Reliable Source

Blessed by the Beauty of Fresh Snow on the Peaks and a Colorado Blue Sky Day

With so much information pouring through media of all kinds, we need our minds to belong to us, not to external stimuli. Rev. Dr. Margaret Stortz (Daily Guide for January 26, 2020 in Science of Mind Guide for Spiritual Living)

One might add ‘and disinformation’ to the above quote. From time to time over many years I’ve wondered what sources were accurate and reliable as I sought to keep up with current events and be an informed citizen, voter. It’s troubling and sad how we’ve come to use technology to control rather than to inform. But that’s what those who, fearing the wisdom of the individual and the collective wisdom of the whole, seek: ‘power over’. And, they use whatever means are available.

It's to their (and there are many ‘thems’!) advantage that we stew in this uncertainty, wondering who and what we can trust. ‘Me!’ they each loudly proclaim. That’s the bad news.

The good news? The systems of business, government, etc. that we have built using this approach throughout human history are breaking down and falling apart under the weight of these unstainable ways. Ways that are unstainable because they defy universal law. And that law will prevail.

The even better news? There is a Reliable Source, one available 24/7, weekends and holidays included, without regard to any external conditions or circumstances. We only need to call upon and use it.

The more you feel the love issuing forth from Source, the more you are able to receive in your daily experience. Gregge Tiffen (Fanned Fire and Forced Love Never Did Well – February, 2008)

As I observe the countless breakdowns and crises across the globe, hear the cries for new systems, even make those cries myself, deep inside I know that no new system, no technology, no approach to these very real problems will work unless we have a giant shift in our collective consciousness. It is a shift that occurs one by one, step by step, building until a giant wave propels us forward collectively. Examples abound of individuals and collectives doing this work grounded in the love of Reliable Source.  

Somewhere and sometime along this road of life, it would be wise for each of us to stop and to go off alone for a period of time in order that we may give up beliefs in the power of the coin and the weapons of defense. Let us once again put our dependence on love to sustain us. Gregge Tiffen (The Numerology of Love – February, 2007)

In these times we need the confidence, creativity and conviction that comes with belief in and true love of oneself. Love that is deeply centered in the heart and comes from but one Reliable Source. That is how we make sure our mind belongs to us. That is the foundation for moving forward.

Ever grateful for the beauty that awaits when I step outside.

The Wisdom of Dog

Looking to the great beyond …

We humans should never forget our capacity to connect with the collective spirit of animals. Their energy is essential for our future growth. Shirley MacLaine (Dancing in the Light)

I think it’s no accident that the letters of God, when reversed spell Dog. Or, is that the letters of Dog, spell God? I’ve come understand and be grateful for them both as teachers. Perhaps Dog and God are one and the same.

Over these past six months since the amazing Cool Hand Luke Skywalker left his body to continue his journey in the spirit world, I’ve been inspired to explore the canine world and our human relationship to it more deeply. I’m curious about how we humans can be better partners with our canine friends. What do they teach us? How can we better learn? What are their needs? What brings them joy and satisfaction?

Inspired by the partnership that CHLS and I grew over almost 10 years, I wanted to know how I might be a better human partner when a new dog came into my life.

Along the path I’ve read books and watched videos by trainers, animal behaviorists, animal communicators and more. I participated in two amazing animal communication workshops. I learned a bit about the world of service dogs and how they are trained.

I stumbled across a book written by visionary thinker and human potential teacher, Jean Houston. In Mystical Dogs: Animals as Guides to Our Inner Life, Houston chronicles the lessons brought to her by a parade of dogs in her household over decades. I’ve explored the vast diversity in approaches to training – from (ugh!) old school obedience (‘I am the boss of you’) to the positive reinforcement approach in favor by many today. I’m no dog, but I’ll take treats over punishment any day and be much better for it.

Sitting quietly or on solo walks in the woods I often deeply feel Luke’s presence. When I’m open and curious I sense his energetic presence and guidance. He still comes when I call.  And, he appreciates when I speak of him in the present not the past. He knows that life is a continuum that does not end, but merely changes form or is sometimes formless. He’s free of the constraints of the body and tells me “I’m much more powerful here.”

I’m coming to appreciate how deeply intertwined our human potential is with that of our animal companions. Unlocking that potential requires a shift in our mindset from animals as mere pets or companions, to embracing them as wise partners on the journey of life.  I’m beyond blessed that having Luke in my life opened the door to this potential and that he continues to partner with me as the journey continues. 

