The wheel of the year turns, bringing us to a new season, one of balance between inner and outer, Daylight and night, harvest and rest. Dreaming and building. When opposites require dialogue, respect and notice. In this moving wheel, we explore and regain inner and outer balance.
So in honor of the season, I post a something different for your own musing, with questions and photos.
What does Balance mean to you? How to balance between light and dark, Play and gravity Work and rest, Dreaming and building, Creation and surrender?
I wonder if there is a continuum of balance to seek between Holding and releasing, Vision and Illusion, fog, (I originally wrote unknown, both work...), Lost and found Growth and decay, Faith and fear, Trust and questions?
Earth and Sky, Water and Air, Heat and Coolness, Fire and Earth, Water and Fire?
These are the questions I pause on today.
Much love to you ~ Photos from full moon night of a couple days ago ~
I do wish you could be here tonight; then you could hear the way the wind carries on and laughs. I wish you could hear this gentleness, and notice too, as I do, that this moment of wonder comes at dusk, when the world shifts into a new light, and when all perception stills.
I shall imagine you are here, with me, listening, and in your imagination, you will feel this wonder yourself. And then you may notice the wind's magical conversations between the trees, and the way that they brush each other's crowns in undulating dances. You may notice too, how the conversations start afar and bloom into waves.
I know you would understand how it all causes me to stop and listen. I know you too, would pause and relish the ineffable here, in the night's wind. And in pausing, as I do, feel tempered.
There is a world of sound within these breezes, easy conversations between individuals and groups, dances wisping along from tree to tree, lingering here, jumping there. This moment of motion and sound creates a moment of in-betweens, between now and, now.
By "in-between", I mean to describe when everything appears to pause, and, simultaneously All exists in a breath; When the known is suspended and all dreams feel possible, when laughter and sighing can breathe themselves at once. I can feel this suspension when the wind lifts my hair and brushes my skin; or when the elements mingle and the lines of separation blur; when light of known fades gradually into the dusk of unknown. There is a freedom inherent in these moments. When the structure that holds anything into hardened constancy loses its firm grip, allowing the simultaneous existence and intermingling of all ideas and elementals. When rules lift and the impossible becomes possible.
One feels a sense of freedom
This moment feels like butter melting on toast, like the laughter on a stream, like waking up smiling, like a surprise that you can never have guessed. It feels like a deep deep breath that reaches down to the depths of your being.
The breeze calls me again to the present, to now; I DO wish, no.... I imagine you hear all this, that you too can imagine the possible now, and dance your dream.
This feeling, you must feel to know. I hope you do feel it now, and it turns you around, and you land smiling, breathing and maybe laughing, refreshed, relieved, relaxed. That is how the trees seem, the ones that gently guide and glide this wind ~ relaxed, refreshed and joyous.
And the trees, the trees... they smile in their wisdom, their playfulness, and their magnificence
Now, the dark falls, covering more. The trees quiet The wind ~I still feel it tugging at my hair I still feel, I still
I stay longer, listening some more And now, Smelling the rain, that the trees knew would come all along, I smile.
Aha! Like the dancers before a procession, or a troupe in celebration, they danced before the waters, dancing their dreams to now.
And if you wish to read more of the adventures of this Autumn, there are shorter pieces in Venus Muse
I love how moss finds the quiet places to grow; they cozy into the areas that have been unperturbed for many moons. I find them in the middle of quiet driveways, the back side of the tree, or the stone that lies so very still no one can see her movement.
This all suggests an inherent beauty and benefit in stillness. In laying low and watching without pre-conception or division.
This inherent quiet is not the case in an area recently disturbed by backhoe, levelers, and other large machinery. (We've seen a lot of those these storm driven days.) Nor is there moss on paths frequently trod. (Both neural and physical.)
The quiet found in the mossy grove comes after many moments of stillness. After many options have presented themselves. After many storms have come And gone. After trying new ways, and new paths.
And when all is still and settled. When the gentle breezes blow and the rains fall, the lovely green of moss can and will flourish.
I would like to emulate lush moss this season. SO much turmoil could be felt, or responded to, or moved toward and away from. Instead, Maybe, by choosing stillness, I will see the roses that grow between the hard places. I will feel the nourishment of the rain and wind. I will hear the laughter in the trees. Maybe if I am very very still, even now, I will catch the song and can learn the refrain. Then I can sing with them, sharing my truth with theirs.
