences, our habits are hidden drivers on this sojourn.

Without awareness, habits rule. With awareness, we create choice.

Sadly, in our culture today we’ve adopted habits that are anchored in fear. As I discovered for myself this week, we probably don’t need to look beyond our front door, to identify habits generated from fear. Collectively beyond our door, fear drives chaos and divisiveness in the world. Perhaps it’s time to assess our habits, at least some of them. Perhaps it’s time to anchor them in qualities of the Universe, like love, peace, light rather than in the fear that has us seek to control that which is uncontrollable.

This muse emerged from a conversation last week, in which, a friend shared an experience she had while having her vision checked. When she was choosing the ‘better’ of two choices, she realized that while one choice offered clearer vision, the other choice ‘felt’ better. Hmmm…

I loved the awareness that she brought to the ‘exam’ (the doc was blown away too!). As I reflected on her ‘how does it feel’ distinction, I realized that a part of my current self-care/health maintenance simply didn’t feel right. Taking my extensive array of vitamins and supplements, all of which make perfect rational sense given my age, etc. etc., no longer felt good to me. And, it hadn’t for some time.

Upon reflection, I saw that this aspect of self-care had become an unconscious habit of gulping down pills with little awareness, other than perhaps a touch of annoyance that I ‘had to’ take so many. Ouch!

I’d lost the clarity of my intention – to maintain excellent health and vibrant energy. I didn’t prepare/organize or swallow with any intention in my awareness other than to ‘get it done’. Rather, I gulped them down hoping that I won’t become ill. I was acting in a habitual pattern of fear without awareness. Little wonder that taking them didn’t feel right or good!

And so, I stopped. No vitamins. No supplements other than nourishing Chinese herb formulas that have ‘felt’ right since I started using them several years ago and infoceuticals to support my biofield. I’m giving my body a rest. Feeding it clean, nourishing food. Being clear and intentional about and grateful for EVERYthing that crosses my lips. Then, in time, with strong intention grounded in love not fear, and using the intelligence of my body’s wisdom as a guide, I’ll re-evaluate and give this body what it seems to need.

In the meantime, I’m curious to look more deeply at my habits – habits of action (and inaction), habits of thought – to examine how they ‘feel’. Are they ‘right’ for me in each moment? Are they anchored in love, peace, light, power (not force or control), beauty, harmony, abundance? Or are they habits of fear to give the illusion of keeping a dangerous world at bay? Stay tuned. More habits may be revealed. Better yet, take some time to notice and be at choice about your own. 

A Colorado Blue Sky Day!

Me, You & The Times We Live In

Clouds Obscure the Beauty of the Peaks … What might be clouding beauty in your world today?

The psychology of the individual is reflected in the psychology of the nation. … Only a change in attitude of the individual can initiate a change in the psychology of the nation. Carl Jung (This Nonviolent Life: Daily Inspiration for Your Nonviolent Journey – February 11, 2020)

The Universe sees in you the harmonious co-operation as one of Its parts to the whole. … The Universe loves you enough to agree to your request to be here now. Gregge Tiffen (Fanned Fire and Forced Love Never Did Well – February, 2008)

There are times in life when I’m challenged to not loose heart, faith and to maintain perspective beyond whatever event I find myself experiencing or observing.  I’m guessing you too have experienced such times. I’m guessing as you look out at the world and bear witness to anger, greed, fear, and violence this may be one of those times.

In addition to what we observe in the world, events in our personal lives may throw us into doubt and fear. Events, both personal and global, are the stuff life is made of, ingredients of the learning opportunities we are gifted with on our journey.

Today, much is being said across all forms of media and around kitchen tables over cups of tea (or glasses of something stronger!) about this time in history. Many wring their hands and bemoan what they are witnessing. Others engage in various forms of activism. Some are victims. Others are perpetrators. Some feel outrage. Others are gleeful at the power they wield. Many are fearful of what’s to come in their personal lives and in the greater collective.

Jung’s quote reminded me of this as I found myself reacting to current events here in the United States. Our society, our country are reflections of us.

I think about this often when I observe events in the world beyond my quiet woods. I’m curious to observe my own thoughts which run the gamut from instinctive, angry reaction to a deep sense of peace that ‘this too shall pass’ (though I don’t believe this means that things will return to ‘normal’ or go back to some imagined ‘better time’). Life is after all an onward proposition.

