contemplation

Solstice Is Upon Us – ND #13

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Solstice Eve Sunset – Photo: L. Weikel

Solstice Is Upon Us

Late this afternoon, I managed to capture a glimpse of the sun just before it descended below the horizon. Yet another raptor darted from the bushes to my left – a falcon this time – crossing my path and weaving effortlessly amongst the saplings and grapevines. Hawks had accompanied me the entire length of my extended walk; I’d seen at least four, not counting this smaller, dark brown falcon. “The Solstice is upon us!” the falcon cried. “Time to fluff our feathers and hunker down. You need to get home,” it added.

And so the longest night of the year began with a messenger swooping before my eyes. This must have been Spirit’s last ditch effort to gain my attention, since a Red-tailed Hawk had literally executed a combination swoop/jump from tree branch to tree branch in front of me, spanning a quarter of a mile, its massive wings cupped forward, beckoning me to follow.

No photos of those quick hops from branch to branch. The best I could do was snag one of it facing the setting sun, turning its back to me, facing the wild unknown most bravely.

Hawk Facing West – Photo: L. Weikel

Pensive

I’m feeling decidedly pensive this evening. I was keenly aware of the impending darkness this evening, especially the fact that tonight the darkness would last the greatest amount of time. Our fire is burning gently, reminding us of just how cold it became tonight – all of a sudden, too. I know I’d looked at the Weather Channel app several times over the past 24 hours and not once did I see the call for such frigid temperatures as those we awakened to this morning.

The cold only drives us deeper within.

Contemplating the dreams we wish to manifest over the next three months is our focus at the moment. What changes are we seeking? What messages will we be delivering? What is the coming year going to teach us about ourselves? How can we best honor the our heart’s desire?

So many questions. Such freezing temperatures driving us inside, making sure we hunker down.

Tomorrow we’ll awaken and the days will begin lengthening ever so slowly.

Enjoy the night. Revel in the silence. Or is that the call of a Great Horned Owl I hear?

(T+13)

Crone Calling – Day 968

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Photo: L. Weikel

Crone Calling

Or should I say, “Calling all Crones?” No, even though I embrace my personal status as a Crone (and therefore prefer to capitalize it), I’m not writing this post as a rallying cry solely to my sisters. Rather, I’m excited to announce that there’s a crone calling all of us right now in the form of a brand spanking new, hot off the presses, limited run of 250 Tarot of the Crone decks.

I’ve written many posts (here, here, and here, for instance) in the past 967 days that make reference to my much-loved Tarot of the Crone by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince. These cards always seem to bring an eerily accurate message when I consult them. And beyond whatever intuitive sense I may receive from the cards when I choose them – based simply on either the image itself or my pretty limited knowledge of tarot in general – the narrative provided by the deck’s creator is uncanny.

The exciting news I’m sharing today is that the deck, which has been out of print for a couple of years, I believe, is now available for pre-order.

Guidance for the Coming New Moon

Naturally, then, it feels only fitting that I consult the Crone for some guidance or insight on what to keep in mind as we approach this new moon in Cancer. Again – fundamental beliefs and structures are being challenged. Institutions we thought would always be part of our lives either no longer are or are on their way out. And we’re being asked to contemplate what we want to seed in their place.

As I write these words, I’ve not yet ‘picked.’ So I have no idea whether we’ll be given guidance on what is or needs to be ‘blown up’ (metaphorically, of course), radically changed, or suddenly exposed, or whether we’ll be shown what is waiting in the wings to be seeded as the structure or foundation of the next phase of our lives.

How and What I Chose

I decided to go a little rogue on all of us and instead of just choosing one card (and taking note of the card at the bottom of the deck – giving foundation or context to the ‘top’ card), I decided to pick three cards. The first card for insight into our ‘Saturn’ (i.e., the underlying, fundamental beliefs or structures that operate in our lives that need to be examined, perhaps challenged, and possibly torn down); the second card for insight into our ‘Uranus’ (i.e., how or in what way can or will sudden illumination strike or challenge that Saturn; how or in what area might we benefit from radical transformation); and the third card for insight into what seeds might be planted where the old foundations or beliefs we held (or were told) used to be.

