Facing Fear, Exercising Will

From a distance of 12 miles or so, the fire looks like an afternoon rainstorm. It's not.

There can be no exercise of will when there is fear. Fear traps you …  If you ignore your fear there is no way for you to activate your will … You cannot afford to go through life fear oriented. You will not be in control of yourself and your life. …You operate beyond negativity when you are in control of you and not attempting to control conditions. Gregge Tiffen (The Language of a Mystic: Awareness – July, 2009)

I’m in the midst of facing a long running, perhaps life-long, fear at a new deeper level: fire and possibility of my home being destroyed as a result.  I’m prepared to take any action required as events warrant (and I’ve kept a ‘go kit’ and prep lists at the ready for several years). But this week I experienced a lack of readiness to exercise my will to be calm and positive. I found myself on the edge of a feeding frenzy of fear, and I don’t want to step over the edge or into the frenzy. Yet, I know that our safety requires keeping informed and being vigilant. Let the dance with self begin.

I needed to step back, breathe, and look within. I needed to face the fear beyond the level of physical preparation. I needed to remember who I am and what I believe. Beyond remembering the crippling and negative impact of fear, I needed to remember consciousness, that part of me beyond the physical.

We live in an ocean of consciousness that is boundless. All things in the ocean have available to them the same things. All of love, happiness, and freedom are available in the ocean of consciousness. … Your consciousness is connected to the Universe is the Universe! G.Tiffen

Beyond remembering, I now need to let that knowing sink into my being. Simply being present to my own senses and keeping abreast of relevant information about the nearby Spring Fire is providing daily practice in doing just that.

We’re not in any immediate danger. As the crow flies, the fire that has raged for eight days and as of yesterday has burned over 95,000 acres is 30-40 miles away. But pillars of smoke are visible daily just beyond the mountains to the south. This morning there is a thick haze over the peaks here. Peaks to the south and west are totally obscured. Overnight I heard doors and windows rattle as strong winds blew smoke into our community. I smell the smoke, and I feel the heaviness when I step outside. At times this week, I’ve tasted fear – my own and the fear I witness in others.

My senses remind me to be observant and to tap into the energy flow of consciousness, directing my own energy to operate naturally and easily no matter what – that’s a full time job in itself.

In the midst of readiness and awareness, this seems to be a time for extra kindness to myself and others, for listening, and for responding to opportunities to serve. It’s also a time to imagine gentle rains falling on the parched earth, protecting, healing and nourishing our planet and all life.

A river respite along the Rio Grande, 30 or so miles from the fire.

Independence Requires Letting Go Of Dependency

The Freedom to Be Tree

Dependency is a basic violation of Universal law. The Universe operates on independence. The Universe operates on individuality. It operates on separation in every shape and form. … The minute you become dependent upon anyone in any way you no longer have any power to move forward in your own pattern, in your own blueprint, and on your own behalf. You come to a halt. Gregge Tiffen (Finding Freedom: The Meaning of Independence, July, 2007)

… we and we alone are the authors of our own freedom.

Reflect on Gregge’s quote for a few moments. You may discover a key to why you sometimes feel stuck, frustrated, or impotent. You may discover a deeper source of the pervasive angst in society. If you dig deep enough, you may discover as I have that breaking the bonds of dependence requires vigilance, courage, and commitment. Freedom isn’t a free ride. It’s not for the faint-hearted. Yet, it is your divine birthright.

Another Independence Day is approaching here in the United States, the 242th since a small band of visionary revolutionaries, some of whom had deep mystical understanding, declared independence and set a course for a new nation.  As we make plans to celebrate once again, I wonder if we/I really know what freedom is. Do we/I know the importance of exercising our independence? Do we/I even know how?

As I observe the political landscape, I see and hear demands for freedom. Fear that someone who is ‘different from me’ will take our freedom away is rampant.  It seems we’ve lost our understanding that the source of freedom and independence is not man or government. Rather, freedom is our gift from the Universe. Independence is Universal law.  Dependence is a violation of that law.

