Voice Your Power

Sunrise over the Sangres

The use of your voice, in the simplest of conversations, activates an energy flow and an energy pattern.  Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: An Honest Performance – June, 2011)

This week I experienced a profound energy shift. When I looked back at the experience, I noticed that the shift seemed to have been activated by words I spoke in the quiet of the woods. 

I awoke the day of a scheduled appointment in a nearby town with a sense of ‘don’t go’ so strong that I couldn’t ignore it. The day before I’d had a touch of angst about going, but I set that aside (or perhaps I ignored it). I went through the litany of reasons not to cancel, including the probability that I’d pay for the appointment because I’d be cancelling so late. 

I thought of the many times in life I’ve ignored a strong pull to do or not do something, and the consequences of my ignorance. I decided that as soon as the office opened, I’d call and cancel anyway.

Decision made, Luke and I set out for our morning walk.  After a beautiful long walk in the cool morning and enjoying the sun as it rose over the mountains. As we often do, we ended our walk at the labyrinth. When I reach the center each visit, I acknowledge and give gratitude to the six directions and what I see as I turn my attention to each: the mountains of the east, the tree of the south, the valley to the west, the forest of the north, the vast sky above, the solid earth below. I did just that and felt the lightness and joy that a labyrinth walk brings as I walked the circles back to the beginning.

And, as it generally does, that lightness and peace was a part of me as we came in for breakfast.  As I began to think about the day, now a blank slate since I was cancelling the appointment, I noticed that the energy had shifted.  I felt drawn to keep the appointment, run the other errands that I do when I go to this particular town, and treat myself to lunch by the river.  I took a few breaths and checked in to be sure.  None of the foreboding sense of ‘don’t go’ remained.  I moved onward into the day as planned, one that turned out to be quite pleasant and an easy flow.

I can’t prove or perhaps even know for certain that my voice in the woods initiated the shift. But, it certainly seems that way to me. That is just how powerful we are!

I’m reminded to be mindful in all the words I speak, whether to the woods or to another or even to myself.  When I’m truly honest with me and look at results and patterns that are not as much to my liking as the day above, I can find clues in words spoken without that care.  And, that’s a story for another day.

Luke sporting his 'summer cut' at our favorite spot on Cottonwood Creek.

Learning Is Your Power

Early morning haze as the sun rises to shine on Blanca

The more we empower other people or conditions, the less we use the invested power in ourselves and the less we understand about what we have available. Gregge Tiffen (Pleasure Is Short, Wisdom Is Infinite – May, 2008)

You do know, don’t you, that the Universe invested tremendous power in YOU?  It invests that power in each of us, forever and ever. Amen.

We live in a world though that would have us forget this truth. We interact with other people and with systems in such a way that we come to depend on them. When we lose our awareness that conditions as experience are here for our learning, we give our power away.

I write this blog with pen and paper. In order for my words to get to you, I rely on a computer, an internet connection, and more technology services than I can understand. A glitch happens somewhere along the way. I learn to work around it and, along the way, have the opportunity to manage my temper.

Deep within, often outside of my awareness, I trust that the message will get through. If it doesn’t, I trust that as well. Unless I empower them, the ‘glitches’ take nothing from me or from my power. Each week I intend to offer something of value from my experience. You determine what that is for you.  Independent of you, I determine whether I am satisfied. (That said, I love your feedback and comments!)

As I look out to the world beyond me, I wonder if the angst and anger visible in our world isn’t a result of investing this power we were given by the Universe outside of ourselves rather than in our own learning to use that power?

We know much (or we wouldn’t be granted the gift of being on this planet at this time).  Yet, we are each here to add to what we know by applying our knowledge in new ways and learning from the experience.

Stop for a moment. What is your greatest challenge right now? Where are you in relation to that challenge? How much of your energy is invested in thoughts like ‘if they would …’ or ‘if only it …’?  How much of your energy is invested in you with thoughts such as ‘what if I tried …’ and ‘what can I learn from this’?

What if we asked these questions from a place of faith that all things are working together for our highest learning?

My truth is that there are no guarantees. Yet when I approach my life’s events from this place of learning (no matter how long it may take me to get here!), I always (and in all ways) come out ahead, even when the apparent outcome may not be to my preference or my liking.

This week I invite you to notice where you are investing your power.  And, if your investment is outside of you, to gently question, experiment and discover the power of learning in (re)claiming your power.

On behalf of the forest, a tree greets the morning sun.

The Gifts of Restraint

No problem is without a solution, and no problem exists that did not exist as an ‘unproblem’ before it became a problem. Every knot was once a straight rope, and no knot unties itself. Gregge Tiffen (Pleasure is Short, Wisdom is Infinite – May, 2008)

The post could be subtitled ‘From Insight to Experience (or Challenge)’. After sharing last week’s insight (http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/healthy-thinking) about energy wasted and the health impacts of a particular habit of my mind, I challenged myself to laugh each time I noticed I was engaging in the habit. For a few days, I laughed a lot!

Then, slowly, subtly something began to shift. My attention was much more focused on what was in front of me. My thoughts were clearer, my awareness seemed sharper, and I experienced a lessening of the physical symptoms I’ve been addressing.  I was beginning to end a habit of thought that didn’t serve me. Or, was everything just calm with no external events to catalyze my habitual reaction?  Several days of snow, rain, and cold blessed me with the opportunity to read, rest, snuggle in by the fire (and Cool Hand Luke, of course), and to disconnect from the world. Nice!

Soon, the sun came out and I plugged back in. My inbox revealed an email that is just the sort of stimulus to trigger that old reactive habit. Step One: fire off a quick, snarky response. Step Two: play the endless feedback loop of ‘how dare you’ to keep myself riled up and ready to battle.