Saturn – Uranus – Seed(s)

  1. (Representing Saturn): Ten of Disks ~ Age

    Ten of Disks – Tarot of the Crone by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince

“My world is smaller

But my soul is not

My world is harder

But I survive

A figure with knobby knees and a sunken aged face sits with her thoughts in a throne-like chair. As the body is the root of life, age is the result. Hers is the voice of experience and the understanding of physical limitations. She may be valued for her wisdom, but her no-nonsense views often set her apart and keep her alone. Like her, know that life occurs mostly inside you. Value your own experience and the wisdom of your body.”

 

 

 

 

  1. (Representing Uranus): Witch of Cups ~ Siren

    “Where the waves dance

    Where the stars and tides align

    There I celebrate my passion

    There I abandon restraint

    There I create movement

    That will last a thousand years

    A red figure, whose body echoes the curl of the purple waves around her, reaches with them for the stars that arch overhead. The Siren flows with the power of water to move and transform. She draws to her what she desires from the strength of her own desire, like calling out to like to join in the dance. She sings with the power to carry you away to worlds where love reigns, souls merge and blood, the juice of your life, runs full and free.”

  2. (Representing the Seeds to be Planted): Nine of Disks ~ Community

Nine of Disks – Tarot of the Crone by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince

“Together we build

Home for us all

Nine homes with open doors are gathered on a rich brown hillside beneath a field of stars. Here connection reaches farther than family. It is not so personal a relationship, but it is quite as necessary. There are others who share your air, your earth, your dreams and there always will be. Each one is part of the whole. Acknowledge the endeavors that support your living. Consider your own contribution. The antidote to isolation is sharing. How do you want to touch this world?”

Food For Thought

The connection of each card with each ‘subject’ is fascinating to me. As is always true, we each bring to the table our own unique set of life circumstances and perspectives to interpreting the message of each card.

I invite you to sit with each card. Notice how you feel when you simply look at the image; then notice and pay attention to the words written by the deck’s creator. Which words jump out at you – and how do they make you feel?

Allow yourself to contemplate (and dare I suggest – write out in a journal?) a coherent message between the cards. Remember, Saturn (structure) being challenged by Uranus (transformation) could indicate that in order to achieve transformation we may need to bring more structure to our lives. Cultivate a secure environment in which to plant those new seeds.

In other words, don’t assume that Uranus always means things need to get flipped upside down and inside out. They could just need to be radically changed. And that can (almost certainly will) look completely different for each one of us.

Have fun with this. It’s time to shake stuff up one way or another. We might as well be active and conscious participants in the reshaping of our lives, don’t you think?

Finally, don’t forget to order your own Tarot of the Crone deck if you feel an affinity with these cards!

(T-143)

New Moon Approaching – Day 967

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New Moon Approaching – Photo: astrologyally.com

New Moon Approaching

As we allow this post-holiday second week of July to play itself out, I’m reminded that there’s a new moon approaching that will arrive this Friday evening at 9:16 p.m. EDT. As always, because a new moon (also known as the dark moon) is exactly conjunct the Sun, then whatever sign the sun is in, the moon is too. Thus, this will be a Cancer new moon because the Sun is in Cancer too.

Please forgive me if my explanation is too basic for you. But for the longest time, I never really paid attention to the technicalities of what makes a moon new or full, or what a conjunction, opposition, square, or trine of planets (and the luminaries: Sun and Moon) means. And even after all the books I’ve read, readings I’ve had, and podcasts I’ve listened to, I still need to stop and think about it. So when I’m moved to write about astrological stuff in my posts, I like to explain it as best as I can so you can visualize it.

Thus experiencing a new moon this Friday evening means both the Moon and the Sun are in the sign of Cancer. And among other attributes, Cancer is the sign in which the Moon is very much at home. It’s a sign that is intimately connected to our emotions, nurturing, care and compassion – and the concepts of family and home.

As with all new moons, it marks a new beginning. The time of a new moon is the best and most powerful time to plant the seeds of new ideas or ways of being, start new jobs, begin new projects, strike out on fresh new adventures, and set powerful intentions.