And yet we’ve created and continue to support dependence in our systems of government, education, business, as well as in our personal relationships. We give life to these systems and to other people when we depend on them as our source. We’ve become dependent on jobs, clients, government agencies and circumstances for our happiness and our well-being. We expect others to ‘be there’ for us, and we may be dependent on them needing us as well.  In doing so, we abdicate our freedom, our power to choose, and to express our authentic selves.

It’s no wonder that the level of frustration, angst, and fear has reached revolutionary proportions. We aren’t being true to our nature. We desperately want to find our way back. So we revolt. Many lash out at the ‘powers that be’ as if they are the source. Others wisely recognize that change starts within and that individual responsibility is key to the exercise of freedom.

A first step in taking responsibility is recognition that the tyranny of dependence is in part self-imposed. From that awareness we are in a position to declare our own, personal independence and begin to ‘unlearn’ dependence. This unlearning requires courage, awareness, commitment, self-honesty, and trust. It is not a project, but rather a life-long process.

We restore our independence by identifying dependencies we’ve allowed to creep in: awareness by awareness, step by step, choice by choice. We learn from experience and commitment that our independence is mostly an inside job, made more challenging in a culture that fosters dependence as a means to control.  Yet, in the final analysis we and we alone are the authors of our own freedom.

NOTE – this post was originally written and posted on 7-7-2016.  With a bit of refreshing, it still seems apropos today as I reflect on the sad state of governance and on our misunderstanding of the true source of our independence. http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/breaking-the-chains-of-dependence

Thanks for Letting Me Roam Free on Our Walks Mom.

Of Pests, Painting, Patience, and Peace

'Patience Coach', Cool Hand Luke Skywalker watches over Mom as she prepares to paint.

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves. … We cannot overcome anger and hatred simply by suppressing them. We need to actively cultivate the antidotes: patience and tolerance.  Dalai Lama

The more we practice patience, the greater our experience of the peace that follows.

So, remember the ants [click here if you missed last week’s post -- http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/the-open-door-of-missed-opportunity]?

They’re still here. Despite negotiations, pleading, and non-lethal ‘strong arm tactics’ (they don’t like peppermint) to force them to relocate, the mound is still active. They no longer have trails toward the house. Perhaps that’s a sign that their activity is focused on moving (hopefully far away). 

But alas, another pest has surfaced here at home.  I discovered evidence of a mouse in the house this week. Respectful of the hantavirus mice carry and its presence in our valley, I reluctantly set traps. Not the catch and release variety.

Pesky pests. I struggle knowing that any violence I perpetrate against myself or another living creature contributes to the culture of cruelty and violence on the planet. And, these days that culture needs no additional contributions.

As atrocious acts of violence and cruelty are being ordered and carried out right here in the United States and around the globe, the main course that’s needed is patience and peace. To that menu we need to add generous sides of understanding, compassion, kindness, and love.

I wonder: if I can’t be patient and co-exist with pesky pests, how can I expect others to make peace with those whose differences surfaces fear that can only be extinguished with love?  Indeed how can I make peace with others whose views differ from my own?  How do we get beyond the zero sum, win-lose approach to life?

Patience is key.  This week my ‘Patience Coach’, Cool Hand Luke Skywalker has his hands full. Beyond the pests, a few other pesky events this week are reminding me of the prayer: “Lord grant me patience, but please hurry”. Preparing to paint the garage trim, I discovered the masking tape preferred not to stick to the stucco. High winds didn’t help. Last night, wanting to wind down and relax with a video, the site I preferred to watch wasn’t working. Ugh!

On one level these little events pale in magnitude to the ‘big issues’ confronting humanity. But do they really? I’ve suggested before that there is no small thing in life. How we respond the seemingly inconsequential events in life is, indeed, consequential: cause and effect. Patience begets understanding, tolerance, peace. The more we practice patience, the greater our experience of the peace that follows.

If we truly understood and accepted this law our choices and actions would likely be very different.

How might I cultivate patience with the ants, with a mouse, with myself?  In those places where your patience is lacking, how might you?

PS - HAPPY SOLSTICE - Summer in the northern hemisphere, Winter in the south! 