But this day I stopped. I made different choices. Yes, I was disturbed by the other person’s action. No, I would not engage in my old habits. I would stop. I would restrain from letting my fingers fly across the keyboard in reaction. I would not allow the situation to take over my thoughts unless and until I could think about it clearly and with the intent to resolve. 

This approach did not require that I ignore or avoid the situation. Indeed it created the spaciousness to allow it to unfold, to discover others who shared my view, and to engage in positive conversation about moving forward with them. When not engaged in that way or in my own personal review, I was able to invoke the discipline to set the issue aside and to be mindful that restraint was/is a choice. 

Within a couple days, a way forward emerged through the actions of the person who sent the original email. Others had expressed their concern in their ways, powerfully, gracefully, and with clarity. The way is being shown.

Restraint is a muscle for me to develop further. In these intense times where there seems so little, perhaps restraint is a gift for us to all develop in our ways at our pace. So much learning; so many gifts!

Thank you ‘Restraint’ for ease, grace, peace, possibility, growth, and personal satisfaction (just to name a few!).

Awake. Now What?

Tashi Gomang Stupa right here in the Sangre de Cristos

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s settled. And…

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

Our canine friends rest in the cool shade ...

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

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

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

Be The Cause

Daily walks are a bit different here ...

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

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

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

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

And, then I bring my reflections to me.

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

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

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

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

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

Luke's 'cousins' Bonner & Gilley

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

Three Dogs Night (& Day)

Our Neighborhood Away From Home

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

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

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

Charlie Brown Watches Over Our Neighborhood

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

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

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

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

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

Let's be more like this!

March Mantra

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our home away from home in March.

Life: The Great Experiment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Morning Walk Starts Another Beautiful Day!

To Infinity And Beyond

Portal to Infinity ... and Beyond!

The worst part of this Universal infinity concept is that as we grow up we lose the reality of infinity.  Gregge Tiffen (The Journey Continues: Communication With the Living – February, 2010)

To infinity and beyond! Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story)

Shoveling snow this week brought me to reflect on infinity. Although there is a finite number of snowflakes, that number is so huge that it stretches my mind to think about it.  I’m further stretched to consider that, like we humans each with our unique fingerprints and DNA, each snowflake has its own unique design.  

I really wonder how many snowflakes there are ...

Consider that, as in all of nature, the life essence of the snowflake is infinite. It has been and will always be. Forever.  The snowflake changes form and loses its identity as a unique snowflake. Then, it is no longer part of a beautiful snow landscape. Perhaps it melted and is flowing into a stream that will carry it the ocean or to an underground aquifer. Or, maybe it evaporated and will return to earth as another form of moisture.  That vastness and the cycles that reflect nature on our planet give me just a little glimpse of what infinity is.

The thing about infinity though is that, by definition, it can’t be defined. To define is to limit. And infinity has no limits.  That’s hard to fathom in a world structured to limit and control.

It may seem unimportant to consider infinity, but in reflecting this week, I found myself drawn to that place within that is Universal infinity, a place of peace and of remembering that I am an infinite being blessed with infinite possibility.  I had no beginning.  I have no end.  Simply, I AM. 

And, so are we all.

Take that in for a moment. Let it land deeply in your cells. They know this truth.  Savor it.

Then, file this recipe away for a time when you are stressed or feel stuck with no choices that seem good or right.  Let it remind you that in this infinite Universe there is always another way. That is the reality of infinity.

Nature's beauty is infinite

Disagreeing Without Being Disagreeable

Teachers at work. The boys at play. "No! I want the stick!"

Whether we are willing to admit it to ourselves or not, isn’t a disagreement actually about questioning how someone else could be so ignorant, uniformed, inexperienced or naïve to see something different than we do?  Patrece on behalf of P-Systems, an independent 501(c-3) non-profit corporation (PS 52 The New Experiment, Series 8, Week 18)

Bingo!  I’ve been sitting with a question about relationships: wondering how it is that I (and we humans) bristle in reaction to a particular behavior from one person, but hardly notice that same behavior in another.  Why am I disagreeable in reacting to Sally and more gracious toward Judy when each has done basically the same thing?  More importantly, how can I do/be the later; that is, disagree without being disagreeable?

This seems to be an important distinction and behavior to master.  I certainly see how it can positively impact my life, not to mention those whose paths I cross.  I doubt that anyone enjoys being treated ungraciously. I don’t. And yet, I sometimes lash out with harsh words or a harsh tone.  This is followed by a sense of unease, dissatisfaction, and disappointment from me to me.

As I reflected on a recent situation in which I found myself being disagreeable, I remembered a similar experience a few weeks back with another person in which I didn’t find myself annoyed even though we each had different approaches. Throughout that experience, I was at ease and gracious, able to make requests and negotiate a way forward.  What, I wondered, is the difference?

Then, my weekly installment from Patrece at P-Systems landed in my in-box (divine right timing, yes!).   When I read the quote above, I began to understand.  

When I engage in a disagreement from the perspective that the other is not as smart, informed, or experienced as me, then the respect needed to disagree graciously is missing.  It’s humbling to be reminded that we each experience life in our own unique ways. Each of us has past and present challenges that form our unique way of navigating life. We mesh well with some folks, not so much with others. With each and every one, “a little RESPECT” (thank you Aretha!) goes a long way.

Looking beyond our own small circles of life, we see examples daily in the conduct of public life and running for public office (and that, perhaps, is a topic for another day).  Imagine what a dash of sincere respect could bring to that arena.

R E S P E C T, the missing ingredient in disagreeing without being disagreeable

The labyrinth ... a place for quiet reflection and peace.