Ah Geez. I am disheartened by our cultural divisions. This feeling is my choice. The division stems from fear and a lack of tolerance for differing perspectives. My belief.
It’s not news that how we feel is dependent on our belief systems and values. Our perceptions drive our thoughts and actions. What we think, how we feel, and how we act is up to us, individually. It defines our agency in the world. As we engage, we have 2 choices to perceive and respond from, Love or Fear.
We flock together when we share similar beliefs. It’s comforting to feel we belong. That sense of belonging often becomes tied to our identity. To continue to belong we adopt new beliefs. Sometimes we question them, however the comfort of belonging often overrides our judgement.
The ability to make decisions, take actions independently, and to feel in control of our life, is our power. When we give that away to follow cultural bias, we devalue ourselves.
Questioning our perspectives and looking at others expands our experience and ability to love more.
Will we choose to love those who think differently? Love or Fear. It’s that simple and hard.
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Onto our 5-minute meditation following the phases of the Moon.
The Moon is just past full, still bright as it starts to wane.
Meditation
If we see problems, note, our problems aren’t the problem, our idea of them is.
Poem
We are glorious. Beyond constructs we are everything. We are glorious.
Why we are here and divided: This is a perspective not a solution. We’re not ready for a solution. Our moral imperative wants us to act, but how can we when we don’t understand the problem?
In 2007 we had a sea change. We’ve been in a trance ever since. It really started earlier in the 90’s when cell phones and the internet became tools for the masses. But in 2007 with combined powers, we could now connect with people and information from anywhere. A societal phenomenon was born. Its parents became absent.
The phenomenon is now 16 years old, and a raging teenager felt all over the world. Its mind is full, but there is a lack of maturity. It’s rude and we’ve allowed it.
After it’s birth, much of society and governing powers continued with business as usual. The opportunists among us have been having a field day. Unfortunately, it’s shaping the world into a reactionary mess, with continual misdirection, finger pointing, and no clear sign of who’s steering the ship.
The old governmental structures are flooded with the rush of potential and exploitation. I liken it to a one-bedroom septic system trying to meet the needs of a city. Shits flowing everywhere. The lower floors are drowning. The enormity of change needed is beyond most.
Back to the moral imperative. Currently the focus of blame for our mess is on our political structure. Yes, it no longer serves the majority, but the problem goes deeper. The American dream is still alive, but it’s principals come from last century. This dream is based upon materialism. Having more is having it all. It’s a dream for an individual, not a society.
Our roles in the world are much more complicated than before 2007. We are holding and tracking a lot, much is unimportant, and it’s paralyzing. We may feel a strong set of values, but our actions say otherwise. We easily lie to ourselves and continually wonder what is true. We live in cognitive dissonance.
Societies collective consciousness is 16. Who is this 16-year-old? Searching for a place to belong, to be seen, a place of meaning, place to feel loved. The established systems may be giving all they can, but there’s not enough Love felt. As far as our political structures are concerned, I believe we need to throw the baby out with the bath water. It carries too much baggage.
There isn’t a connecting vision in the country. The Republicans created an effective one “Make America Great Again” It identifies both a problem and desire. It comes with a promise of something different regardless of the details. A new start. The Dem’s didn’t offer this.
Onto our 5-minute meditation following the phases of the Moon.
The waxing first quarter moon increases in light moving toward gibbous. Stay in the flow, step over fear, no scab picking. We are changing and change disturbs fear and our murky depths. Don’t judge it, just hear it, feel it, sit with it. Part of our truth is our shadow. Try not to fix anything; we are perfectly imperfect. We are the magicians of our life, formations conceived from love will succeed.
Meditation
Still waters run deep Observe them
Poem
The moon, she is split Shadow and light Toward illumination
Winter is an introspective time for many of us. From the beginning of January until the lunar new year, I enjoy dreaming about my intentions for the coming year. Along with the intentions, I review my principals and refresh my manifesto. Currently…
Start from love.
We are each an individual expression of the furnace of creation. Each with a different consciousness of our existence. We decide our story. How we think and feel about everything we encounter. We are only bound by our imagination.
Our attention is the thread of our power. When we start from love our story is beautiful, with no shadow, no opposition. When unbound by culture and what others think, we are free.
Belong to those who bring us joy and when we sing together from love our power is amplified.
This lunar new year is February 1st, the year of the Water Tiger. Tiger energy is known for leadership, strength, justice, sociability, and openness to new experiences. Combined with water: let it flow.
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Onto our 5-minute meditation following the phases of the Moon.
Still very bright just past full, the waning moon decreases in light.
Meditation
Imagine arriving at our vision, victorious. What gifts have we brought to share with the world?
It’s been a minute. The SO staff has been observing. Thinking about what, if anything, to write.
In review, 2021 swung wide between Joy and Despair.
Division kept dividing us. Nature showed her power. People doubled down on their beliefs… The year left kicking and screaming dragging Betty White with it.
We did have pockets of Joy. Bernie and his mitten meme’s. New views from Mars. Ted Lasso.
And, the Nation survived a coup, sort of. William Shatner made it to space, sort of. Racial inequality is equalizing, sort of, ok not really.
Most Joy reported came from that which we hold dear, family, friends, communities and blessed mother nature. Reminding us that loved ones are our everything.
Siting in meditation about 2022 brought images of armor. Protect what we love. Not what we think to be right or wrong, or a battle. Be present for what we love.
Balance and center on love.
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Onto our 5-minute meditation following the phases of the moon.