I aim to quickly move through my reactions and look at events that perturb me from a higher perspective. I don’t want to contribute to the fear, anger and chaos that seem to reign in much of the media. We need quiet (and, yes, not so quiet) voices of understanding and peace.

As systems break down, we need to weave the fabric of new ones: systems that honor the truth that we are all one and that how each of us thinks, speaks and acts matters to the whole. Before we can weave, we must discover for ourselves threads of love and understanding, of connectedness. We must understand that we are separate parts of a whole that needs our highest and best – moment by moment, day by day. That is how change manifests: from inside each and every one of us to the highest and best expressions of ourselves in the world. This is our work first and foremost.

In a world and in times with demands and distractions from all directions, our work is not easy. It requires discipline, self-care (indeed our work is a form of self-care), commitment, and conviction. We are part of a greater whole that needs us to be our best selves. Our thoughts matter as much, perhaps more, than the words and deeds that follow.

It seems to me that this is important learning in and for these times. The school bus awaits. Will we climb aboard?

And after the clouds, clarity and beauty that was there all along.

Begin With a Promise

Snowy Day in the Woods Out Back

Each moment holds the power of promise for you to exert your individuality, to expand in wisdom and to reflect only good. Universal intelligence is always working. Begin with a promise to yourself that you will co-create with it. Gregge Tiffen (The Significance of Beginning – January, 2007)

And so it begins – a new year and a new decade as the calendar of man marches forward. It seems like only yesterday that we were concerned about how our computer operating systems would handle the start of a new millennium. That threshold crossed without the disruption many feared, it seemed we raced through the 21st century’s first decade and found ourselves curious – some even fearful – of what the auspicious year 2012 would bring. Now, in what seems like a flash, the second decade of the century is complete and its third is upon us.

While in our human concept time has speeded up, mother nature on our beloved planet moves at her pace: slow and harmonious even in the dramatic events she uses to rebalance and maintain the order that is her nature. It is ours as well, if we would but claim it.

Nature makes no resolutions that will inevitably be broken. She sets no goals and makes no demands. She simply IS and she simply does what is in the seeds of her design to do. She is a model of co-creating with Universal intelligence 24/7, day in, day out.

We too are always co-creating with the Universe. I was reminded of this by Rev. Dr. Margaret Stortz who wrote in Science of Mind Magazine’s daily guide for this date “… there is nothing that we think, do or create that is separate from divine action.” As I’ve written before, EVERYthing that I think, say and do is magnified by the Universe.  Making choices based with this conscious awareness is what I believe Gregge has in mind when he suggests that we promise to co-create with the Universe.

I’ve come to make this promise as each day begins.  Before I throw off the warm, cozy covers and my feet hit the floor, I put my hand on my heart and speak quietly this prayer: “Thank you for this day that is in front of me. May my every thought, word and deed this day come from my heart and be for my highest good and for the highest good of all concerned.”

In speaking the words aloud, I’m honoring that we live on a planet where sound initiates. I’m setting a clear intention for the context within which I aim to make the myriad of choices that the day will present. I’m declaring how I want to recognize and co-create with the Universal intelligence. It is my beginning again each day in the universal flow of energy, consciously directing the energy that flows to me through me in a positive manner.

Beginning this way supports me to “… reach down and pull out all of the wonder you have in that bag called ‘you’ and that you are using you to the fullest potential.” (Tiffen – The Significance of Beginning. ) It’s a promise to myself worthy of keeping as I navigate the opportunities that present themselves each day. What promise is your beginning each day?

An Icy Start to the Year

Pearls to Ponder

The Quiet of Snow Is Upon Us

We live in the midst of abundance, of universal space, and we receive abundance as a result of conviction in the universal Law of Life. The universal law of life is continuity. … ‘Abundance in the making’ is making new discoveries regarding that which already exists. Gregge Tiffen (Faith is Abundance in the Making – Winter Solstice, 2008)

This week finds me moving in several directions, all forward. I’m preparing to travel and writing this post in advance. I’m engaged in a project with a colleague – keeping it gently moving until we launch an intense focused effort and participating in a community meeting.