And, I’m grateful that my heart was cracked open a couple weeks back when I met Sadie at a nearby animal shelter. We’re a pack of three, two of us in body, and Luke in spirit, learning, loving, and growing together.

My heart says that our animals need us for more than the care, feeding and shelter we provide. My heart says their wisdom can guide and support us in these chaotic, challenging, changing times. My heart wonders how I will rise to the potential of tapping into that wisdom. What about your heart?

Dear Human — I’m here to teach you to play!

Forgiveness: A Requirement for Resiliency and Peace

Snowy clouds obscure the mountains’ majesty as holding resentment obscures our own …

Forgiveness is more than a function, more than something we do or say to others (or to ourselves) after they (or we) have done something wrong. Forgiveness is an attitude of nonjudgmentalism, whereby we're always looking for the true self in another person, the spark of divinity, the best, the creative potential.  Joan Borysenko (Pace e Bene’s This Nonviolent Life: Daily Inspiration for Your Nonviolent Journey – January 22, 2020)

They caused the first wound, but you are causing the rest; this is what not forgiving does. They got it started, but you keep it going. Forgive and let go, or it will eat you alive. You think they made you feel this way, but when you won't forgive, you are the one inflicting pain on yourself. Bryant McGill (Pace e Bene’s This Nonviolent Life: Daily Inspiration for Your Nonviolent Journey – January 21, 2020)

Last week when I explored nurturing resiliency (here if you missed it) I didn’t see resiliency’s link to forgiveness. I invited readers to think of a challenge you’ve faced and to consider ‘in what ways was your resiliency hampered?’  Little did I know that the question would bring me straight to the importance of, indeed the requirement for, forgiveness as an element of resiliency.  

In fact, the connection didn’t occur to me until this morning as I was re-reading the two quotes above. When I first saw them, they resonated deeply.  I knew that this week’s musing would be built around them. What I didn’t know was how up close and personal that would prove to be.

Borysenko’s idea of forgiveness as an attitude not simply an act struck me first. It seems obvious upon considering. Like love, forgiveness is not something we do then check off our list. Forgiveness is a way of life, of being grounded in the non—judgmental understanding that everyone has their story, good and bad; we are all different, we are all the same. Unity. We are one. (Yes, even those who have ‘done us wrong’ and those whose views and behaviors we loathe.) Gulp! Such words are easy. Practicing them as a way of life is our challenge. It requires vigilance. In order to forgive we must let go of our need to be right. I have some work to do.

It was the quote from McGill that really got my attention (or should I say shook me from the inside out?).  I was invited to look at a resentment I’ve held for a while around a promise not kept (at least I thought a promise was made).  Beyond that personal event, I was invited to look at the many judgments I hold. Judgments about those who see their companion animals as pets to be controlled rather than as partners deserving respect and care. Judgments about some social media posts and those who make them. Judgments toward those who perpetuate violence upon the planet, to those whose political views and behavior I abhor, and beyond.

McGill’s words invited me to look at the cost - to me personally and to the greater whole of which I am a part.  I saw how failing to forgive wears me down, impacts my well-being, my resiliency, my peace. Whether as a conscious, intentional choice (as in ‘I’ll never forgive him, her, etc.”) or simply because we are unconscious of the opportunity before us, there is a high personal cost of holding on to our judgments. Indeed, not forgiving can be seen an act of violence against ourselves. I experienced one of those wonderful, yet excruciating and humbling ‘duh, but of course, ah-ha’ moments. Blessed be!

I have some work to do this week on my personal resiliency, my peace, indeed my health and well-being. It’s not just eating right, taking my vitamins, and physical exercise, it’s taking a deeper dive into what forgiveness means to me and how I will embrace it today, tomorrow, and beyond. Stay tuned!

Beyond the clouds … blue skies to come!

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

Auld Lang Syne

Solstice Hike to the Ziggurat

Another year, tumultuous for many, is (almost) behind us. A decade, the second of this 21st century, ends as well. As I reflect on these ending, words first written at the end of 2016 seem as apropos today as they did three years ago.

“Give up the last year. Get rid of all those things of the mundane world. Make room for the awareness of a whole new spiritual understanding that will carry you throughout the next year.” Gregge Tiffen (The Winter Solstice: Giving To Yourself, December 2007)

“… and when you have the willingness to accept who you are, you become aware of an internal flame that burns with a fire that is unquenchable. It’s your acceptance that dispels fears and inadequacies.”  Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: Sacred Passageways, December 2011)

As the calendar year winds to a close, we tend to look back on its joys, its sorrows, what we accomplished, where we may have fallen short. Hopefully our review list includes acknowledging all that we discovered about ourselves and learned from the opportunities and events that life presented.