Not Quite Solstice Sunrise Over the Sangres

The Open Door of Missed Opportunity

Here Comes The Sun ... Sunrise in the Sangres

You contribute to the situation by what you say. Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: An Honest Performance – June, 2011)

There is no small thing in life. Antsand their hills hold the potential to teach us how to climb life’s mountains, including the peak of creating peace in our world.

In our world that needs all the kindness and compassion we can muster, I missed an opportunity to be compassionate yesterday. Although I’m not beating myself up, I’m aware that an opportunity to be more of who I am is a terrible thing to waste. In noticing the miss, the door to greater awareness opened.

In hindsight I observed that when I’ve made a decision and am on a mission, I loose awareness of all else (focus is good and, like everything, has its shadow). That’s especially true, I discovered, if my decision is at odds which what I value. In this case ‘non-violence and honoring all life’ is what I say I value.

Yet, my mission was to purchase a ‘natural’ product to destroy a colony of ants. On some level, I set aside the fact that I wanted to kill, and I rationalized that using a commercial chemical formula was worse than my ‘natural’ approach. In my heart – the heart I ignored – I know that is false. Killing is killing regardless of method.

Negotiation so far had failed (Yes! I talked to the ants) but my missed opportunity suggested to me that perhaps I’d given up too soon (or perhaps my ant-speak needed to be clearer). Why are the ants an issue? I don’t want to experience the pain of another bite (they aren’t called ‘fire’ ants for nothing). I want Luke to enjoy his favorite outdoor napping spots without being attacked. And, I want the same for all my visiting two- and four-legged friends. But is killing the only answer?

As I write this, I’m aware of my ants as metaphor for viewing others whom we fear as ‘pests’ that need to be controlled. We try to dominate or conquer that which is different from us and those who we don’t understand. Oh life’s ‘little’ challenges! They have so much to teach us if we dare to be aware. But, I digress from yesterday’s missed opportunity that opened the door to this awareness.

I’m grateful to the Buddhist nun whose presence while I was on my mission to the local market provided the gifts of this reflection and the missed opportunity for compassion. She too was on an ‘ant mission’, going for the same product as I. While I was navigating around her to grab a box and go, she was standing in the aisle thoughtfully inquiring whether the product would kill or just deter them. She was aiming for the later: harm no thing. I quickly shared that the information I had was that the product would kill them. My missed opportunity for compassion continued as I responded to her question about what would deter without death in a somewhat frustrated tone, “I don’t know” and walked away.

I didn’t like what my voice and its tone contributed to this encounter. In hindsight I see that I didn’t want to confront my internal conflict. Heck, I’d made up my mind, let me buy the box of Borax and get on with my mission. Oh what a different conversation we might have had if I’d been aware and willing to engage.

The missed opportunity though gave rise to a deeper insight, to a commitment to pause and go back to the drawing board of the internet for a non-lethal alternative, including reopening ‘negotiations’ with these industrious beings. That’s the gift of aiming to honor my values, of being willing and aware, and of taking time for quiet reflection.

There is indeed no small thing in life. As part of the natural world which has so much to share, ants symbolize industriousness, order, and discipline. ‘Why would I want to kill THAT?’ is perhaps a story for another day. For sure it has my attention.

Ants and their hills hold the potential to teach us how to climb life’s mountains, including the peak of creating peace in our world.

Sunset on a Smokey Day in the Valley

Consistency Need Not Be Repetition

Sunrises on Another Beautiful Day in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

The Universe works on consistency. Gregge Tiffen (The Language of a Mystic: Change – May, 2009)

Consistent awareness brings living to life.

I’ve been thinking about consistency (and what I’d judged as my lack thereof) in terms of daily focus and action toward developing my next work in the world.  I’ve noticed resistance to getting into my office at a certain time each day, distractions and being pulled toward other activities (mostly ones that keep me outdoors in the beautiful mountain air – longer walks with Cool Hand Luke, working with and caring for plants that wintered indoors and new ones with their promise of tomatoes and pesto later in the season). And, I have a long list of other projects around the house. After all, my home is my castle.

