Stay Tight Inside Those Ruby Slippers

Visual....girl clicking her ruby slippered heels together while chanting.."there's no place like home, there's no place like home...." Dorothy of Wizard of Oz classic movie fame. Young girl from farmbelt goes on a quest over the rainbow to Oz, and on the journey to find what she's looking for, the proverbial "bluebird of happiness," realizes she had it in side herself, all along. We are very much like Dorothy from Kansas, we are always looking over the rainbow, seeking the "answer." Whatever that may be for us. We meet many characters on the way that are there to guide, some we recognize from lifetimes before, just as the Lion, Tinman, and Scarecrow, were familiar to Dorothy, and  they are there to assist us on the path. We meet many challanges, just as Dorothy had her nemesis...a.k.a "the Wicked Witch." Those challenges want to keep us off the path, like the scene where the poppies appear and lull Dorothy and her guides gently  to sleep.But a soft snow awakens them, just as we can wake up and continue our journey. We can awaken our conciousness, raise the vibration and see what our truth, our story really is, or we can stay asleep. As Glinda the Good tells our girl....."say tight inside the ruby slippers, their magic must be very powerful or she (wicked witch) wouldn't want them so badly."  Those ruby slippers have the power, the power of being home, inside ourselves. All we need to do is click our heels together and realize we are home, inside our heart.

All or One

Yesterday was May Day, in some traditions known as Beltane. It is an ancient Celtic fire festival, celebrating the union of father Sun and mother Earth and fertility as the season moves into the bounty of summer. People danced together, celebrated, and worked together- side by side. No divisions, everybody joined in and worked for the great harvest, and then reveled again in the fall to celebrate communal success.The model of simple unity. It has been said that "the Earth has enough for All creatures needs, but not enough for One man's greed." In these modern times this becomes a more urgent statement, almost a plea.When will we realize what each of us does effects the other?  But we continue to struggle with duality and separation; we isolate ourselves, it becomes "mine, me, I" instead of "we." We create a struggle, and by doing so misery. We lose sight of that interconnection we share with the intricate and fragile web of life that supports each and every one of the creatures on the planet, including ourselves. In the tenants of yoga, it is said we are all One. And  in Tantric texts that everything is Sacred. That we all hold that spark of Divinity within, we are one with the Divine.  Sun/Moon; Man/Woman; ....night/day, good/bad, birth, death, rebirth....all things are interconnected in this beautiful mosaic of life.  There is no separation. If we are so intertwined, what we do to another, we do to ourselves. Think carefully about your impact, tread lightly on this Earth that supports your very being, as well as your neighbor across the globe.  A butterfly flaps it's wings and effects the wind on the other side of the world, what will your effect be?

The Labyrinth

Non attachment-one of the yamas on the yogic path, is most likely, for most of us, the hardest to attain. We are connected to and limited by our attachments to our 'stuff' and our relationships. I am personally struggling with this one; letting go of things, much less people is incredibly difficult.We hold on to things that don't serve us. We attach to the morning cup of coffee, the basketball trophy from 5th grade,  the job, to relationships that no longer meet our needs. Think about it...it is how we identify ourselves. But in order to attain moksha, or liberation, we need to let go of attachments that prevent us, bind us,  from realizing who we really are. A scene from the Jim Henson movie "The Labyrinth" comes to my mind. If you have not seen it, do yourself a favor, rent it. It is the story of a teen girl, who is discontent with her present status-always having to watch her baby step brother. In a vengeful moment, she wishes for the Goblin King to whisk said little brother off to his kingdom. Be careful what you wish for...poof! She now has to go off in search of her little brother. On the path through the labyrinth, (just as we do in life) she meets many challenges. The Goblin King tricks her with illusion (which is around us all the time ) and she forgets her quest to liberate little brother. A creature with every possible thing you can imagine attached to her back tries to make her forget who she really is with  childhood attachments..."now dearie you need this... look at this.... and that....ahh remember your old.... and you can't do without this, etc." But she looks in the mirror and sees herself (self realization) and remembers her mission of liberation for her little brother. Thankfully a happy ending. We are very much like the heroine of the movie. We go around discontented with our role in life, attaching to this and that, thinking it will bring contentment and we forget what is really important. We pile on thing after thing, seeking, but not certain for what,  in the illusory attempt to gain happiness. This seems to be the year of liberation, whether we choose it or not. All around things that no longer are working seem to be crumbling away, relationships are ending, people are in transition.  This year of 2012 is a time to put down the attachments that have become part of us, even though they weigh us down. It is time to make your way through the labyrinth of life, look into the mirror, see yourself, and liberate who you truly are.

Crossroads

This morning it was foggy, beautiful, but foggy. Blocking signs that direct us in our travels.  It softly surrounds you, shields you, and at the same time blocks your vision of what lays ahead. Crossroads may be right in front of you-unseen through the haze until you come right up upon them. Life is a lot like this. We stand at forks in the road, unaware of which way to turn through the fog that hides the future from our eyes. We are given choices; take this path or that. We waver, afraid of making a turn in the wrong direction. The one guarantee we have is that it is going to end up somewhere.  But the end of the journey is hidden in the mist, and we often don't know for sure where the trail may lead.  We all encounter these times in our lives, where the sense of direction is unclear.We just want to stay put until the fog clears. There are no GPS systems with precise step by step instructions, no lighthouses to guide our ship. All we can know for sure is to  take the journey that feels right, and trust the destination will be where we are meant to be.

