First up, I’m excited to announce that I was once again invited by my good friend, Renee Baribeau, to participate in another I AM Symposium – this year’s “Winter Solstice Gathering 2017.”
Join me, along with 24 other wisdom-keepers, at a virtual fire where we will share a plethora of unique ideas on life, creativity, passion, intuition, ceremony, spirituality, Nature, and other perspectives and strategies that will not only take us through the darkness of the shortest days of the year but will lead us into 2018 with the “wind at our backs.”
Speaking of winds…
I’m beyond excited to announce the imminent publication, by Hay House, Inc., of Renee’s groundbreaking new book, Winds of Spirit. (Available for pre-order now.)
Renee has extensively researched humanity’s relationship with the “breath of life,” and has compiled a comprehensive pantheon of Wind-Spirits from all over the world, providing us with long-forgotten historical and mythological references and background. These Beings are boldly stepping forward to be of service to all of us in navigating our lives, and Renee has proved to be a faithful and relentlessly disciplined scribe for their messages.
My message, as usual, is the value of cultivating our ability to truly LISTEN – to ourselves, to each other, to Mother Nature, to unseen guidance, to our SOULS. My particular talk will be airing onSaturday, December 23rd at 1:00 p.m. EST. Register here and you’ll receive a link in your mailbox every morning.
Indeed, as Spirit always seems to challenge me to “walk my talk,” (and listen to my guidance) I’ve now added an Events page to my website where you can find a description of my Listening Retreats and a schedule of retreat weekends I’m offering in 2018.
If none of these are a good fit for you, check back in January (and periodically after that!) to see if I’ve added more weekends, probably at other venues.
The reason I’m now advertising my Listening Retreats on my website is because I’m getting the message from so many sources that learning and actively practicing what I call Sacred Listening has the potential to be a tremendously healing tool for ourselves, our families and friends, and our world.
I know, it sounds easy. Too easy, in fact, for it to actually make a difference in anyone’s life, much less “the world.” But I’ve seen and felt first-hand how rare it is for any of us to have the experience of Sacred Listening touch our lives.
So, once again, I invite you to join us “by the fire” for 16 days of the completely free Winter Solstice Gathering 2017 I AM Symposium, beginning this Thursday, December 21st, 2017 to LISTEN to nuggets of wisdom, tidbits of joy, snippets of insight, and seeds of inspiration from cool people who have lots to share.
Again, my particular talk will be airing on Saturday, December 23rd at 1:00 p.m. EST.
Most of the interviews are 30 minutes long, and most days feature the release of two speakers’ presentations, which you can listen to at any time during the day they’re released, as well as for two days thereafter. Give yourself the gift of an hour a day during this busy, yet begging-for-introspection time of year.
You’re worth it. And so are the messages you’ll hear!
As many of you know (those who are already on my “Hoot List”), I’m honored and delighted to be participating as a presenter in an online gathering of 24 fascinating people from all walks of life who have faced great loss or major life challenges and not only survived, but also discovered truths, approaches, perspectives, and strategies that serve them well in moving forward with their lives.
The “I AM Symposium” began two days ago, on Monday, October 12th – and if you sign up today for the entire program, you’ll still be able to hear the first presenter’s talk for free. Each day a single presentation is broadcast, and those who have signed up for the event have 72 hours to listen each one.
If you can’t manage to snag the time each day to listen – or if you miss the talk of someone you’d love to hear but didn’t catch them within the “free” 72 hour window – or if you just find you would like the opportunity to listen to each presentation at your leisure, as many times as you would like, you can purchase and download the entire 24-speaker package for $47. (Just scroll to the very bottom of the sign-up page.)
Sorry for such a detailed explanation, but details are helpful. And no matter which way you look at it, either “completely free” (but requiring a somewhat disciplined listening approach) or 24 unique presentations for $47 – it’s a pretty sweet deal.