The waning balsamic moon moves toward darkness. Tomorrow is the first new moon of the year.
There are rich experiences both in both shadow and light. Stay aware of the shadow but focus on the light. See the light within radiating out, touching everything it encounters.
The neighbors were sledding and having a grand time. I went to hang with them thinking I might try it once, not wanting to get an unwanted chiropractic adjustment or end up in the blackberries (which they did, ouch). It was perfect! There was plenty of snow to pad the ride so I went as many times as my tired legs could handle. Then I made a snow kitty fox. It brought me right back to my childhood and sliding the big hill in front of our house in Northport. We’d slide all day until it was dark and we were called in for dinner with sopping mittens and happy hearts.
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Onto our 5-minute meditation following the phases of the Moon.
The waxing moon increases in light moving toward Crescent.
Meditation
Welcome dreams, and visions of beauty… and more fun snow days.
I spend the time between January 1st and the lunar new year pondering my intentions for the coming year. My intentions for this year are…
Stay present in the knowledge that we are All One. Each of us, unique divine expressions. See the beauty in All that is.
Do what connects us thru..
Love
Peace
Joy…
and of course seeing you!
oxo
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Onto our 5-minute meditation following the phases of the Moon.
Waxing moon increasing in light moving toward crescent
Preamble
Yesterday was the new moon, time to plan for a Hero’s journey. Heroes are ready to begin again and again. They remember yet forgive their past and show up bringing their best forward, releasing attachment to what may come.
Get ready to make magic.
Meditation…
We bring our fire, passion, & wisdom. We bring all that comes from Love.
Todays SO is dedicated to Maria Ressa, a prominent journalist in the Philippines. She set out to map and shed light on the spread of disinformation and hate on social media. By doing this she became a prime target of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on the press and has been in and out of jail. The similarities with how disinformation spreads in the Philippines, compared to the U.S. (and the world) is bone chilling. While there is lots of info about Maria on the web, I recommend the Frontline 90-minute documentary, A Thousand Cuts. It is fascinating. Her bravery, intelligence and positivity are awe inspiring.
Question authority, and triple check information before you believe it or spread it. Unless it comes directly from love.
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Onto our 5-minute meditation following the phases of the Moon. Although still quite bright, the full moon is waning.
Preamble
May the merit of your love-based practices be of benefit to all beings.
Meditation
We’ve bathed in the light of the moon, received new energy and ideas, and now we direct them toward our vision.
We continue to prune. Today it was poplars, forever blackberries and the beautiful pussy willow that sits at the edge of the wetland.
Meanwhile the dead microwave sits unattended to. We’re still chewing on how it will be replaced, trying not to have it turn into a full kitchen remodel.
BodyMindSpirit
Psychology, spirituality, philosophy, and consciousness all swirl together for me. Always thinking about the role culture plays in each, and the metaphors used in connecting concepts.
Last year my Mystery School reading was “Anatomy of the Spirit” by Caroline Myss. Her focus is healing through the chakras and how biography becomes biology. I fully enjoyed exploring the chakras. Here’s my brief:
Everything is connected… Our Chakras are energy centers and layers of consciousness. They inform each other, our wisdom and perception of reality.
Root chakra- Our connection to tribal culture
Sacral chakra- Our relationships
Solar Plexus- Our external personal power
Heart- Our emotional power and internal relationship
Throat- Our will power/opinion/voice
Third Eye- The power of our mind
Crown- Our spiritual connection
Every Chakra has potential weights created by *attachment to our judgments. The Fifth Chakra brings these to light as we examine our will and lower Chakras. Surrendering our will frees us from our attachments, allowing for new sight.
At the Sixth Chakra, we choose what to draw from in creating our wisdom. Again, we pull our knowledge, experience, and judgment from the lower chakras.
When we release judgements, we begin to realize the freedom to expand our experience and rise in our spiritual evolution. The more we release, the clearer we see there are only ever 2 choices, Love and fear. Everything else is cultural bias.
Without attachments, fear is not possible.
The seventh chakra is our connection and integration with the spiritual realm. The Love and light of spirit comes into our crown chakra and is shared with all chakras below. Through the devotion of pure Love for all that exists, we connect with the Universe and feel our oneness.
*- attachments, judgment, will, opinion, perspective… are all the same.
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Onto our 5-minute meditation following the phases of the Moon. The waxing moon increases in light moving toward full.
Meditation
Move into your heart, there is no shadow there, no cruelty just Love. Basque in your Love. Seriously, spend 5 minutes experiencing your Love.
I was feeling righteous all afternoon because I fixed the microwave. The door stopped latching causing it to not function. After an hour of fiddling, I was able to pull the latching mechanism forward with needle nose pliers.
While righteous, I pruned the contorted filbert. It’s a gorgeous and gnarly looking tree. I pruned it up about 3 feet. Next summer it will have a skirt of cascading leaves that create a magical cave.
My righteousness was short lived as the microwave broke again after only 4 door openings. My attempts to fix it again failed, Sigh. Tom inquired at the appliance store about fixing it, and they don’t. They do sell new ones for $600 and $200 to install. It’s 3 years old, Sigh.
BodyMindSpirit
As I was pruning, I thought about the word righteous realizing there was nothing morally correct about my fixing the microwave. And that when I use the word it is always the informal definition, and all about ego. I love how words can put things into perspective. And how things of the ego are often short lived.
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Onto our 5-minute meditation following the phases of the Moon. The waxing moon increases in light, tomorrow it will be Gibbous.
Meditation No other person, place or condition should determine our righteousness.