In the throes of this activity I’m also moving into the quiet, contemplative darkness of winter and looking ahead to the sacred Winter Solstice. While contemplation has become an important part of my daily life in all seasons, winter offers a magic that seems to deepen the meaning of what I discover. Winter brings a soft curiosity and encourages me to consider manifesting experiences where I will experiment applying those discoveries.

And, winter brings opportunities in the form of challenges. Winter weather can impact the best laid plan. I’m especially aware of that as a winter storm moves in, offering the opportunity to accept what is and relinquish any illusion of control I think I may have. Go with the flow! Allow things turn out as they will and trust that to be in divine perfection.

Doing so is most always easier said than done, especially when travelling.  If I allow them to, reservations and schedules for lodging and transportation become a mother lode of stress and restrict my sense of flexibility and ease. Likewise with plans made for gatherings with family and friends.

Navigating this snowy travel time, I’ve found support in some pearls of wisdom. I offer them for you to ponder as you enter what, for many, can be a hectic, demanding time. As we move deeper into winter, I invite you to give yourself the gift of time and energy for quiet contemplation to consider how you want to be with life.

… Nonetheless, we walk around constantly trying to control and determine what will happen next … No wonder there’s so much tension, anxiety and fear. Each of us actually believes that things should be the way we want them, instead of being the natural result of all the forces of creation. … There is so much evidence that life does quite well on its own. The planets stay in orbit, tiny seeds grow into giant trees … a single fertilized cell grows into a beautiful baby. … they are being done by the incomprehensible perfection of life itself. All these amazing events, and countless more, are being carried out by forces of life that have been around for billions of years – the very same forces that we are consciously pitting our will against on a daily basis. If the natural unfolding of the process of life can create and take care of the entire universe, is it really reasonable for us to assume that nothing good will happen unless we force it to?  Michael A. Singer (The Surrender Experiment – my journey into life’s perfection)

So what if road conditions prevent or delay my travel? So what if I don’t sleep in the hotel before my early morning flight? So what if I miss my flight?  So what if I feel guided to leave early and miss a gathering? Is it possible, dare I probable, that the Universe, wiser than I, has something better in store? How can I live more powerfully from that place?

Faith is conviction that relinquishing control is in your best interest. Trust is the act of conviction that faith will not harm you … that your consciousness is operating by universal direction. Gregge Tiffen (Faith is Abundance in the Making – Winter Solstice, 2008)

Winter Contemplation -Not Just for Humans - Luke December 2015

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

All Hallow's Eve: 2019 Edition

Grass cradles the season’s first snowfall

Life is an enormous power to be understood and used as energy. Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: Ancient Rituals – October, 2011)

Winter weather arrived with a flourish here in the Sangres yesterday. Several inches of snow fell (but not nearly as much as other parts of Colorado) and the temperature this morning fell to 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit. With a warming fire in the wood stove, I sense the time of turning more deeply inside fast approaching.

I wonder: what will be the dance between action, inter-action with the world and the quiet reflection that winter's darkness inspires in me? The time and my spirit long for each in their right and perfect balance. Of course, I can't know what that balance is without experimenting and observing. Too much quiet alone time? Adjust. Act. Interact. Too much activity? Stop.

That is the dance of winter. Indeed the dance of life. Living well is, after all, the most important task that lies before each and every one of us. (Gregge Tiffen – Life in the World Hereafter – The Journey Continues). Thought by thought, choice by choice, step by step we navigate life, defining, redefining, adjusting to live well whatever that means to us in this moment. We learn that the next moment will be different. We adjust or we strive for sameness. That is how we learn or how or how our spirit dies the slow the death of stagnation.

Recognizing the time of year upon us shifts my thoughts to rituals, particularly ancient ones. Once again, I’ve caught my falling leaf for luck (more about that ritual here - http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/catch-a-falling-leaf). On my walk yesterday, I missed Luke's physical presence. Oh how he loved to romp in the snow! That awareness turned my attention to rituals celebrating the connection between the incarnate and discarnate sides of life on our planet and those who have made the transition from their earthly incarnate form to a different format.