Unlike my ‘work’ (which when it forms won’t be work at all), these tasks are clearly defined step by step activities. My ‘work’ on the other hand is forming, so there’s no clear path or plan of action yet. I’m exploring, experimenting, curious. Wait! Or am I?

Exploring and curious are easy ‘yeses’. I’m reading more than ever, journaling, and seeking out an odd, diverse array of information. But, am I really experimenting?

In the sense that everything is an experiment, yes, I’m experimenting. But, in a more focused, intentional sense – ‘let me try this and see if/how it fits into my work’ – I’m not consistent in my action. Rather, I’m seeking, searching, (hoping?) that my next work will simply magically appear.

I’d like to write ‘but, it won’t. You need to do xyz every day for 30 days … (blah, blah, blah). That’s the formula for success.’ But the truth is (for better or not) I operate differently. I know that my ‘next work’ will appear, perhaps it already has appeared, but in a form that I’m not yet prepared to embrace. Hmmm … that’s an interesting possibility. But, I digress from ‘consistency’, the topic at hand.

Beyond being pulled in other directions, I’ve held a concern that consistency breeds habit, habit breeds routine, and routine turns a blind eye to awareness. As I write that idea, my experience says it’s not true (unless I allow it). For the most part, I’m consistent without losing my awareness in many domains: weekly writing and posting this muse on Thursday mornings, daily walks with Luke, my morning journaling and reading practice, daily tasks that shift with the seasons, and daily habits of self-care.

Consistency isn’t just ‘doing’ those things. Consistency rests in the ‘how’ I’m doing them. Am I engaging with awareness or not? Am I aware of how my fingers feel on the keyboard when I write? Do I see the subtle changes of light playing on the mountains during our sunrise walks? What am I hearing, and how is that affecting my attention?

When I’m not aware, I’m inviting routine, repetition, boredom. I’m alive, but I’m not experiencing life as only life can be experienced.

In 250 weeks of writing and sharing my muse, I’ve never experienced repetition even in the routine log-ins and clicks that get these words from here on my laptop out into the world. Frustration at times, yes; but boredom, never. Although I consistently hold Thursday mornings as ‘sacred’ to write the post, the writing unfolds in different locations here at the house and in different sequence to other morning activities. Some weeks it unfolds before our morning walk in my journaling time/place. Today, I write on the back deck in the cool morning air amidst buzzing hummers under a bright blue sky.

Each morning walk is filled with new experiences, even though most summer mornings we walk the same path. Today Luke’s alert nose picks up some interesting scent. I keep a watchful eye while he explores rather than demanding he come back. Sunbeams create a visual feast on the Sangres that changes day to day. Coyotes howl at just enough distance that I allow Luke to continue to roam. I adjust my pace so that my breathing is light and easy, just how it’s meant to be.

As I come full circle, I’m aware of my consistency in an entirely new and satisfying way. Yes, I have room to improve in terms of consistent action to bring forth my work. And, I’m pretty darn consistent in ways that I never considered.  Consistent awareness brings living to life.

Color me grateful as I respond to the call of the plants reminding me that they need water and a bit of TLC.

Reminder to Mom: 'There is always something new to see, smell.'

Awake? Or Not?

Is Awareness The Road Less Traveled?

Have you considered that there are a lot of things you might be giving time to that are not teaching you anything? Gregge Tiffen (Pleasure Is Short, Wisdom Is Infinite – May, 2008)

When you’re truly awake, everything teaches you something.

We tend to think that life’s learning mostly comes from big events. In particular, we look for the ‘life lessons’ in problems and challenges that we face. ‘What is my learning from this illness, accident, death, being fired, fighting with my best friend?’ we ask.  And rightly so, since life’s challenges consistently come with opportunities to learn. Life’s joyful events (weddings and celebrations of all kinds come to mind) likewise hold learning for us, and not just when something goes awry.

Considering the above question in one of Gregge Tiffen’s dandy little booklets of wisdom, I came to a deeper awareness that life’s learning isn’t just in the big stuff. Every moment is an opportunity to learn … IF I’m awake, aware, and want to do so.

