tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20320860824799136942024-02-24T15:45:39.845-05:00Blue Heron HealingProviding deeply relaxing hands-on healing to assess and balance the energy flowing around and through your body. Energy medicine supports healing at physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. Also offering guided meditation and sound healing from September through June as well as Opening the Channel: Introduction to Energy Medicine.Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-47324603474298116282024-01-02T11:47:00.005-05:002024-02-20T18:49:32.800-05:00Being a Disciple<p><span style="font-family: times;">Every New Year we hear about resolutions and how they fall by the wayside in February or March. It points to an apparent <i>failure of discipline</i>, an inability to follow through, when it comes to aspirations we have for ourselves.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Discipline is defined as <i>the quality of being able to behave and work in a controlled way which involves obeying particular rules or standards.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">When I hear this, I resist! Controlling myself by obeying a set of rules that I've set up for myself -- the whole idea evokes being disciplined by a scolding parent, the nuns at catholic school, or a micro-managing boss. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">No wonder we lack discipline!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">In mental health or personal growth, the idea of controlling our behavior is problematic. Working with people who are earnestly trying to heal, to overcome their conditioned behavior, reveals in short order that we are driven (controlled) by factors that are often unconscious. Dynamics encountered in our early lives caused us to draw conclusions about ourselves and the world that we may not even be aware of. These influences seem hard-wired, difficult to uproot and update to match who we are now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMGFJLXi1lfCSSUQWkRnCNZFTmZe8QhP4gxaSQQriI24djs1FQhsfQo2QTLijpCPLqHhM5657sZXUayQmaQ9-_dNG_ltGf7upco7OYgJqKY19GzgAd26mi3DbpUb4rCLOO2TKIE7tRhqXs8cBK4K90I1xAgtAWclIQJFCuS2C7iBkRwAiTiVzEw308PqA/s209/parent%20yelling.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="209" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMGFJLXi1lfCSSUQWkRnCNZFTmZe8QhP4gxaSQQriI24djs1FQhsfQo2QTLijpCPLqHhM5657sZXUayQmaQ9-_dNG_ltGf7upco7OYgJqKY19GzgAd26mi3DbpUb4rCLOO2TKIE7tRhqXs8cBK4K90I1xAgtAWclIQJFCuS2C7iBkRwAiTiVzEw308PqA/w320-h320/parent%20yelling.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">So here's an idea. Why don't we skip the annual attempt to <i>discipline ourselves</i> and consider becoming disciples?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Both words, discipline and disciple come from the same Latin word<i> discipulus</i>, meaning pupil.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">When we hear <i>disciple</i>, we think of the followers of Jesus. But what could this mean for us in the New Year of 2024?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Webster defines a disciple as a pupil or follower of any teacher or school. So who do we choose to follow?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><b><i>I've decided to become a disciple of my higher self. My best version of me.</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">I find this expanded sense of myself on the meditation cushion and do my best to infuse it into my daily life. <i>Do I fall off the wagon? Yes, for sure, all the time. Constantly! </i> But I'm aspiring to align my will for myself with divine will for me. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">It's a practice of aligning with that dimension of being -- not forcing, failing, and recriminating. It's a practice of remembering who I AM according to what I discover daily in my own experience and in the inner realms of revelation.</span></p><div class="wDYxhc" data-md="61" lang="en-US" style="border-radius: 8px; clear: none; color: #202124; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div aria-level="3" class="LGOjhe" data-attrid="wa:/description" data-hveid="CCAQAA" role="heading" style="overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 20px;"><span style="font-family: times;">Our true nature, beneath the personalities we adopted, is as vast and infinite as the cosmos. In truth, we are kind, generous and loving. Our True Selves are unfragmented, unified in wholeness and integrity. In truth, we are connected, through the energetic web of life, with each other, the planet, and the Divine -- whatever that means to you in your sacred heart.</span></div><div aria-level="3" class="LGOjhe" data-attrid="wa:/description" data-hveid="CCAQAA" role="heading" style="overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 20px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsKoG2mMUuRMvdwZXfIK9vZRmggBIeRcEfe8tAKwdwRZkP_WBQZYBcuZKJUdMuR_ouB9kInf9cQRy7K-dXID2NWjQLwjWyGey0r_0uOg0MC53GCwWq1Cc9WsqyBr-ztaJalfkkLjnuoogLoa3jD1WFM7BBJQr1cI3fdNvuXoj82yYdZUS2gevVJmKHNo/s592/web-of-life.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="592" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsKoG2mMUuRMvdwZXfIK9vZRmggBIeRcEfe8tAKwdwRZkP_WBQZYBcuZKJUdMuR_ouB9kInf9cQRy7K-dXID2NWjQLwjWyGey0r_0uOg0MC53GCwWq1Cc9WsqyBr-ztaJalfkkLjnuoogLoa3jD1WFM7BBJQr1cI3fdNvuXoj82yYdZUS2gevVJmKHNo/w400-h288/web-of-life.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="wDYxhc" data-md="61" lang="en-US" style="border-radius: 8px; clear: none; color: #202124; font-size: 14px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span><div aria-level="3" class="LGOjhe" data-attrid="wa:/description" data-hveid="CCAQAA" role="heading" style="overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 20px;"><span style="font-family: times;">When we acknowledge this dimension of being, </span><span style="font-family: times;">our consciousness expands. When we know ourselves as directly plugged in to the Source energy that created worlds, everything changes. </span></div><div aria-level="3" class="LGOjhe" data-attrid="wa:/description" data-hveid="CCAQAA" role="heading" style="overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 20px;"><span style="font-family: times;">We don't have to discipline ourselves to meet standards erected by forces that simply want to corral us into </span><i style="font-family: times;">acceptable, appropriate </i><span style="font-family: times;">behavior. <i> For our own good. To fit in.</i></span></div><div aria-level="3" class="LGOjhe" data-attrid="wa:/description" data-hveid="CCAQAA" role="heading" style="overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 20px;"><span style="font-family: times;">Our choices are NOT based on what we mistakenly concluded about ourselves and the world as children. Instead, we choose in concert with who we are today. </span></div></div><p><span style="font-family: times;">My hope for the New Year of 2024 is that the massive awakening that is happening across the globe helps us realize the truth of who we are, unencumbered by the weight of all the false notions we adopted growing up, and embrace our higher selves. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><i><b>My hope is that we find quiet places -- the woods, an empty church, the back porch at sunset -- and recover this spacious dimension of presence and being.</b></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">You're invited to join me in exchanging discipline for discipleship. Let us become disciples of the spark of the Divine within-- and dedicate ourselves to realizing </span><span style="font-family: times;">it's unlimited vision </span><span style="font-family: times;">for us in this New Year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p>Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-35627909053224992362023-07-01T15:23:00.001-04:002023-07-03T16:32:18.314-04:00Summer Solstice 2023<p>At the Summer Solstice, I gave a talk at the local community center here in Longmeadow. We have lived here for almost two years, newcomers to this lovely town. </p><p>The blurb in the newsletter said: Julie offers perennial wisdom associated with the summer solstice. Astronomy, astrology and archeology illustrate why this day has been honored since ancient times. Come learn about the great shift of ages we are in the midst of, and how aligning with the rhythms of nature lends a sense of stability in turbulent times. Enjoy a guided meditation to awaken your inner light.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsA04UbjC4DyqOG-wXTQS0bvWGkR4P05nYNyAXClc--u33SAYFZJ-x0M5JBKFmcbDwdF7rZuyPAngYh-7u1Z7yrOpUJuAGnvChS4jZn5f3gjc1QiB-WnA8aqpFH4Yjoez97uCPgnkpTMv958GgQ8YI11BVcBIxiOtmuNczN1XbMdC7ihVbtxY8Nzpbxo/s940/SUMMER%20SOLSTICE%20June%2021%20(rain%20date%20June%2022)%20(3).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsA04UbjC4DyqOG-wXTQS0bvWGkR4P05nYNyAXClc--u33SAYFZJ-x0M5JBKFmcbDwdF7rZuyPAngYh-7u1Z7yrOpUJuAGnvChS4jZn5f3gjc1QiB-WnA8aqpFH4Yjoez97uCPgnkpTMv958GgQ8YI11BVcBIxiOtmuNczN1XbMdC7ihVbtxY8Nzpbxo/w400-h335/SUMMER%20SOLSTICE%20June%2021%20(rain%20date%20June%2022)%20(3).png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>So I head over with my laptop and handouts, prepared to give this talk as I have done since 2012. Back then, I sat with notes on my lap, in my living room, sharing the information with my newly-formed meditation circle. Since then, my presentation has evolved into a PowerPoint; I tweak it every year, adding pertinent astrological info and current events that out-picture the archetypal energies at play in the heavens.</p><p>When I arrive at the community center, they point me to a large room set up with chairs in the front and tables in the back, as if lunch had been served. There's a small stage. </p><p>Am I supposed to sit on this stage? </p><p>The activities director hustles in. He sets up a card table for my laptop and connects it to a screen that, viola, lowers onto the stage. This platform is about knee high off the auditorium floor, and I realize I have no other option but to sit there to deliver my talk. He asks if I want a microphone and I decline. I have never sat on a stage or used a mic for this kind of event so...no. Thank you, I think I'll be OK without it.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqckc8KbSFk59Z7lvGJMjIRsgzm5VUD_QIakH2LjwjQFegxDr283FfZorzg5gKmqeLtI-CoG9b6725he4QHmyG4KkkJF-wnN3iNr3PrPWL3ibz-yMFVzgREdDQ1Bhpj7HfdKtLGe479MkRg-pMXn_biQ-sGDgK9dGZcjBGgeDSO6JYDyVJpUGeHWWyq2w/s640/IMG_0569%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqckc8KbSFk59Z7lvGJMjIRsgzm5VUD_QIakH2LjwjQFegxDr283FfZorzg5gKmqeLtI-CoG9b6725he4QHmyG4KkkJF-wnN3iNr3PrPWL3ibz-yMFVzgREdDQ1Bhpj7HfdKtLGe479MkRg-pMXn_biQ-sGDgK9dGZcjBGgeDSO6JYDyVJpUGeHWWyq2w/w300-h400/IMG_0569%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>About 20 people filter in. Only two men. I introduce myself briefly and indicate that there is information about me and Blue Heron Healing at the table in the back. If they are interested in being notified of upcoming special events they can leave their email addresses. </p><p>Can they hear me ok? No, a couple of heads shaking no. So I hop off the stage to get that microphone. </p><p>Distinctly out of my comfort zone.</p><p>But maybe the mic is a good idea because I've had an oddly long-lingering head cold. My throat is still a little raspy. I'm concerned about straining my voice or having it give out altogether, which of course is not a good look. I ask my audience to excuse the lozenge I have tucked in my cheek.</p><p>So here's me: <i> Testing, testing</i>. Hearing my voice through the speaker system reminds me that I spent many years in local politics, in my former life in Wethersfield, speaking into a mic. This is not a big deal.</p><p>I give my talk sitting at the card table on the stage, right hand at my laptop, left hand holding the mic. This deprives me of gesturing; I feel oddly handcuffed, but forge ahead. <b>Things proceed smoothly, except for one guy who appears to be napping, lol.</b> The rest are engaged. Once or twice I get up to point out something on the big screen.</p><p>I speak for 40 minutes, then suggest a break before we settle for the guided meditation. A woman raises her hand, reminding me that I haven't asked for questions or comments.</p><p>She says, in a flabbergasted kind of way, </p><p><i><b>Who are you? </b></i></p><p><i><b>Where have you been? </b></i></p><p><i><b> What's your story?</b></i></p><p>The esoteric info in my talk clearly resonates with her. She says something along the lines of, this stuff is meaningful to me, but I rarely see out here in regular life.</p><p>I love this response! </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHXTwzDHL96Cju8Q82Z6wpsfBopzBEFwM1twbl8UY-h3jqcQeIgnuMd_ZdYwIJym7B8YZXarujX7NwFomdgpCjV8nEBif1h0fM7hAxrDwQcmv7zo21ESoECfYmqF-oeh6ZC5ng3OLgmKh51Fpk9UKpfdAU2WO1Eoy1QhKYQxZE9ta67CEdVcsBZeRhvo/s588/Louise%20Hay%20Heal%20Your%20Body.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="428" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHXTwzDHL96Cju8Q82Z6wpsfBopzBEFwM1twbl8UY-h3jqcQeIgnuMd_ZdYwIJym7B8YZXarujX7NwFomdgpCjV8nEBif1h0fM7hAxrDwQcmv7zo21ESoECfYmqF-oeh6ZC5ng3OLgmKh51Fpk9UKpfdAU2WO1Eoy1QhKYQxZE9ta67CEdVcsBZeRhvo/w291-h400/Louise%20Hay%20Heal%20Your%20Body.jpeg" width="291" /></a></div><br /><p>So I tell them how, many years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. How I was in Barnes and Noble after this distressing news, and found Louise Hay's little book,<i> How to Heal Your Body: The Mental Causes for Physical Illness and the Metaphysical Way to Overcome Them </i>(heads nodding in the audience). I look up: breast, left side of the body, and cancer. </p><p><b>My diagnosis was a revelation: I wasn't nourishing myself. </b></p><p>I was busy raising two daughters and volunteering in the community. No one ever taught me the importance of taking care of <i>myself.</i> </p><p> Better to give than to receive and all that.</p><p>I've come a long way since then. </p><p><b>All the women are nodding their heads. They get it.</b></p><p>I describe my decision to study energy medicine as a result of that eye-opening moment. It was a four-year program -- six long weekends from September to May every year, with plenty of assignments in between. I have always been fascinated by energy dynamics, wellness, mind-body-spirit connections, the nature of reality and human nature: Who are we? Why do we do the things we do? How do things get created? <b>Who/what is God/Source/the Life Force/The Great Creator/The Spirit of All Life?</b></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispK3A6JeO-52VKWTZjmfnxvsuWa0_McdwuOd32eIeT-CIxLRReFDNfJX0Wx6r31x2bykMReXtMk04jwGo9jnr67KPcZFKRVkQ0KMx4-wNTjt8tT3D_z4OLXEWgQz0nNzDNqeKTJR6NuN8h8xlD-NP98nqpBA9PLhyAzt8xePoDBDub66dSGBYEEpogOc/s320/brain%20synch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="156" data-original-width="320" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispK3A6JeO-52VKWTZjmfnxvsuWa0_McdwuOd32eIeT-CIxLRReFDNfJX0Wx6r31x2bykMReXtMk04jwGo9jnr67KPcZFKRVkQ0KMx4-wNTjt8tT3D_z4OLXEWgQz0nNzDNqeKTJR6NuN8h8xlD-NP98nqpBA9PLhyAzt8xePoDBDub66dSGBYEEpogOc/w400-h195/brain%20synch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I told them how I received reiki while undergoing radiation treatments at Hartford Hospital and it felt<b> <i>so good</i></b> I resolved to learn how to do it. That led to the discovery of a local school of energy medicine.</p><p>I tell them I have a lovely healing space in my home and amazing clients that inspire me every day. They ask where I live. It's a small town; everyone knows where our house is located.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Uga2v8Jp0BLIzGepu0XY--j1j2GRnrOM6HtpKdA_g7dFb1GMRFaI6PVnBPnesDYg4vzRve6E_yGwhIspoEY6qcjDOxZjvQBwHmOn98H7nXSm2TwhF7o0m93Ju6f1x36tmRmCd0fSI-Rw-Ma4Q18XzjXSud3PyW4qUwnwR51Y-_gf2NhmDJeAVXap-Ew/s640/healing%20rm%20table.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Uga2v8Jp0BLIzGepu0XY--j1j2GRnrOM6HtpKdA_g7dFb1GMRFaI6PVnBPnesDYg4vzRve6E_yGwhIspoEY6qcjDOxZjvQBwHmOn98H7nXSm2TwhF7o0m93Ju6f1x36tmRmCd0fSI-Rw-Ma4Q18XzjXSud3PyW4qUwnwR51Y-_gf2NhmDJeAVXap-Ew/w300-h400/healing%20rm%20table.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>Any other questions? Another woman raises her hand and says, <b>this is going to sound weird, but...</b>and asks about extra-terrestrials (because they may have had a hand in some of material I presented). In my world, this is not a strange question. I elaborate a bit and then we take a five minute break.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmLti5l_K4upFVutYMC_lYfuc3u5ZV03Pv8T6UfoVbeilSKs0QeplgOqbz5dAjSe4jXykDqaCpHOOpaCZ_SEr1z0anv-vXQMU8mEmuvmBplM7q45GJPOWdJtDm9SvSMPdsur3wp0vDSuTuTcOmWytppi7625q5htPjB-yS-8O8vlhFjF53aOjfTkWUcI/s1200/sun%20at%20maccu.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmLti5l_K4upFVutYMC_lYfuc3u5ZV03Pv8T6UfoVbeilSKs0QeplgOqbz5dAjSe4jXykDqaCpHOOpaCZ_SEr1z0anv-vXQMU8mEmuvmBplM7q45GJPOWdJtDm9SvSMPdsur3wp0vDSuTuTcOmWytppi7625q5htPjB-yS-8O8vlhFjF53aOjfTkWUcI/w400-h300/sun%20at%20maccu.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>A couple approaches and the woman says, <i>Julie, you're not going to remember me but....</i> It turns out she is the sister of two dear friends from high school. We both grew up in Utica, NY and now live in Longmeadow. She has family news to fill me in on. This connection is a joyful surprise.</p><p>And it turns out the mic is great for guiding the group into meditation because, at times, I almost want to whisper, and my quiet voice can still be heard. <b>Everyone is sitting with eyes closed, shoulders relaxed, journeying inward to their own light-filled core essence.</b></p><p>Afterwards, everyone makes a point to express their appreciation. They leave their contact info for future programs.</p><p>As any speaker knows, this is gratifying. In the weeks leading up to my talk, I spent time reviewing my presentation, making it more fluent and concise. I added relevant material I've come across since the last time I gave it. I updated the design of the slides themselves. All the while wondering if it's worth the effort.</p><p>It almost always is!</p><p>It's my practice to pick an oracle card on the solstice and 2023 is no exception. From the Spirit of the Wheel Meditation Deck, I pick Freeze Up Moon. Hmm, seems opposite the themes of the day of longest sunlight.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqrCxEeDHVZ62zPhKQhgoyvc6SrgMb6M4dqPRvmCD7TOphN5k0duPvcICFxKnd1etS9bmWqhU9-nXqUIek7ksfz6W-NgIPGDD2yp7bAHy_-zwdQ3-XW0KPNkQvco9mA5NSD7qcBzM_vxiwXK8-3fC902ZI0OtqPKqtGtvk08AQkTH9FUpqSCiUS4mC7U0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqrCxEeDHVZ62zPhKQhgoyvc6SrgMb6M4dqPRvmCD7TOphN5k0duPvcICFxKnd1etS9bmWqhU9-nXqUIek7ksfz6W-NgIPGDD2yp7bAHy_-zwdQ3-XW0KPNkQvco9mA5NSD7qcBzM_vxiwXK8-3fC902ZI0OtqPKqtGtvk08AQkTH9FUpqSCiUS4mC7U0=w280-h400" width="280" /></a></div><br /><p>But the message is spot-on. The keywords are: Identity, Self-discovery, Vulnerability.</p><p><b><i>Like the snake shedding its skin, Freeze Up Moon represents letting go of outworn roles to reveal your true identity.</i> </b></p><p>I mentioned my former life in Wethersfield. All those roles? Gone. Only <i>wife,</i> <i>mother, </i>and<i> friend </i>remain. New role? Grandmother. A role I embrace wholeheartedly.</p><p><i><b>Courage and patience are required to let go of the roles that have been smothering your inner light. </b> </i>This<i> </i>is<i><b> exactly</b> </i>what our meditation was about -- uncovering our inner light.</p><p><b><i>Shedding old skin may leave you feeling somewhat vulnerable. The people around you, who are accustomed to your old roles, may resist this change.</i> </b></p><p>This one merits its own blog post! Let's just say this dynamic has been up in a big way recently.</p><p><i><b>As you allow...your true identity to emerge you will feel your spirit lighten. There is real freedom in true creative expression.</b></i></p><p>In my experience, this is absolutely true. While nothing in my PowerPoint is original, what <i>is </i>original is how I pull it all together. Arcane information from many fields of study, arranged to make the summer solstice as relevant to us as it was to indigenous cultures who honored the cycles of Nature in ways that we simply do not. <b>We rob ourselves of the richness of archetype and myth that pervade perennial philosophy when we are out of tune with Mother Nature.</b></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIR-TAmq9Bmi2Rlxwv6hvfOtbL7Jh_xjlCI1jxBQo07UalcHJ4FNfy5zR4ragHsmRp2tJ6Bq9SbPGpcYDCpQKh24gUkPhK5G3i9LqtO4FYcS2Tyiq6uhVKjCkUog8DBTn9Cdf2fJ2hApWxTBmWrMazbJcy-vtnP5Htr1VC5gOEaVE5Dh6EHGBck63YBY/s263/cancer%20traits.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="192" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIR-TAmq9Bmi2Rlxwv6hvfOtbL7Jh_xjlCI1jxBQo07UalcHJ4FNfy5zR4ragHsmRp2tJ6Bq9SbPGpcYDCpQKh24gUkPhK5G3i9LqtO4FYcS2Tyiq6uhVKjCkUog8DBTn9Cdf2fJ2hApWxTBmWrMazbJcy-vtnP5Htr1VC5gOEaVE5Dh6EHGBck63YBY/w292-h400/cancer%20traits.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><span style="text-align: left;">I also highlight the tremendous transformative shift we are undergoing. I describe it as fast and furious. <b>Does it feel like this to you? Like circumstances that might have happened over the course of months or years are now coming at us at such an accelerated rate we can hardly keep up? </b> I provide archeological evidence of The Great Shift, foretold by more than one ancient culture. I don't know how people manage the rocky times we are living through without this contextual knowledge. </span></div><p>Finally, the oracle card says: <i><b>Now is the time to let go of the roles that limit your potential and take up the call to explore and express your true self.</b></i></p><p>This reflects the potential I spoke of at the center of the galaxy and the center of ourselves. The principle of<i> as above so below</i> applies as I explain how the galactic center and our deepest core essence are described in remarkably similar terms -- a velvety black void, empty and yet teeming with <i>unlimited potential.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QoJcBoxXO45CJSX8XTKWE-jnd0vVyZxg16BjQR2FT6i1CJPrPv3Cir33vbqoarkVhBnPcp48IUbll_XsfoH8WOBegZeVZT3jKc97DfW-EsUT9BAOgahiPRIJFPdUwW1YsMjbtq6_QS9t1VtKIgcjDCy63JkA4kBzeC_spiZK1EUP0wc0Iy4SItFP0KE/s500/dark%20rift%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QoJcBoxXO45CJSX8XTKWE-jnd0vVyZxg16BjQR2FT6i1CJPrPv3Cir33vbqoarkVhBnPcp48IUbll_XsfoH8WOBegZeVZT3jKc97DfW-EsUT9BAOgahiPRIJFPdUwW1YsMjbtq6_QS9t1VtKIgcjDCy63JkA4kBzeC_spiZK1EUP0wc0Iy4SItFP0KE/w400-h400/dark%20rift%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i><p></p><p><i><b>The deepest place within us and the far reaches of the Milky Way mirror one another.</b></i></p><p>Identity. Self-discovery. Vulnerability.</p><p>How do these resonate for you?</p><p>For me, they tie together like this: </p><p><b>Self-discovery reveals that we are far, far more -- identity-wise -- than we were ever taught to believe.</b></p><p> And self-discovery depends upon one's willingness to risk ever-so-tender vulnerability. </p><p>Like putting together decidedly non-mainstream material that could easily be dismissed as woo-woo...</p><p>And stepping up onto a stage in front of a bunch of strangers...</p><p>And <i>magnifying </i>my voice.</p><p><b>Are you on a voyage of self-discovery? Willing to risk vulnerability in the venture? Where are <i>you</i> called to magnify your voice? What talent might you step up and share it with the world?</b></p><p><i>These are the invitations of the sun as she peaks in her annual arc across the sky. </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidv8_8tL79SSe_yUGNJM0ROD9flls1ytOSiXima3LI3zactZYllYVmS2HF8DTqI68yMWDImL0PDg-jyGBGnqFmuGGqCK5PD1gNp2dAkoiQJKlc9wOa196Er9Zywtg7V2esnt8e5ghl25D3n2RbemGcwt-jFUYK1oYlf9wuNfqIwK_32sQ2zbhN_Q5siWI/s259/ursa%20major.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidv8_8tL79SSe_yUGNJM0ROD9flls1ytOSiXima3LI3zactZYllYVmS2HF8DTqI68yMWDImL0PDg-jyGBGnqFmuGGqCK5PD1gNp2dAkoiQJKlc9wOa196Er9Zywtg7V2esnt8e5ghl25D3n2RbemGcwt-jFUYK1oYlf9wuNfqIwK_32sQ2zbhN_Q5siWI/w400-h300/ursa%20major.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i><p></p><p>At the summer solstice energy culminates. From this day forward, the days gradually become shorter until it becomes noticeable in the mellow light of Autumn. Until then, enjoy the long, light-filled days and the summer stars when night finally falls. Most prominent is the Big Dipper, part of the Great Bear, Ursa Major.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b>May the blessings of the Summer Solstice </b></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Spill from the celestial dipper </b></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Onto your home and into your heart </b></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b>As we venture forth on the path toward Oneness</b></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Into the unity of All That Is</b></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfdiPuN-sZ0_yLu1wLXL9Ao13mpBT-sy3h-93-qYUUwhvHnRCWXuLSzZ8N4Xpsz1ssb4zWCeS_nZrGqPePRUUEZ37d9BcAM9XfUx98eppLEZeibeq5DWvpgREmXSbkbde6rC7Zmdgtaqibi5D-8mdVna8xKNM_4Y7Drc4gIvP_KwMwEjR8gxk7bUtkhY/s229/namaste.