As 2019 ends, many will breathe a sigh of relief that it is finally over along with a breath of hope for better days in the year ahead.  The world we live in seems chaotic and uncertain. It is. Those who put attention on the world forgetting that it is the world we live IN, NOT the world we are OF may look ahead with dread.

That need not be.

Within each of us is a seed of understanding who we truly are. Nurturing that seed grows our faith in our capacity to be resilient in the face of the world’s chaos.

This seed of faith is within us all. It is not faith in anything outside of us. Rather it is faith in who we are, each as an individual, integral part of an intelligent Universe. It is a reminder that life is so much more than we experience and observe in our daily routines.

As you ring in 2020, a new year and a new decade, I invite you to join me in nourishing your seed of faith in each of the 366 (yes, 2020 is a ‘leap’ year) days that lie ahead.

Perhaps this prayer, one of my favorites of Gregge Tiffen’s writing, will support you to deepen your faith in you and in understanding just how important you are in the Universal scheme of things.

Let me never forget how important I am to the Universal Picture. Without me there would be a blank space where there should be color.

Let me understand that the challenges of life are just that and not battles. I am not out there to win or to loose, only to develop my skills as an on-going student in an omnipotent school.

Let me understand that the difference between people is one of the wondrous realities of an infinite Universe. Giving those differences space to be is far more important than comparing them to my set of beliefs.

Let me be proud of what I do. To whatever my hand touches, let me remind myself that it was my effort that added to the result. Perfection is not my goal. Creativity is.

Let me remind myself that most of what I take seriously about myself also qualifies for a good laugh. Let me remember to be kind to myself. Loving companions are one of life’s treats, but they are not responsible for my care. Self-kindness can heal almost any hurt.

Let me take responsibility as a gift and not a burden. Within that effort is the grandest sense of accomplishment I could achieve.

Let me be patient with life. Nature does not produce the flower before the roots have taken hold. If I recognize that the place I am in is the right place at the right time, it will always be the right place at the right time. Gregge Tiffen (The Significance of Beginning, January 2007)

Fresh Snow on the Labyrinth this Christmas Morn!

Blessed Solstice 2019

Ringing in Winter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Snowy Labyrinth in the Woods Out Back

10 Days of Solstice - 2019

A Call to Go Inside from the Snowy Sangres

All of heaven and all of earth coordinate at the Winter Solstice. … Regardless of all the stories and traditions, this is a personal event of your life. It is the time that has been set up for you and Heaven to be with each other without interference. Gregge Tiffen (Winter Solstice: The Christmas Story)

Become totally empty; Quiet the restlessness of the mind; Only then will you witness everything unfolding from emptiness. Lao Tzu

In 2013 when I wrote my first Solstice blog post, I used the above quote from Lao Tzu and mused:

In a noisy, full world, I wonder how it would be to live from the place of allowing everything to emerge from emptiness. I wonder not just how it would be, but how I might create this experience more often in my life. And, I dream about the world we will co-create as more of us take this path.

In a noisy, full world, it’s no wonder that emptiness has a bad rap. “Emptiness as a human condition is a sense of generalized boredom, social alienation and apathy,” says the Wikipedia article on the topic, highlighting emptiness as a “negative, unwanted” condition.

This Western view seems to ignore that, on some level, all creation starts from emptiness. A great novel starts with a blank computer screen (or piece of paper). Great art starts from a blank canvas. A fabulous soup starts with an empty soup pot. The planet was formed in emptiness at precisely the right place and the right time.

Okay, it’s quite a leap from a blank canvas to the formation of our home, planet Earth. But at this time of Solstice, I’m reminded that this is a time to celebrate the birth of the planet. In the deep stillness, quiet, and dark of winter, I’m choosing emptiness as a focal point of my celebration.

As I began to use Gregge Tiffen’s work more in my life and in these weekly musings, I noticed how easy it is to get caught up in the world and how the world can fill us up with its seeming demands. Emptiness emerged anew:

It’s all too easy to find ourselves hooked in the hustle and bustle of seasonal activities and ‘wrapping things up for the year’. We’ve forgotten that which we know deep inside: this is our time to re-calibrate from the inside out. And, to do so we must empty, release, let go and recognize the wisdom that done is done.