Everything holds the potential to inform or teach me something. From observing, reading, taking in information in any form I learn ‘about’ things. I learn ‘from’ those things when I experiment with applying what I’ve learned about. Such experiments teach me what works (and what doesn’t).

Over the years I’ve learned to be less frustrated by experiments that don’t work and more curious about how to make something work. When an attempted repair here at home doesn’t work, I aim first to understand just what is ‘broken’. With that understanding, I can look for an approach that addresses that issue.  There was a time in my life when being unsuccessful at tightening a cabinet hinge that had pulled loose would have sent me into a near tirade of self-abuse. This week, realizing that the holes were stripped, I employed two toothpicks and a bit of wood glue with little ado. A good dose of self-satisfaction followed. I’d learned a new repair tactic, and I’d experienced a touch of how I’ve grown.

When I’m awake, I’m aware of how much Cool Hand Luke teaches me about caring for another being and of how much I’ve learned about the basics of caring for a pet.  When I’m awake, I learn how my choices about investments of time, energy, and money reflect my priorities. Or, I discover that I may want to choose differently.

As I awaken to greater self-awareness, it seems that the only things I “give time to that don’t teach me anything” are things that I do without that awareness.  When I look back at what I’ve given time to this week (or any week for that matter), I realize that my choices reflected my priorities in the moment.  When I’m awake to learning, the age-old bugaboo about ‘wasting time’ is silenced. From a game or two of mahjongg solitaire on the computer, I become aware that sometimes I need a bit of distraction.  From more than a couple games, I learn that I’m bored and/or avoiding something. From witnessing violence in the news, I learn how sensitive I am. 

Indeed, I’ve learned that when I’m truly awake, everything teaches me something.

Early morning wisps.

The Grace of the Universe

Shadows Fall at Day's End in the Sangres

You live by the grace of the Universe interacting with you. You do not live by yourself alone. … The Universe always magnifies your action. Gregge Tiffen (The Language of a Mystic: Change – May, 2009)

There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness. Dalai Lama

The grace of the Universe presents the challenge of our times. May we rise to meet it in kind.

Whether we are aware of it or not, the Universe is interacting with us 24/7, magnifying each and every action we take in its own way.

Think about that. Let it sink in for just a moment. Everything you do is magnified. EVERY THING!

Say a kind word, offer a smile to someone experiencing challenging times, listen deeply to another view, share an uplifting post on social media. MAGNIFIED!  Take action on a project; choose to eat healthy, nourishing food; call or write your elected representatives. MAGNIFIED!

The Universe is benevolent (at least that’s my belief), but it is not selective in what it magnifies (everything – remember?). We humans were given the gift of free will, the power of choice that the Universe did not keep for itself in this grand design called Life. Make a snarky remark. MAGNIFIED!  Engage in an act of violence. MAGNIFIED!  Protest in anger toward others. MAGNIFIED!  Shut down in fear. MAGNIFIED! 

I’ve been reflecting on this law of magnification in terms of what I want more of in my life as well as the kind of world that I’d prefer to live in.  That reflection brought me right back to where I live, the simple choices I make each day. If I want to be a writer, WRITE. Give the Universe words strung together into ideas and step back to allow the magnification. Know that magnification is happening even when I don’t see it. I’m making adjustments in how I create each day to do just that.

If the world I envision is one of peace, kindness, compassion then my responsibility is to choose thoughts, words, and deeds that are peaceful, kind, and compassionate. Give the Universe THAT to magnify.

Of course, the Universe does not magnify alone.  We are its agents, little magnifiers one and all. My words each week are a magnification of something I read, experienced (usually both!), or am in the midst of considering. You read those words and are inspired to make a change in your life, or to share the post with others, or to delete. Whatever your choice, your action magnifies mine and it offers your own to be magnified.  

The meadowlark sings its cheerful song each morning in the meadow where we walk. The president tweets. Both are magnified by a Universe that magnifies everything. But we, you and I, have the freedom and the power to choose what we magnify. Imagine a world where the meadowlark’s song or the Dalai Lama’s quote is the ‘breaking news’ of the day, and the president’s tweets go mostly ignored. Do the words peaceful, kind, compassionate come to your mind’s eye?

