I wasn't expecting to get these until next week, but they arrived this morning.
What a fabulous surprise.
It was a magical afternoon, and Josh recorded it all in pixels.
It just depends on who is behind the lens.
Thank you, Josh!
I wasn't expecting to get these until next week, but they arrived this morning.
What a fabulous surprise.
It was a magical afternoon, and Josh recorded it all in pixels.
It just depends on who is behind the lens.
Thank you, Josh!
That's me, in blaze orange, trying out a deer hunting event.
I didn't hold a gun; my camera's viewfinder sufficed.
But I tried something new.
It was a bit like being at a meditation retreat, sitting still in a deer stand and not talking for extended periods.
Excruciating at the time but interesting afterwards.
The retreat lasted for 9 days. This one-afternoon-for-a-few-hours deal was a piece of cake.
And now I can say I've tried it.
Just like with food that we attempt to get down the throats of our loved ones.
"If you haven't tried it, how can you say you don't like it?"
Trying something, and discovering that the world isn't going to end, it seems so threatening to humans.
Many of us realize that our thoughts could be different if we practiced them, but we forget, and then think that we are done with that project.
All it takes is a simple post-it note to become a resistance toy.
All it takes is a minute to write it and stick it somewhere you'll see it.
All it takes is a baby step to get you where you want to be.
All it takes is compassion rather than self-loathing.
All it takes is not giving in to our egos that say it can't be done.
Oh yeah? Watch this.
I'm a thought chaperone. I can help you with that.
That's me, alright.
A little blurry, cuz things are moving so fast.
But in a good way.
Looking straight ahead.
Observing, scanning, inhaling, devouring, absorbing, savoring, reveling in.
Appreciating the contrast, that produces a desire, that launches preferences to my cosmic casting director, who stands with his clipboard of people, circumstances and events in the wings, choreographing them all on the stage of my life according to how I choose to feel in any moment.
He's a busy guy these days.
When I remember to work my joy pullers and my resistance toys, I get to new places of "getting it".
When I don't, I feel like crap.
Until I remember again.
So what If things suck for a minute, or a hundred?
I know what to do about it.
Who to be about it.
And that has tons more legs than staying stuck in resentment.
I've noticed.
And it is so very, very good.
I discovered yet another layer to the adage that that still small voice inside your head, it's your sanity talkin'. Many times over the last five or six days I've hit the sides of this pinball game called life that I'm in and sacheted off the bumpers, glad for the warning that the thoughts I was thinking were about to send me down to that end-of-the-game hole at the bottom if I wasn't going to pay attention. And frantically flayling with the flipper mechanisms at that point is just a waste of time. Much better to catch it in the early stages when the lights and buzzers are participating in your favor.
Me, taken with the help of the reflective sides of The Bean in Millennium Park in downtown Chi-town.
Cutie patootie on her way to get soaked at the spitting wall. Photos of that event later. Time to nap and recuperate from the drive.
It feels like I'm shedding an old self these days. I'm not restless, just aware of something else coming into being, and the old self lying over there like dried up snake skin. Not useless, but beautiful in and of itself, for existing.
I have no idea what is on its way, and that is so cool. I've had my socks knocked off in the past by what I didn't know, and anticipating more of the universe's delecable ablitiy to give the perfect gift makes me almost giddy.
Bring it on, casting director.
The most exhausting thing you can do is to be inauthentic.
~Anne Morrow Lindberg
Someone recently asked me the question, "What do you want?" More than anything, I want to be authentic. The slings and arrows of existence are so much less harsh, so much less crippling, so much less debilitating when you come from the place of who you really are. Actually, the slings and arrows morph into rubber imitations of their former selves. We don't give them the power we once did, and they are laughable, amusing, rather than sucking one dry of vital energy from dodging them indefinitely.
For me to be authentic, daily life must include depth. Depth of experience, depth of relationship, depth of soul. Skimming across the top just doesn't cut it. Pretending that it cuts it is even worse. Now I feel the tug of Goddess Wild Woman on my arm saying," Cut these posers loose and let's get serious about having some fun!"
I just read a bit about her in Goddess in the Office: A Personal Energy Guide for the Spiritual Warrior at Work by Z. Budapest. "This all-important deity is bored to death with our modern jobs. She sleeps throughout the day on her bed, unruly, woolly, and needy. She demands attention, so we give her coffee and doughnuts and sweets of all kinds, which work on her for a while, but not for long. She wants to be touched, made love to, entertained, and instructed."
These days I feel her, reminding me to lay claim to what I've discovered lest I lapse back into the sleep of forgetfulness. Often now there are memories from my teens and twenties that float up out of nowhere, replaying the stories that were written one way because the Goddess wasn't around yet. Well, she was, but I just didn't hear her communication above the proverbial din.
I can fill in the gaps now, add the experience and the depth that was missing back then. Thank you Goddess for never ceasing your call.
Depth includes striking up conversation with perfect strangers, and they are perfect, every single one of them, in a store, at work, online, and enjoying the deliciousness when they play with me. It includes going deep with those I already know and love and resonating with the results on an even deeper level.
Depth means calling myself on not being honest with myself as soon as I realize what's happening.
Depth means telling my truth in spite of it possibly making someone else uncomfortable.
Depth means pushing the envelope on how I choose to live, making up new rules as I go along, charting new territory when the old ones don't fit me. It means changing my mind, because it's OK to change your mind.
Depth is in the house when my soul smiles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aurora
"You are flying high right now, which may threaten others. But don't descend, because others will soon become inspired by your example."
Additional Message: "Your intentions have created an upward trend in your life. New opportunities are coming your way, and your inner and outer self radiates this positive growth. You may worry that others will be jealous of your current and forthcoming success, so you will be sensitive about discussing your achievements. You may also worry about the future, about where your new path is taking you. You may wish for a guarantee of future success."
"I am here to help you enjoy the present, and the process of your new venture. Trust that each moment is taking care of itself. God has always taken care of you, and He always will. Ask me to help you stay focused on the now, and to let go of the worry habit so that you can enjoy these gifts. Gratitude is essential right now . . . to keep your flight at a high altitude."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Athena
"It is safe for you to be powerful. You know how to be powerful in a loving way that benefits others as well as yourself."
Additional Message: "You have been afraid of your own power. You have worried that others would disapprove of you or leave you if you allowed your true power to shine. You have also been concerned that you might abuse your power and that your masculine energy would become unbalanced. I am here to help you reveal your power to yourself and others in a way that enhances your relationships, self-esteem, and life purpose."
"Your power comes from love, from God. You who are made in the image and likeness of your Creator have unlimited power within you right now. You aren't capable of abusing your power because your heart chakra has opened like a flower in bloom. Think of a person whom you admire, who is both powerful and balanced in their masculine and feminine energies. Such power is beautiful. It also amplifies your spiritual healing and psychic gifts. You are a strong and powerful lightworker, and God needs you to accept and reveal your power."
Connected and Committed relationship transformation strategist.
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