I started this post out by saying that today is a big deal for me because my “story” airs today. It’s personal, it’s real – and this is the first time I’ve ever participated in such a venture, so I have no baseline as to what to expect. And even though I often write with stark honesty, direct from my heart, about personal issues, I rarely “speak” of such things. So, this was a stretch!
If you’ve come to my website because you just heard me on the “I AM Symposium” broadcast, welcome! I’d like to offer you the opportunity to receive a free chapter of my book, Owl Medicine, in thanks for signing up for my Hoot List, if you choose to do so. (And I’m trying to figure out how to do this on my own, without bugging my most revered Web Master, Mark. If I don’t figure it out within a day or so, I will ask him to set it up!)*
As I mention (a lot) in my presentation, I feel listening – true, deep listening – is one of the greatest gifts we can give both ourselves and other people in our lives. And as much as I am a fierce advocate for the necessity of listening as a part of a healthy and fulfilled life, I also know how very, sometimes uncomfortably, challenging it can be to really and truly LISTEN to the messages we’re receiving. The chapter from Owl Medicine that I’m offering you shows you just what I mean (and how I’ve sometimes had to learn the hard way).
I hope you enjoy the I AM Symposium! Of course, if you love it, please do not hesitate to share it with your friends.
Finally, I urge you to “stay tuned” if you’re interested in perhaps attending a Listening Retreat with me…
*And if anyone who already is a part of my Hoot List would also like to receive the free chapter, just send me an email and I’ll get it out to you!
It seems as if all I ever do is write about messages, both publicly and privately. Asking for them. Looking for them. Getting them. Receiving them. Paying attention to them. What happens if you don’t pay attention to them…
It’s that last one that can get pretty dicey if you’re not careful. I probably write about the perils of not listening, or not paying attention to, or worse yet, not acting on messages I’ve heard and paid attention to (and perhaps even given lip service to – by what? By writing a blog post or two on the subject?) more than I care to admit even to myself. But here it is. Again.
Don’t get me wrong. I do my best to walk my talk and pay attention to the messages I receive daily. And yes, when I’m ‘tuned in,’ I get messages a lot. Every day. Indeed, I rely on my abilities to discern meaning in the seemingly mundane, and I devote a good amount of care and attention to paying attention, listening deeply, and noticing little things that might easily be overlooked.
Photo by Jeff Tidwell
Ummm, Don’t Drink It?
And I do this for and on behalf of my clients. And my friends. And my family. Every day.
So why in the world do I keep insisting upon writing about and seemingly harping upon the necessity for all of us to not only pay attention to the messages we receive but to heed them by acting upon them? Because it can be a real kick in the ass when we don’t.
One example? If you’ve read my book Owl Medicine(available as an ebook, too!), you know that my refusal to listen to the messages I was receiving ended up with a face-plant in a creek that easily could have killed me but luckily only resulted in a broken tooth, spectacular bruises, and many weeks of barely being able to walk without assistance.
And I’d like to spare you the pain if I can. Because as seasoned as I am in being a messenger, the responsibilities that come with being the messagee, and there are indeed responsibilities with that role, too, can be seductively easy to shirk. Yes, even for a messenger.
Don’t Just Sit There – DO Something!
So, don’t beat yourself up for not being perhaps the best listener to, or ‘receiver’ of, messages. Instead, make a point to take one step, every day, to not only pay attention and listen, but then also to act on a message you’ve received.
See what happens.
And if you know you’ve received a message, but can’t quite figure out what it means or how you might act upon it, feel free to reach out to me. I’d be glad to give you my perspective and help you figure out what the message might mean specifically to you.
Gratitude Goes a Long Way
One more thing: I don’t mean to imply that every message we receive requires an ‘outward’ or public action. Hardly. However, every message we receive does deserve acknowledgment and at least an inner appreciation that paves the way to receiving more messages. That’s why I tell all my clients: “If you receive a message, honor it. At the very least, acknowledge and appreciate it by writing it down. If the message requires further action on your part, then by all means, act. But even if the message is just an indication that you’re on the right path, that you’ve made a good choice, or that the direction of your thinking is ‘on track…,’ well, be grateful! Write it down! Show your Higher Self or your Guides, or whomever is communicating with you that you appreciate their efforts and you’re listening.”