A paraphrased quote from Lama Anagarika Govinda seems apropos~
"Just as there is no competition between real gurus, There is no competition between different aspects of reality or truth. We can all sit at the feet of many teachers.
To have an initiation from a Guru is to awaken to our own Inner reality, which is beyond creed or sect,"
KD and others say that that inner truth is the divine, the connection to source. The love that you are.
To awaken to the inner reality, takes stillness and meditation, and can determine our course.
~ The gift of the sound of wind in the trees and the peace it brings ~
We had quite a storm
As many of you know.
The changes that a storm brings, reveal themselves as a tapestry might unfold ~ Slowly, reverently and with varying layers and threads. Stories that unfold over time. Stories with many questions and mysteries.
I wonder about these changes, so I went into the woods today, to ask the trees, their perspective on the flooding.
The first thing that I notice is that the ground feels so soft beneath my feet and I feel a hush. I walk carefully and gently. I also notice that the waters washed areas of duff down stream into funneled overflowings from the downpour of water. The water had to go somewhere and the forest embraced this moving wall of water with grace. There is evidence where the forest funneled the waters into streams; these streams poured over shale shelves, and mossy stone, into fallen logs and through stonewalls. These waters poured and poured.
On this forest floor, where the waters left a trail of their weaving path, where the waters shed the strongest, there is a visible intricate weaving of root systems that held the precious soil down and intact. The fallen logs also deterred a complete loss of the precious duff. Life held the center.
Where the land is wettest, the breeze is strongest. Most likely there is a scientific understanding for the cause of this delightful idiosyncrasy of wind. To me, the forest is bringing the wind in, calling the wind in, to help to dry the saturated root system.
After the storm, I worried for the birds ~ They improvised a musical choir the following night, demonstrating their gratitude for life. I worried for the mice ~ Evidence in my garden shows they survived. I worried for the prowling creatures ~ The turned-over compost bin suggests that they too found higher ground
Life held the center, and the change offered transformation. We are not alone, instead, we have many allies guiding and aiding us on this unknown path of life.
Perhaps the lesson is Trust. Trust in the transformational abilities inherent in change. Waterfalls are mighty agents of change, and also of beauty and abundance.
And the forest? What is most noticeable is the peace. A deep peace
The breeze rustles in the tree tops and caresses my cheek.
Cooling me on this hot August day. The trees seem content with their community, their collaboration, their gifts of song that susurrate in the gentle wind. The soundscape alone is a healing balm.
I gently, quietly leave the forest today. Grateful as always for the opportunity to listen and witness the forest and ki's contribution to balance, peace and health. Grateful, and curious how I too can offer this kind of gift to the planet and life.
After days and days of rain, in which the Land turned into spongy ground and arks started to rise, the sun emerged.
Absence of the sun, has made the gift of shadows themselves feel miraculous. I was a drunken smiling fool snapping pictures of the shadows of petals and leaves, marveling at all of the light and shadow. I forgot how beautiful our shadows are. I also forgot how it takes both light and dark to create enough contrast to see them; how it takes light to make a reflection. Here is a photo montage of the days that followed the floods in Vermont.
And for those who may have wondered about the follow up on the hummingbirds... They did calm some with the sun shining, and a few more arrived to share the abundance.
Drinking in the light and dark ~
Blessings to all of you If interested in more musings see Venus Muse
"Buzzin' on Beauty And Feasting on Honey" ~ Nahko and MFP
The female hummingbird has changed her behaviour. She now, actively and vigilantly patrols the garden. Propeller-like whirring sounds have replaced the gentle humming of her wings. The humming-birds, who sound more like buzzing-birds these days, flit, buzz, squeak, and fire at each other and any perceived infringement of territory. Even if it is I who walks out the yurt door. Twice now, as I seek to with to join the garden party, this mama bird prepares to dive, stirring up a whirring, as if to say, "who goes there?!" and to see if the intruder requires attack! What had been, until now, a calm sharing of bountiful nectar from a garden of life, morning 'til night, has suddenly shifted overnight.
Why the change?, I wonder. I Can quite imagine that obtaining enough sugar for precious young ones in these cloud-filled days, and rain-drenched nights of gloriously rainy Vermont would be a tremendous task. Perhaps that is why she has become belligerent?
