intention

Here we go! A new beginning. I’m heading out to get my boots muddy while the masses are still asleep. But before I go, I wanted to extend an invitation to welcome more good into your life.

Gratitude is an amazing practice. It’s a powerful way to shift my vibration and attract to me more of what I want. (Worry does the opposite!)

Can you find 10 minutes today, to start your new year off with an intentional action of creation? Rather making a dry list of the usual suspects, my suggestion is to really dig deep, to tap into your inner realm, and savor the feeling of gratitude. Turn it up! Let it loose. Roll around in it. Drink it in.

You might not see immediate results. But done on the regular, this works magic! It’s not a tool for bypassing troubles, fears, or pain. (Although that might be suggested by law of attraction misunderstandings.) Nope, this is not an either/or situation. It’s a both/and situation.

I can experience both pain AND gratitude. Gratitude for the pain is probably a leap in the now, but might become apparent in hindsight. I’d suggest starting with something easier if you’re new to this.

Gratitude for my happy place by the creek comes easily and effortlessly.

Gratitude for the sun and air and rain that allows plants to grow and animals to thrive. Gravity. That’s a good one! I don’t often think of it, but without gravity things would be somewhat challenging!

So this is not an invitation to escape your problems, but to offset the effects of stress and chaos. Yes, the mortgage needs to be paid and the children need to be fed. Rinse and repeat. Why not raise your vibration, feel as good as you can about yourself and your circumstances, and deliberately influence your future while chopping wood and carrying water?

There’s still time to sign up for my NYD Intention Setting event on Meetup today at 3 EST. I have a juicy plan lined up and Reiki standing by to enhance the process.

1/1/23 Bring it on!

Here we go! A new beginning. I’m heading out to get my boots muddy while the…
Happy equinox from Philly, where the snowbells are rioting.

Spring has definitely sprung here and today makes it official. It’s also the beginning of a new astrological year, making it a particularly good time to get clear about what you wish to create during this next spin around the sun.

What can you let go of that is no longer serving you? What beliefs need an overhaul? How can you invest your precious life force energy more wisely?

Clearing out the old helps make way for the new. If ever there was a time to brush ourselves off and make deliberate choices about the next steps forward, it’s now!

Springtime!

Happy equinox from Philly, where the snowbells are rioting. Spring has definitely sprung here and today…
Many moons ago, I was introduced to the concept of “a word of the year”. Choosing one word or a short phrase to act as the theme for the following 12 months. The benefits of narrowing it down to something simple are the ease of tapping into the feelings that this word conveys as well as wielding it as a homing device. Will this thought, these words, this action promote my intention to experience xyz? It’s really a brilliant strategy for navigating the uncertainty of the outside world.

On New Year’s Day I went for a solo hike to sort out my thoughts and choose my word. I did a letting go ritual involving a piece of bark I’d collected the week before and carried home not knowing why. I broke off pieces of the bark, returning them to the forest from which they came, symbolically releasing each and every outdated belief and coping mechanism, all unwanted and unnecessary burdens, and most importantly: any resentment, justified or not. Everything that I didn’t want to carry into 2021 with me.

During this process, the word “belonging” arose. Not belonging as in fitting in, but an internal belonging. A sense of being at home within myself despite most definitely not fitting in to the norms of society or most of the group settings I’ve explored. (Toko-pa Turner’s Belonging, Remembering Ourselves Home helped me greatly in understanding the difference. It’s a fascinating read!)

That afternoon I hosted a small online gathering to guide my Reiki students through a contemplative meditation to clarify their goals and perhaps choose their own themes for the year to come. I fully expected to share that I was devoting myself to belonging. But during the meditation, as I led us to drop into our hearts and listen, MISFIT popped up loud and clear.

I’ve been doing this work long enough to know that when the heart speaks, it’s easier to take heed immediately. The universe conspires to eventually bring me around to obeying its wishes so I might as well surrender now. I rolled with it without any resistance (much to my surprise and delight!).

As I sat with the word, it began to unravel. Accept. Allow. Embrace. Release. Release? Yes, but not in the sense of letting go. Release as in: let the misfit out. Think Gandalf in all his fierceness shouting, “Release the kraken!”. Like that.

Whoa. This is totally unexpected. I was (and continue to be!) filled with elation at the thought of letting my inner misfit out of her confines full time. The rebel within me is overjoyed to finally have some company and an ally against the harsh inner critic who tries to keep me safe by blending in.

I have no idea how this is going to play out over time, but I’m intrigued. I have my theme, unexpected and unusual as it may be, cemented in my mind and a willingness to follow wherever this map will lead.

For all you fellow misfits, know that you’re not alone! You never have been, but now there’s one more of us out in the open. Maybe our paths will cross. I imagine we’ll be able to recognize one another quite easily. Let’s not fit in together.

