Deep Gratitude

Today was yet another day filled with wonder, delight, passion and joy for me. I can't tell you the depth of my gratitude for these experiences. Today was special because I did my first Inner Self-Care For Rapidly Changing Times workshop and I had a fabulous time with the wonderful participants who came out to play with me.

It's an amazing and wonder-filled thing to be doing so much of what I love to do. I love these workshops and the regular gatherings I host. I love my coaching work, I love my Celebrant work and I feel blessed every day to be in a position where I am actually doing those things I love every day. There was a time in my life I could not have imagined that. Thankfully it was several years ago now.

One the the main reasons I see for being in this position is that I am clear about what is important to me in terms of what kind of experience I want. Part of the workshop today was in helping participants get clear about that and as I was working with them to do the process I too did mine and was happy to see that though I may not be 100% in all areas of life living my essential expression, I am doing so a majority of the time. Persistence through the dark times in letting go of those beliefs that have not been in alignment with what is most important for me plays a big part in that.

Bottom line is, don't give up, keep getting clearer about what it is you really want to experience and keeping saying yes to it. Life responds to that clarity and when we learn to see everything as a means of moving into what is most important it gets to be even more fun.

Namaste

The Ocean of Life

Life is like an ocean, sometimes it is calm and placid, sometimes full of gentle waves and other times it can be pretty rough out there in the wide open seas. None of it is good or bad, right or wrong, just shifting energies and the more we learn to ride whatever shows up the more we tend to enjoy the voyage.

Then there are those times when we get hit by that tidal wave that capsizes our little craft and we find ourselves submerged in the ocean of life fighting to breathe. That's when it would come in handy to be able to grow gills. Either that or be able to hold our breath for a long time. We usually manage to find some way to pull through those more challenging experiences and carry on with life and then again sometimes the only thing we can do is surrender to the pull of the ocean and let go of all our efforts to tread water. It is in those moments that we are most likely to 'grow gills' and learn a whole new way of being that isn't about fighting for air but rather drawing what we need from the very waters we thought we would drown in. 

Should you find yourself overwhelmed and afraid of drowning in a sea of feelings you are uncomfortable with or afraid of, perhaps it's time to breathe deep, relax and surrender into the feelings instead of trying to tread water or pretend it isn't happening. 

Let yourself be amazed by what you find below the surface.

Namaste

Rapidly Changing Times

It's a good thing I'm doing a workshop on Inner Self-care for Rapidly Changing Times soon. The busy-ness of life seems to have increased exponentially for me so it's more essential than ever to be clear on what is most important to me at this point in my life. Dealing with constant change and the great unknown with compassion and understanding is the order of the day.

One of the things I am involved in at this time is learning more about networking and referrals and being clear about what I offer, none of which I am currently proficient at. The workshops I am attending with Mary Lou Gutscher (magneticbusinesssolutions.com) are excellent, and they bring up all kinds of limiting ideas I have about myself. Great opportunities to do my own work which I am always grateful for.

Life on fast forward can be very exciting and it needs to be balanced. Taking a few minutes at least twice a day to be fully present to the inner workings as well as what is actually going on around me is a life saver. It helps me remember to be present throughout the day as well even when things are busy.

There is awe and wonder and so much beauty in the moment. Have you noticed?

Namaste

Attachment to Beliefs

There is so much attachment to some beliefs and assumptions that sometimes it can seem quite impossible to even attempt to question them. Well, most people don't even try really but for those who are looking to see beyond the veil of illusion it can be quite a challenge.



I've noticed that those who have the most difficulty with seeing through their beliefs are those whose self-identity is excessively outer focused, in other words, totally dependent on how they think the world sees them. When there is little or no inward focused sense of identity the very thought of deeply held beliefs being false seems to be so threatening that it just bounces right off. I find this quite fascinating really and have been pondering why that might be.

I could speculate that it may have something to do with some core idea that either there isn't anything there to identify with or that whatever is there is so bad or wrong somehow that it must not be revealed. It could also simply be that it is not their path to dismantle those illusions, who knows?

The real question for me however is how I respond to it when I meet someone who has come to me for coaching to help them deal with life in a more effective way and this is what I encounter. It's always about how we respond to what life presents us isn't it? All I know to do is the best I can and to be compassionate toward both them and myself in the process. It is what it is. I don't really know why, I can only speculate which is making more assumptions which is all part of the illusion. So what I wrote in the last paragraph, fun to play with but not the truth. The truth is I don't know. There I rest and carry on with my day with appreciation for the experience.

Namaste

Dragonflies

Have you noticed how many dragonflies there are this year? I heard the City of Edmonton had released a bunch to help control the mosquito population but we were out at Beaverhill yesterday and there were an unusually large number of them there as well.

I'm quite fascinated with dragonflies these day with them being my symbol of choice and all. One of the symbolic meanings of the dragonfly is dispelling self-created illusions which is what so much of my work is about. As I was pondering why there were so many dragonflies this year it occurred to me that, of course, the conditions have been perfect for them to propagate this year with all the rain we've had.

Did you know that dragonflies start life out as water bugs? Then at some point an inner calling directs them to climb up the reeds that grow in ponds and marshes and once out of the water they dry and eventually those beautiful iridescent wings spread and off they go on dragonfly adventures. The fact that they eat mosquitoes is one of the reasons we love them so much along with their beauty and grace.

OK so I can't help but appreciate the fabulous metaphysics in all this. When the conditions are right for us we too climb out of our wet little ponds of self identity and eventually learn to fly when we are no longer encumbered by the beliefs that keep us mired in the swamps. We can not only learn to fly  but we can also learn to allow those pesky memories (mosquitoes) to be nurturing food for the soul instead of seeing them as annoyances we just want to get rid of. So perfect!

I love metaphor!

Namaste