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The Synergy of Completion

8/29/2012

No matter what we may have heard or talked about or speculated upon, we are living in very potent times. Some of us have anticipated “end times” with fear and trepidation; we can see evidence of prophecies being fulfilled which point to the collapse of financial and political institutions, people gone mad, utter chaos. Others of us may be familiar with indigenous prophecies that have survived intact since the days of first humans. These prophecies look to signs in the natural world and the interactions of humans that point to a completion of cycles and long anticipated outcomes. Some of us are focused upon current events that show lack of regard for our impending doom and continuation of our consumptive and greedy practices. Others are attuned to beliefs of ascension from the fourth dimension into fifth dimension reality. On first glance these ideas and approaches and those who hold to them seem radically scattered and opposing.

Yet they are founded upon common themes:
our irreplaceable resources are disappearing
we are witnessing conflicts on many fronts
our earth has been demonstrating extreme climate changes
some how, some time, life as we know it will cease to be

In your quiet time it might be enlightening to explore where you find yourself within the preponderance of evidence pointing to end times. Some, of course, will look away in denial. Some are looking forward to the end. Some are perplexed, not knowing what to think or do or trust. Some haven’t given much attention to the subject at all.

I believe each of us in one way or another must look, must know what is true for ourselves, must find resolution, must discover the beauty and strength within to help herald in the future that is life affirming. When we consciously step into the flow of life with acceptance, not resistance, we experience a hidden dimension that we could not have known any other way. Synergy becomes the norm. We are given the tools, the resources, the partners, the opportunities to bring about that which is of the highest good for all. We step into the ubiquity of God and live the old time hymn: this is my Father’s world.

This is life on the edge; life without comfortable rules. It is giving up control. This is the only way to participate authentically in the changing times, today, tomorrow, any time.

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Seasons

8/22/2012

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   "we had joy we had fun we had seasons in the sun
but the wine and the song like the seasons have all gone . . . ."
   - from Seasons in the Sun
  * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This is a turning point in the seasons. It is not acknowledged on calendar time as an equinox or a solstice nor as a holiday. And yet I sense it all around me and within all living beings. There is a stillness. . . . . .

The extreme heat of the past few weeks has broken; cooler days and even cooler nights have returned. A stillness - no surge of storms or gusty winds that accompany major weather changes. Fields lie yellowing, tired, after having produced voluptuously, abundantly. Corn is not quite ready to harvest but beans, peppers, tomatoes and herbs are at the peak of their ripeness and flavor. Stellar jays are returning as hazelnuts, their food of choice, are just greening on the trees. Stillness. . . . .

People are turning attention to the last of things – the last camping trip, the last outdoor concerts, the last weeks for vacations. Simultaneously, football practice and band rehearsals have begun at the high school. Scores of notebooks, pencils, crayons and markers flood the stores; new clothes for the coming season are on the racks and shelves. While all of nature is easing into a slower, quieter rhythm, people seem to be scurrying. Like the ant in the fable about the grasshopper and the ant, hurrying in preparation for what comes next. Savoring the waning days of summer, storing up for the winter.

Sometimes it appears as if humans operate in opposition to nature. We speed up as the natural world relinquishes its busyness. And yet we humans are no different than the plants who flourish then retire, the bear who relishes the fullness as she prepares for rest, the birds who instinctively make their way from summer’s bounty to hospitable winter habitats, the salmon whose life cycle is predictable and timeless. The same life force inhabits all of us, supports our being en-liven-ed, guides our seasonal changes, and is impartial about the conclusion of our life cycles. When we humans know ourselves to be, in truth, but one element in a living matrix -a part of yet not more or less than the created All - then our dramas, the life stories that we drag around and repeat, our fears and limitations and our grandiosity may lose their importance and fall away. Here is transcendence. Here is where we find peace. Here is where we know god.
A stillness. . . . . .