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="229" data-original-width="220" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfdiPuN-sZ0_yLu1wLXL9Ao13mpBT-sy3h-93-qYUUwhvHnRCWXuLSzZ8N4Xpsz1ssb4zWCeS_nZrGqPePRUUEZ37d9BcAM9XfUx98eppLEZeibeq5DWvpgREmXSbkbde6rC7Zmdgtaqibi5D-8mdVna8xKNM_4Y7Drc4gIvP_KwMwEjR8gxk7bUtkhY/w384-h400/namaste.jpg" width="384" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-28200036476081055762023-03-19T17:16:00.002-04:002023-03-19T17:16:57.422-04:00Spring Equinox 2023: Endings and Beginnings<p><br /></p><p>The sun enters Aries on Monday, March 20 at 5:24 pm (EST) marking the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere. The prevalent astrological energies are endings and beginnings.</p><p><i><b><br /></b></i></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbaverJzOTopfLNTMKCt9_W8kBQR3WGvOxKUrwdnn5hRl--JEtEFvAErzVgZyZLA9neYZz17ZOzJrNgzJCX_5jVT0JM5vz48Vz86ArJEfz7ixJWmEIdFFFGqm3R06VmQyOCLXsM7DL7-fhepIt_OvsMoHBa9tVYsYSBjB7io7FMMzX8ANGOeOsRP62/s1200/aries%20ram%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbaverJzOTopfLNTMKCt9_W8kBQR3WGvOxKUrwdnn5hRl--JEtEFvAErzVgZyZLA9neYZz17ZOzJrNgzJCX_5jVT0JM5vz48Vz86ArJEfz7ixJWmEIdFFFGqm3R06VmQyOCLXsM7DL7-fhepIt_OvsMoHBa9tVYsYSBjB7io7FMMzX8ANGOeOsRP62/s320/aries%20ram%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div><p><br /></p>I've been following astrologer Pam Gregory on YouTube. She discusses the spring equinox 2023 with Davyd Farrell<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxGNMTh4Tws"> here. </a>They do a lovely job of expressing what the various planetary placements on and around the equinox signify for us humans on Earth.<p></p><p>I think of the planets as the chakras of our solar system -- each expressing it's own multi-faceted, multi-dimensional characteristics. How they express in relation to each other is similar to how our own energy systems operate within us. How planets express in the houses of the zodiac is similar to how we manage our energy when under the influence of certain circumstances, life's challenges and opportunities.</p><p><i><b>Since the spring equinox marks the beginning of the astrological year, it sets thematic tone for the next 12 months.</b></i></p><p>Pam begins by noting the extraordinary surges of light coming at us. Solar storms and auroras are creating electromagnetic instability (they may make you feel ill) but they are also <b><i>upgrading every cell of our bodies.</i> </b>Davyd chimes in on the importance of doing our spiritual work, like venturing into the shadow psyche, as a way of clearing our energy bodies to receive the benefits of the incoming light.</p><p>These equinox energies are all about cleansing, clearing and purification -- <b><i>shedding the old you in every sense. </i> </b></p><p>This is not the usual spring cleaning! These sweeping energies are of an entirely different magnitude.</p><p><i><b>Perhaps you've been letting go of old roles and identities, left and right?</b></i></p><p>Pam and Davyd share the archetypal mythology associated with dwarf planets featured in the astrology of the equinox. These legends give us a feel for the very human dynamics at play. Sedna is one such planet, named after an Inuit goddess.</p><p>According to legend, Sedna and her father were caught in a terrible storm at sea. To save himself, her father tosses Sedna overboard into the frigid waters of the arctic. When she grasps the side of their canoe, her father cruelly chops off her fingers. Sedna and her fingers drift into the depths of the icy sea where they are transformed into beautiful sea creatures. </p><p>Cruel ending, completely unforeseen new beginning.</p><p><b><i>Sedna shows us how terrifying it can be to leave traditional notions of safety and security behind -- only to be re-born as an exquisite and entirely new being.</i></b></p><p>Another dwarf planet, Manwe, is at 1 degree of Aries at the equinox. Pam calls this <i><b>the creator degree.</b></i> According to myth, Manwe and his wife created the cosmos. He is the highest archangel, closest to the mind of God. Manwe's orbit around the sun is 289 years; his position at 1 degree of Aries on the equinox signals<i><b> the beginning of the new earth.</b></i></p><p>Humea, another dwarf planet, is named after a Hawaiian goddess. Humea represents fertility and connection to the Earth. She uses her rebellious energy to save her partner, who was imprisoned for picking bananas (!) before the elite had chosen what they wanted for themselves.</p><p>Humea summoned the power of her ancestors and the community to return authority to the people vs. the elite She teaches stewardship vs. ownership of the land by a few. Humea shows us how inequity is unjust and unsustainable as a socio-economic model.</p><p><b><i>Humea's right relation to nature is being revived now in grassroots movements around the globe where humanity's relationship with nature is becoming the centerpiece of an evolving new spirituality.</i></b></p><p>We can also expect continued disclosures regarding elite financial and medical interests like big banks and big pharma. What has been <b>hidden, toxic, or criminal</b> (not mentioning any names) will continue to be revealed in the coming months. </p><p>These endings are the death throes of the old paradigm.</p><p>Although this year's spring cleaning may expose some difficult truths, we are encouraged to move forward in love (Venus). When triggered, upset, or disillusioned, Pam and Davyd recommend refraining from reacting and choosing our responses wisely. </p><p>In addition to endings and beginnings highlighted at the equinox, we have a new moon in Aries the following day, Tuesday March 21. As always, the new moon is a time to begin anew. <b style="font-style: italic;"> </b><i><b>So whatever you're ready to begin working on, creating, or taking to the next level, let the potent combination of spring equinox and new moon energies fill your sails with the inspiration to take those exciting first steps. </b></i></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfD8VQBZDxqtIMdjs1Ouo8BJneJItSgSKngRji-TI0biM_27OclPBTqhUhzT52fch1DkNjXZPmjKDJyVtsEc5aqY6Z4zqw6ZX3LKCLW_90CjCPwmOeuy1g03f6oxKSZb6o1P_8cVzdazVtegzeYK5XujXbzybuHHGGVXJhqssET-qZDOUO6_-An6qg/s1080/new%20territory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1080" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfD8VQBZDxqtIMdjs1Ouo8BJneJItSgSKngRji-TI0biM_27OclPBTqhUhzT52fch1DkNjXZPmjKDJyVtsEc5aqY6Z4zqw6ZX3LKCLW_90CjCPwmOeuy1g03f6oxKSZb6o1P_8cVzdazVtegzeYK5XujXbzybuHHGGVXJhqssET-qZDOUO6_-An6qg/s320/new%20territory.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>We are invited to release everything that doesn't reflect who we are becoming as citizens of the New Earth. <i><b>What has ended (or needs to end) for you? </b></i>Where have you found closure, resolution, or forgiveness? This is the difficult spiritual work we are engaged in! Congratulations if you have navigated the end of something. <i><b>You may have clung like Sedna to the side of her canoe, hoping to maintain the status quo. </b></i>Letting go, or being forced to let go, may have been painful. Yet you may find yourself acclimating to a new sense of relief, freedom, and beauty on the ever-evolving path of your soul.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9UGntrnmvt5RpXZNa_-2wX2VfPEPevco6re_syw9i4vy06aE5CmxXFxRAJ7P9WTXKYaNLVULdk5Xjsm545hK8JT8tceof1GLRZwdkvsFTh0Oeeyry2LmekTVa7lJEkXihLttQo7eQS5DMo0NQk0utgxg0uBSfaaBtAAO7SfDF7SMZjWzWp2cUmXt/s275/snowdrops%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9UGntrnmvt5RpXZNa_-2wX2VfPEPevco6re_syw9i4vy06aE5CmxXFxRAJ7P9WTXKYaNLVULdk5Xjsm545hK8JT8tceof1GLRZwdkvsFTh0Oeeyry2LmekTVa7lJEkXihLttQo7eQS5DMo0NQk0utgxg0uBSfaaBtAAO7SfDF7SMZjWzWp2cUmXt/s1600/snowdrops%201.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><i><b>May the seeds of re-birth gestating within bring a re-birth of your True Self in all its grace and power.</b></i> May every choice help you to realize (make real) the multi-faceted and multi-dimensional truth that you are a divine child of the Universe. You are here at exactly the right time.<p></p><p><b><i>The more inclusive your perspective, the more loving your responses, and the more compassion you embody -- the greater your contribution to the massive evolutionary leaps that are highlighted in the celestial dance of the cosmos on the spring equinox. </i></b></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFf5W4-HgUN1kWCQa1OE7sgVR6ATr9oTk7ruHC2njJg9jRUjBLdq49OK852Ie_Pv2IfM2Uxc_yz2AHBLBxA0QLFaL3fTBGRpkOM48dKsV6OgAXQYPh1e8f3IX71vVJ1LQpDX711ouStX-x6fmuNbE2oClEpJAa2c9r7lcyRqssncauAnUCjREe9rq/s500/dark%20rift%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFf5W4-HgUN1kWCQa1OE7sgVR6ATr9oTk7ruHC2njJg9jRUjBLdq49OK852Ie_Pv2IfM2Uxc_yz2AHBLBxA0QLFaL3fTBGRpkOM48dKsV6OgAXQYPh1e8f3IX71vVJ1LQpDX711ouStX-x6fmuNbE2oClEpJAa2c9r7lcyRqssncauAnUCjREe9rq/s320/dark%20rift%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>May the many blessings of the spring equinox be yours!<br /><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p> </p>Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-61056819291133563502021-09-14T17:29:00.001-04:002022-04-18T16:19:19.417-04:00Re-Opening after a BIG Transition <p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">Most boxes are unpacked, the overwhelm is subsiding, and my healing space is ready.</span></p><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6sP6KagtGNC8OFl5sPC5_Vq-R1D28qQdQYc8EWUN_J_Y_SllGDhnNHEcAEKmRk3E1YfRZNZTpJXIj2z2_FLVzHtrZeLdeNduZycdphb7Rar4J6Y72pstFvvsMEQ3D67uX9q9VRvVQ2AY/s640/IMG_4394+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6sP6KagtGNC8OFl5sPC5_Vq-R1D28qQdQYc8EWUN_J_Y_SllGDhnNHEcAEKmRk3E1YfRZNZTpJXIj2z2_FLVzHtrZeLdeNduZycdphb7Rar4J6Y72pstFvvsMEQ3D67uX9q9VRvVQ2AY/w300-h400/IMG_4394+%25282%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I appreciate the clients I've already seen in my new space; are you ready for your next session?</span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8cRWTNLcLc_beQQJh5WLqcB7XlMcyZLWmyWmJh72OARsIkLTk3iVO5-9usHf2-ZIAWubRfor2Oekk65PnPksAEKMjH22HmDUfmDU70oNFFHiu_lgOpJiLrF26FatHbtHjTcXO1Ohtyc/s640/IMG_4421.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8cRWTNLcLc_beQQJh5WLqcB7XlMcyZLWmyWmJh72OARsIkLTk3iVO5-9usHf2-ZIAWubRfor2Oekk65PnPksAEKMjH22HmDUfmDU70oNFFHiu_lgOpJiLrF26FatHbtHjTcXO1Ohtyc/w300-h400/IMG_4421.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">This looks familiar, yes?</span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XzaOSxqdEQqkc4Fc1N_Ix_ZyiJfhhn9M776KAvRmEaHRDsHBAN6OYSh73JdjoeShWLGcUnpXEVh4fnIUpjLdq2TPgybLf4Il77rzYP5o-89Y_9ZEGUR9421U5L9NBocV86EjEDx4khQ/s640/healing+room+mantle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XzaOSxqdEQqkc4Fc1N_Ix_ZyiJfhhn9M776KAvRmEaHRDsHBAN6OYSh73JdjoeShWLGcUnpXEVh4fnIUpjLdq2TPgybLf4Il77rzYP5o-89Y_9ZEGUR9421U5L9NBocV86EjEDx4khQ/w300-h400/healing+room+mantle.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">As you can see, we're in a historic home with many charming features.</span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56VTQ1fToP7RYykjS1Sli7QpmuDeyrnvVXlJ-iajUVTDxh3-r8d2yMCku7vuOSNJ37IMq28l7zjKspZfYAK376LYlufCWaMUAl_ML3naD8GmFXg94sFv2PV3upT5RnQYd2oylIgqIiIM/s640/IMG_4412.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56VTQ1fToP7RYykjS1Sli7QpmuDeyrnvVXlJ-iajUVTDxh3-r8d2yMCku7vuOSNJ37IMq28l7zjKspZfYAK376LYlufCWaMUAl_ML3naD8GmFXg94sFv2PV3upT5RnQYd2oylIgqIiIM/w300-h400/IMG_4412.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's my consulting room!</span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">These continue to be times of rapid transformation. I'm finding that life is full to the brim, even overflowing, with what needs healing. </span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdh8GPpFmTi4mIP_CrOFhcGY0OjUEJGDQPHY38Q7uNWQEB_xY4xjJw1SbN6QctZ1bNem3DLtljrqYTMmd7AyKjBKspHVUyqF8Afm5aSPmpF3q-0NNjGxaOzQK0d0QehoxcqTLfZFONLnk/s333/bubbler+fountain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="151" data-original-width="333" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdh8GPpFmTi4mIP_CrOFhcGY0OjUEJGDQPHY38Q7uNWQEB_xY4xjJw1SbN6QctZ1bNem3DLtljrqYTMmd7AyKjBKspHVUyqF8Afm5aSPmpF3q-0NNjGxaOzQK0d0QehoxcqTLfZFONLnk/w400-h181/bubbler+fountain.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">What has been hidden -- in our psyches and in the collective psyche -- is being brought to light in order to be re-known in new ways. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">What's arising for you?</span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">If your life is overflowing, let yourself receive some ease, balance, and soul-level perspective that can help you ride the waves of ever-expanding consciousness. </span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">As we move toward the Fall Equinox, we're reminded of balance -- equal day and night. Nature is always gracing us with her perennial wisdom.</span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qgCN7JfMU5BIuA0BlVHGScBYRjSk8gWQD3TmB_IBT52fOrxgu61_3988VNtIMybZXDSNcrSN41o7pN6FBdHoWIlFk1kXE8PLR9O2i0kfzMCIzZAnbCjNGclQ616IXItQrgavKbgxsp8/s225/yin+yang+balance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="224" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qgCN7JfMU5BIuA0BlVHGScBYRjSk8gWQD3TmB_IBT52fOrxgu61_3988VNtIMybZXDSNcrSN41o7pN6FBdHoWIlFk1kXE8PLR9O2i0kfzMCIzZAnbCjNGclQ616IXItQrgavKbgxsp8/w319-h320/yin+yang+balance.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><br /><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><div class="gmail_default"><br /></div></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature" dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Julie</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">Julie Montinieri</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">Energy Medicine Practitioner</span></div><div><span style="font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">Blue Heron Healing</span></div><div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">​664 Longmeadow Street​</span></i></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">​Longmeadow, MA​</span></i></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-19067400277321723372021-01-01T11:53:00.000-05:002021-01-01T11:53:34.731-05:00We Were Made for Times Like These<p>To celebrate crossing the threshold into 2021, I am sharing an essay written by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, a Jungian psychotherapist specializing in trauma recovery. She is the author of <i>Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. </i>Dr. Pinkola Estes is recognized for her scholarship, teaching, writing and advocating for social justice. I don't know when she wrote this essay or where it was originally published, but her message is exactly right today, New Year's Day 2021.</p><p>She writes:</p><p>My friends, do not lose heart, We were made for these times. I have heard from so many recently who are deeply and properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of affairs in our world now. <b>Ours is a time of daily astonishment </b>and often righteous rage over the latest degradations of what matters most to caring, visionary, civilized people.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgEo2ohEE6uho0wtR6u_hcDDxz4CZdQXQQFZLpDw_6I01ep8JZDBgIV3hI6h2ldu6AvqQ1MhxYKfZ18YMEqz3w5bApDxRjEXXLyVzgjy4mPSmQiLVFvyYtwZVNvrqvJIxDx9xkI7NHF0/s291/american+flag+tattered.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="291" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgEo2ohEE6uho0wtR6u_hcDDxz4CZdQXQQFZLpDw_6I01ep8JZDBgIV3hI6h2ldu6AvqQ1MhxYKfZ18YMEqz3w5bApDxRjEXXLyVzgjy4mPSmQiLVFvyYtwZVNvrqvJIxDx9xkI7NHF0/w320-h190/american+flag+tattered.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>You are right in your assessments. The luster and hubris, the bald-faced audacity that some are engaged in while endorsing acts so heinous against children, elders, everyday people -- the poor, the unguarded, the helpless -- and this mother earth, is breathtaking. Yet I urge you, ask you...to please not spend your spirit bewailing these difficult times. <b>Especially do not lose hope</b>. Most particularly because, the fact is, we were made for these times.<b> </b>For years we have been learning, practicing, been training for, and just waiting to meet on this exact plain of engagement. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MZTkBjWUAwpU30hFyCAB9Y6fVCCm366H6pbiN1PXuJDVvpc8J4jGiQ3KqeQ_VPZcrfFzA2ZIxKwIVelZck2kR1RC-wVh4dDZewslfSs5Eb2yr6rSBHdCm_20Z345M4Zm5BhrAx8vBsE/s225/goddess+mother+and+earth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MZTkBjWUAwpU30hFyCAB9Y6fVCCm366H6pbiN1PXuJDVvpc8J4jGiQ3KqeQ_VPZcrfFzA2ZIxKwIVelZck2kR1RC-wVh4dDZewslfSs5Eb2yr6rSBHdCm_20Z345M4Zm5BhrAx8vBsE/w320-h320/goddess+mother+and+earth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I grew up on the Great Lakes and recognize a seaworthy vessel when I see one. <b> Regarding awakened souls, there have never been more able vessels in the water than there are right now,</b> across the world. They are fully provisioned and able to signal one another as never before in the history of humankind.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFGFHS68cb1s-ly4s-AE7qddEbQRFA8mx14qBnUoO4-Cwdp8BdGfRGcUkn6_mWUl9-bTWmOJy4rcJkyClPZ4CBhhxfynmVn6pR4NBLxGedGI51KBXHEjky3jIAlmMIVn50OXgdJ08cJg/s720/sailboats.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="720" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFGFHS68cb1s-ly4s-AE7qddEbQRFA8mx14qBnUoO4-Cwdp8BdGfRGcUkn6_mWUl9-bTWmOJy4rcJkyClPZ4CBhhxfynmVn6pR4NBLxGedGI51KBXHEjky3jIAlmMIVn50OXgdJ08cJg/w400-h219/sailboats.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Look over the prow; there are millions of righteous souls with you. Even though your veneers may shiver from every wave in this stormy roil, I assure you that the long timbers composing your prow and rudder come from a great forest. That long-grained lumber is known to withstand even the fiercest storms. To hold together. To hold its own, and to advance, regardless.<p></p><p>In any dark time there is a tendency to veer toward fainting over how much is wrong or unmended in the world. Do not focus on that. There is a tendency, too, to fall into being weakened by dwelling on what is outside your reach, by what cannot yet be. Do not focus there. </p><p>We are needed, that is all we can know. And though we meet resistance, <b>we more so will meet great souls who will hail us, love us and guide us, </b>and we will know when they appear. Didn't you say you were a believer? Didn't you say you pledged to listen to a greater voice? Didn't you ask for grace? Don't you remember that to be in grace is to submit to the greater voice [rising up from within you?]</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61gXRiKo2EBsD45EDSuXHA_bnnZpkeECxBhVFI4mX3yeankQzHJaDQQcUC3jY0Yvqt377yD06tU7n-AiYRDCXgAG5RunyKTaEb76y9d7Qbx1cwBzTrk_PhAewo78DA7d2XtxnPgC10D4/s255/hand+on+heart+are.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="198" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61gXRiKo2EBsD45EDSuXHA_bnnZpkeECxBhVFI4mX3yeankQzHJaDQQcUC3jY0Yvqt377yD06tU7n-AiYRDCXgAG5RunyKTaEb76y9d7Qbx1cwBzTrk_PhAewo78DA7d2XtxnPgC10D4/w311-h400/hand+on+heart+are.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><br /><p>Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world at once, but at stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. <b>Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this suffering world, will help immensely. </b> It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOdinItzVpzij_hAMdLk9lxHcP44dRGHysrFgA77l4-UgHuTp8bb7sDrHqitWXS3mLNFphKu6ea3VVL-bUmp86r0FEyJK3STCZMOBzCK88zAGDWVtZNh3KWSykRtidzNyO0Pqx21mOj4/s1027/paper+lanterns+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1027" data-original-width="770" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOdinItzVpzij_hAMdLk9lxHcP44dRGHysrFgA77l4-UgHuTp8bb7sDrHqitWXS3mLNFphKu6ea3VVL-bUmp86r0FEyJK3STCZMOBzCK88zAGDWVtZNh3KWSykRtidzNyO0Pqx21mOj4/w300-h400/paper+lanterns+2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of [such] acts. We know that it does not take everyone on earth to bring justice and peace, but only a small, determined group who will not give up during the first, second or hundredth gale.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8dwI77_N_hgVfIPSmGdRBBaIbH9STFvzTvgZRLk6MbtbkS31-rMBF9LnP_Sn6_CLbp7OKWeqR0jh76_CMZfgaioqMhZglTWwmTClyuAYThB0oCGjRD9hWYZqYjWuv_tKCoOL5wgjfO4/s512/sailboat%252C+luminous.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8dwI77_N_hgVfIPSmGdRBBaIbH9STFvzTvgZRLk6MbtbkS31-rMBF9LnP_Sn6_CLbp7OKWeqR0jh76_CMZfgaioqMhZglTWwmTClyuAYThB0oCGjRD9hWYZqYjWuv_tKCoOL5wgjfO4/s320/sailboat%252C+luminous.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene is to <b>stand up and show your soul.</b> Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of such a soul throws sparks, sends up flames, builds signal fires, causes the proper matters to catch fire. To display the lantern of the soul in shadowy times like these -- to be fierce and to show mercy; both are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity.<div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKCdBzJYe0MbsYO_D7ZxfglND7vqHWhUL780IJ-5nY3pCutm1jG-ca7wroOuFMmk0AvsRl5z-8kjKXv29MSQnfS1VHX9YQLOCGi76dqiSGb-V453ov0yJvy_6zsTqV0DekSdlpstYnXc/s900/bonfire.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKCdBzJYe0MbsYO_D7ZxfglND7vqHWhUL780IJ-5nY3pCutm1jG-ca7wroOuFMmk0AvsRl5z-8kjKXv29MSQnfS1VHX9YQLOCGi76dqiSGb-V453ov0yJvy_6zsTqV0DekSdlpstYnXc/w266-h400/bonfire.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div><div><br /></div><div><b>Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit </b>and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do.</div><div><br /></div><div>There will always be times when you feel discouraged. I, too, have felt despair many times in my life, but I do not keep a chair for it. I will not entertain it. It is not allowed to eat from my plate. </div><div><br /></div><div>The reason is this: In my uttermost bones I know something as you do. It is that there can be no despair when you remember why you came to earth, who you serve, and who sent you here.... In that spirit, I hope you will write this on your wall: When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. </div><div><p>But that is not what great ships are built for.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lyC4nCuK1Hblzci2PA0Xn2r222BP96OOH2N5Xd45_LVStb0cr0ghDVOEEo6Q8IJSGwAmEyU1ZrKa9GWXf1nrwbDmYBPSZbpY4Sytqn2h0HT5rs_MK0qd3DDm2hbGlpF2jalQSWq18_M/s700/aligned.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="552" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lyC4nCuK1Hblzci2PA0Xn2r222BP96OOH2N5Xd45_LVStb0cr0ghDVOEEo6Q8IJSGwAmEyU1ZrKa9GWXf1nrwbDmYBPSZbpY4Sytqn2h0HT5rs_MK0qd3DDm2hbGlpF2jalQSWq18_M/s320/aligned.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div></div></div>Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-25472456741847575142020-11-08T07:42:00.005-05:002022-04-18T16:28:24.115-04:00Special Delivery<p>It's the morning after the presidential election here in the United States. Like so many others, I got very little sleep last night.</p><p>When the flurry of texts and calls subsides, I turn everything off and settle on my meditation cushion. I sit at my kitchen slider facing the rising sun.</p><p>I'm listening to the Dalai Lama chanting OM. Following the rhythm of my breath, rolling in and out like ocean waves, I am gradually unmoored from election tension and sailing into silence.</p><p>When I sit like this, eyes closed to the sun, my inner vision is a field of undulating gold light. I'm reminded of a prayer I read recently in <i>The Book of Runes </i>by Ralph H. Blum<i>.</i> I interrupt my meditation to retrieve this little volume.</p><p>I turn to the page with the rune I picked on Halloween. <i>Sowelu </i>looks like a<i> </i>jagged S or a bolt of lightening. It's the Rune of Wholeness, Life Force, and the Sun's Energy.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAQb4PBLhtuMf5x7RpoOvuUzeS1k0CSBc7gaG9J0hpw9XNED22hA5RqC7CPQycVwGl3-HT8QD0AycetwaVWvU8iaUF4HL9DwUB6_JiAAtV7PVTqZ3S2zKdvzcqFpi-T2rm49Qu91ZkwI/s640/IMG_1267.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAQb4PBLhtuMf5x7RpoOvuUzeS1k0CSBc7gaG9J0hpw9XNED22hA5RqC7CPQycVwGl3-HT8QD0AycetwaVWvU8iaUF4HL9DwUB6_JiAAtV7PVTqZ3S2zKdvzcqFpi-T2rm49Qu91ZkwI/w300-h400/IMG_1267.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Blum says this prayer, called the <i>Gayatri</i>, embodies the spirit of the Rune of Wholeness:</p><p><br /></p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>You who are the source of all power,</i></p><p><i>Whose rays illuminate the world, </i></p><p><i>Illuminate also my heart</i></p><p><i>So that it too can do Your work. </i>[1]</p></blockquote><p> </p><p><i></i></p><p>I recite these sentences in silence, inviting the Divine into my heart.</p><p>After a few rounds, they repeat themselves of their own accord as my inner space opens and brightens.</p><p>Behind the resonant voice of the Dalai Lama, there's the sound of something spiraling through the air, end over end, like a delivery from the ethers hurtling toward me.