I am not complaining or bemoaning the rain. I love the rain and moist ground. I pray for its abundance to spread like a puddle into all the needed places. I relish the spongey earth under my feet and the spreading of mud between my toes providing cool refreshment. I marvel at roaring streams, and spontaneous waterfalls. It may be hard, I imagine, on the ones seeking to feed their young. Does the days of rain lower the availability of nectar, the hummingbirds food?
Or, perhaps the parents have become nest-weary creatures, and the days of child care has created the equivalent of cabin fever.
Or maybe the weeks of rain, have lowered their resilience and trust in spirited-filled Nature. Perhaps faith in her inherent abundance runs thin, making antiquated fear driven territorial aggressive patterns emerge.
Or maybe they possess an inner clock that switches to High Defense mode mid-July, causing an inner drive to establish territory, to determine assets, and to define terms of engagement : i.e. attack first, ask questions later.
Whatever the cause, whatever the timing, there certainly is a great flurry about the whole business. A grand pace I am not accustomed to experiencing here, or among the circle of garden friends. Whatever the cause, the skies are quite active right now. I hear a daily raising of battle cries! Furious shriekings! (the size of shrill squeaks,) Distinct cries at infractions of justice and signs of intruders. Rattlings of feathered shields! The shakings of sharp spears! Oh my... I feel relief when there is a pause and a little flyer rests long enough to drink. Phew! Relief that he or she is allowing enough peace to receive the nectar they need.
Often after she's drunk her long droughts, this same patroller flies to her nearby resting spot, high enough to scan her domain carefully, swiftly turning her head from side to side, assessing risks or pitfalls, inspecting high and low, north and south for any possible weakness. If, and when, another hummingbirds does arrive, if one should they dare to approach, she meets him, (I think it is always a male...) with dive-bombing arcs, shrieks and buzzing whir. It Is Quite a Spectacle, and probably Quite exhausting.
I try breathing and reminding myself and the sweet little one, "we can share, we can trust, there is abundance. We will find what we need, when we need it." I whisper to her, "it's ok, it's ok, there is always enough. The fear of loss was a lie you were told long ago. You no longer have to worry." Sometimes, Sometimes, I think she hears me.
Where our attention goes, so goes our experience. When we can center on the divine within and reside there, we can experience our relationship to Source as eternal. Or...
We also can be like these hummingbirds, deciding what is "ours" or not "theirs", then vigilantly defend it, (spending lots and lots and LOTS of energy to do so,) against invaders and inveiglers. Or like the mama-bird, we can spend energy perching ourselves up high to watch outside of ourselves for any infraction of justice! Watching and asking, "Did she do that? Is he crossing the line?"
How exhausting!
Equally, we can also be like the visitor, who attempts to sneak by the watcher to the food, returning over and over, and over, to the same food source, hoping This time, will be different. Hoping This time, a long peace of space for sharing will arrive. When perhaps, moving on to other richer circles is the wisest choice?
And here is one more mystery about it all. When day turns to night and night to day, when the lines of perspective begin to blur and twilight descends. When colors begin to bleed into one, when the dark night ahead turns the little creatures inward to their own inner life, honoring their own inner divinity, the quiet descends; and male and female each come peacefully to the feeder and drinking freely and deeply. It is true, Each one drinks long droughts before the coming night, and without interference.
Perhaps it is the magic of twilight, of eventide, that offers this gift of unity and faith.
Perhaps it is the presence of the long night that helps us return to an inner presence and reverence. Perhaps the twilight allows for us to stop using our "ever watchful eyes" to tell us what is real, and turn instead to our inner knowing of what our quieting hearts whisper and knows to be True. We can hear the quiet knowing that only by grace and Spirit do any of us make it through this safely, and with enough.
Perhaps it is in turning to this inner presence when we can experience a mutually honoring faith. When a truth of gratitude for this nectar that hold us through the night, multiplies into quiet peace and the gentle knowing of abundance that holds, guides and blesses us.
I hope soon there can be a break in the tempest, that will provide just the right medicine for All of the creatures to cool tempers. Helping all relax in the perfection of Now. Perhaps then, the nest holders and the daring explorers will soon have a chance to drink in ease, spend energy not on fear, spending it instead on flying playfully and freely in bounty. Perhaps the gentle cooling breeze over the ambient puddles that comes now, as another front passes, will lift all of our spirits and hearts to honoring inner presence and faith. Making way for inner richness, resources and providing a sense of sustainability.