Not surprising. After all, it's Halloween. All Hallows’ Eve (http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/all-hallows-eve) was celebrated long before churches existed, and despite religious institutions’ objections, Day of the Dead continues to be celebrated in many forms worldwide. The 2017 award winning animated film Coco beautifully depicts the celebration and family conflicts about it in Mexico. The song ‘Remember Me’ is one of my favorites (you can hear it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iDxU9eNQ_0)

Coco and ‘Remember Me’ are reminders of Gregge Tiffen’s teaching that “Each of us is a living spirit. … When you’re dead, you’re not dead. You are very much alive.” In his informative, fun booklet Ancient Rituals Tiffen encourages us to take time to remember those who are no longer with us in their incarnate form and to know that “they are attached to the planet in a discarnate format.” In a world so fearful of death, the knowledge that I’m simply using this form, this body temporarily reminds me that each of us - you, me, and EVERY-one - is but a tiny drop in an infinite universe. And that each drop lives forever.

I find it helpful to remember and honor the connection of close family and friends who have made their transition to the discarnate. Tonight, I plan to do just that. Gregge suggests candles, fresh flowers, perhaps something symbolic of your connection, along with quiet time to reflect. He continues, “You’re meant to feel very comfortable about participating with the use of things that are special to you as a way to be in touch with life as you know it and death as you conjure it up to be in your mind, or as you know it from your own experience. Don’t be reluctant to participate.”

While Gregge puts his attention on the humans who have left us, I'll include Cool Hand Luke, who though absent in physical form, is ever present in spirit. And, as I sometimes do, perhaps I'll pour a shot of bourbon for Marge, my beloved mom who left this life 40 years ago.

What about you? Will you take time remember and connect at this sacred time when the veil between this plane and the discarnate invites us to explore and discover the journey that continues?

A snowy days years back.

Good Metaphysics

Old Branches Dancing in the Juniper

It is not good metaphysics to get up in the morning and go to bed at night with the sense that it was a good day because nothing new upset your day. That is not life. That is not living. You want your day to be different. You want the challenges. Gregge Tiffen (The Language of a Mystic: Innovation – October, 2009)

I laughed out loud when I read the above words this morning while looking for a 'Gregge quote' to fit the message. This morning the message and words for this weekly muse came first, and I wondered whether I'd find something from Gregge to highlight it. Silly me! First booklet I picked up, page 2 – there it was! That's how I expect and want life to flow.

As I shared in last week's post [http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/in-the-flow-of-life] and as I'm experiencing this week, life doesn't always flow as we plan. Therein live the gems of life if we're willing to dig in the muck, clean and polish them.

While last week found me in the midst of deep grief from which powerful learning emerged, this week finds me in the midst of technology 'challenges' (to use the most 'po-light' word I can conjure up). This morning as I reflect on yesterday's events, I'm reminded of the vast array of benefits current technology offers. After all, I remember typewriters before they were electric!

At the same time, I'm aware of the dependencies I've allowed it to create as well as the distractions technology entices me with.

On this could, blustery winter morning, warmed by a fire in the wood stove, I wonder how I might manage a winter break from email, Facebook, texts, and Mahjong Solitaire? How would it be to declare a fast from technology for more than a day or two? What opportunities might I miss? And, what other opportunities might be discovered if I connected with others the 'old fashioned' way: my land line phone and face-to-face?

It's both refreshing and scary to consider. I'm struck by how dependent I am on 'going online' for information, to schedule meetings and calls, to pay bills and to connect with others.

Yet, in dealing with glitches after an operating system upgrade made necessary because my version will soon no longer be supported and in needing to explore options for a new cell phone since my carrier's network will not support my phone in a few weeks, I'm curious about simplifying rather than simply embracing the latest 'must-have' features and tools. How might I embrace both simplicity and technology? 'What way forward best serves me?' is the question that calls to me with much greater interest than 'how do I get these changes done and everything working again?'.

The questions aren't mutually exclusive, of course. And, that's the gift. I'm certain that I won't be abandoning technology, and I doubt that I'll even engage in a long winter's fast. But rather than following what the technology companies say I 'must' do or aiming to keep up with what clients and friends expect, I'm going to pause, get clarity on what I truly need. Then I'll choose those options that best serve me.

Perhaps taking time to reflect on and make choices aligned with our highest and best is what's needed in these chaotic times with so much input from outside of us regarding what we 'should' and 'must' do. And, that's a muse for another day.

It’s a Beautiful Afternoon … taking a break from technology and stepping into nature