</p><p>I don't know exactly what happens in moments like these, but it feels as if the rays of the November morning sun are streaming into my chest. </p><p>Suddenly, my energy field expands exponentially. It's radiating like a great halo from the nucleus of my heart.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXnlLQSFkgxgPEmYIOqsTRTW9nabwV4MWBvaSplV6RNk68KTRxlK8GSV4sU8MfeDwuvzkje5lvaCeiGWxwD4M9d5MKWOyQRu0qtWx6LsdazoG66sf3cffCvcCOeFSQQDCeF3WyWqYhQQ/s640/IMG_1320.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXnlLQSFkgxgPEmYIOqsTRTW9nabwV4MWBvaSplV6RNk68KTRxlK8GSV4sU8MfeDwuvzkje5lvaCeiGWxwD4M9d5MKWOyQRu0qtWx6LsdazoG66sf3cffCvcCOeFSQQDCeF3WyWqYhQQ/w300-h400/IMG_1320.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>As if the Source of all power is activating my heart, illuminating my inner world.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FEYTkcsLvPBk23wmjk9FgSamUJp8M7nDq2BksIdBzv-EeoJZK9rK-JiAjzYphhcIbhVD3CmjRcIiUZUjEdSTzadxdsVyNY9Nvgoi5EY3_DDFaxB3pZ2lDr2H2y6is2fXoTvu7ODsjtA/s225/high+heart.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FEYTkcsLvPBk23wmjk9FgSamUJp8M7nDq2BksIdBzv-EeoJZK9rK-JiAjzYphhcIbhVD3CmjRcIiUZUjEdSTzadxdsVyNY9Nvgoi5EY3_DDFaxB3pZ2lDr2H2y6is2fXoTvu7ODsjtA/w320-h320/high+heart.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>After a while, my inner vision fades to purple and I take it that this transmission is over.</p><p>I draw a an oracle card, <i>The Lady of Lightening</i>.</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>The Lady of Lightening brings powerful forces of change into your life. She tells you to expect a sudden shift in your circumstances. Perhaps a situation you weren't anticipating arises and offers you the opportunity of a lifetime, or a series of </i>Aha! <i>moments culminates in a pivotal flash of insight causing everything to change </i>just like that<i>. Maybe someone enters your life and pushes you to new heights. You may have a brilliant idea that hits you like lightening. </i></p><p><i>Be prepared; change is imminent, and a total paradigm shift may be upon you. </i>[2]</p></blockquote><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPlUlBtWNx02PUURbXqGLXZVy8LvyB92Rg7YucUzy75DST7xiBmWf83tIJvQI6V2SLOvsmNwh9mQghO7wYZqTrIg4MzrfktmkRH7Tcujmja2Aj_tGg2eFagDqwWXgaC9DT5YxkwivZGo/s640/IMG_1321.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPlUlBtWNx02PUURbXqGLXZVy8LvyB92Rg7YucUzy75DST7xiBmWf83tIJvQI6V2SLOvsmNwh9mQghO7wYZqTrIg4MzrfktmkRH7Tcujmja2Aj_tGg2eFagDqwWXgaC9DT5YxkwivZGo/w300-h400/IMG_1321.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><p></p><p>This flash of insight penetrates the cloud of uncertainty that's been hovering for weeks as I navigate the pandemic, the election, and life generally turned upside down.</p><p>Later in the day my daughter sends a video from the OBGYN's office. I hear, for the first time, the beating heart of our first grandchild. It's pure joy to hear that steady rhythmic whooshing behind Meredith's happy voice.</p><p>It reminds me of something though.... That sound I tried to describe earlier -- like something spiraling through the air, end over end, behind the Dalai Lama's chanting.</p><p>It's the sound of a beating heart!</p><p>I don't know how to tie the synchronicity together like so many iridescent pearls on a string. </p><p>But there are these moments when the flow of time opens, like a river to the sea, into eternity. </p><p><br /></p><p>Special Delivery</p><p><br /></p><p>Illuminated by the Source of all power, </p><p style="text-align: left;">My heart</p><p style="text-align: left;">Finds its way</p><p style="text-align: left;">Through the eye of the needle.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Slipping through that slender opening,</p><p style="text-align: left;">Into an infinite field of grace</p><p style="text-align: left;">Reverberating with the heartbeat of the cosmos.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">As a baby's heart beats</p><p style="text-align: left;">Underneath the heart of her mother</p><p style="text-align: left;">My heart beats </p><p style="text-align: left;">Within the heart of the Great Mother</p><p style="text-align: left;">And the love of each for the other</p><p style="text-align: left;">Through the great chain of being</p><p style="text-align: left;">Sparks creation.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5P_6EQyVYekbvCrwqHxTVGSbZ_VS1P5K7SOeZoYOj59pfGkhfdMo-WlrAHEA7btIG3lut7K_EITGp5yCiWRzBkdv6FkouFG85aaVtGHozaC9yUHZbOgcSZy7GrggMyL58RxS06A5FYI/s480/mother+nurturing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="360" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5P_6EQyVYekbvCrwqHxTVGSbZ_VS1P5K7SOeZoYOj59pfGkhfdMo-WlrAHEA7btIG3lut7K_EITGp5yCiWRzBkdv6FkouFG85aaVtGHozaC9yUHZbOgcSZy7GrggMyL58RxS06A5FYI/w300-h400/mother+nurturing.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">1. Philip H. Blum, <i>The Book of Runes A Handbook for the Use of an Ancient Oracle: The Viking Runes </i>(New York: St. Martin's Press, 1993), 140. This prayer is known as the <i>Gayatri.</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">2. Colette Barron-Reid, <i>Wisdom of the Hidden Realms Guidebook (</i>Hay House, 2009), 97</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-48011060949955165232020-05-28T10:23:00.000-04:002020-05-28T10:23:39.417-04:00I Can't BreatheThis morning's news was no worse than any other.<br />
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Or maybe it was.<br />
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All I know is it hit me hard today.<br />
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Lead story -- Minneapolis is on fire. Arson, looting, tear gas, riot gear, and pepper spray on full display as protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, erupt into violence. Protesters gathered in Memphis and LA as well. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirzxfnK3193tYtpffj31zQwnqaX38hF6dShASWzH5J5P50embYFuWNO_-cQ05hR5qEU-gC7bqSsFL82dxOXcxGhn41hrPHV0Tn86WyFc-_t0xoyxU4TOAzrl43Tc4_JsLofSv6I4JlhA/s1600/minneapolis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirzxfnK3193tYtpffj31zQwnqaX38hF6dShASWzH5J5P50embYFuWNO_-cQ05hR5qEU-gC7bqSsFL82dxOXcxGhn41hrPHV0Tn86WyFc-_t0xoyxU4TOAzrl43Tc4_JsLofSv6I4JlhA/s1600/minneapolis.jpg" /></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Minneapolis intersection near Floyd's tragic death</i></td></tr>
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I witnessed the last moments of his life.<br />
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I heard his last words, <i>I can't breathe....</i><br />
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The police officer who pinned Floyd's neck under his knee has been identified as Derek Chauvin. It appears he was putting his full weight into that knee. I don't care <i>what</i> Floyd did, no one should ever be restrained so lethally and inhumanely.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3cyVpuj3Vxl8Ck0eBKiUjN14518EWXjbU35lakj-27j9SwVVCvEdQp6X7jNUTqd6uJNrz9kzKZ9iEAtjJ4Q3RNYHlFxhdWo0XYBeBC-5tqeZi8gftvponCCGGWqpBhgMirug8vYo8Jg/s1600/George-Floyd-Arrest-Death-Video.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="1026" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3cyVpuj3Vxl8Ck0eBKiUjN14518EWXjbU35lakj-27j9SwVVCvEdQp6X7jNUTqd6uJNrz9kzKZ9iEAtjJ4Q3RNYHlFxhdWo0XYBeBC-5tqeZi8gftvponCCGGWqpBhgMirug8vYo8Jg/s320/George-Floyd-Arrest-Death-Video.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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George Floyd was unnecessarily murdered. Chauvin is a murderer. The officers who stood by and failed to intervene are complicit. As of this moment no one's been charged.<br />
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As if that story were not literally sickening enough, the NBC anchors' next story is the Coronavirus death toll:<br />
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ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND <br />
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A deadly pandemic takes root in our country and Trump wishes it away like a miracle.<br />
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But when Twitter calls him out? Full assault on social media.<br />
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Third news story.<br />
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Peter Manfredonia, UCONN student suspected in two homocides, has been arrested in Maryland.<br />
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Manfredonia allegedly hacked to death Ted DeMers, 62, with a machete. He allegedly shot and killed Nick Eisele, a former high school classmate, and kidnapped Eisle's girlfriend, who was found uninjured in NJ.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZE1ARBRG8EEyx7HQ6aeYx4WCwQFVXRxotjApF__TVKdq79LqqAaXBvvXDvpLK991yJlx6HhUzpzjkfiDCHdbWepgLwnMu0QaHKMzCs0ZMxGTVMIzR1kk1qMfGUZIV0J1ysoIRc7O1tE/s1600/Eisley.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="779" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZE1ARBRG8EEyx7HQ6aeYx4WCwQFVXRxotjApF__TVKdq79LqqAaXBvvXDvpLK991yJlx6HhUzpzjkfiDCHdbWepgLwnMu0QaHKMzCs0ZMxGTVMIzR1kk1qMfGUZIV0J1ysoIRc7O1tE/s200/Eisley.webp" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Nick Eisele</i></td></tr>
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The reason this story is heart-wrenching for me is that I know one of Ted's family members. My friend is Ted's wife's sister. She was on the news a couple of mornings ago, describing him as generous, helpful to everyone, a good neighbor. His obituary says he was a craftsman of fine wood furniture, an outdoorsman, and looking forward to the birth of a grandchild that he couldn't wait to take for walks in the woods.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXdBAzvZatSo1d9mb_v_YPlain0jqFi4XWiY6mEp6zxr9oRSdxEwUtws-PMjP1Goa42UHds46xpYzezNM86IdiEANAFWE1AkyOeEanzAV_oxRs1jnHTSfvUn-Ll4jY-r_DQAHmU7QWJY/s1600/ted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXdBAzvZatSo1d9mb_v_YPlain0jqFi4XWiY6mEp6zxr9oRSdxEwUtws-PMjP1Goa42UHds46xpYzezNM86IdiEANAFWE1AkyOeEanzAV_oxRs1jnHTSfvUn-Ll4jY-r_DQAHmU7QWJY/s320/ted.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ted DeMers</i></td></tr>
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My friend is a sensitive soul. I cannot even imagine how horrified her family must be. According to news reports, Ted DeMers was <i>helping</i> Manfredonia in his last moments on this earth.<br />
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Ted's loss leaves a gaping hole in a close-knit family that will never be filled.<br />
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These three stories took 15 minutes, a long time in TV news. At 7:15 Hoda and Savannah finally turned to some good news.<br />
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The relief was plain on their faces. Time for the weather with Mr. Roker.<br />
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But there are some days when I can't file it away and go about my day as usual. Injustice, unspeakable sadness, presidential irresponsibility, and tangible grief hover like the drizzle outside as I load the washing machine, unload the dishwasher, and pour a mug of tea.<br />
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As I take a deep breath, I remember George Floyd's final plea.<br />
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One of the protesters, a young black woman, asked reporters: <br />
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<i>When is it going to change? When is it going to stop?</i><br />
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When will this litany of horror end?<br />
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And I realized that as long as I remain silent, I'm complicit too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Impromptu memorial on the green in Willington, CT, Ted DeMers' hometown.</i></td></tr>
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Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-58774525502474457632020-04-22T18:33:00.000-04:002020-04-23T07:30:30.468-04:00Moon Dark and Morning PagesMoon dark is that time in the lunar cycle when the face of the moon hides behind the shadow of the earth.<br />
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It's a mystical time when perceptual curtains in my psyche are drawn back and I can see, finally, what's been hidden in the shadows of my consciousness. Insights and epiphanies that have eluded me may reveal themselves when the moon slips into nothingness.<br />
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During moon dark, I see more clearly.<br />
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Astrologers call it the balsamic phase -- an inward, mysterious time. The moon goes dark, creative energy ebbs. I'm poised between cycles, waiting for the slender crescent to appear among the springtime stars.<br />
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This week, while the moon has been hidden in shadows, my own shadowy, unconscious dynamics became very clear.<br />
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I wrote some morning pages a few days ago. This is a practice recommended by Julia Cameron in <i>The Artist's Way --</i> writing three long-hand pages every morning to get rid of the mental clutter that's in the way of my creativity. It's a private exercise. No one sees my pages.<br />
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I haven't done them in a long time. But during this quarantine confinement I felt tension building, so I sat at my laptop. What poured forth was like a giant, unflattering mirror dragged out of the back of the closet and propped up where I couldn't avoid my own reflection.<br />
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<b>Maybe the virus has done this for you too?</b><br />
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It's as if life is a desk, piled up with things to do. This and that to attend to. Life flowing by.<br />
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And then the virus sweeps it all away.<br />
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Leaving open space.<br />
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My friend Deb, with unexpected time on her hands, is cleaning and organizing. Yesterday she said, <i>When I'm done with this all I'll be left with is my thoughts.</i><br />
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Exactly.<br />
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Writing those pages -- it was as if <b>my consciousness was fed up with waiting to be heard </b>and it didn't mince words. <br />
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I'll spare you the content of my pages, but I have shared them with friends. This is a big deal for me, letting peeps I trust see me exactly where am.<br />
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When I don't have my sh*t together.<br />
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Lo and behold, they relate. They give comfort and good advice.<br />
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Today's new moon marks the beginning of a new cycle of creation. I enjoy planting seeds of intention in the freshly tilled soil of my fertile psychic space. Anything can happen!<br />
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In the next few days I'll experience that subtle shift from shadow toward light, as germinating seeds strive for the sun. I think of that rich inner dark space as a deep well of potential.<br />
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Giving myself space to get clear -- by reviving the morning pages -- turned out to be a gift. <b>It woke me up to patterns of resistance that I've gotten used to</b>, rationalized, and then felt crappy about.<br />
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And in response, so much wisdom came my way in the guise of friends who are, respectively, a life coach, a therapist, and a shamanic practitioner. They say: Let yourself be, for God's sake. Soak in Epsom salts. Put CBD oil under your tongue. Try giving up dairy. Or maybe<b> stop judging </b>your physical pain as bad.<br />
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This ascension we're in the midst of? It's taking a toll on me physically but I don't have to assume it means I'm doing anything wrong.<br />
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Enter Uranus, <i>the Great Awakener, whose cosmic agenda is to pierce through levels of unconsciousness and resistance! *</i><br />
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Astrologer Elizabeth Jones suggests that <i>the most important question isn't related to ... what we've let go of but rather about what we are letting in </i>(to our awareness).<br />
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<i>This is huge...this sudden change, very likely a cosmic prompting from Uranus, has opened a window of opportunity to co-create with the Universe something extraordinary. </i><br />
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<i>Something perhaps you've only dreamed or hoped for. </i><br />
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<i>Something that requires time you didn't have before</i><br />
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<i> and space to breathe </i><br />
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<i>and a new set of priorities </i><br />
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<i>and, perhaps most important, a fresh perspective of what might now be possible in your life.*</i><br />
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This new moon in Taurus, courtesy of Uranus (who moved into the constellation of Taurus in May 2018 and will hang out there for another seven years) has the potential to <b>shatter outdated, no-longer-true-for-me, inherited beliefs.</b><br />
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In case you haven't noticed, this is happening in the collective consciousness as well. (Understatement.)<br />
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This would explain my meditation yesterday.<br />
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I came upon a doorway, set in a forest. Sunlight was streaming through delicately budding branches. Petals of early blossoms drifted like snowflakes to the ground. The double-door came to an arched point. The left door was closed but bright yellow light beamed out of the right open door. Inside, it was blindingly light. I sensed myself on a cool healing slab of rose quartz.<br />
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It was a classic shamanic experience of instantaneous combustion. I heard the phrase, <i>Burn it all down</i>. I knew what this meant for me.<br />
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<i>Uranus rules lightening, which is...how its energies work, often in an unexpected flash!*</i><br />
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Only my luminous bones are left -- the core of my being. The scaffolding on which to build a new me.<br />
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How I come back to life, how I am re-animated by my own spirit...<br />
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Its up to me.<br />
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Collectively, it's up to us.<br />
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*Elizabeth Jones, Monthly Beacon: Astro, 4.19.2020, p.2<br />
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<br />Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-45028004059589049532020-04-09T15:59:00.000-04:002020-04-09T16:00:58.853-04:00Hawk Perspective and the Great AwakeningI'm thinking about Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's stages of grief. After a loss, I know I can expect to experience a range of emotions, but not in a linear way. I might think I'm done with denial, for example, but find myself back there, unable to comprehend my pervasive sense of loss.<br />
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<img alt="The 5 Stages of Grief & Loss" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" /></div>
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I'm mourning the loss of our ability to gather -- in classrooms, workplaces, and coffee shops. I'm mourning the loss of connection that comes from celebrating Easter <i>together, </i>when Judy brings her famous meatballs, Marisa brings a giant salad, Sa stirs brussel sprouts, roasted until even<i> </i>I like them. Ray entertains us, Bailey rolls her eyes, the adult kids arrive with wine and dessert. The boys launch projectiles from the balcony. Joey lights candles. Michelle pours me a glass of sparkling Moscato. We reminisce about the ones no longer with us (irreverently). Steve loads the dishwasher despite my protests.<br />
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I know we'll do all these things again. I'll give my daughters big hugs. I'll grocery shop without low-grade anxiety. I'll place my hands on a client's heart chakra and channel pure love without worrying if I feel a cough coming on.<br />
<br />
But right now?<br />
<br />
I find myself in the anger stage of grief. Between bouts of exasperation (I can no longer watch White House press updates), depression waits on the doorstep of my awareness. I don't usually entertain depression, but sometimes I think if I'm <i>not </i>depressed, there's something wrong. Deep sadness is warranted now, as daily death tolls rise alarmingly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZRygdKMOE5egyYxzxMGV6UQTr8IVjtPkDP6v_B4h611XdLBslUATjqhU_XS-IIm0PtNCbZcnCoqtY2aRlwliUG-FXGVlMzyP7ZL1hJ0pKiNxdygcZ27S5n2R5rBjkh92507WibDGXOc/s1600/candle+graphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZRygdKMOE5egyYxzxMGV6UQTr8IVjtPkDP6v_B4h611XdLBslUATjqhU_XS-IIm0PtNCbZcnCoqtY2aRlwliUG-FXGVlMzyP7ZL1hJ0pKiNxdygcZ27S5n2R5rBjkh92507WibDGXOc/s400/candle+graphic.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
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So I allow my troubling emotions. But I also know that deep shifts are occurring. Something is stirring in the collective psyche that will<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>tolerate nothing less than the highest levels of integrity, truth, and honesty which will clear the way for new paradigms....*</i></blockquote>
This is the spiritual message of an astrological event that occurred over the weekend, the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Pluto's immense power is felt in world events and in the great tides of history. It influences masses of humanity, enormous groups of people, and large organizations.... The planet governs the beginnings and ends of cycles of life.... Pluto clears ground for the future. The force of Pluto is felt as an undercurrent of turbulence and uncontrolled energy.</i></blockquote>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=2032086082479913694" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=2032086082479913694" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=2032086082479913694" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=2032086082479913694" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Right?<br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81APcYD1i2YnF6w_iOy9mo_O-jdfOnT8_xMhezVWlDbmD10f83vRaruY9lavAd5UksYUTKLjmR6DMLOs93CZeQCa_1u4YvXDJrHxKt0kVW6TpBEleXySwdWkKx-eoumfcRKjFZOtkw40/s1600/pluto+heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="299" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81APcYD1i2YnF6w_iOy9mo_O-jdfOnT8_xMhezVWlDbmD10f83vRaruY9lavAd5UksYUTKLjmR6DMLOs93CZeQCa_1u4YvXDJrHxKt0kVW6TpBEleXySwdWkKx-eoumfcRKjFZOtkw40/s400/pluto+heart.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pluto</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Expansive Jupiter rules over knowledge, higher learning, breadth of vision, and honesty. The knowledge that Jupiter imparts is on a philosophical level....**</i></blockquote>
Maybe Jupiter's influence helps me remember that I am not my anger or anxiety -- I am the one who has the ability to <i>watch</i> myself experiencing my troubling emotions. I'm feeling them, but also raising my awareness to <i>hawk perspective</i> -- soaring above ever-shifting states of mind to a level of consciousness that's steady, free, eternal.<br />
<br />
Where I can breathe again.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=2032086082479913694" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Hawk | Oracle cards, Animal spirit guides, Cards" border="0" height="400" 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" 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Eckhard Tolle explains it best:<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=2032086082479913694" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=2032086082479913694" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=2032086082479913694" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=2032086082479913694" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<i>The beginning of freedom is the realization that you are not...the thinker. Knowing this enables you to observe your [thoughts]. The moment you start watching the thinker, a higher level of consciousness becomes activated. You then begin to realize that there is a vast realm of intelligence beyond thought, that thought is only a tiny aspect of that intelligence. ***</i><br />