All too often we fear being empty – even for a brief moment in time. Emptiness seems like a strange word to ascribe to the season of winter holidays with their bright lights, joyful sounds, and festivities to match. And, yet, giving yourself the gift of emptying is an important part of being prepared to receive the new that is sure to come as the sun begins her journey back to the north. After all, the full glass cannot receive more wine.

In the Christmas Story, we are told that the inn was full. And, yet a receptive place for the birth was found. So it is for each of us. We too need to empty and make ourselves receptive to the new. Solstice is a time to declare one cycle complete, making way for another to begin. It is a time to embrace the realm of spirit and turn our backs on the material world, if only for a brief time. It is a time to bless and release all who have crossed your path in this cycle, knowing that those who are meant to return will be there in the new one. And, perhaps most important of all, it is time to let go of who we were in the cycle that is completing. The ‘you’ of that cycle is complete as well. And a new you of your design and making awaits.

In these 10 days leading to the December 21 Solstice, I invite you to join me for a few minutes or more each day to let go of the noise and busyness and demands of the world. Let’s (re)discover how that feels and what possibilities emerge. As our planet prepares to celebrate her birthday, let us honor her by taking time to reflect the gift of heaven and nature singing as one. May we take time to empty ourselves of the world and its chaos and then sing along in our own unique and harmonious way.

This Prelude from Gregge Tiffen’s ‘Winter Solstice: The Christmas Story’ is a beautiful reminder of the choices we can make now in winter’s quiet celebration and beyond winter into spring. May it support you to ease into the sacredness of this time - http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/prelude-to-solstice-2018

The Snowy Labyrinth in the Woods Out Back

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

Reclaiming Dominion

We have dominion over this - the rocks, the grasses, the stump and the tiny seedling bringing forth new life.

When you see the word dominion, I want you to think of a benevolent king in every true sense of the word. He rules his country by the grace of his people. He is given dominion over his kingdom and all the people in it. The welfare of those people and the operation of that kingdom, to the best interests of the people living there, is an enormous responsibility. Do not ever take dominion out of that context. … The planet is your home, your kingdom and your responsibility. Gregge Tiffen (The Language of a Mystic: Humanity – June, 2009)

I heard many stories this past weekend during an animal communication workshop that touched my heart deeply. Each in its own way reflects how we relate to our animal companions: we either aim to dominate and control or we embrace the benevolence of dominion and partner with them.

One story that particularly moved me was about how service dogs are trained (real service dogs not those who wear a vest purchased on Amazon and have little or no training … that's a story for another day). I learned that there are only three service dog training programs in the U.S. that use positive reinforcement methods. All of the others use prong collars and other methods to establish 'obedience'.

I learned about positive reinforcement training of animals from Cool Hand Luke and his amazing foster human. He reminded me daily that teaching him what behavior was desired and rewarding that behavior created partnership. It felt like what I think of as dominion. I was the leader of our pack from a benevolent, caring place not from command, control, and obey or else. To this day, I'm known as 'the treat lady' by all the canines whose paths I've crossed.

It saddens me that our culture embraces domination, control over by whatever means necessary rather than the benevolent dominion intended for our administration and care of the planet.

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. Mahatma Gandhi

We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals. Immanuel Kant

Of course, we do this not just with animals, but with one another, indeed with all of nature. We abandon dominion for what we believe is the safety and protection of domination. We power over rather than partnering with.

Even dictionaries don't recognize this important distinction. They consider dominion and domination to be synonyms. I think it's time we shift and embrace a different context consistent with and restoring the love and care that, I believe, God (the Universe, Source) intended when we humans were created.

I'm not a student of history or a biblical scholar, but in observing how we operate on and administer the planet, it seems that somewhere along the way, we lost the benevolence of dominion and turned toward domination, control, competition, winners and losers. We forgot that we are not separate from one another or any of the aspects of nature that we exist in.

It's time to remember. It's time for a new understanding and to restore benevolence to our dominion. In embracing dominion we know that separation is an illusion. We are not separate from one another no matter our cultural or geographic roots. We are not separate from the animal companions in our care and in service to us or from those that roam the wild, fly in the sky, and swim rivers, lakes and seas.

We are not separate from the plants in our homes, the flowers and trees in our yards, or from those grasses and trees that grow on the plains, in the mountains and the valleys from sea to shining sea. All is in our care. And, we are in the care of one another. That is the free will of dominion that we were given. Learning to do so with the benevolence of a monarch is perhaps our greatest challenge and opportunity to fulfill. Not solely for ourselves individually (that's the path of domination), but for the whole of which we are each an integral part.

Dominion, partnership, care … CHLS on the ridge waiting for his human.