I wait all year for these...

Wellness Wednesday: The Chance for Growth

I was reading earlier today, while waiting for the ferry, in the pocket size Pema Chodron book Awakening Loving-Kindness which I carry in my bag. I was reading about the Buddhist idea of practicing gratitude for our precious human birth. The idea is that we are supremely fortunate to experience these human lives, which are neither relentlessly painful nor numbingly comfortable. We are in the ideal environment, the optimal circumstance, for growth and awakening. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, this little zone of potential on the continuum between comfort and pain. We hear a lot about "getting out of our comfort zone" and "finding our edge," but it's easy to forget the delicacy and sense of equilibrium needed to find the growth zone instead of just pushing right into pain. In our culture we seem to hold both the ideal of luxuriating in comfort and the ideal of aggressive ambition. Many of us end up in a cycle of alternating workaholism and indulgence in pursuit of these ideals, then wonder why we're not growing or experiencing fulfillment. It's a fine balance, finding that sweet spot, the zone of growth. The physical practice of yoga can teach us; we find the ease and energy in the pose when we push ourselves enough but not too much. Paying close attention to the cycles of nature can teach us; sometimes tuning in to the natural equilibrium around us all the time just knocks me down with awe. Most of all we can learn by listening deeply to our own intuition and body wisdom. Where have you found your zone of growth? What practices do you use to nurture equilibrium?

Blossom Time

Finally. It was a cold winter and a late spring. The wild plums at the back of the meadow that have been known to burst into blossom in February are only just now in full frill and celebration. I love plum blossoms, their modesty and delicacy, their soft fragrance and the vulnerability of their petals beginning to open before the leaves on rough, bare, gnarled branches. The plum blossom is a poignant symbol of hope and resilience, beauty and impermanence. I can understand why this symbol is so beloved in Japan & China, by poets and painters. Here are a few lines from “The Fisherman” by Li Po:

The earth has drunk the snow,

And now the plum trees are blossoming once more.

The willow leaves are like new gold;

The lake is molten silver.

Goddess Labyrinth on the Beach

My favourite walk takes me down a long spit of land between a small salmon bearing stream and the ocean. The path next to the creek is gently sheltered, and finally opens up onto a wild part of the beach. This is what I saw the other day when I emerged from the creek path. A small, but walkable Classical Labyrinth laid out in oyster shells, affirming my recent life theme of focus, centredness, and one-ness with the world. I also wanted to share with you this wonderful quote that I came across recently in a favourite magazine:

What might my life be like were I to give in to the rhythms of my own ragged dance? Like this, I imagine, walking down the trail, past grapevines and winecups and hiusache blooming in the sun. Just like this attentiveness, this pleasure, this being present to the world. -Susan Hanson

Today I hope you can dance your own ragged dance with joy!

The Fool

Our homework this week from Elena at Inner Revealings Tarot was to spend some time with the first of the Major Arcana ( the 22 cards of the Tarot that represent the great archetypes, the stages on the souls journey ), and reflect on the meaning of the archetype in our own lives. I've lived with the Tarot imagery for so long, and I really want to take Elena's homework as an opportunity to revisit these familiar images with beginner's mind. I chose to by-pass my intellectual knowledge of the card by engaging in some creative play (a great Fool activity!) and making a spontaneous collage of my own inner Fool! Here are the results. She's now sitting on my bedside table, encouraging me to reflect on her qualities. I am by nature a very goal-oriented person: I like plans, order, and security. The Fool challenges me to remember the importance of nurturing my creativity with occasional spontaneity, risk, adventure, travel, and imaginative flights of fancy! I've already started researching retreat centres in Hawaii to teach at next winter!
Here are some positive Fool qualities I manifest:

• childlike vision
• ability to take risks
• love for nature
• hope
• big dreams
• desire for adventure
• beginner's mind approach to the spiritual

and a few shadow Fool qualities I'd like to transform:

• procrastinating on responsibilities
• not always considering consequences of actions
• occasional negative impulsiveness!

For more about the Fool's qualities, visit Inner Revealings here.

Happy Easter!

I took this photo at Spring Equinox. I was sitting at the kitchen counter with the family at breakfast time, talking about the specialness of the day, dark and light equal, first day of spring, a day of promise and balance. I then pronounced (just for fun, because I heard it somewhere once,) "you know, this is the only day of the year you can stand an egg on it's end!" We all chuckled, my daughter grabbed an egg to give it a try, then my sweetie tried too, and pronounced it impossible. I said (with bravado) "I'll show you!", grabbed the egg, and set it on the counter, first try, just as you see it above. We all sat for a moment in shocked silence. Then I grabbed the camera. So I thought I would share this today, another egg holiday. I'm wishing you all a peaceful, abundant, joyful, and BALANCED springtime!

Wellness Wednesday: Sacred Space

Here is our beautiful group altar from the Women's Dance Retreat Gillian and I facilitated over Equinox weekend. Each participant brought an offering that spoke to our theme of renewal, and we opened the retreat by placing the offerings on the altar. Over the course of the weekend, participants spent time at the altar, brought new objects to place on it, took pictures of it, talked about it... by the time this picture was taken, towards the end of the weekend, the altar was overflowing and fairly humming with energy. To close the retreat we each took home an offering from the altar - but not the one we brought. The offerings were distributed randomly, and there was some serious magic in the gifts each participant received!! I love this ritual, and am so happy that we have been making it a part of our recent retreats. I find it so beautiful that women coming from truly diverse spiritual backgrounds (this group had devout christians, buddhists mahayana and zen, neo-pagans, as well as women who didn't identify as "religious") can come together with apparent ease and create shared sacred space. Many people seem to have a natural sense of how to do this, and why, yet in our culture it is not the necessarily the norm to create household altars, temporary altars for events, etc... the word itself evokes something grand or exotic or ancient or somber, not something homey and familiar! I am all for reclaiming the word and the practice of altar making for our daily lives! Your practice can be as simple as lighting a candle to begin your work for the day (or your yoga practice, or your dinner-making,) as a reminder to yourself that your actions have meaning and worth. Here are some more ideas for creating sacred space within you or around you to enhance your daily life:

• Place fresh flowers in your entryway weekly as a symbol of life and beauty to all who enter your home (including you!)
• Take some extra care and time with your daily bathing routine, and honour yourself with special oils or perfumes or a candle lit shower or bath.
• Take a moment before you cook a meal to think about the people you are cooking for and what kind of energy you want to impart to the food - I like to light incense when I do this, and let the fragrance mingle with the cooking smells.
  
• Create a personal altar - this can be as simple as a candle and a picture on your bedside table! Start your day by lighting the candle on your altar and setting an intention for the day. Remember to put out the candle when you leave the house, but keep carrying the flame in your heart!
  

How do you create sacred space in your daily life? Do you have a personal altar? I'd love to see it. If you'd like, post a picture of your altar on your blog, and leave a link in the comments - or send it along to me, and I'll post it here.