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Without this capacity -- this higher-self perspective -- I risk being swept into a maelstrom of emotions that threaten to pull me under.<br />
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I use my spiritual sight, my hawk perspective, to slip into the realms of knowing beyond my thoughts.<br />
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<img alt="Boat Dock Wallpapers - Top Free Boat Dock Backgrounds ..." src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcSgFn-VC0_pCVmHFxNBxk902SfEYcQVEC05oNXpUu_QmRjIAEZ0&usqp=CAU" /></div>
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Ascending to hawk perspective helps me comprehend the pandemic in the context of <b>the great awakening</b> that has been foretold for these times we live in.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The Maya prophesied that we, together with the precession of the equinoxes, would come full circle. The hugely significant galactic synchronization of 2012 is the context of the spiritual and cultural renewal that will enable us to solve our ecological problems and usher in a new...age. </i></blockquote>
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<img alt="The Precession of the Equinoxes Explained with Graham Hancock ..." height="179" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQC-OYGCbNniyHM3LVDucdi8ByFydYXkJM6JkhuaSLvmLINpYzZ&usqp=CAU" width="320" /></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The dominant message emerging from the Mayan prophecies...is that </i><b>we are the prophecy</b>,<i> and that whatever happens in the future is dependent on the choices we make.****</i></blockquote>
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I can only comprehend this evolutionary big picture from hawk perspective.<br />
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When I get lost cycling through my sometimes-erratic thoughts and feelings, elevated awareness brings steadiness.<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=2032086082479913694" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blogger.g?blogID=2032086082479913694" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQ81MowszsMiqSdNmz5ejO_34zAjx5uEysTAMWicGppzNiAilsW&usqp=CAU" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Oracle 33 Card Deck - Empowering the Teenage Soul by Shana Lee ..." border="0" height="179" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQ81MowszsMiqSdNmz5ejO_34zAjx5uEysTAMWicGppzNiAilsW&usqp=CAU" width="320" /></a></div>
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So when scary news reports and reality-TV press conferences become too much, I pull on my metaphorical wings. I survey my surroundings like the hawk presiding over the pond from the highest bare branch. Longing for spaciousness, I launch myself into the open sky, gathering momentum until I'm spiraling ever upward, gliding above the fray.<br />
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Unfettered from my anxious mind, I surrender to spaciousness as open as the sky.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1FlphKDru_Spb9Vs04FNdb5RP82o1zggArws16Qasoberu1Sqgx1T2WxmfTy9xTEX3a5itOreqq53GHUaz3f8vp78U5Ep_a48MgGzSYZcousuCr9WOxsZpQjWH6CkdqTrD5F1Nfo424/s1600/walking+in+light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1FlphKDru_Spb9Vs04FNdb5RP82o1zggArws16Qasoberu1Sqgx1T2WxmfTy9xTEX3a5itOreqq53GHUaz3f8vp78U5Ep_a48MgGzSYZcousuCr9WOxsZpQjWH6CkdqTrD5F1Nfo424/s320/walking+in+light.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A lost ancient civilization with advanced knowledge of great cosmological epochs looked to us as the <b>bringers of light </b>to new age of enlightenment<b>.</b> <br />
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Adopting their galactic vantage point, I comprehend the pandemic as an event that will prompt ways of being that are more strictly in alignment with<b> Who We Really Are.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMeJRTg1B_Jcld9DVXDXeF81t3bTmpWG5ycnFIyJvMDlo9S3-Bh8dAegLtXtdNaSFTzINbUkL7GmM8lhx6nSdI_jgfJY4POoUhEtGpEezQe0uuQHpfTePUbhGxql7w5AfLsXuwEpnm4g/s1600/mayan+mural.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="1494" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMeJRTg1B_Jcld9DVXDXeF81t3bTmpWG5ycnFIyJvMDlo9S3-Bh8dAegLtXtdNaSFTzINbUkL7GmM8lhx6nSdI_jgfJY4POoUhEtGpEezQe0uuQHpfTePUbhGxql7w5AfLsXuwEpnm4g/s400/mayan+mural.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mayan Mural</i></td></tr>
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Visionaries have a way of soaring aloft to perceive an ideal. Bringing vision into reality is the very heart of creativity.<br />
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If we are the ones we've been waiting for, there's not a minute to lose.<br />
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<u>Sources</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
Jones, Elizabeth, Monthly Beacon, 3.20.2020, p.2<br />
<br />
Joanna Martine Woolfolk, <i>The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need,</i> p. 283 (Pluto) and p. 258<br />
Jupiter)<br />
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Tolle, Ekhart,<i>The Power of Now</i>, p. 14<br />
<br />
Benedict, Gerald, The Mayan Prophecies for 2012, p. 188<br />
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Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-67593898381847023532020-03-28T12:12:00.000-04:002020-04-05T10:43:43.878-04:00The Metaphysics of Coronavirus: An Energy DiagnosisIn energy medicine, it's understood that physical illnesses often originate at energetic levels of being.<br />
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A heart attack, to take a fairly obvious example, needs to be treated physically, in the emergency room, but it also may require healing at deeper levels. Emotional pressure may need to be resolved. The person experiencing a heart attack may have beliefs about work and/or identity that are asking for revision. Energy healing addresses dis-ease at physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels.<br />
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So to understand the the pandemic sweeping across the globe from an energetic perspective, I looked up some of the related psycho-spiritual aspects (as they're called), starting with the immune system. What I found left me breathless in it's accuracy.<br />
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Carolyn Myss, Ph. D. and medical intuitive, published <i>Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing </i>in 1996. It's a seminal text for students of energy medicine. What she wrote then is spot-on today.<br />
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By way of background, our immune systems are governed by the health of our root chakras. My root chakra connects me to my family of origin and the values of the community I was raised in.<br />
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Growing up as the oldest of six kids in upstate NY, attending Our Lady of Lourdes with my siblings, and being watched over by my friends' parents as we ran around the neighborhood, I soaked up the shared beliefs of my tribe. I was shaped by my mother, a nurse, and my father, a grave digger. My grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins visited regularly when we were kids and my Grampa Deck was a fixture on Saturday mornings (donuts in hand) because both my parents worked.<br />
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Myss reminds me the immune system is energetically connected to these tribal roots and to <i>tribal power. </i>Tribal power is the sense of safety, security and empowerment we feel as part of a healthy community. In such a tribe we feel like valued members of a valuable whole.<br />
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For example, I felt a deep sense of tribal power at my father's retirement party years ago. For the occasion we invited family, friends, and colleagues. Dad's nickname was Digger because he worked for the Diocese of Syracuse as Superintendent of Calvary Cemetery (located in our back yard). So his colleagues were the guys that cut the grass and dug the graves, some of whom loved him like a father. They were also funeral directors who had inherited their livelihoods from <i>their </i>fathers.<br />
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(It should be noted that funeral directors have a distinct sense of humor. For my father's retirement party, they dragged a giant spray of flowers to the podium. Fresh from some soul's grave.)<br />
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My dad was also a basketball official. He and his brother, my Uncle Bill, worked many games together in the regular season and they were busy for tournament playoffs because they were very good refs. So those guys were there too, along with his golf buddies, and grown men he had coached in Little League.<br />
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There was much laughter and admiration. I talked about being raised by my mother (who ran the house) and my father -- a quiet guy with a great sense of humor and a perfectly-timed side-eye. I recall invoking Dan Fogelberg's <i>Leader of the Band</i>:<br />
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<i>His gentle way of sculpting souls took me years to understand</i><br />
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I said that my father was my hero, the kind of person I wanted our children to grow up to be like. Thoughtful, hard-working, steady. On his knees every night at bedtime. An annual tradition of shopping on Christmas Eve with his buddy Brownie Brown. Buy a gift, have a beer ....<br />
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My brother Mike's wife, Kelly, recalls the first Christmas she came to our house as a teenager dating Mike. Dad was reading <i>The Night before Christmas</i> to kids lined up on the couch. It was as traditional as the re-purposed peanut butter jars filled with home-made cookies lined up on the hutch. Mom gave them to the postman, the funeral directors, and the kids in the neighborhood whose mothers didn't bake cookies.<br />
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Everyone present at dad's retirement was part of the tribal culture I grew up in. I don't want to sugar-coat it -- there was also an underbelly, as there is in all systems. Divorce. Alcoholism. Certain injustices when it came to school discipline that broke my father's heart. And loss.<br />
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We lost dad's father, my Grampa Deck, when he was only 63. I couldn't imagine how my dad would get through the eulogy, quiet as he is. But his voice was strong. My aching heart was swollen with tribal pride as my father's voice rang out across the pews of mourners.<br />
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I share all these memories to define tribal power. I'm blessed with a strong foundation, a sense of myself as part of an imperfect but loving tribe. Because of it, our family immunity to external threats is pretty high.<br />
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Myss writes,<i> Symbolically, the immune system does for the physical body exactly what tribal power does for the group: it protects the entire body from potentially damaging external influences.... Difficult tribal challenges cause us to lose power primarily from our first chakra, making us susceptible to immune related diseases.*</i><br />
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This strikes me as frighteningly accurate today.<br />
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Symbolically, our collective immune system is failing to protect us from damaging influences... Difficult tribal challenges -- like our current presidency -- are causing us to lose power from our collective first chakra. As a nation, we're losing our ground, our foundation, our sense of safety, security and trust.<br />
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<i><br /></i>We're vulnerable to Covid-19 because our collective immunity -- our resilience, strength and power -- is severely compromised.<br />
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<i>Viral and other epidemics are ... a reflection of ... current social issues of the cultural tribe and the health of the tribe's immune system. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>Sound far-fetched?<br />
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I know. When I was new to energy dynamics I was skeptical too.<br />
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Myss offers an illuminating example of how the zeitgeist affects our collective health. She cites the stock market crash of 1929 that plunged the nation into the Great Depression: <i> Journalists and politicians, business executives and workers, men and women all described themselves as having been </i>crippled<i> by the economic disaster.</i><br />
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Soon afterward, in the early 1930's, the polio epidemic proliferated -- <i>symbolically representing the crippled spirit of the nation. Those who felt most economically crippled, either by actual experience or by the fear of it, were energetically most susceptible to the polio virus.... It took a tribal event, an experience of physical strength, World War II, to heal the American spirit. A sense of heroism, tribal unity and an increase in jobs restored the pride, power and honor of our country.</i><br />
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The same may be said about the HIV-AIDS virus in the '80's that infected dis-enfranchised members of society.<br />
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In the same way, the current pandemic symbolically represents a weakness in our usually robust American resilience. A viral infection energetically represents joy being sapped from our lives. It leaves us bitter and angry...<br />
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...because our tribal power is eroding before our very eyes.<br />
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We are losing the kind of familial pride that I felt when my dad retired.<br />
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This begs the question(s): What exactly is wearing us down, making us vulnerable to a deadly virus? What's lowering our immunity -- our ability to withstand external toxins? What's undermining our collective resilience?<br />
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I argue it's the Trump presidency.<br />
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When I look at the life issues associated with the root chakra that governs our immune health, it becomes clear that they are indeed compromised in today's cultural climate. Our right to be <b>grounded, nourished, healthy, prosperous, part of a safe home and trusted family, and to set appropriate boundaries -- </b>all root chakra issues -- are severely shaken.<br />
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<b>First Chakra Issue: Our Ground, Our Foundation</b><br />
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When I watch the evening news and the press conferences updating us on Covid-19, with reports of critical shortages, I see my country faltering. I see governors begging for help. I see young people ignoring pleas to stay at home, endangering their elders. I see alarmed nurses and doctors beseeching the powers that be for PPE.<br />
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America is losing her ground.<br />
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Myss puts it this way: <i>The cultural energy of our own country is being depleted by the need that some have to feel empowered at the expense of others deemed less valuable. Challenges to our biological immunity will follow accordingly.</i><br />
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A strong sense of tribal power is restored when we re-activate the values our democracy is founded on: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness <i>for all.</i><br />
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<b>First Chakra Issue: Nourishment</b><br />
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I respect the expertise the president has gathered to guide the nation, but they seem to be under directives to kiss the president's ass. (Rectum, first chakra.)<br />
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Trump, the epitome of a run-away ego, has a hard time relinquishing the mic. He expects us to swallow his incoherent rambling, absent substantive content, just because it's coming out of his mouth. Alarmingly many <i>do</i> believe him (another threat to our collective immunity).<br />
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We are bereft, starving for accurate information and moral leadership.<br />
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We are also famished by our religious institutions, plagued by tragic sexual abuse, and social structures in which large swaths of the human family are denied their fundamental right to exist by systemic racism, sexism, and xenophobia. This whole notion that there's an <i>us</i> and a <i>them</i>.<br />
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If there's one thing the coronavirus is teaching us, it's the spiritual truth that All are One.<br />
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A strong sense of tribal power is restored when humanity is <i>nourished,</i> not depleted, by leaders who set the tone for tribal members.<br />
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Spiritual nourishment is restored to each of us when we access the indwelling divine. Practices and communities that encourage direct revelation of the divine fill our need for spiritual sustenance.<br />
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<br />
<b>First Chakra Issue: Overall Health</b><br />
<br />
The health of the nation is under siege by the virus itself. The administration is scrambling now, but why weren't warnings heeded and preparations underway to stave off infection months ago? Now President Trump is desperately attempting to boost national morale with drugs that he has a good feeling about. Sorry, Mr. President, we need more than your gut feeling.<br />
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The shocking lack of preparedness is affecting us physically. People are <i>dying</i>. Mentally we're anxious about our basic safety, our loved ones, and our ability to earn a living. Socially we're isolated, adjusting to living with the unknown. Its disconcerting to say the least.<br />
<br />
Tribal power is restored when we assure health care for all. Fear and anxiety (understandable and appropriate emotions in these circumstances) ask us to act, so we must mobilize whatever resources and services we can offer to support ourselves and those in need at this crucial time.<br />
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<b>First Chakra Issue: Prosperity</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The Dow and other financial indices measure the prosperity of our nation. Recent roller-coaster fluctuations underscore the reality that tribal confidence is shaken. There is no steady hand guiding our nation.<br />
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Collective immunity falters when our president is more concerned about economic health than human health.<br />
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Tribal power is restored when we know that every man, woman, and child on the planet prospers.<br />
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Tribal wealth can also be measured by a new-paradigm economy based on humanitarian values.<br />
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<b>First Chakra Issue: Home, Family, Trust</b><br />
<b><br /></b>Our precious planetary home is in peril. Refusal to acknowledge and act swiftly upon climate change science terrifies us.<br />
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Our national identity is undermined by a leadership model in which deception, ego-centrism, an appalling absence of empathy, and colossal arrogance are worshiped in free-wheeling rallies that incite rancor between us.<br />
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The collective trust has been betrayed.<br />
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Tribal power is restored when we unite for causes that transcend our differences, like saving Mother Earth.<br />
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<b>First Chakra Issue: Appropriate Boundaries</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
We have the right to our personal space. When it is encroached upon, we have the right to ask that our boundaries be respected. Read: Keep your social distance, please.<br />
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When our boundaries are violently invaded, trauma ensues. Personally and collectively it's devastating. We experienced this on 9/11.<br />
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As humans we have standards of decency -- commonly agreed-upon ways of being that are respectful of ourselves, each other, and the planet. When these are violated our immunity suffers; we become vulnerable to invasion by affronts from without.<br />
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To restore tribal power appropriate boundaries must be respected. Cozying up to brutal dictators? No. It's beyond the pale -- outside the bounds of acceptable behavior.<br />
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Some may say that I have not respected our president -- that my views are out-of-bounds.<br />
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While I don't respect his actions, I do respect his dignity as a human being. I express my views in a spirit of service, offering insight into the energies that inform reality. These are often lost in the chaos of unrelenting distraction from Truth. I have been gifted with symbolic sight and what I'm seeing now is virulent, infectious -- and threatens the collective soul.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeemkTorqeSEyXVhBRCpM3n3EuSQWd2V9qS5Zijc3eCrWN3DFaGLoWXdD_NsNwbLxE0eQtL5pt0u2Tfbskp6g05XvCSLHUZ9Jfb3TPj8PqpzdAdQyIq0XI5bmOR46TXVMGl5YKiMAcFIk/s1600/light+on+forehead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="240" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeemkTorqeSEyXVhBRCpM3n3EuSQWd2V9qS5Zijc3eCrWN3DFaGLoWXdD_NsNwbLxE0eQtL5pt0u2Tfbskp6g05XvCSLHUZ9Jfb3TPj8PqpzdAdQyIq0XI5bmOR46TXVMGl5YKiMAcFIk/s320/light+on+forehead.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm called to offer my perceptions as a channel and a voice for healing. <i> My</i> boundaries have been crossed by the very offences I'm calling out. It's imperative to challenge the toxic tribal power infecting the collective psyche.<br />
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How can we shore up our root chakras individually?<br />
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<i>Maintaining the health of our individual first chakras depends on addressing our personal tribal issues -- </i>our family of origin wounding.<br />
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This is often where the deepest pain resides in my clients. We often start the healing process by addressing core-level offences to the client's essential nature. Having those offences confirmed as <b>wrong</b> and having her essence seen -- perhaps for the first time in her life -- bring enormous relief.<br />
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Myss concludes with this important message:<br />
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<i>The tribal beliefs we inherit are a combination of truth and fiction. Many of them, such as </i>Murder is forbidden, <i>hold eternal value. Others that lack that quality of eternal truth...are in violation of the sacred truth </i>All is One.<i> The process of spiritual development challenges us to retain the tribal influences that are positive and to discard those that are not. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
It's time to discard the tribal influences that are bringing down our nation.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Our spiritual power grows when we are able to see...a deeper level of truth. Each time we shift toward symbolic awareness, we positively influence our energy and biological systems. We also contribute positive energy to the collective body of life -- the global tribe. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
The energy generated on the occasion of my father's retirement made me proud to be a Deck. My heart brimmed with love for my family.<br />