I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet

All around us, right now there is instability. In governments, and people, everything is turning upside down. The solid ground is moving under our feet. In the past 24 hours there have been numerous earthquakes....
Sumatra-(4) 8.9; 8.7; 8.2; 6.0
Mexico-(2) 7; 6.9
Southern California-(2) 6.9; 6.2
Oregon-6.0
Japan-6.1
New England Coast-4.5
Utah-4.8
There has been massive hail in Texas, and tornadoes in Puerto Rico. The National Geological Survey says the west coast of the United States is unstable. There is audio of strange sounds in the sky (some appear faked, some NOT) The media is not really talking, although if you Google, you will find.  My gut tells me this is not the norm...
Something is definitely brewing, the earth changes ascertain that much. You could read into the "doomsday" theories that people have about this year of 2012. Conspiracy theories abound. There is also the theory of a shift in consciousness, an awakening to a higher vibration. There have been rare planetary alignments, and recently Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Mercury, and Venus have been visible at the same time to the naked eye. With uncertainty comes fear. But my mind wanders to the certain power and beauty of Mother Earth. When there is a natural "disaster", such as  an earthquake, volcanic eruption, flood, or fire, it is as if the Mother is cleansing herself in order to give birth to something new. Think of what happens on volcanic soil-beautiful, lush forests arise from molten rock. When there is a fire, the brush grows back more bountiful than before. Life springs forth through the labors of the planet. These events force us to bring about change and come together. As these labor pangs occur with more frequency, it is our signal that we need to let go of old ways and patterns, let go of fear and anger, and see the beauty and strength that is born of adversity. As the phoenix rises from the ash, we need to  rise up to challenging times and elevate our collective consciousness.

Heaven or Hell

Heaven and hell....we all have our own perspectives of them. Hell seen as unbearable, torturous, hot as Hades. Heaven seen to be peaceful, welcoming, full of radiance.  Our viewpoint, and just how we react or respond to each moment of our lives and the situations of day to day manifests in us and through us. It is through our perspective that we create our reality-our very own Heaven or Hell.. We have the choice to encounter life situations and control the way they effect us and how we allow them to influence us, or not. Something happens, and we see it as horrible and react to that perception. The ego jumps in, possibly followed by its friend anger, its cousin indignation, so on, and so forth....right down the line. "How dare they; they can't treat me like that, I'll show them,".... etc.,etc.  The adrenaline rises to the cause and before you know it ...BOOM...the explosive reaction comes on like fire and brimstone. Because of  that reaction, another action may take place. There you have it my friends-your very own Dante's Inferno, self created. How many times have you allowed yourself to go there? Or felt something to be unbearable?  We ALL have...probably way more than once! We also have the capability to step out of the fire, stepping back into the light of responding from the place of the witness and see what is really happening. We can look at a situation and approach it from the place of inner peace-the heart, and then respond instead of react. Seeing how it effects us, and can we even change it. Observe the story of  "The Warrior"....... There once was a fierce warrior chieftain. He was accustomed to everyone bowing to his iron will,  and if not, facing  his iron swords wrath. One day he approached a gentle monk and bellowed he wanted to be taught about Heaven and Hell. The monk paused, and then said-"YOU?" I cannot teach you anything! You are dirty, unkempt. You smell. Your blade is rusty; you are a disgrace to the warrior clan. Go now, away from here, I can't bear the sight of ye." With that, the warrior grew hotter, redder, and even angrier if possible and raised his blade to take off the head of the wise monk. The monk looked up at the warrior and calmly said..."that's Hell." The mighty warrior was taken aback. The peaceful monk offered his life up to teach him the concept of hell. The mighty vengeful warrior dropped his blade, and  fell to his knees at the monks feet and felt peace. "That's Heaven", the monk gently whispered. We have the power to choose, through our perceptions, whether we reside in our own Hell or create our own Heaven .

Lighter Days

Here on the east coast of the United States, we have Daylight Savings Time, and  it is Spring. In full bloom... way too early. But it is  breathtakingly beautiful. The sun is up earlier, and sets later. Flower petals cascade like snow on the March winds. Everything is renewed, feeling brighter, lighter. But there are still those days where it is cloudy, blustery, perhaps a frost-it casts a shadow on the flowers raising themselves to the sun. We are very much like those  first flowers of Spring. In our lives we can raise up to  the light, and cast off the shadows that cloud our personal and spiritual growth. We all have times when we feel wonderful, and then we allow something or someone to adversely affect us. We retreat into the shadow of ourselves. This  is a powerful time on the planet we are living in;  and this season  we are in of  growth and renewal, it  is the perfect time to look inside, and see what shadows you want to walk out from under-stepping into the light and allow your soul to shine through.  Try this meditation......Find a place, perhaps outside, that calls to you. Sit down, and close your eyes. As you breathe in through your nose, imagine you are breathing in a stream of light through the top of your head.. Let it reach you from the lower belly up to the collarbone. Exhale collarbone to belly. Connect with your breath, notice it-maybe you smell the scent of spring, or feel the breeze on your skin. Notice the sensations. Continue just breathing in and out.......Let your minds eye see you breathing in light. Every time the breath passes the  area of the heart, see it growing brighter, however you envision it. And then as you exhale,see the breath as light beaming out from your heart. With each breath, see your heart grow lighter, expanding, and opening out  beyond the boundaries of your body. Send that light out into the world around you. When you are done, reflect on where you need to shine your light to illuminate those shadows that cross your path, burning through the haze to see them for what they really are-just fleeting moments that cloud our perception of who we really are.  Breath in light, breathe out light.....be  light.