Year of the Misfit

Many moons ago, I was introduced to the concept of “a word of the year”. Choosing…

Yesterday we were gifted with the energy of a new moon, a time when the cosmic energies are supportive of planting the seeds for that which we’d like to harvest. I recognize the vast wisdom of astrology, but have yet to learn the language. Currently my bandwidth is fully occupied with other pursuits, so I turn to The Power Path School of Shamanism updates for a user friendly, fully digested version of what’s happening in the universe.

Here’s what they have to say about this month’s new moon energies:

“This moon supports expansion, freedom, practicality, a higher sense of intuition and beauty, and an increase in your inner awareness of what you want, what you can have and what you deserve. This is the “proactive change” growing teeth and getting grounded in something substantial as you anchor a new vision or a new project.

“This new moon also initiates a time frame of preparedness for what is coming in the future. It is not too early to get thinking about your goals and desires for the months to come. And, whatever you can get rid of that is no longer useful during this new moon time will make space for what you really want.

“This is a social time where you can share your visions and get support. Celebrate change, progress and all the aspects of your life that are on the move to something better, bigger, grander and more balanced. Be sure to take some time for self care as your emotional and physical health is a major component of being prepared for the future. If you have some clarity about what you want, this new moon is also a great time for actually making a concrete list of what is clear to you and how you plan to go about manifesting it.”

I had the great joy of hosting a small gathering of people in my office last night. We joined together as a community to witness one another’s intentions and share a layering of energetic tools to support our goals. I’m all about stacking practices- a term I use to describe the combining of a variety of techniques to maximize outcome.

Keeping the quality of the astrological forecast in mind, we used the powers of awareness and connection, sound vibration (via my amaaaaazing crystal bowl), Reiki and all its potent symbols, grounding aromatherapy (cypress, cinnamon, rosemary- yum!), and a deck of oracle cards to offer concrete wisdom about how to proceed. (Forgiveness was the beginning point according to the group reading. Isn’t that always the case?!) All of this was amplified by the dynamism of intention, further amplified by the group’s combined efforts.

The invitation is clear. At the very least we all have the power of intention and the influence of the mind-body connection. Stack this with the understanding of the currents of the new moon energies and every tool you have at your disposal, and take a few moments to align yourself with the future you desire. Our vibration is constantly influencing our experiences, why not make the effort to influence them in our preferred direction?

New Moon Intentions

Yesterday we were gifted with the energy of a new moon, a time when the cosmic…

It’s been nearly two months since I posted about my journey of using alternative, holistic medicine to heal a knee injury. I am being super careful about keeping the joint aligned (twisting is that action that hurts), but otherwise not really applying myself to using all the tools in my arsenal. I suppose you could say I’ve fallen into complacent acceptance. I altered my behavior to avoid pain and went about my business.

I’ve learned to modify my home yoga practice to avoid deep flexion of the knee (alas, that includes child’s pose, one of my all-time favorites!) and several other postures that aggravated the injury, and now allow myself plenty of time to get where I’m going so I don’t add the stress of rushing to my compromised state. I continue to get lots of bodywork and have been massaging my own calves with a softball several times each week.

This probably could have gone on indefinitely as I rarely had pain and the occasional twinge served as a reminder to be more mindful. But then… I went hiking. How could I not? Spring in the northeast is gloriously beautiful and soon enough the heat and humidity will be oppressive and I will be hiding inside. Unfortunately the rocky terrain led to twisting movements in the knee joint. I will also confess to consuming an excess amount of sugar over the past few weeks, which I know causes inflammation and irritates my joints, even those in the healthiest state. Not a brilliant combination at all. 😦

Next time I’ll just go sit by the water and enjoy the vibes without re-injuring myself!

So I’m applying the motivation to prevent further discomfort and my recent learning to my new healing plan. Coming up soon will be a full on 4 week cleanse based on the book “Clean” by Dr. Alejandro Junger to eliminate inflammation. I’ve done this twice before and recognize that the rewards are spectacular. I notice an improvement in digestion, sleep, mood, skin, and mobility that is simply incomparable.

I’ve started formally applying the knowledge I gained from “The Intention Experiment” every morning, by actively visualizing the enjoyable activities I will explore once I am fully healed. If you’re skeptical about the healing power of the mind, this book goes heavily into documented experiments- quantum physics and such. It was a bit too science-y for me, but as a believer I’m not in need of proof . If you’re questioning the validity of the potency of intention, I suspect this book will change your mind.