Photo by Lisa Weikel
What do you think? Do you receive messages? And if so, do you make a point of demonstrating your appreciation? Do you act upon your messages? How could you be a better ‘receiver?’
You’d have to live under a rock not to have at least some awareness of the significance, real or imagined, of Winter Solstice 2012. Among other things, December 21, 2012, marks the end of the Mayan “Long Count” Calendar, and as the Mayan Calendar is based upon complex astronomical calculations, it signifies an alignment of planets, our sun, and other heavenly bodies with the actual center of our galaxy, referred to as the Grand Galactic Alignment.
The “end” of the Mayan Calendar is not the only “big event” scheduled for 12/21/12, which is probably why so much attention is being paid to this date. Almost every indigenous culture that has passed down prophecies through the millenia are expecting something major to occur at this moment in time. December 21, 2012 is also the culmination of a major Hopi prophecy, as well as the next anticipated “Pachakuti” of the Q’ero people, the descendants of indigenous Peruvians who pre-date the Incas.
Although I have studied a number of indigenous shamanic traditions, the lineage of the Q’ero is the one with which I am most intimately familiar. I am far from an expert in Q’ero prophecy or tradition and do not claim to be one. However, I resonate with the traditions of the Q’ero, and I am honored to be initiated into the lineage of mesa-carriers, which enables me to work in service with Spirit through the auspices of the techniques and ceremonies taught to me by Q’ero wisdom-keepers, known as “Paqos.” Essentially, their teachings are that we are evolving – within our generation – to becoming a new expression of human, one that resonates to a higher vibration.
The Q’ero Suggestion for These Times
With so many indigenous cultures considering this to be a time of great import, my thought is: Why not remain aware and be open to the possibilities? Why not engage in a little preparation? To that end, I’d like to share a message one such Paqo, Dennis Alejo, has brought from the elder Paqos who continue to reside in the highest reaches of the Andes, the altoplano, of Peru. Essentially, they’ve stated that 12/12/12 (yes, yesterday), was to be regarded as a very special day, one that marked the beginning of the end of our preparations for “the new time to come” on 12/21/12. It was a day to return to ourselves, get quiet, go deep within, and connect to the beauty of the Universe. It also was (and continues to be) a time to release our fears from the past, those we carry around with us from one day, one month, one year to the next, as well as our fears for the future.
The Paqos encourage us to make wise use of the next nine days to make important final preparations for the arrival of whatever energies are coming our way on December 21, 2012. They specifically entreat us to focus upon and engage in the following:
– Connect with our own unique gifts, those abilities, “big” or “small,” that we bring to our families, communities, friends, customers, and clients, that make us precious;
– Celebrate all that we have to give of ourselves, and recognize these gifts as our purpose for being here on Earth at this time;
– Reflect on who we are (to ourselves, to others), and accept whatever Life is presenting to us, including the changes necessitated by these times;
– Contemplate the “bigger” questions that we often flirt with but usually avoid:
– Why am I here?
– What are my goals (or put another way, what would I regret not pursuing or accomplishing the most if my time here on Earth was complete)?
– What, if anything, do I need to change – right now – to be more in alignment with my heart’s desire?
– What can I do to strengthen my connection to Source and most effectively be my greatest self?
My Invitation to YOU
The purpose of this post is to invite you to engage in this self-reflection with me. Let’s do it together. Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start, or even have a frame of reference within which to begin.
So I thought I’d bring together a collection of various “divination” or “guidance tools” for us to use each day. I’ve used all of these tools at one time or another, some of them ending up being more my favorites than others. By introducing you to a different tool each day, maybe you will resonate with one or more and decide to use them on a more consistent basis…on December 22nd – when we face a whole “new” world – together!