That world is possible if we have the will to choose to put our attention on peace over conflict, kindness over anger, and compassion over judgement. It’s already emerging daily in the thousands (perhaps millions) of thoughts, words and deeds that are peace-filled, kind, and caring. May we choose that path – moment to moment, when the choice is easy and, especially when it’s not.  The grace of the Universe presents the challenge of our times. May we rise to meet it in kind.

Old Tree Greets Another Day

Much Ado? Or Not?

A Blessed, Snowy, May Day!

Nothing is hidden from the Universe. … We cannot hide anything from anyone else whether we think we can or not. Gregge Tiffen (The Journey Continues: Sight Seeing – May, 2010)

Until each of us digs down deep, diminishes our fear and our personal greed, they will dominate our lives and allow us to be dominated by others.

I have a theory. It’s contrarian, not what most people seem to be thinking and saying (surprise!). And, it’s a theory. It might be accurate. It might not. It might be both, or neither. Here goes:

We are putting way to much attention on what technology giants (Facebook, Google, and the list goes on) and others (government, business, etc.) should be doing to protect us and too little attention on the choices we make (about what we read, engage, believe etc.) and what we do individually as a result.

Said another way: the ‘ado’ or fuss we put on ‘them’ might be better placed (or at least its distribution shared) on ourselves and our choices. Yes. (Gasp!) I’m suggesting that there is a different way to look at this and other situations in life. What if we looked at each event as an opportunity to consider (gasp, again!) our role in the situation’s creation and our individual responsibility for the choices we make. Our true power lies there – not in what ‘they’ say or do to compel us to behave in ways that benefit ‘them’.

We might also consider that the ‘Facebook breakdown’ is one of many symbols of things falling apart. Our systems are crumbling under the weight of greed, fear, dominance, and confusion; failing because their foundations are not naturally aligned with Universal Law. The pine trees out my window are not fighting over the moisture in the snow that’s gently falling. They are simply there, receiving what is being offered. (I add the gratitude.)

With our thoughts and our actions we contribute to our world. We are a part of and we use the very systems we blame. Life is tricky, it is. I contribute to the culture of greed when I have a thought about lack and trigger fear about not having enough. I contribute more when I act from that fear. In a culture steeped in more ‘stuff’ than we need, we find ourselves wanting it to be cheap or even free.

If it’s accurate metaphysically that nothing can be hidden, what do we gain by putting so much attention on events like this? What are we allowing ourselves to be distracted or diverted from? Most importantly, what is the best choice for each of us individually in how we navigate these events in our chaotic world? What choices will help us build a society and systems that are true to our nature?

Our true power is swirling in this muck. Until each of us digs down deep, diminishes our fear and our personal greed, they will dominate our lives and allow us to be dominated by others through events aimed at stoking the fire of fear. Competition to establish who dominates will continue between nations, businesses, interest groups and individuals. Confusion and chaos will continue to reign.

The exciting part is – the choice is ours with every choice we make. I’m deepening my curiosity about how to live more aligned with the pines – receiving what is offered and being generous by allowing my bounty  to simply fall to the earth.  Live like a tree! What’s yours? How might we do THAT?

Snow Resting in the Pines

Soul Speed

Snow! Blessed Snow - A Spring Storm Brings Moisture to the Peaks

Honoring the tempo of our lives makes us more productive, less stressed and happier. Rev. Sally Robbins (Science of Mind Magazine - April, 2018)

Let us look to Nature for guidance as our code book for everything we need to know or to understand. Gregge Tiffen (Tax Time: Are You Taxing Yourself? – April, 2007)

In last week’s post (here if you missed it - http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/listen-up) I shared that I’m learning to listen to my breath and respond to the messages it provides. One message has been to ‘slow down’ what I thought was my already slow pace. To become more aware of my breath required that I move more slowly and deliberately. And, on our daily walks and hikes, I needed to slow down in order not to over-breath.

You won’t be surprised that I resisted at first. Hey, I’ve got things to do, and if I slow down there might not be enough time. Yikes! Scarcity. Our fast paced culture thrives on our fear that there is and never will be enough – time, money, ideas, love, opportunities, food, etc. The culture tells us to speed up, chase, grab what we can – not what we need.

