This year has been one of challenge within change for all of us. What I have found crucially important is to be very discerning about when I use “soft focus” to observe the phenomena of the larger scale motions, machinations, mayhem and momentous flux worldwide and when to use “sharp focus” in particular situations, personal choices and creative expressions. How do I take into account the larger tidal flow of the times and society (the impersonal sea of circumstance I live within) and be responsible for the personal realm of my own body, mind, soul and interactions with others. The bounce and balance between these perspectives is a theme in my life and perhaps in yours as well.
Some of my mentors and teachers are commenting on this period as one of profound proportion in terms of evolution of the human species and it’s relationship to everything else. I’ve felt it coming, and you probably have too. Though turmoil is rampant and suffering easy to see on a daily basis, so are signs of hope and beauty, courage and vision.
We are NOT ALONE! For all our apparent feelings of loneliness, all we have to do is turn to someone, or lean against a tree, watch the stars, swim in fresh water, appreciate the birds and beasts we share the planet with and we discover we’re not really alone. And that’s not even counting all the energetic wildlife that wafts through the universe and our lives – some benign, some helpful, some not.
I have recurring dreams where I’m demonstrating to others how to fly. In these dreams the thing I have to do in order to float in the air is relinquish and relax. By letting go, I find I begin to float in thin air and its a wonderful feeling. And, the funny thing about being the vibrant dreamer I am, is that I end up feeling lighter after those dreams, so I do believe they offer me something real. That lightness of being is the secret of being vitally alive and free. Trust also an important element in letting go…trust that something has me, that I don’t have to make a big effort to fly, that actually the opposite is true.
While I work on The Seed Songs – Book Two: Sounds Like Home, there’s a piece about the sacred symbolism of birds and feathers, and I won’t say more here, but I will share a painting I created about 6 months ago as inspiration and encouragement to see to your own lightness of being so that you are free from things that keep you bound up, miserable, worried, bothered. This doesn’t mean denying your feelings about anything, to be clear. What it means is: have the feelings and let them flow through you, but don’t freeze your focus, keep it moving freely. You can retain your integrity and take courageous stands without tying up your energy in that way.
May your journey be fueled by love and reverence for life,
N.