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That evening was a gathering of the tribe, in much the same way weddings are, to celebrate a milestone with the people who are most important to us.<br />
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In such a tribe we feel like valued members of a valuable whole.<br />
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Too many of us don't feel that way in Trump's America. The whole is decisively fractured. Division is deliberately stoked. Americans are weary to death of the inflamed rhetoric of an ignorant and spiritually bereft man who believes himself to be an expert on everything.<br />
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We must re-commit to the compassionate work of healing ourselves, each other, our beloved nation, and the whole of humanity.<br />
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We must restore the trust of the tribe <i>in </i>the tribe.<br />
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Only then is our immunity restored.<br />
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Only then is our tribal power reclaimed.<br />
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Only then is our joy recovered.<br />
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The soul of our nation depends on it.<br />
<i><br /></i>
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<i>Leader of the Band by Dan Fogelberg</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>An only child alone and wild, a cabinet maker's son</i><br />
<i>His hands were meant for different work </i><br />
<i>And his heart was known to none</i><br />
<i>He left his home and went his lone and solitary way</i><br />
<i>And he gave to me a gift I know I never can repay</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>A quiet man of music denied a simpler fate</i><br />
<i>He tried to be a soldier once, but his music wouldn't wait</i><br />
<i>He earned his love through discipline, a thundering velvet hand</i><br />
<i>His gentle means of sculpting souls took me years to understand</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The leader of the band is tired and his eyes are growing old</i><br />
<i>His blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul</i><br />
<i>My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man</i><br />
<i>I'm just a living legacy to the leader of the band</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>My brothers' lives were different for they heard another call</i><br />
<i>One went to Chicago and the other to St. Paul</i><br />
<i>And I'm in Colorado when I'm not in some hotel</i><br />
<i>Living out this life I've chose and learned to love so well</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I thank you for your music and your stories of the road</i><br />
<i>I thank you for the freedom when it came my time to go</i><br />
<i>I thank you for the kindness and the times when you got tough</i><br />
<i>And papa, I don't think I've said I love you near enough</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The leader of the band is tired and his eyes are growing old</i><br />
<i>His blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul</i><br />
<i>My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man</i><br />
<i>I'm just a living legacy to the leader of the band</i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>
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<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
* Myss, Carolyn, <i>Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing,</i> New York: Three Rivers Press, 1996. I have placed all quotations from this book in italics (due to a glitch on my blog that will not produce correct "quotation marks.")<br />
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All these violations threaten our first chakra right to exist with safety and dignity.<br />
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We are weary to death of it. Worn out by a form of tribal power that is gutting the soul of America. It's no wonder our collective immunity is compromised.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
Let's look at the emotional compo<br />
<br />
Louise's Hay's powerful little book <i>Heal Your Body: The Mental Causes for Physical Illness and the Metaphysical Way to Overcome Them </i>lists <i>lack of joy flowing through life </i>and <i>bitterness </i>as the probable causes of a viral infection.<br />
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When I was learning how emotions, attitudes and beliefs influence the physical body, I was skeptical. If I'm bitter I'm going to come down with a virus?<br />
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Obviously, it's not quite that simple.<br />
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Yet these correlates have proven to be accurate -- active on some level of the psyche of my clients (and myself) -- as I've learned time and time again in my practice. They are surprisingly and reliable accurate.<br />
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The new thought pattern Hay recommends to address a viral infection is: I lovingly allow joy to flow freely in my life. I love me.<br />
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Self-love is an antidote. I'm constantly encouraging my clients to give it a try, despite inherited tribal conditioning that failed to teach us who we really are. Beings of strength, power and beauty with divinity inside us.<br />
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Imagine if we were taught that we are beings of strength, beauty, and power. With divinity inside us. If that belief was ingrained in all of us? And shared by our tribe about us? We'd be a lot less vulnerable to every external influence out there threatening our overall well being.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Infection: Irritation, anger, annoyance. </i>You bet I'm annoyed! A nurse on the Today show said it best this morning. How are they feeling? Nurses on the front lines?<br />
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Outraged.<br />
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Justifiably so.<br />
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<br />Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-60406608428016303892020-03-22T14:25:00.000-04:002020-03-25T09:56:46.420-04:00UnknowableNormally, this time of year I'm blogging about the Spring Equinox.<br />
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But what's normal anymore? Our sense of normalcy is out the window, in this, the Spring of the Corona Virus.<br />
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My recent posts include words like <i>unforeseen </i>and <i>unknown </i>but I don't think any of us imagined a global pandemic.<br />
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Such cataclysms were prophecied by the ancient Mayans. It's one thing to read about catastrophic events predicted for our times, but it's quite another thing to live through them.<br />
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Sh*t is getting real.<br />
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So guess which rune I picked on the Vernal Equinox?<br />
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UNKNOWABLE. It's the blank rune -- no glyph on either side.<br />
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The unknown. We're not comfortable with it. With Covid-19, much is unknown. Hence, anxiety.<br />
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We don't know how long self-quarantine will be required. We don't know if our loved ones will be affected -- our vulnerable parents, my brother with COPD, my niece who put on a mask and gloves and went to Florida for spring break anyway. We don't know if our health care system will be overwhelmed, or if enough ventilators and masks can be manufactured fast enough to treat patients and protect our front-line health professionals. We don't know that our leaders know what they're doing. We don't know if <strike>they</strike> (I'm talking about one person here) are capable of grasping life-and-death urgency.<br />
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<i><b>The Blank Rune. The Unknowable. The Divine. </b></i><br />
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<i>This is the rune of total trust and should be taken as exciting evidence of your most immediate contact with your own true destiny, which, time and again, rises like the phoenix from the ashes of what we call fate.</i><br />
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<i>The appearance of this rune can portend a death.</i> <i>But that death is usually symbolic and may relate to any part of your life.... </i>Relinquishing control is the ultimate challenge for the Spiritual Warrior.<br />
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<i>Here the unknowable informs you that It it in motion in your life </i>(Is this accurate or what?)<i>. In the blankness is held undiluted potential.<b> </b> At the same time both pregnant and empty </i>(wrapping my mind around the paradox),<i> this rune comprehends the totality of being, all that is to be actualized.</i><br />
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<i>Drawing The Blank Rune may bring to the surface our deepest fears. Will I fail? Will I be abandoned? Will it all be taken away? And yet our highest good, our truest possibilities and all our fertile dreams are held within the blankness.</i><br />
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<i>Willingness and permitting are what this rune requires.... The Blank Rune</i> <i>often calls for no less an act of courage than an empty-handed leap into the void. </i>(Kind of feels like that's where we are.) <i>Drawing it is a direct test of faith.</i><br />
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And, it goes on to say, <i>Nothing is predestined </i>(despite the Mayan prophecy):<i> What beckons is the creative power of the unknown.</i><br />
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<i>Whenever you draw The Blank Rune, take heart: Know that the work of self-change is progressing in your life. </i>(Self-change is kicking my ass.)<br />
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Is it possible that we are in <i>contact with [our] own true destiny</i>? As individuals and as a civilization?<br />
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How are we rising to the challenges of daily life in a pandemic?<br />
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I'm staying in, despite my desire to go out. Essential trips only, at off-peak hours. Checking in with loved ones. A daily round of disinfecting. Lots of laundry. On my walks, I veer off the sidewalk, chatting with strangers from a distance.<br />
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I'm figuring out how to use Zoom so our meditation circle can meet next week. This is something I've been meaning to do but never got around to it. Now, circumstances are demanding innovative ways to connect.<br />
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I'm also using Face time to connect with my clients. I'm offering distance healing -- new for me -- and it turns out I <i>can </i>sense energy from afar. This week I recorded a meditation to help a new client relax and prepare her body for surgery.<br />
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These may not be destiny-level changes but they are creative ways to connect when we've been advised to isolate. <br />
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Collectively, it feels like Destiny is at hand.<br />
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" /></div>
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It's time to ask how our government is so tragically unprepared to meet this crisis.<br />
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What values were at play when 37 of 47 Obama-era centers for disease management around the world were dismantled?<br />
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What values enabled the president to downplay briefings he was receiving about the deadly virus in <i>January?</i><br />
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What values are operating when his administration wants to use a provision of Obamacare to address Covid-19 while seeking to strike it down in court? <br />
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What values are guiding federal budgets and tax policies that benefit the ultra-rich and corporations at the expense of the middle class?<br />
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What values have gutted the EPA while the ice sheets melt and the Amazon burns?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHBAYV0MM3f73V0JqYIum1Q9wJo95jqETyqrPq-qwRbCi16-bgF3EERAutRlF_qizw9V2hNtQCwFZC4qhq32qvbUOCZG9hE5gYfvLdUHlZ7JdKd0Rh35HadwgQ79HcGZF_wBio0do0BQ/s1600/amazon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHBAYV0MM3f73V0JqYIum1Q9wJo95jqETyqrPq-qwRbCi16-bgF3EERAutRlF_qizw9V2hNtQCwFZC4qhq32qvbUOCZG9hE5gYfvLdUHlZ7JdKd0Rh35HadwgQ79HcGZF_wBio0do0BQ/s400/amazon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The values that inform these actions are up for dismantling.<br />
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The death this rune portends is the death of the world as we know it. It's time to build a new world based on new values -- unity cooperation, inclusion and love. A new world is <i>rising like the phoenix from the ashes </i>of this one.<br />
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This virus, spreading like wildfire across the globe, is <i>bringing to the surface our deepest fears.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmL7TZ6xBiXpuUOIO4XzDHO51iTyZkQLgoMxWVQDPToisCa6xEzyEo7rB8VcWWnbckimnDK_9fJ4WNqT3B_rBlenf4CVhQbcSa_oHNUhIx-2ojNNEgJzf-K3j-MI88_5hqqwoHu74Pds/s1600/woman+upset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmL7TZ6xBiXpuUOIO4XzDHO51iTyZkQLgoMxWVQDPToisCa6xEzyEo7rB8VcWWnbckimnDK_9fJ4WNqT3B_rBlenf4CVhQbcSa_oHNUhIx-2ojNNEgJzf-K3j-MI88_5hqqwoHu74Pds/s1600/woman+upset.jpg" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
Survival level questions are keeping us up at night. Will I be able to pay my bills? Will I be laid off? Will my employees be eligible for unemployment? Will banks and landlords offer deferments? My husband is spending a lot of time on hold pursuing answers to these questions. The good news? Lenders and state leaders are stepping up and offering relief.<br />
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In the face of the unknown, we have <i>undiluted potential</i>. The possibility of pulling together with new levels of compassion and innovation.<br />
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Italians are serenading their neighbors. Kids practice their violin lessons on their elderly friend's front porch. #heartsforhealthcareworkers salutes nurses and doctors serving the public at risk to themselves. My friend Lori, a gifted LCSW, is using TeleHealth to meet with her clients. Kerri, yogi goddess and small business owner, offers virtual yoga classes.<br />
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We are tapping into <i>our highest good, our truest possibilities </i>in the spirit of service<i>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>What the Mayans saw in the stars was not the end of the world -- it was the end of an age. Their famous calendar tracked astrological ages spanning 26,000 years. The last one, the age of the Fifth Sun, ended in 2012. We are living at the dawn of the Sixth Sun. We are witnessing the end of one world and the birth of another.<br />
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Like all labor and delivery, it's arduous.<br />
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And potentially miraculous.<br />
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The world is not ending, it is transforming. We are here to usher in <i>all that is to be actualized.</i><br />
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I have long worshiped at the altar of the Great Mystery. I've spent a lifetime seeking the secrets of creation, the mechanics of manifestation, and exploring the unseen realms of energy and light that exists right here, a breath away, one dimension subtler than we perceive with our five senses. I've looked for God and the Goddess, the great creative forces of Nature, in churches and the chambers of my heart. Perhaps they are ultimately unknowable.<br />
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But the search? It yields fruit.<br />
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In meditation, I sink into the deepest level of my existence, into what we call in energy medicine my core star light. Its the first manifestation of my own life and light out of the dazzling darkness of the void, the inner pool of unlimited potential from whence I came. It's empty but charged with high-voltage life force at the same time.<br />
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<i>What beckons is the pure creative power of the unkno</i><i>wn. </i><br />
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Traversing the unknown requires self-awareness. I'm practicing reining in my run-away thoughts as they race along well-worn neural pathways forged by worry, doubt and fear -- and consciously steering them along new trails aimed toward hope, light and freedom. Our Journey to Self spiritual warriors will recognize this practice!<br />
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I'm cultivating radical trust.<br />
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I'll need my practices as we move through the unknown. I hope you will permit yourself to receive what you need too. It may be a long road. It may be filled with loss. May we be here for each other with all the grace we can muster as our world falls apart and we put it back together again one choice at a time.<br />
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There's a lot that's unknowable.<br />
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But one thing I know is who I am. I am a being of love. And I know you are too.<br />
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<i>What lies beyond the known must be understood by you, not only as your potential, but as your true inheritance. And as you say yes to what comes, the mission of your life comes crystal clear. It's not what you do, it's how you be....</i><br />
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<i> Beyond the Known: Realization</i>, Paul Selig<br />
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Be love.<br />
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The oracle card, Kali, is from Meggan Watterson's Divine Feminine Oracle. Artwork by Lisbeth Cheever-Gessman.<br />
<br />Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-25898158357094221442020-01-15T09:28:00.000-05:002020-01-29T08:17:06.266-05:00Swan Dive For the past couple of weeks I've been reading energy forecasts and astrological indications for the New Year as they land in my inbox.<br />
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2020 promises to be a year of ongoing change. The old is giving way to new paradigms that are unfolding by the minute. This overall pattern affects us personally, whether we are revising our inherited beliefs to match our evolving truth, navigating shifting relationships, or finding new roles in the wider community.<br />
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There's no question that whatever is false is falling apart. The light of truth is strong within us, asking us to drop any narrative that doesn't reflect authenticity.<br />
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That same light is also shining on the global stage where nations are stepping carefully around chaos created by the White House. Truth is casting a harsh spotlight on abuse of power and international disarray.<br />
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On my walk I deliberately push all this aside. Because essentially the future is unknown. Yes we can follow trends and anticipate likely outcomes. But in fact, timelines and predictions can be altered in an instant by something new, unforeseen -- even miraculous -- materializing out of someone's aha moment.<br />
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So I set my intention to leave the (potentially intense) future out there in the future and attend to what's up right now.<br />
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I take a deep breath, inhaling the faint scent of pine in the winter air.<br />
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Reining in my mind from it's habitual scouting ahead or circling back -- how do I even do that?<br />
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My walks always settle my mind so I'm bundled in layers, wearing ski gloves and sneakers, trusting this is so today. My breath puffs behind me with every exhale. There is no snow. The grass is faded, the sky is gray and the trees cast their bare branches skyward.<br />
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I imagine time as a string of beads. Each bead is a now-moment, an instant of presence. These moments are strung together in a linear continuum.<br />
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What if I stop on one of these beads, halting the seemingly ceaseless march of my mind? If I let my awareness pause here?<br />
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And rest.<br />
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In this moment.<br />
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Right now.<br />
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When I'm poised in this instant -- on this one bead on the string -- it seems to open up beneath me. Dropping into it, I feel depth. And a curious spaciousness.<br />
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It's quiet.<br />
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A flock of geese silently organize themselves into an undulating right angle above the treetops.<br />
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And then my mind yanks me into the future. There's that thing that might happen. I don't know how I feel about it. It could turn out ....<br />
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It's impossible to remain in the present!<br />
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When I arrive at the pond there are eight swans lined up in a wide row, almost evenly spaced, each one facing the dock. I think of my daughter's choreography notebook, with a line of X's across the page indicating the front-row formation. I half expect these swans to turn in unison.<br />
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They are rarely so close. I sit down on the dock and they don't move away.<br />
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Their necks are grayer than their white-feathered bodies. Their bills are orange, their dark eyes outlined in black.<br />
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The two on one end glide away, out into open water. But another is coming my way and the others follow. They occasionally dip their lithe necks into the water, creating spherical ripples around themselves. These overlap one another creating beautiful wave-interference patterns just like we do with our energy fields.<br />
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Their feathers are curiously ruffled. Some are perfectly smooth across their backs but others are standing up like partial halos around their bodies.<br />
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They have made their way, six of them, a little closer, gliding as if by magic. Propelling themselves across the glassy surface appears effortless.<br />
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One makes an unfamiliar noise, a combination of a cough and a hiss, like something from a squeaky toy.<br />
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Another keeps standing up on the water. She spreads her wide wings, drawing herself up to her full height. Her flapping wings sound like sheets on the clothesline, snapping in gusty wind. Then she folds them behind her, shaking her tail feathers back and forth across the water as she settles back into her graceful profile.<br />
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These swans are not thinking about 2020. They are unperturbed, going about their daily pond business. They are perfect teachers of how to inhabit the now.<br />
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I don't know how swans navigate time. Their instinctual rhythm is of the seasons. I welcome their fluffy brown babies in the spring. They grow quickly over the summer. Come fall, they fly across the horizon at dusk.<br />
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Today they give me a lesson on the value of deliberately interrupting the onrushing flow of time. Pumping the brakes on time -- pausing on that bead -- yields some instructions on how to be here now.<br />