And my newest, and perhaps funnest toy: sound healing. I took a class last week about the amazing effects of vibrations on our molecular structure. “The 7 Secrets of Sound Healing” by Jonathan Goldman is an amazing resource, and completely accessible to beginners. I’ve always known that music has a healing quality, but I have a much greater appreciation for it now. I’ve discovered YouTube videos with specific frequencies for healing knees! I’m listening to one now.

The great thing about holistic medicine is the absence of harmful side effects. Some people might be rolling their eyes at the seeming lack of action that I’m taking in the healing process, but it’s impossible to suggest that there will be any dangerous repercussions to my plan. Shamans and healers have been using these tools for thousands of years with incredible benefits. That gives me great hope. Knowing there will be no damage done (to body, mind, or spirit) gives me tremendous relief. Together, this provides the inspiration I need to keep up with my practices. Onwards!

Healer, Heal Thyself Update

It’s been nearly two months since I posted about my journey of using alternative, holistic medicine…
I’m been mesmerized by a teaching of Christopher Wallis. According to his website, he teaches meditation, yoga and Tantrik philosophy, Sanskrit, mantra-science, and offers spiritual counseling. He teaches about practicing from a three pronged “effective motivation”, called “pure motivation” in Buddhist teachings. My spiritual, massage and Reiki practices are being transformed by adjusting my primary intention to one of effective motivation.

The first piece is to practice out of love for myself, rather than trying to fix the (seemingly) broken pieces. From a spiritual viewpoint, I’m not broken and don’t need fixing, and any motivation from this flawed perspective would be ineffective. Instead, when I’m motivated to uncover my essential nature of wholeness and holiness, I’m tapping into the power of effective motivation. Very powerful stuff!

May I practice out of love for myself.

Second, he cautions about chasing bliss at the expense of what is real. He offers the adjustment of practicing in order to know the Truth. (I use a capital T to signify universal and eternal Truth vs. subjective or temporary truths.) This allows me to experience the sadness, anger, shame, or fear that could be covering my True Self, and to allow for deep healing rather than simple pleasure seeking. He suggests that a greater level of joy is eventually accessible when we chose to honor what is True.

May I practice from a desire to know the Truth.

And finally, rather than seeking special powers (psychic powers or the ability to manifest desires of the ego) or manipulative power over others, he proposes that I practice in order to benefit all beings, myself included. Asking Life, “what do you want to do through me?” instead of making demands of what I think I want (P.S. I’m almost always wrong about what I think I want!) is a more effective motivation, and a simple way to tap into universal life-force energy.

May I practice for the benefit of all beings.

This simple, yet powerful intention is shifting my practice in a fundamental way that feels like it will have profound results over time. Already I’m experiencing more groundedness, connection, and peacefulness. Which is really quite enough motivation for me to continue! Obviously I want to get the most out of all my practices, so aligning with this effective motivation appears to be an easy way to support myself.

May I practice out of love for myself, in order to know the truth,

and for the benefit of all beings.

Tapping into the Power of Effective Motivation

I’m been mesmerized by a teaching of Christopher Wallis. According to his website, he teaches meditation,…
This year, I’m trying something different with my New Year’s Resolutions. While I do have some very specific daily and weekly goals, I’m allowing myself a great deal of flexibility. For example, on January 1, when I found myself on an airplane at the hour I’ve designated for exercise, I didn’t get agitated. When I awoke on January 2 feeling quite exhausted after traveling home from spending nine days chasing toddlers around, I allowed myself to go back to bed and rest.

Some people might say I’m lazy or undisciplined. I prefer to think that I’m discerning. I’ve set a primary intention to be happy, healthy, and free this year; and this intention supersedes all other goals. I find great comfort in this structure of flexibility. It allows me the liberty to decide each day if the well-designed routine I’ve created is the best strategy to align with my intention, or if there’s a more effective option.

It’s not my goal to be my own drill sergeant or to cross off a lengthy to-do list. Certainly the ego enjoys such tasks and is strengthened when I ignore the call for rest or gentleness in favor of rigid discipline. But Spirit encourages me to actively engage in life in a way that honors all of me, and that’s where the flexibility comes in. This is not a failure to stick to my resolutions; rather a refinement that allows my resolutions to work for me and my highest good.

I invite you to think of the intention behind your goals. Get in touch with the feeling that you’re hoping to create in the new year. And recognize that while your plan might be sensible and solid, there will be days, even weeks, when it just won’t be healthy to push on through to earn that gold star. (P.S. There is no gold star!) Because I enjoy it and recognize the tremendous benefits to my overall wellness, I’m going to exercise tomorrow morning. Unless I choose not to. I must assess those reasons for myself when the time comes.

Flexi-lutions. The evolved, flexible resolutions of 2016.

Flexi-lutions

This year, I’m trying something different with my New Year’s Resolutions. While I do have some…