I hope so.
In the cup of Time, when all colors bleed into one when the pink and blue that I perceive now become a shadow that illuminates the brilliance of All when the dark and dawn beckon each other with open arms, as equal treasures, traveling together on the path, Then the peace of my Spirit whispers in a language of wonder and abundance
This piece of writing is a little off from my normal reflections, not too far off, just a little more conceptual, or perhaps more abstract.
I have been contemplating the ancient symbol of the Caduceus. I find it mysterious and magnetic; it's often considered the wand carried by Hermes (also known as Mercury,) who is the God of communication, who delivers messages to and from the Divine; it is also a symbol of magical alchemy that brings two forces into the One.
The symbol itself, two snakes spiraling up a staff, with wings at the top, has always made me think of Mercury's fleetness. The staff itself represents the spine, and the spiraling snakes as the inherent dual force of yin/yang within us, the flow that keeps the life force moving. Discerning the path forward is a balance of opposites. If we ever separate yin from yang, we would have death.
One source describes the wings on the staff as representation of the angels that fly up our spine when the energy rises there. Some see the snakes similar to the two sleeping snakes of kundalini at the base of our spine, ready to rise when the light and dark is balanced within; or when our own vision of our very own divinity clears.
My muse brings me to consider these Forces within, the ones that we balance in order to achieve inner and outer balance of body-mind-spirit. In humans, such balance feels like life-time(s) of magic and art. It certainly feels like it requires magic to balance the contradictory aspects of humanity and divinity within. Yet, it is also my belief that that is the very thing humans are asked to do on this planet. It is also my belief that the inner balance is needed before out balance is seen.
What if like a magician, we could pull the answer out of the hat in front of us? The answer to our questions, to the puzzles and conundrums? What if like the magician, we must have insight, faith and internal focus to listen and believe that what we need is right here, within reach, within ourselves.
In Chinese Medicine, the map of our bodies is a reflection of the Universe. We, like the universe, have orbits of energy, and nervous light systems. (Our very own electromagnetic field!) We have grids, connective lines of contact, and vibrational influence. (Fascia, muscle and nerves.) As Nature uses the forces of yin and yang to bring balance, vitality and maintain life on this planet, so do we. As we learn from one, we begin to understand the other. As we nourish and heal one, we nourish and heal the other. Our path of self-awareness, of finding solutions for health and wholeness is a sacred path gifting to the universe. One opens the door for abundance in the other. One opens Life and vitality in the other.
(oh my the baby raven just hooted right near my window as I wrote that. I will save the story of those new cavorting winged ones for another blog!)
And one more thought on this line of musings- Daoists believe that humans come from the cosmic dust. We are made of the same material as the stars. What a thought. "We are the flower that receives heavenly light and dust, and roots ourselves into the earth creating an unending line of connection."
With the recent increase in magnetic activity from the Sun, not to mention the stars, and the Solstice itself, the cosmos appears to be emphasizing the abundance of light shining to Earth and all who dwell on her. The message is sinking in.
For all that I feel so much gratitude. Absorbing cosmic light, Light and dark within finding balance, and help from the cosmos and each other all helping us discern the way forward. That indeed feels like Magic climbing up the Spine in an alchemy of life. I am grateful.
Fireflies remind me of little quiet fireworks. Or of silent, yet rhythmic music that is tuning to the the night air. One "hears" them with wonder, surprise, captivation. Where will they show up next? What is the rhythm that they follow? What is the song to which they sing? Their music reflects heights and depth, singing in a universal language of love.
Perhaps all things that matter, that really matter to us, sing a song of truth, mystery, height, depth, and presence, presence regardless of fear. Anything that really matters to us, all contains within it a paradox, a mystery. The fireworks playing this night, appear and disappear, feels both mysterious, paradoxical and yet the most alive moment to me. The light comes on and off in a pattern not visible to my eyes, surprising me delightfully as I watch them with wonder. And like a paradox, this firework light appearing and disappearing is ungraspable, unknowable, untrackable, unpredicable.
Without paradox, with only the predictability, our lives flatten and dim.
I say sings Truth, because, I feel truth, like a crystal, has many sides. Like a crystal, it shimmers a light, anyway you look at it. A Real Truth has the "chatoyance" of life.