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The only time anything ever happens.<br />
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They show me how to make some noise. They show me how to rise up and shake off the stress of the tumultuous times we are living through and to settle back into my own natural dignity. They illustrate the beauty of swimming with others, with our radiating spheres of energy overlapping, and creating new wave-patterns befitting who we are becoming in 2020.<br />
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Swan wisdom shows me how to dive deeply into the pool of possibility that is always here now.<br />
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<br />Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-59364529155170660432019-08-23T07:18:00.000-04:002019-11-02T16:45:34.389-04:00You Just Can't Make This Sh*t UpPrior to my recent blog post, I hadn't posted anything in a almost a full year. That's a pretty long dry spell.<br />
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What I've been finding this summer though is that the more I get back to walking, meditating, and my yoga practice, the more I want to write. Because things come together in unexpected ways and I want to keep track of these non-coincidences.<br />
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For example, I posted my most recent blog on Saturday, August 3. This was highly unlikely timing because we were leaving for a vacation on Monday the fifth. I did not have time to be composing a blog post. We have never been abroad; never been on a cruise; never flown out of JFK; never coordinated all this with three adult children.<br />
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So I published my post in the flurry of packing everything we would need for a two week cruise in a suitcase weighing less than fifty pounds. I wrote about being vs. doing. Since my upbringing taught me nothing about being and everything about doing, this idea of becoming more aware of the quality of <i>being</i> was a radical departure from my norm.<br />
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One of my errands that weekend before we left was to see if there was any chance I could get a book I had ordered from our local bookstore. The release date was August 6, but by then we would be in Venice. I was hoping to snatch it early to read on vacation.<br />
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But it wasn't in the store yet, according to the young man I spoke to at That Book Store. I'd have to wait until we got back.<br />
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The funny thing is I mentioned this book in my August 3rd post, the one where I was exploring the notion of being vs. doing. I've always been comfortable doing. But just being? What does that even mean?<br />
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So this question is floating in the background of my mind as we travel. I notice Italians have a distinctly different way of being than Americans. In Portofino you sit by the seaside under an awning and eat lunch for three hours. You have to ask for the check. They bring you tangy limoncello whether you ask for it or not.<br />
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Everything is s-l-o-w-e-r and full of old-world charm.<br />
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Our first night back home I'm up in the middle of the night because it's morning in Italy. I putter around, change the wash, and re-read my blog on being.<br />
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A few days later I had picked up my book, <i>Beyond the Known: Realization. </i>Right there on page one of the prologue it says:<br />
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<i>The right to be was gifted to you at the inception of your soul.</i><br />
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A couple of pages later, the reader is invited to <i>Be as you are. Be as you are. Be as you are. </i>(Prologue, xvii)<br />
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I'm sitting at Heirloom Market sipping a peanut butter banana mocha espresso (without the espresso) gasping out loud at the seamless way the universe is apparently delivering Its advice on BEING!<br />
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I should clarify that Paul Selig, the author, is channeling a group of teachers who exist in the spirit world. If this sounds a little nuts, I understand. But this work is so profound that I went to Burlington, VT to hear him channel last summer. IMHO, he's the real deal.<br />
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These spirit teachers call themselves The Guides. In this new book they say:<br />
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<i>What lies beyond the known must be understood by you, not only as your potential, but as your true inheritance. And as you say yes to what comes, the mission of your life becomes crystal clear. It is not what you do, it is how you be.... </i>(Prologue, xx)<br />
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WHAT?<br />
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In my recent post I also wondered how I would be called to serve in the unknown future.<br />
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No problem! The answer is literally in my lap.<br />
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<i>Your service, we have to suggest, which is</i> being (emphasis his) <i>at this tone or level of vibration, calls the principle of the Christ to the manifest world for the purpose of reclaiming it in the higher octave. </i> (<i>Beyond the Known: Realization</i>, p.6)<br />
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Your service... is being....<br />
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You just can't make this stuff up!<br />
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The principle of the Christ that they refer to is not the historical Jesus. The Christ is another name for the divinity that resides within each of us (often despite appearances to the contrary). When we realize, or know, ourselves and all others as such, we are seeing each person's True Self, their Eternal Self, or their Christed Self. The divine in every man, woman and child.<br />
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Pretty wild, right?<br />
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I'm grateful that Life is conspiring to bring me back to the writing page. My summer practices -- yoga on the cool patio pavers in the early morning shade, meditations with no time limits -- these bring me back to my self.<br />
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Or maybe they lead to a new way of being -- one less encumbered by what I have always thought I should be, should do, should have, should accomplish.<br />
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This morning on twitter?<br />
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Just be and enjoy being. Eckhart Tolle.<br />
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<br />Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-48184822112906094402019-08-03T12:26:00.000-04:002019-08-20T07:08:40.122-04:00Pluto's CurriculumThis evening I sit at my kitchen table with with the slider open.<br />
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A cool front has swept out the heavy humidity. Light rain falls on the full foliage of high summer. The sound of rainfall is soothing, like a long sigh.<br />
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I've been out of synch with the rhythms of Nature; but then again, Mother Nature herself is out of synch.<br />
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Usually at this time of year I'm busy working on a new project or planning fall events. But this year, even the momentum of the Spring Equinox didn't shift this feeling of being in limbo -- on some kind of inward sabbatical.<br />
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I had an astrological reading the week of the Equinox, expecting to take advantage of the energy of light increasing, crocuses sprouting and stars shifting.<br />
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But my reading made sense of what <i>wasn't </i>happening. Certain things had culminated for me on the previous Winter Solstice. Now I'm in a period of change. Inside the chrysalis.<br />
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I'm not good with sabbatical. Time off is not my thing. I like momentum and goals. Getting stuff done.<br />
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My astrologer, Carol,* sees it differently.<br />
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I love her interpretation of what's happening out there in the cosmos. In my experience, when there's an astrological event, like a Super Full Moon, ten astrologers will give you ten different interpretations. Carol's take always registers an inner <i>yes</i>.<br />
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About this sabbatical, she says, <i>We are in preparation; we're being re-positioned. </i><br />
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Our entire society -- from the personal to the national -- feels at the very edge of sustainability. The status quo is giving way. And while it's good in many ways, if/when it crumbles -- what's out there? Beyond our familiar structures?<br />
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And how will I be called to serve then?<br />
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<i>What's going on with you, </i>Carol says<i>, One of the things the universe is coaxing out of you, is to look at your insecurities -- and <b>not knowing</b></i> <i>is a big one.</i><br />
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But, she laughs, <i>You know a lot! You are a knower. Your mind is brightly lit and very creative. </i><br />
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Despite this, I find not knowing unsettling. I like to look to the future with some sense of what's forthcoming.<br />
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She mentions the massive shifts we are living through and how becoming comfortable with the unknown -- in other words, trusting -- is something I'm being invited to master.<br />
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This is part of my <strike>run-in</strike> curriculum with Pluto<i>.</i><br />
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Pluto's power is <i>largely inexplicable and difficult to understand. Wherever Pluto appears in your horoscope, that area of life will show a marked change. </i><br />
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<i>Named after the Roman God of the underworld, Pluto signifies death and rebirth. It is the planet of regenerative forces, of destruction and annihilation, and then complete transformation. The keyword is </i>elimination<i>; Pluto wipes the slate clean.*</i><br />
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This astro-curriculum is teaching me the value of letting go of my habitual ways of (over) managing everything.<br />
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Pluto advises me to relax my defensive ego.<br />
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And most challenging -- getting around my need-to-know mind and dropping into the lesser-known chambers of my heart.<br />
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<i>This is actually Pluto!</i></div>
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So this summer I'm letting myself be. I'm practicing <i>being</i> as opposed feeling like I should be <i>doing </i>this, that or the other. All. The. Time.<br />
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My non-doing curriculum consists of the following, in case you want to study along with me:<br />
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Early morning walks to the pond, cool air on bare arms.<br />
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Admiring markings on the outstretched wings of the low-gliding hawk.<br />
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Tracking the turtle making his way across the undulating water.<br />
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Spying two racoons under the dock, looking up from behind their bandit-like masks.<br />
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Practicing my vinyasa in the verdant morning shade.<br />
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Embracing the sky in a series of sun salutations.<br />
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Sitting on the planks of the back porch on my cushions and sinking into uncharted realms in meditation.<br />
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Removing my (literal) mask and being met with a field of light behind my closed eyelids. Streaming into my third eye.<br />
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I trust that the shifting quality of my being<b> </b>will continue to inform what I choose to do. I'm already deciding differently.<br />
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Getting comfortable with simply being is my current project. Attuning inward vs. being directed by old ideas of what I should be doing -- it's a practice!<br />
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But I've got this <i>curriculum</i> I'm working with, so it feels promising. Change -- anything beyond the known -- always involves some trepidation because we're human. We like stability.<br />
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Yet to reach sustainability -- unity, cooperation, and the ability to make choices that benefit humanity and the planet for seven generations -- something's got to give.<br />
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Maybe it's an old way of being, a way we are (painfully) outgrowing.<br />
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Maybe this curriculum teaches a way of being that yields as-yet-unknown riches.<br />
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Acknowledgments:<br />
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*Astrologer Carol Ciocco can be found on Facebook.<br />
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*Pluto information: <i>The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need</i> by Jaonna Martine Woolfolk<br />
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*Neale Donald Walsh, author of the <i>Conversations with God </i>series, first introduced me to be, do, have -- in that order.<br />
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Paul Selig's channeled text, <i>Beyond the Known: Realization </i>(shown above)<i> </i>is due out August 6. Soon! Having read all of his earlier work, I highly recommend it.<br />
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Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-59294143240882022032018-08-16T19:29:00.000-04:002018-08-23T11:51:34.536-04:00I VOTED TODAYThese people who think politics is beneath them?<br />
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The ones who, when you bring up anything political, recoil as if you've assaulted their sensibilities?<br />
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There are some things they just don't get.<br />
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Today was primary day in Connecticut. I left the afternoon open on my calendar because I figured I would offer my help to one of our local candidates. Sure enough by 9:00 am I got a call. Can you help at District 2?<br />
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So I'm poll standing (in the shade) in Old Wethersfield, asking the few voters who typically come out for primaries in August, to consider casting their ballots for Kerry, our new friend who's running for State Rep. Many of these folks I know; they stop by after work, doing their civic duty. We talk about the candidates, the kids, who's going off to college, who's nest will soon be empty.<br />
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So I'm sporting my red, white and blue I VOTED TODAY sticker and run into a friend who glances at it and grimaces. Ugh, I can't be bothered with politics, she says. With emphasis.<br />
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Really.<br />
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She's telling this to someone who led two referendum campaigns with the goal of relieving overcrowding in our elementary schools. The second one passed and the local Democrats asked me to run for office.<br />
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No thanks, I say. With emphasis.<br />
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I prefer to have my life back.<br />
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One day back then, I was handing out flyers at my daughters' elementary school, and my friend Robin joked, <i>Pretty soon you'll be running for office!</i> I put my index finger to my temple, like my hand is a gun, and pull the trigger.<br />
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No effing way.<br />
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I was not a fan of politics.<br />
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Until my daughter's safety depended on politicians.<br />
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She was in the first wave of kids with deadly nut and peanut allergies. In those days no one had ever heard of an Epi-pen, never mind been required to know how to use one in an emergency. This was before there were nut-free tables in school cafeterias or any awareness around this lethal allergy.<br />
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Back then, we had school nurses from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. Suppose Meredith ingested something by accident at snack time outside these hours? Teachers are not medical professionals; administering life-saving medication is not their job.<br />
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So our organization, the Wethersfield Schools Parent Council, a district-wide advocacy group, put this issue at the top of our agenda. Our kids had special needs, asthma, type 1 diabetes. We needed full-time nurses.<br />
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Raised in catholic schools, I had no idea what a Board of Education was. The other parents said we had to go to a public meeting and speak in favor of including full-time nurses in the school budget.<br />
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Yikes, speak in public? Go to the podium and speak into a microphone so I could be heard on the local cable access channel?<br />
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It reminded me of Mrs. Buchas, Meredith's first grade teacher. She looked me in the eye and said, <i>Mrs. Montinieri, you've got to speak up.</i> I was willing to advocate for Meredith but concerned about rocking the boat. If they banned peanut butter from the school, Meredith would be that kid. I would be that mother.<br />
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I had to assure her safety without alienating everyone in sight.<br />
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That night, at the BOE meeting, I had no idea how powerful my voice was. All we did was speak clearly on the issue, and <i>voila,</i> full-time nurses in every school.<br />
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This Board I spoke to? They were elected officials.<br />
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During this time I learned how policies that affect kids in classrooms are developed. I learned who recommends what and to whom for approval. I learned which political party adequately funds education and which one would just as soon slash it.<br />
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So guess what? I did run for office.<br />
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I'm at all these damn meetings anyway, keeping tabs on these local officials. Some I admired for their commitment and dedication, for the time they spent away from their families after working all day. Others I breathtakingly disagreed with. For them, the time was never right. Or the idea was good but the <i>process</i> was a problem. Maintain the classrooms? Not this year. A new furnace? Let's patch it up. Finally when parts are no longer manufactured for our antique boiler, they're forced to approve the expenditure. Hello energy efficiency.<br />
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I served on the Town Council where I got to vote against reducing the BOE's requested budget increase for two years.<br />
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After voting on drainage repairs, snow removal bids and blasting roads to improve sight lines, I ran for the BOE, where the issues were closer to my heart. Meantime, I dragged my husband into the arena. He started on the Ecomonic Development Commission and ended up Mayor. He's far more skilled at it than I was. He's a pragmatist; I'm an idealist.<br />
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Our marriage survived, smile.<br />
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My point is that this friend, who's visibly disgusted by my I VOTED TODAY sticker, she's <i>proud </i>of veering far away from politics.<br />
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But what's not political?<br />
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Politicians decide if there are psychologists, curriculum specialists, and after school athletics in our schools. They decide to fund technology, institute before and after school programs, and whether to fund drama, art and music.<br />
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Politics are woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. Politics determine whether we can afford to see a doctor, whether gun violence proliferates, whether there's cancer-causing pesticide in our food supply, and whether we have the right to know that or not.<br />
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Politics pervade the right of women to be sovereign in our bodies, determine whether our LGBTQ friends have the same rights as the rest of us, whether our immigrant neighbors feel safe, whether our nation goes to war, whether our elected officials are above the law, abusing their power or corrupt due to corporate influence. International trade politics determine the price we pay for goods and services and whether American small businesses thrive or fail.<br />
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Decency would seem to demand these things but politics prevail almost everywhere.<br />
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Having the right people in politics assures our freedoms are protected, our planet is preserved and our grandchildren inherit prosperity, not preposterous debt.<br />
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So when my friend scorns politics I wonder what narrow world she's living in. Where is this world without politics?<br />
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Imagine my surprise when I drove by her house before the last local election -- political signs on the lawn! The guy her household apparently favored was, IMHO, exactly the wrong guy for the office he sought.<br />
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My friend who can't be bothered with politics was evidently not very well informed about her candidate. He never has a creative solution; he's against every forward-looking initiative; he was in the then-majority party who obviously didn't caucus on budget adoption night. The most important vote of the year and no consensus? They took turns throwing out random numbers, hundreds of thousands of dollars, to cut from the education budget.<br />
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That meeting goes down in my memory as such a fiasco of inept leadership that it would have been comical if it weren't about our kid's education. But what does he care, the candidate? His kids go to the local private school.<br />
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Saving grace?<br />
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One ray of hope is the Wethersfield Women For Progress. These are mothers who bring their babies to meetings, ask male candidates who will watch their kids while they work, throw sign-making parties and show up in Hartford to protest.<br />
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Do we agree on everything? Far from it. But we have respectful exchanges about who we like and don't like in the candidate pool. On primary day many posted smiling selfies with I VOTED TODAY stickers.<br />
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My selfie skills are sub-par but I got some good advice from the group: <i>Julie! You're so close! Throw on a quick, confident smile and THEN take the pic (sunglass emogi). </i><br />