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RULES

8/15/2012

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Joseph Campbell said:

It takes courage to do what you want. Other people have a lot of plans for you. Nobody wants you to do what you want to do. They want you to go on their trip, but you can do what you want. I did. I went into the woods and read for five years.
- A Joseph Campbell Companion, 1991

RULES

you must do what your mother tells you
you must never lie to your grandma
you must study this if you want to achieve that
you must believe this because that's what we teach
your marriage must look like this
your children must behave like this
your career must move along like this
your organization must be run like this
your creativity must follow this formula
your health must be managed like this

I have broken every one of those rules and quite a few more. Sometimes I feel like a floating cloud or a moving river, always discovering. Almost never do I feel like a tree firmly planted, immovable. I question my current and past beliefs and behaviors that flow from those beliefs. And the other way around. I notice my behaviors then discover the beliefs that inform them.

I do know people who live a life of conformity and who are very much at ease within their lives. Some look at me quizzically; they don’t understand. Others look to me to be taught what I have learned. I have no explanation for those who are wondering; nothing to teach that you won't discover for yourself in your own way, in your own time. I can tell you my story and listen to you as yours unfolds.

My life feels so solidly grounded in the Source of Life, the Great Mystery, God.
And, a definition of the Sacred is beyond my limited capacity. I am at peace.

I hope you break some rules, go on your own trip, do what you want to do. A phrase from an old folk song is running through my head: if we only find each other, still the journey's worth the time. Who knows who we will find on the journey, breaking the rules, going on our own trip, being the grounding for our sacred lives.

Namaste!

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fleeting moments, many facets

8/5/2012

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Late summer, lazy days of August, not a leaf stirring, birds resting, neighbor haying, rafters on the river, fresh corn on the cob and watermelon, outdoor movies, music. Just thinking about the many facets of our daily lives. . . . . . .

I'm sitting outside in the shade, watching an eagle floating on the thermals high above the east ridge that defines - along with its twin to the west - our peaceful valley. Summer is in its fullness. I picked fresh blueberries last weekend; ate more than a few as I picked, froze some, scooped some into salads and on ice cream, shared some with Sophie who is pictured with me on the home page. After picking I stopped at Mama's Garden for freshly harvested potatoes, carrots and snap peas that went into my dish for a potluck last night. Blackberry vines are covered with lingering blossoms and ripening berries. Raspberries are done - this year's crop came enmasse, almost faster than they could be gathered. At the same time, some leaves on trees and bushes are already showing tinges of red and yellow. Mt. Baker highway was opened all the way to the top, more than 10,000 feet high, for the first time since October 2011, and kids in shorts and tank tops swarmed the slopes for summer skiing and sledding. Sophie and I went to town, walked the boardwalk on Bellingham Bay, watching two little girls pick up a beached starfish and toss it back into the tide.

The natural world is full in the Now. And while our physicality exists in the here and now, our thoughts, our emotions, are often in the past and future, in the fleeting moments and many facets of our lives. A glimpse into facets, here and now, forward and backward . . . . .

* kids coming of age: little boys and big boys, wresting, punching each other in the arm; their older sisters trying on clothes and makeup and hairstyles and personalities;
* a 30-something mom balancing the needs and directing summer activities of her little clan, wondering why she is always tired and if she will ever reclaim the titles of Photographer, Writer, Artist and Mommy;
* a "seeker" returning home to the starting point of a year long quest, still contemplating the answers and even more questions generated by the journey;
* a grandparent wondering how best to offer wisdom and support to adult children without being intrusive and depriving them of their "learning opportunities;"
* a teacher/counselor torn between two beloved places, commuting back and forth across the continent for work and rejuvenation;
* individuals setting aside time to care for an ageing parent, a declining partner, a dying child;
* travelers leaving the plains for a seaside getaway, leaving the seaside for the mountains, the mountains for the city . . . . . .

just thinking about the moments, the facets; no right or wrong, no preference, just noticing. Maybe we are forever nesters and seekers, doing and being, collecting and letting go. Fleeting, many faceted.

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The Synergy of Completion

Seasons

RULES

fleeting moments, many facets

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