You in? If so, watch for the first Point of Reflection, which I will post shortly. Yes, we’re playing a little bit of catch-up, with only this evening to reflect upon the first Point. I figure it takes the pressure off of all of us to be perfect.
Look for my next post, and above all, don’t be taken in by all the doomsday baloney!
Last Saturday, my husband Karl and I addressed the elephant in the room. It was time. And lucky for us, the weather cooperated on that lovely day of 5 May, enabling Karl to lug the two ungainly cardboard boxes out of our living room and deposit them onto our front lawn. It was much better to spread Karl’s clothes and sketch books, camping gear and toiletries, out onto a big blanket than do the deed in the confines of our living room. And even though there wasn’t much, it somehow felt more appropriate to give each item its "space" to nestle in the grass of Karl’s home, and to allow the spring breezes to disperse the dust of a Traveler’s life.
Nothing like sifting through the meager possessions of the man who was our son to mark the six month anniversary of our loss – and his rebirth.
Within 10 days of Karl’s accidental death in a hot spring in California, I’d traveled with his youngest brother, Sage, and cousin Ellen, to gather his possessions, reclaim his car, and visit "the Slabs," where he’d been visiting, and the hot spring where he drowned under a full moon. He’d only been in Niland for a couple of weeks, which was usually about as long as he could take the idiosyncracies of that place and its inhabitants. As with many things in Karl’s life, he had a love/hate relationship with "the Slabs." He loved the avant-garde creativity and "Mad Max"-esque wildness of "East Jesus" and the performances that would be staged every Friday night on the Range. And yet the jealously guarded privacy and professed love of freedom of its residents was often surprisingly and severely restricted by their own harsh judgments and beliefs about the world. The irony and potential for hypocrisy – even here – disappointed, but didn’t escape him.
Suffice it to say, for now, that our subsequent trip to the junk yard where Karl’s car had been towed was yet another kick in the teeth, another irony shoved into the white hot fire of our grief.
The totality of Karl’s life – except for the electronic music equipment and accessories that had been blatantly stolen by the tow truck company – were hastily shoved into the back of our rented SUV and then packed, the next day, into two 8 cubic foot cardboard boxes for shipment back to Pennsylvania. And no, we didn’t get to donate Karl’s car, or do anything Karl would have wanted us to do with his talisman of freedom, because that very same thieving tow truck company claimed to be owed $2500 for towing the car 25 miles and storing it for less than a week.
But I digress. The details of what transpired on our trip to California and the ironies that continue to pile upon each other will have to wait for another day to be revealed in full.
Thus, the boxes that arrived at our home in early December were more a depressing reminder of what was NOT in them, namely, and most importantly, the electronic synthesizer he’d been obsessively learning to "play," composing music with, and inputting audio bits and pieces into, memorabilia of his experiences as a Traveler both across the country and up and down the west coast of the United States. The Korg Electribe, which had been temporarily housing Karl’s artistry and creativity, which he affectionately referred to as his "girlfriend," and into which he poured his passion for cutting edge music and visionary, edge-of-consciousness exploration, was gone. And so those boxes sat, for five and a half months, the elephant in the living room, until last Saturday, until the sixth full moon since Karl died.
In the end, it was all about us. It was our ritual. Our goodbye to the son with whom we’d been enchanted from the moment we met him, almost 31 years ago. It was our farewell to the #3 of "the three of us," which we’d always uncannily felt we were ~ even after his two brothers arrived six and twelve years later, respectively. It was our obligation to sift through his belongings and see what had really mattered to him: tattered copies of The Holographic Universe, A Course In Miracles, a hardback book on Tai Chi that was his father’s. Sketchbooks, pens and pencils, letters and photos. Toothpaste. Lots of toothpaste – and hand sanitizer.