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See why I love this group?<br />
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Despite the tumult in politics, basic ideals underpin our nation. They endure as long as they are energized -- <i>by us</i>.<br />
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Apathy? Indifference? Staying above the fray? These put our freedoms in peril.<br />
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That's the story of why I VOTED TODAY.<br />
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What's yours?<br />
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<br />Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-81728554417700655512018-03-21T15:42:00.000-04:002018-06-26T14:25:41.991-04:00Welcoming Spring Today, on the first day of spring, I decided to clear the flower bed that runs along the back of the house. I wanted be outside for the arrival of the new season -- that moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator at precisely 12:15 pm. I set the alarm on my phone so I don't miss it.<br />
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Everyone is familiar with earth's equator.<i> </i>To imagine the <i>celestial</i> equator, project the equator out into space -- a great circle around the circumference of the earth, like the terrestrial equator but <i>way out there</i> around the planet.<br />
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The equinox occurs when the sun crosses the celestial equator from the southern hemisphere into the northern. This passage marks the start of spring.</div>
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I bundle up, looking ridiculous, because really it's still too cold to be doing yard work here in Connecticut. I pull on rubber boots, tucking in my bulky sweats. I put a jacket over my hoodie and a headband over my ears. I gather up rake and broom and step outside.</div>
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The bed is clotted with dry leaves banked against the house and chimney; I rake winter's debris out onto the patio. Ragged, stalky growth that didn't get cleared last fall easily comes loose. <i>And </i>some tender green sprouts -- what a pleasure to spot these, soon-to-be yellow lillies.</div>
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Next I rake the accumulated pile of leaves into the woods at the edge of the property. This brings me to the iris bed along the south side of the house. It's pretty clear but I comb through that as well. Slender stalks are already pushing through the bleached husks of last year's growth. </div>
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I'm warming up when the alarm goes off in my pocket. On the patio I take off my jacket for a little more mobility and do seven sun salutations, welcoming the sun across the celestial equator. </div>
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With these salutations, I mirror the trees. Raising my arms, I gather the energies of the sun and sky until my hands meet overhead. Then I <i>swan dive</i> down (to quote my yoga teacher), fingertips skimming the edges of my energy field, to the ground, where I gather earth energies -- so potent right now! Next I pause with hands on shins and straight back, before reaching down to earth once again to begin the cycle anew.</div>
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In this moment we have a new season. We leave the dormant energies of winter behind and enter into the sprouting energies of spring. The earth quickens. Light lasts longer. Day by day, the sun rises higher in the sky. Geese migrate north. Stars shift overhead. The sun moves into fiery Aries. The great Wheel of the Year turns once again toward rebirth, renewal, resurrection.</div>
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Stepping into the flow of time in this way stirs my ancient soul. Aligning with the instant of the equinox puts me in the flow of larger creation cycles -- lunar, solar and galactic, cycles within cycles -- and activates <i>my</i> creative rhythms.</div>
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As the sun crosses the celestial equator, I cross a threshold too.</div>
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Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-9263912206351375222017-11-21T13:17:00.000-05:002018-08-23T11:59:58.134-04:00Meet Me in the Land of Hope and DreamsIn our quiet town an 18 year old recently shot and killed his 16 year old friend while fooling around with his first<i> </i>handgun. Scarier (to me) than this senseless event is that I feel nothing. I'm becoming inured to the daily assault of idiocy, chaos, lying, deliberate-divisiveness -- all cunningly designed to pit us one against the other and fuel the flames of polarity that could rend the very fabric of our way of life. And now gun violence and the death of a young man in Wethersfield. An anguished mother. A shooter with a troubled history.<br />
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I know it sounds cowardly but I can't take it. I just can't take it today.<br />
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After that last sentence I went out for a walk to escape my thoughts. Because where was I going with that line of thinking? Right where they (the old energies) want me to go -- to doubt, confusion and fear.<br />
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I REFUSE TO GO THERE.<br />
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I'm not outside for five minutes before I come upon these back-lit leaves mirroring my inflamed thoughts.<br />
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I slow down, breathing in the November air.<br />
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Despite a recent storm, my usual route is vibrant ruby, amber and tarnished gold. Maybe this is why walking at this time of year is so healing -- the colors resonate with my subtle energy body, the one that's flagging.<br />
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This vibrant red feeds my root chakra. I draw the energies of the earth -- grounding, stabilizing, nurturing -- up through the soles of my feet. My swirling thoughts palpably calm down.<br />
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Shades of orange soothe my second chakra cauldron of simmering emotions. They're meant to move; stasis is no good for our emotional center. Walking always brings relief from feelings of stress/anger/exasperation/incredulity/pain/sadness/ grief. Letting them move through is healing.<br />
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Here I know that I'm not numb. I'm protecting myself from being overwhelmed.<br />
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Recently I attended the Kennedy Dinner, our traditional Saturday-night-before-the-election gathering. The committee hung star-spangled banners and local candidates' signs from the ceiling, recruited young dems from the high school to provide jazzy background music, and lit up the podium with a spotlight. There were many speeches; it seems there are as many candidates and elected officials who want the mic for a few words as there are people seated at linen-covered tables sipping wine. Our ReSisters, new to the event, dubbed it the Democrats' prom.<br />
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Over the years I've grown very fond of the people in this room. They are activists, behind-the scenes volunteers, elected officials in leadership positions, the ones who get out the vote, drive the elderly to the polls and gather on election night for better or worse. So I don't mind the speeches and catching up with neighbors and friends. But when the Chairperson asks for a moment of silence to mark the tragic shooting, my eyes fill with tears.<br />
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I'm not numb. I'm in some kind of nether world out beyond rage. Outrage.<br />
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Yet it can be empowering. When my beliefs and values are challenged every day, I have a choice. I can let it plow me over like a tsunami or I can do what I can to remain in control of my consciousness. This purposeful energy radiates in golden waves from my third chakra, my power center. It imbues the landscape.<br />
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With every step the pieces of my broken heart meld back together again. With every breath, emerald green waves soothe and mend my heart chakra. Contemplating this last blast of bright green, compassion wells up.<br />
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How to express it all?<br />
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I set an intention to nurture my creativity on the last new moon. Since then, I've been faithfully writing three long-hand pages (almost) every morning. At first, taking all that time to write made me anxious. I thought it would take 10 minutes but it's more like thirty! It's a practices that promises certain rewards but thirty minutes? However. Certain things I've been unwilling to admit have become apparent in those pages. And when they rise into awareness they must be expressed.<br />
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So I lay down on the dock and let the blue sky bathe my throat chakra, center for communication, expression and creativity.<br />
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These clouds look like Hogwarts' sorting hat to me so I smile and trust that my thoughts will sort themselves out.<br />
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Resting on the dock, I let myself drift. I let it all fall away -- the reality that a 29 year old terrorist mowed down countless people on Halloween in NYC; the reality that Hillary choked off Bernie's funding through the DNC; the reality that we have a narcissistic president who can't control his impulse to insult anyone who disagrees with him.<br />
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I let all that drop away as I rest on the cool planks of the dock. The tension in my back eases. My breath slows down. It's quiet. Most of the branches in my peripheral vision are bare. I close my eyes and attune to a vibration that emanates from the depths of my being, up through my body and out across the pond. It pulses with the rhythm of my heart. It feels vast, like the web of life itself.<br />
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Out beyond rage, I know this:<br />
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Lower level realities -- greed, selfishness, short-sightedness, violence -- these cannot survive in the rising frequencies that are available to us now. These shadow energies are being exposed daily and will not survive in the new vibration surging in from beyond the stars, enveloping the earth and activating us. Activating me. I can only speak for myself but I offer it because you're being activated too.<br />
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Shading my eyes against the bright sunlight, I know I've journeyed into the realm of of intuitive wisdom, the sixth chakra -- Knowing beyond the mind. It glows midnight-blue and purple in the light body. It restores perspective.<br />
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I've ascended the luminous energetic rainbow of inner light and now only white is left. It hovers above the crown of the head like a halo. I recall these tiny blossoms from just a few days ago.<br />
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Their purity suggests innocence. Somehow it seems that innocence encompasses both the 16 year old who lost his life and the 18 year old who took it. Somewhere, inherent innocence was lost. When someone puts a gun to his friend's head and pull the trigger, bullets or no bullets, part of his humanity is greatly damaged.<br />
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Maryanne Williamson, in a talk after the Nazi march in Charlottesville, says that the answer to every problem is in the mind of God. And where IS this mind of God?<br />
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Within each one of us, within you and me.<br />
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It's up to me to download, from the mind of God, what my task is in response to what happens. It's up to you to discern your task, your remedy, your contribution. And when all of us act on our inner knowing, a new collective consciousness arises to create a new paradigm.<br />
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This is how my thoughts composed themselves on my walk.<br />
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Beyond tragedy there is a miracle waiting. </div>
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You bring your precious piece of it and I'll bring mine. </div>
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Perhaps only when they are joined, </div>
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When all the parts of the mind of God are joined in unity,</div>
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Will we have the alchemy needed</div>
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To forge the keys to the Kingdom,</div>
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The land of hope and dreams.<br />
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Borrowing from Bruuuuce</div>
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<i>Meet me in the land of hope and dreams.</i></div>
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<br />Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-81234468020680741882017-04-21T17:44:00.001-04:002017-04-25T17:49:12.446-04:00Twilight EnchantmentThe other day I read about certain times of day -- sunrise and sunset -- when the veils are thin and we can sense other realms of consciousness more easily. <br />
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In <i>The Great Human Potential</i>, Tom Kenyon, channeling the Hathors -- a helpful group of spirit beings -- says: <br />
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<i>When the sun rises and sets, the elementals of your Earth become enchanted...by the change of light and energy. They fall into a hypnotic spell, and in this quietude you can more easily sense the subtle worlds because they are not stirring things up.... It is a fleeting and temporary moment.</i><br />
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So last night, just after sunset, I sat on the front porch with this new information.<br />
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I'm familiar with the hush of dawn and dusk, but I was intrigued by this idea of elementals falling under a spell. The Hathors describe elementals as <i>subtle conscious energies related to the elements themselves: Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Space.... These are archetypal forces not related to your periodic table. They are conscious beings.</i><br />
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Somehow, I've always known this. Earth, air, fire and water -- sentient beings with their own intelligence. <br />
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<i>If you pause during sunrise or sunset and contemplate the shifts of light and energy through your senses you will find a sense of wellness arising within you. Eventually you can sense the flow of grace that moves through all the worlds. And this sense of grace unifies all the worlds from the highest realms of light to the lowest vibratory worlds of matter. </i><br />
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On the porch, with my bare feet on the cool cement steps, I'm thinking, <i>If ever there was a time humanity needs grace, it's now. </i>Twilight falls, the stars peek out, and yes -- enchantment is the perfect way to describe the sense of calm that descends around me. <br />
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The energies have felt tumultuous to me for a long while now, like we're on the deck of a ship making it's way across a roiling sea. <br />
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It reminds me of one of the most vivid dreams I ever had. I was on the deck of a ship in full sail, tossed by looming, translucent, bottle-green waves on every side. I was giving a healing, riding the wind-whipped waves (of energy) while trying to stay firmly-footed on the rolling deck. <br />
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This must have been before our class went to Anguilla in 2007 during our training in Energy Medicine because while we were there I collected some coins imprinted with sailing ships that reminded me of my dream.<br />
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When the Hathors mention the highest realms of light and the lowest levels of vibration it feels to me like they're talking about NOW. History is a record of tension between opposites but now it feels like it's intensifying to the point where it can't be sustained much longer.<br />
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It's playing out globally and personally. What's been simmering is coming to a boil. <br />
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I usually shake my head in disbelief at the escalating lunacy on the nightly news, but I <i>do</i> have some power around my inner landscape. In the face of tension between the higher and lower realms, my strong sense is that I'm called to bring <i>myself </i>into harmony.<br />
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In a holographic universe, where a shift in one facet affects the whole diamond, this is no small thing.<br />
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But these have been difficult times to navigate. Recently the arena calling for change seems to be in my relationships with close women friends. It's been a puzzling pattern, but some pieces fell into place last night as the day gave way to twilight and I let myself be enchanted.<br />
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In each instance with my girlfriends, a boundary was crossed that made me uncomfortable. In the past I may have let it go or just lived with it.<br />
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But isn't doing so a mild form of self-betrayal? And is there even such a thing as<i> mild </i>self betrayal? Sometimes a button got pushed and my response was to push back. I was no longer willing to indulge whatever it was I had been allowing. <br />
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I had to own my part in this -- to get clear on how I had been contributing to the dynamic. And to communicate, with as much mindfulness and heartfulness that I could muster in the middle of these tempests, that the status quo was no longer working for me.<br />
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In every instance, things shifted. With every friend I have been through this with, there has been an up-leveling of sorts. Moments of humility, yes, and lessons in forgiveness, but also a sense of each of us helping the other find her footing when the deck was rocking beneath our feet.<br />
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The Hathors say,<i> Grace ... is a sense of harmony between divergent parts.... </i><br />
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Perhaps honoring the divergent parts of myself brings a kind of grace. I want deep and lasting friendships, but not if it requires ignoring some other part of me that's waving a red flag. By honoring both -- the divergent parts -- tension resolves. <br />
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But this can be a tricky road for us women because we were <i>taught to give in, taught to turn the other cheek, taught to acquiesce</i> for the sake of peace. We were taught not<i> </i>to rock the boat.<br />
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But the boat <i>is</i> rocking on a heaving, paradigm-shifting sea. From international politics to interpersonal dynamics, I'm called to honor my inner compass.<br />
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And so there is something to be said for the elemental enchantment of nightfall.<br />
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When chatter falls silent, scattered thoughts constellate into meaning.<br />
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Under the spring stars, Grace bestows her magic.<br />
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<br />Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-27277285625603112412017-03-28T10:25:00.000-04:002017-04-04T20:18:16.604-04:00DescentI think there's something to be said for this Venus retrograde.<br />
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The astrologers I follow have been keeping track of her path as she disappears from the night sky. Ancient Greeks mythologized the descent of Venus with the story of Persephone, the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Demeter, who was abducted to the underworld by Hades. While she was trapped there, winter lingered on the Earth.<br />
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These archetypes -- Venus and Persephone -- resonate in our bones.<br />
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Venus is the planet of love, associated with beauty, refinement, relationships and union. She has the energies of art, balance and harmony. When these go underground, we feel bereft. The kidnapping of Persephone, daughter of Olympian God and Goddess, leaves heartbreak and barrenness. <br />
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Even hardy New Endglanders are weary of winter, with her overcast skies, her chilly drizzle and her mantle of snow still blanketing the shady corners of our lawns.<br />
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Around mid-march Venus disappears from our night sky. By the 25th she is in the underworld. During this time, several strong, talented, sensitive and optimistic women -- including me -- have hit the wall, so to speak. Our store of inner resources has dwindled. Our muses are silent. Low-grade anxiety that simmers over the winter months comes to a boil and screams like an untended teapot. Depression steals in like early-morning mist clinging to the forest floor. Our usual magic doesn't dispel it.<br />
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The descent of Venus below the horizon mirrors our descent into the shadow psyche, where we see all our hidden motivations and mechanisms -- the below-deck dynamics that often rule our actions and choices. <br />
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As we peer around in the dark, we see that the engines are cumbersome, outdated, grimy -- and fueled by our tiresome, outmoded beliefs. <br />
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It's a mess down here! <br />
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Slogging in these damp dungeons, I'm privy to the secret psycho-emotional-spiritual machinery that powers my very being -- ceaselessly operating below the level of my awareness and undermining my best intentions. Derailing dreams and visions. Sabotaging plans. Disrupting relationships. <br />
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So it is with reverence that I honor these days in the underworld. I send out blessings to my friends near and far who have shared the shadowy state of their souls. I marvel at the sheer courage of the women in our <span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">JOURNEY TO SELF </span>(anxiety and depression) group -- examining their automatic thoughts by inquiring, <i>Is it true? </i><br />
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They share stories of loss and anguish. At first they were reluctant; now they're candid. Together, we're dismantling the below-deck machinery, the unconscious belief systems that have not always steered us toward happiness. We're learning to formulate alternative thoughts in response to challenging circumstances. We're becoming skilled at tracing our thoughts back to beliefs that no longer serve us <b><i>and choosing new beliefs that relieve suffering</i> </b>and feel truer than what we grew up believing about ourselves and the world.<br />
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This is the work of the spiritual warrior. We're not battling something <i>out there</i>; we're taking steps toward self-mastery.<br />
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We're cleaning up below deck. Overhauling the engine room.<br />
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Visiting the underworld is not for the faint of heart. Peering into the shadow aspects of our selves requires bravery and compassion. Our circle of women provide these generously when one of us falters. As we re-work our inner dynamics, we feel the ship of self begin to sail on it's own power, inspired, toward what we may not have thought was possible.<br />