Nature operates differently. Fast is necessary in some cases - think coyote chasing rabbit for dinner. Before the chase, coyote ambles slowly across the terrain, waiting and watching. Chase successful, coyote gets what it needs, eats, and takes a nap. The trees in the woods out back don’t rush to grow tall to get more light than they need. They grow slow and steady – their pace like that of the tortoise in a famous race.

Rev. Sally Robbins quote above comes from a daily message in which she shared a story about a South American tribe on a long journey. They walked several days then stopped and camped for several days, explaining that “we need to stop and rest so that our souls can catch up with our bodies.” 

Perhaps the turmoil of these times is a reflection of just such a separation. In our race for ‘success’ have we left our souls behind? Perhaps this tribe understood something that we’ve lost in our modern, 24/7 connected culture. Perhaps reflecting more of nature’s ways in our daily lives could help our souls ‘catch-up’ with our bodies and make this world a kinder, gentler place.

For me, I sense that at long last, I’ve found my true pace, the one that’s just right for me: my soul speed. There’s plenty of time and energy for all that’s important in my life. My thinking is clearer, deeper; my energy, stronger. And, I feel my natural gentleness shining through. Could this be the soul’s way of saying ‘thank you’ for inviting it (me!) to catch-up?

Sacred Blanca Peak Glistens This Spring Morning

Buoy Your Buoyancy

Stormy Weather - A Bit of Blessed Snow

If you realize that your strength is in knowledge, which is your experience and the resiliency of your consciousness, no one can affect you. Not even the Universe can diminish that one whit.  Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: Mystical Longings)

Let us strengthen our resolve to bring the natural resilience of consciousness into our lives – moment to moment, step by step, each and every day.

In a world that seems hell bent on destruction, some days it seems hard to stay afloat. We need to buoy our spirits to operate above the fray of negativity that encompasses the world.  We need buoys to mark our way in the chaos that constantly tries to pull us off course – our individual path of learning, experimentation, and personal development.  Let us strengthen our resolve to bring the natural resilience of consciousness into our lives – moment to moment, step by step, each and every day.

As a result of experiencing a lingering ‘bug’ that zapped my energy for a couple weeks and prompted by a discussion about resiliency in a weekly publication I receive, I’ve been reflecting on the foundations of resilience and how to strengthen it – physically and energetically.

In that exploration I discovered three interconnected keys: health, habits, and beliefs.  When one key is shaky, calling forth another stabilizes and strengthens. Failure to use one key to buoy the others weakens my capacity to bounce back and navigate life with at least a modicum of grace and ease (translation: I’m neither tolerant nor tolerable, so best I snuggle under the covers until I recoup and can regroup).  I don’t know about you, but sometimes that’s simply the best I can do.

Being resilient after all doesn’t mean perfection or even unreasonable self-expectation. We are human. We are navigating a world swimming in chaos and negativity. Most of us have a ‘bad’ day now and then. When we’re resilient, ‘bad’ days are rare. We don’t get stuck in the energies of apathy, anger, fear or conflict.  We take responsibility. We don’t blame.

Being resilient requires health, the energy and commitment to engage in habits that increase our capacity to bounce back. Habits or practices of self-care strengthen health. Habits of thought strengthen our beliefs. Each action we take and every thought we entertain either builds our resilience or contributes to its (and our) destruction.

Resilience requires resolve, a clear purpose to stand firm on our convictions as we encounter life’s challenges. Our capacity to recover quickly asks that we be mindful of what we are receptive to, to close the gates to sources that feed despair, and to seek out those that uplift our spirits. This doesn’t mean being ignorant of what’s happening in the world, for we do live in it. Resilience invites us to learn to be ‘in’ the world without being ‘of’ it.

The universe has given us the opportunity to tap into the natural resiliency of consciousness.  Maintaining our physical health, along with the health of our habits and beliefs supports that resiliency and strengthens our capacity to navigate life with clarity, awareness and choice. 

And, Beyond the Stormy Weather ...