We shed some tears. We toasted his life with some Jameson’s that a friend had given us in the days soon after Karl’s death. We laughed at the bitingly sarcastic cartoon figures lurking in all the sketchbooks, many book margins, and on loose pieces of paper in odd zippered pockets. We laughed at the enigma he was: A Traveler ~ and yet a homebody ~ and a fastidious one at that.
As we wrapped things up and chose what mementos to keep, at least for a little while longer, I decided to ask Karl (the Son) if he had anything he wanted to say to us. A tarot deck, the Wildwood Tarot, a gift I’d sent him for his 30th birthday, was one of the things he’d cared enough to keep and carry with him. From the looks of it, I could tell he hadn’t been blowing smoke when he’d told me that he was, indeed, using the deck. I was glad for that.
I held the deck to my heart, blew my breath into the cards, and asked for a message. And this is what I chose on the 6th full moon since the night of his departure:
Position on the Wheel
The World Tree sits at the heart of the cycle, in the quadrant of Fire.
It encompasses all the different aspects of the Wheel
and the human aspects of the Major Arcana
"Description: The great World Tree marks the end of the Wanderer’s journey…
Meaning: As the symbol of the conscious bridge between the living macrocosm and the inner universe of the human psyche, the World Tree marks the end of one journey for the Wanderer and the beginning of another. The Wanderer began the journey around the Wheel with an innocent and childlike curiosity, but the subtle growing process experienced on the way has brought inner gifts of wisdom and awareness. The final step is to follow the path through the living maze and enter the heart of the World Tree to become one with the wholeness of the universal mind.
Nothing is hidden and no misleading or cunning diversions are set to lead the unwary off the path, but to gain access to the tree one must walk the path and complete the journey. The unicursal labyrinth has no dead ends or false routes but leads on one wandering pathway from the entrance, inexorably to the centre. Perhaps symbolizing the passage of the sun or guarding the souls of dead ancestors and spirits in their place of repose, it remains a pathway to the core of the mysteries and an easily recognized image of the human journey. Though the doorway at the base of the tree is clearly visible and nothing stops the traveller from directly approaching it, walking the labyrinthine pathway is a ritual requiring patience and insight and enabling contemplation and meditation on the meaning of the journey.
What may be found beyond the door is both individual and universal, for encompassed within the branches of the World Tree are the four seasons of the cycle of life. Through the restful healing of winter to the fertile freshness of spring, the power and joy of summer and the wisdom and maturity of autumn, the cosmic light of universal understanding shines from the heart of the tree,creating a bridge to the source of all consciousness and life.
The World Tree represents all individual life and all knowledge in one holographic field of consciousness and, paradoxically, remains as one entity, whole and complete. This complex concept is not only stranger than we think; it is stranger than we can think!
Reading Points: The universe and all its blessings are available to everyone who seeks knowledge and wisdom with a sincere heart. On every level, the cosmos has a generous bounty and gives freely of its rich nourishment and fulfillment. No matter how long the journey of life may be, however many twists and turns the maze may offer us,in the end, if we persevere, we will reach the point of fulfillment. This may relate to material gain and wealth or to spiritual happiness and emotional security, but after the long process of learning, responsibility and rebirth, it is now time to bathe in the light of renewal, attainment and personal triumph. Breath in the rich air, drink of the sweet water and rejoice in the warming fire of the universal life force." (emphasis added)
Could we have asked for a more personal or thoughtful message from our son? I don’t think so. And the coolest thing about all of this is that this is only one example of how Karl does continue to speak to me. His "death" has only confirmed for me that there is so much, much more than our limited view of "reality." And that’s what we’re going to continue exploring – together.
Oh – and as a last little nod to "the three of us" that is no more (at least in the physical), the card that was on the bottom of the deck when I chose The World Tree was this:
Rather than the keyword associated with this card, the image instead – to me – acknowledges not only our pain, and the pain felt by Karl’s brothers, but also that our family’s heart, which encompasses a profound love for each other, is on fire. And while we bleed tears over our separation, these same tears ultimately serve…to feed The World Tree.
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