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But here's the real magic about Venus, that sparkling star who ventured through hell -- on March 31 she emerges in the morning sky! The evening star rises with the sun. <br />
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I expect all of us who are doing our shadow work -- willingly or not -- will feel the shift as Venus graces the pre-dawn skies at the beginning of a brand new day. Maybe then it will finally feel like spring. <br />
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Persephone promises to return and when she does the earth flourishes. May we align with the great creative forces of the earth and sky and do the same.<br />
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*If you're interested in JOURNEY TO SELF: Beyond Anxiety and Depression, a therapeutic group for adults combining cognitive behavioral therapy and holistic healing, look for us on Facebook.<br />
<br />Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-23337570946420072052017-01-31T16:52:00.000-05:002017-01-31T16:52:01.707-05:00Shooting Star!Last night fourteen women and one (brave and lovely) man gathered around the fire for meditation. <br />
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I trusted that the best way to serve the circle would arise. Signs and omens abounded.<br />
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On the pond, glassy ice covered the inlet, but further out there must have been open water because two stately swans presided. So I chose their image for our altar.<br />
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Since I planned to introduce some new attendees to Energy Medicine -- specifically the second chakra, the realm of emotions and movement -- I chose this snowman, created by my daughter in elementary school. Intuitively she gave him an orange low belly, just as it is when you tune in to the energy body.<br />
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I also planned to mention Imbolc, the cross quarter day at 2 o'clock on the wheel of the year -- indicating we're half way to the Spring Equinox. We find solace in this.<br />
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Our meditation immerses us in an etherial mountain-top hot spring, surrounded with snowy pines. We inhale the healing vapors and let them circulate around and through our bodies, releasing tension, fatigue and stress. <i>Ahhhh!</i> Through the soles of our feet resting on a smooth stone, we anchor into the Great Mother Earth and let ourselves be deeply replenished by her strength. From our hearts we send gratitude into the fathomless depths of <i>her</i> body, humbly returning the favor.<br />
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We allow the bubbling, swirling waters to cleanse, clear, balance and heal, with gentle emphasis on the low belly, seat of emotions often lodged deeply in the dark. Inviting them to bubble up, we can reclaim their power.<br />
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I guided everyone to imagine a gentle snow falling out of the sky and melting into the mists of our mountain retreat. I almost didn't place this sign on the mantle because there has been no sign of snow but I planned to invoke it in our meditation, so....<br />
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And today, here it is in the material realm.<br />
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This lush little bouquet was sent by my daughter -- one of <i>three -- </i>because we both have difficulty with this time of year. By way of check-in last night, I shared with everyone that I was having trouble meditating of late, speculating on the shortage of sunlight. Day times, I need the open sky; at night, I long for the spaciousness of the stars. Overcast makes me feel restless, claustrophobic.<br />
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These little bouquets, and the impulse that sent them, give me joy.<br />
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After our meditation I notice the sky is clear and bright with stars so I offer to show everyone Orion, the prominent winter constellation. A few of us bundle up and go outside. As I'm pointing to his belt -- a falling star!<br />
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Orion, the hunter, aims at the Pleiades, seven sister stars. Women gathering in winter, gazing at sisters in the heavens? Priceless.<br />
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Synchronous events like these tell me that the animating force of the universe is at work and blessing the soul sisters and brothers of our circle. <br />
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How else could it be so powerful?<br />
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<br />Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-12203155473296510182016-12-06T17:02:00.000-05:002016-12-09T20:27:22.622-05:00<h3 style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">December 21st marks the longest night of the year -- the Winter Solstice. The sun "stands still" at the lowest point on the horizon for three days and then changes direction, granting us longer days from that point forward. Festivals of Light around the world celebrate the re-birth of the sun and Christians honor the birth of the Son of God, Light of the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Join us around the (indoor) fire as I share perennial wisdom associated with the Winter Solstice. We'll have an evening of reflection, candle light, music, guided meditation and (optional) hands-on energy healing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Wednesday, December 21, 2016</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Blue Heron Healing</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">43 Amato Circle</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Wethersfield, CT</span><br />
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T<span style="font-family: inherit;">he fee is $20 or $15 if you let me know you're coming by Sunday, December 18. You may contact me at julie.mon</span>tinieri@gmail.com or 860-614-0747 to let me know if you plan to attend.<br />
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Gift yourself with the peace of the season. You'll leave feeling clear, grounded, cared for, blessed -- and decidedly less stressed!</div>
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Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-62688592575004062222016-08-02T09:28:00.003-04:002016-08-02T16:38:49.426-04:00First HarvestCan you feel the shift?<br />
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High summer has come to a close with the arrival of Lughnasadh (loo-nah-sah). Named after the Celtic sun god, Lugh, it's time to reap the bounty of fields and gardens.</div>
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Farmer's markets are brimming with corn, zucchini and greens. Bouquets of flowers grace our kitchen tables and window sills.<br />
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Lughnasadh falls mid-way between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox on the wheel of the year. How are you feeling as the days grow shorter? Have you noticed the summer stars shifting in the sky? <br />
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I set intentions on the winter solstice, seeding them in my awareness during the dark days of winter. I felt my ideas germinating through the early spring. I nurtured them with practical steps until they burst through -- from fertile ground into tender seedlings. Actual evidence this might work! During the long days of summer, I've been tending my plans the same way I tend my plants, doing what I need to do to help my ideas thrive. I'm weeding out what doesn't fit in with my evolving vision.</div>
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I had the idea of teaching energy medicine. I mulled it over during the long winter. I began to envision it. I talked it over with a trusted mentor. Friends offered to help. <br />
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Bringing this idea into reality required action on my part. Dreaming about it was not going to make it happen. I placed ads in local publications. I drafted copy, solidifying my ideas. I pulled out my calendar and chose seven weekends over the next year, with consideration to the phase of the moon, of course. For on-line advertising, I was asked to convert a word document into a JPEG. How to do this? I had no idea! But I learned. Lo and behold, there was my ad, in The Door Opener e-blast -- it looked good! I posted my offering, <i>Opening the Channel: Introduction to Energy Medicine</i>, here on the blog.<br />
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At the time of this first harvest I have two students paid in full. </div>
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Still many blessings of the summer to treasure -- Meredith, our oldest daughter, will be married this month! All our planning will culminate in that day of joy for our families. </div>
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Yet as the Earth turns toward autumn, so do we. Earlier evenings, pulling out the tea pot, resuming our Monday night meditation circle -- I look forward to these familiar rituals of fall. But I'm not in a hurry to have them yet.<br />
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Instead, I'm savoring the bounty of the earth using fresh ingredients straight from my modest garden. Herbs sprinkled into salad. Wondering what to do with lemon balm. Our current favorite is blueberry zucchini cake with lemon buttercream. (http://iambaker.net/blueberry-zucchini-cake-with-lemon-buttercream/)<br />
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I hope you savor whatever you are in the process of creating in your home, business, career, relationship and spiritual life. My friend Mary is nurturing her relationship with her precious first grandchild; Kathy is piecing together an art quilt to take your breath away, and Michela is seriously considering retirement to make room for her many talents as a healer. <br />
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And don't forget to weed! That painful relationship? Is is time to let it go? That situation that's always fraught with drama? How can you step away from it? Or shift your perspective so it no longer triggers you? Has some illusion shattered? Embrace clarity. </div>
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Just as the garden is even more vivid after a good rain shower, so is the <i>inner </i>landscape more vibrant after being tended to in ways like these.<br />
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If you haven't been consciously aware of this creation cycle that began on the winter solstice, it's not to late to set your intentions now. Today is the last day of the current lunar cycle -- the balsamic phase -- the exact time for going inward and reflecting on your dreams, goals and priorities. Tomorrow, August 2nd, is the new moon -- the exact time for setting your intentions for this lunar cycle. Use the power of the shorter lunar cycle to jump into the larger solar cycle of creation. Aligning with these cycles within cycles attunes you to the powerful rhythms of the the great forces of the cosmos. Navigating with these energies puts you in the flow of creation. <br />
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Why paddle upstream when you can have the wind at your back?</div>
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May your first harvest be as delightful as a pint of freshly-picked strawberries -- bursting with flavor, nurtured by light, and tenderly harvested by your very own loving hands.<br />
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To leave a reply, click on No Comments below. (I know, It makes no sense.)<br />
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Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-80160003079427282762016-06-23T17:04:00.000-04:002016-06-24T11:21:53.854-04:00Summer Solstice Around the FireIn the couple of mornings since our solstice gathering, I've awakened with images from our evening floating on the edges of my consciousness. <br />
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I try to follow these, like a trail of breadcrumbs through the woods, back to the deep well they emerged out of while I slept, but the trail is misty. The sun-infused leafy canopy out my window beckons. A new day awaits.<br />
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In preparation for our solstice evening, my co-facilitator (partner in crime), Jen, journeys inward to receive messages from her spirit helpers as to exactly how we should conduct our ceremony. In this case it was somewhat detailed, complete with instructions to make 22 prayer ties connected with a string. These were to be placed around the fire and put into the fire at a specific time. These spirits kept Jen busy! She's prayerfully placing tobacco, infused with healing intentions, into red bundles and tying them up with string while I'm pulling up chairs around the fire pit, arranging a medicine wheel, and infusing water with mint and lemon for our guests.<br />
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Before journeying, Jen asked if there was any information I wanted her to seek in the realms of Spirit. Since the sun reaches the peak of it's annual arc across the sky on the solstice, I wondered if there might be a message from the Sun. Or the full moon. This rare and powerful alignment of a full moon on the summer solstice hasn't happened since 1967 -- the summer of love -- and will not happen again until 2062.<br />
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This morning, upon awakening, it was the message from the sun that I remembered. In the spirit world, Jen learned that the sun welcomes our greetings each morning. We are advised to energetically root into the earth and open to the sun -- just as we have been doing in our meditation classes! We may even give our burdens to the sun!<br />
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So before I sit down to write about my dream snippets, I step outside onto the patio. The stone pavers are cool beneath my bare feet. I face east. The strong white light of the sun filters through the leafy backyard trees. This morning, rays of the sun feel like arms slanted downward, offering to take my burdens.<br />
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What if I offer gun control legislation to the sun? One mass murder on top of another -- it's too much. What if I offer poverty? There's a young family in my life for whom poverty is causing suffering. As usual, my prayer extends beyond them to include everyone across the globe who languishes in poverty. I especially include every mother and father who needs food for their children. Faces flash across my inner vision as I ground my feet into the earth and open my arms to the sun. Returning the gesture.<br />
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With these and myriad intentions tumbling around in my mind, I do seven <i>(modified)</i> sun salutations, asking the sunlight to help me see clearly. I'm blessed with it's elemental light to illuminate my path today. I allow it to infuse my being so that I may share it with my clients today. With everyone I meet today.<br />
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Never have sun salutations felt so powerful! I've always done these beautifully choreographed asanas to honor the sun, the new day, and to energize my body, but never have I felt communion with the sun itself. <br />
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This is only one gift from our solstice celebration! I'll share more over the coming days.<br />
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To leave a comment, click on No Comments below -- I know, It makes no sense!<br />
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<br />Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-88165004737106356312016-01-23T11:05:00.002-05:002016-02-23T19:24:48.875-05:00Ushering in the StormAfter tuning in to early morning scenes of Winter Storm Justin making it's way up the east coast, and after helping Kerri decide to cancel the winter women's retreat day we had planned, I bundle up and head out for a walk before snow overspreads the land!<br />
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Outside the air is still but for a flock of ravens making a ruckus in the treetops. Not one snowflake, for all the fuss. When I was a kid in upstate NY, three to six inches of snow fell without comment.<br />
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It <i>is </i>remarkable that it's the 23rd of January and we have yet to accumulate any snow. I'm wearing long johns under my sweats, ski socks with toe warmers, sweatshirt, jacket, headband, gloves and a scarf wound up to my chin.<br />
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Quiet Saturday morning. Paul went for coffee and then off to a budget workshop with the rest of the council and the board of ed. Oh, how I do not miss those days.<br />
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The muted colors of winter seem more precious with the knowing they'll soon be under cover of snow. Gnarled bark, laced with silvery lichen; tarnished coppery leaves littering the ground around the massive oaks. The trees themselves, with their arms outstretched, awaiting the snowfall. Do they know, like the ravens, that snow is coming? Can they tell from the pallor of the sky?<br />
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The evergreens are fatigue-green; some have a blue cast. The grass is a rolling collage of faded green, earthy brown, and pale yellow. The only shot of color is a lone basketball left out on the soccer field; it looks like a leftover pumpkin the distance. And here's someone's (loud) bright red snow-blower, warming up for later use.<br />
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I feel the tiny flakes on my cheeks before I can see them. I have to look very carefully -- they're scarce, random. Materializing before my eyes and disappearing in an instant like micro shooting stars.<br />
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When I arrive at the pond there's no speculating about ice -- it's frozen solid. A pearl gray sheet from shore to shore. A wind-swept dusting of snow looks like a sheer curtain being pulled ashore by some playful winter sprite.<br />
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I stay for awhile on the dock, grateful to be outside in January in sneakers. I breathe in the cold fresh air and let it work it's head-clearing magic. I let the hush settle around and within me. I wonder about the turtles, swans, and geese -- all the waterfowl that live here -- and imagine them burrowed in somewhere as I'll soon be, sipping tea in my long johns, typing the sentences that are composing themselves in my head. A whole day unexpectedly open. Life is good.<br />
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Back on the street there's a tableau of evergreens that bring the finely blowing snow into focus. It seems the storm is arriving on schedule. I'm blessed to usher it in.<br />
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Stay warm and safe!<br />
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To post a comment, click on No Comments below (I know, It makes no sense!)Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032086082479913694.post-83955873096906414992016-01-12T08:27:00.000-05:002016-01-12T08:29:23.425-05:00Flying in the DarkIt's January 10th in Connecticut, a Sunday afternoon, and so mild I decide to take a walk, despite the gloom. I consult my weather app to check sunset (4:39) even though there's been no sign of sun all day. It's now 4:26. I decide to do my neighborhood loop and end at the pond, per usual, even though it will be dark by then. The dock faces northwest so at least that part of the sky won't be completely drained of light by the time I get there.<br />
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I've got my umbrella looped around my wrist and only a cotton t-shirt under my oversize sweatshirt. The treetops scrape the damp sky with their bony fingers, swaying back and forth. It's strangely warm and good to be outside on a January evening.<br />
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I've taken up yoga. I've discovered the joy of easing tension away under the guidance of my teachers. Eagle arms, circle of joy -- these asanas let it all go.<br />
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I love the yoga but my walks give me fresh air, and today -- in January! -- it's warm and windy. Perfect for a thorough aura cleanse. I imagine the gusty breezes getting into every nook and cranny of my energy field -- the unseen cocoon that surrounds and interpenetrates our bodies -- metabolizing all our <i>stuff </i>(and I don't mean food here). Like a stiff breeze through gauzy curtains, shaking loose the dust and cobwebs.<br />
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Rounding the corner onto Highland, I open my umbrella because now it's drizzling. I hold it at an angle so I can still see the sky and the occasional jogger coming my way. It gets caught in the wind, so I hold it steady as it pulls me this way and that.<br />
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On the dock is John, the owner of the property, who graciously lets me sit and gaze out over the reservoir whenever I want. Tonight he's smoking a sweet smelling cigar, like sage, smudge.<br />
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Hey John. <br />
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Hey Julie, I had to step out and get some air. I've been in the car all day. We chat. <br />
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Do we have ice? Out on the pond the geese are standing on the surface of the pond, and since they're not Jesus, John jokes, we have ice. Here in the inlet, there's a thin glaze. Further out, ghostly fog floats.<br />
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Unseasonable. Warm like Spring, but the last few days have been cold enough to create ice. Down the way, the waterfall is swollen and rushing from overnight rains. Although the solstice is weeks behind us, it still doesn't feel like winter. The grass is green, unmarred by snow. Christmas lights strung on bushes and around front doors await a return to normalcy.<br />
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John and I are saying good night when we hear the croak of the heron. I've never seen one in the dark, but there he is, flying low overhead, tracing the shore of our little inlet but not venturing over land. John says it's because we're here, that he does cross through the back yards if no one's outside.<br />
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The voice of great blue heron calling out in the fallen darkness reaches into my soul. He doesn't have to say anything; we might not have noticed him had his flight remained silent. Yet he cries out in his distinctive voice, his neck stretched outward, wings beating like laundry snapping on the line, his long beak pointing the way.<br />
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Like this bird, I, too, am flying in the dark in this new year. Trying to get a feel for a direction of my own. The new year always feels full of possibility and potential, but where to focus? Where to expand? What to let go of? Like the fog hovering over thin ice, the future feels etherial, difficult to peer into, and ultimately -- unknown. <br />
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Yet we meet it like the heron. Hanging out in the border-lands between earth, water and sky -- the realms of the material, the emotional, the spiritual. The dimensions of stable ground, movement -- flowing or frozen, and the mental realm of air. The only element missing is fire -- not even one streak of light across the western horizon to light the way for us.<br />
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In this way, my pond retreat is like the aura I was consciously cleansing earlier. In the human energy field, all these elements converge -- earth (body), air (mind and spirit), water (emotions) and fire (passion and creativity). Our beliefs run along invisible threads of light, colliding with our feelings, spinning and wheeling like the very wind. Spirit opens its wings to fly. Our inner fire ignites our creative self-expression.<br />
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Nightfall is complete. I make my way home without stars or slim moon, only clouds scudding across dark skies, grateful for my feathered totem -- flying with confidence into the mists, calling out for us follow.<br />
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To leave a comment, click on No Comments below. (I know! It makes no sense!)<br />
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<br />Julie Montinierihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10583872621976363042noreply@blogger.com5