Crystals also shine sparkling light into the eyes and cause one to feel captivated. The crystals glimmer and shimmer in their own light, like starlight prismed here to earth. What if light, which is a wave, is really a song sending its inaudible flow to you as you sit letting it sink deep into your skin? What if crystals, like light, are singing to you now? From this Earth and all over the universe, encouraging you forward? What if crystals are sending nearly imperceptible, non-visual vibrations to encourage us forward onto our way? Vibrating us so that we never can really get "off the path." Instead, we merely need to be brave enough to take that next step forward and land on the matter that we have vibrated into space. Vibrations create matter. Matter vibrates us to the next stepping stone, or crystal, for that "matter."
The Fireflies vibrate a light that turns on and off. In between the "on", they are invisible to our eyes. Yet, still present, in the dark and in our unknown. Freely singing their Lightening song. So I guess, our next steps are there, waiting for us to create them, singing their lightening song.
Thank you dear Light, Thank you for beauty, Surprise, wonder, music and singing. Thank you for the high notes and the low. Thank you for the paradox and the wonder. Thank you for filling me up with joy and love. May your song flow strong.
The Earth Mother reflects herself in the trees, in all plants, the air, the light and water. She creates herself again and again in and through all of this. All to show you you, and allow you to experience her through nature. In this body of nature, you exist and are a gift from Nature to the Universe. Cherish all of you. Indeed, your body is the reflection of the Earth. Cherish both.
Ahh, the Sun pauses a little longer in the sky today over this precious Earth. The wind blows free and buoyant, lifting the heat and my spirit. The prophesied Rainbow circles the sun, casting wonder on the Earth I pause in such a time of Wonder. How is it that the Sun can not only shine the strongest today, (in the northern hemisphere at least,) it also can create a self-made rainbow? Light shining through some unseen prism multiplies and refracts into colored light. A miracle. This light, this day, offers an opportunity to revel in all the colors, all the perspectives and all the paths. All the blessings.
Light revealing "itself" as a many colored expression, is a miraculous gift indeed.
Today is a path of the light, and the rainbow, in which to dance, heal, and rest in the infinite arms of infinite love.
Draw deep from the well of love that shines through today's magic. No words can encompass it all, only love can come close to allowing the infinite. Let that light rest boldly in all of the nooks and crannies, even if the same light reveals cracks and wounds in need of attention. Love yourself right up. There is time enough for all to reveal its beauty.
The solstice is brilliance and guidance all in one. Let the waters flow, let the light shine bright, even if it feels unbearable, let the path unfold in brilliance and inspiration.
Today, I walked into my garden after a lovely night-full of gentle rain. I walked out curious to see who had arrived. To see how the greendom had welcomed the rain. And who had visited in its mist.
I wonder if everywhere if the plants are blooming as they are here, in bigger and bigger displays of life, opening us to the bigger picture of life, informing us to the strength of reveling in life, in diversity and joy.
Now, before I say more, I must explain that my garden is a compilation of friends, most of whom arrive on their own volition. A few planted on mine ~ The nettles mix with the snap peas, and the dandelion leaves drape over the mustard. Today a new St Johns wort pokes up between the lettuce. Mmm, how did you get here??
So, as you see, All are welcome to the garden. All invited either by me or by a force much bigger than me ~ Invited to participate in the game of life. And when they arrive, they come as emissaries with wisdom and blessings for my garden and my wild heart.
The St John's wort arrived last night; who knows who will arrive on the breeze tonight, brought from the wild beautiful unknown...
I believe in the wisdom of welcoming these strangers, the unknown, and the unacknowledged to our homes and life to expand our understandings and perspectives of living and living in harmony with all.
Because, you see, I know, If they come, they come sent with information, medicine, and wisdom to share. And I welcome them all. In their midst, I can practice celebrating the beauty and complexity that exists in diversity. Not always easy, nor comfortable. And sometimes difficult to manage, with varying levels of success, the differing needs of all present.
Even still, I do and will celebrate this wild unknown, unplanned, unforeseen, and always mysterious.
This compelling song of mystery, May it sing free in my garden, bringing with herself, the teaching of the medicine of discomfort, the teaching of the medicine of surprise, the teaching of the unknown and misunderstood. The teaching of the blessing of abundance.
I welcome this banquet to my garden. There is much still to learn here and today, so far, I've found the St Johns wort.
Some more beautiful Photos showing surprising gifts can be found in Seasonal photos