Other Players, Too

As I’ve written about a number of times already (and linked to a number of astrologers who’ve explained it a lot better than I can even synopsize), this year’s theme, if you will, has been centered on Saturn ‘squaring’ Uranus. In point of fact, these two massive planets exactly square each other three times in 2021. The second of these three exact squares was on June 14th, and the final square will occur on December 23rd.

Saturn is the planet associated with rules, foundations, laws, patriarchy, the ‘way things have always been done,’ and structure.

It’s also associated with shame and ‘shoulds,’ which kind of makes sense. If we don’t follow the rules or do things the way they’ve always been done (or the way we’ve been told), then those in a position of power to punish or judge us can heap guilt or shame on our heads. It’s important to note here that we hold the power of shame and guilt over our own selves – just as much as any external authority can wield it against us.

In the wider world, Saturn can represent the foundations of society, our government, ‘The Law,’ hierarchies of power, etc.

As I mentioned, Saturn is squaring (or another way of looking at it is challenging or provoking) the planet of Uranus pretty much all year, but we had a direct ‘hit’ on June 14th and we’re still feeling the effects of that because these outer planets move so slowly. Uranus is associated with radical transformation, sudden illumination, explosive shifts or changes in perspective and is often depicted in association with lightning. When these two planets are in square aspect to each other, it’s not hard to see where this could lead.

My Feeling

I have to laugh when I write ‘my feeling,’ since the sign of Cancer is all about feelings. But it feels to me as if this new moon is asking us to acknowledge those places in our lives where some major shaking of foundations has taken place – and to decide how and what we want to start building anew. What seeds do we want to plant that will replace those old structures, foundations, beliefs, or stories that we told ourselves (and based our lives upon) that have essentially been shaken or, in some cases, struck by lightning and blown up.

It feels really important that we all give ourselves the chance to sit quietly, take stock and honestly look at what has left us or fallen down or away in our lives over the past six months (representing the first two of the three squares of Saturn and Uranus).

And we need to ask ourselves: what do we want to plant after we clear away the rubble? It feels especially important for us to pay attention to our emotions as we engage in this reflection. What do we want to feel as we move forward? Who will we consider to be our ‘family?’ What do family and the foundations family represents mean to us moving forward?

I’m mentioning this now because the new moon isn’t until Friday. I don’t know about you, but I need a few days to really sit with this and make some choices.

(T-144)

Word Saturation – Day 956

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Wide Angle of Tohickon – Photo: L. Weikel

Word Saturation

I’ve been noticing something odd about myself lately. I tend to be pretty self-reflective by nature. And by that I mean I revel in contemplating the bigger questions in life. And I treasure those occasions when I have the time and space to explore in my journal the musings that bubble up from deep within. Lately, though? I believe I’ve developed an acute case of word saturation.

That’s the best way I can think to describe it. I’ve noticed that when provided with opportunities to sit beside a roaring fire (or sometimes better yet, a fire that’s settled into itself, its embers practically begging contemplation), or plunked in the midst of a forest cacophony of cicadas, my mind almost involuntarily slips into neutral.

It’s as if the words are just too much anymore.

What words?

All of them.

This is a little disconcerting for someone who thinks of herself at least tangentially as a writer. But this word saturation is real. And I’ll be honest: it’s a little scary. Am I just tired? Is this a result of having to come up with words every single night for the past 956 days?

Contemplation Station – Photo: L. Weikel

Looking Ahead

Maybe I’m noticing this a bit more lately because I’ve felt circumstances prodding me to give serious thought to ‘What’s next?’ You know; I ask myself the same questions I pose here in these posts, such as ‘What do I want my life to look like or to include 19 years from now?’

Or a more short-term version: ‘What do I need to release and what do I want to cultivate in my life in the next six months?’

When I contemplate these questions, some of the usual suspects pop up in what I might consider to be a reflexive response. Good grief, some of those things I’d like to manifest I’ve been talking about for twenty years. Maybe I need to let them go for good?

Maybe I do.

So if I let them go, what’s left? Well. That demands some contemplation. And – aha. That’s when the word saturation sets in.

There’s a vast Universe out there. A lot of what I’ve been thinking seems…small. Perhaps silence is better.

Looking Up From the Fire – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-155)

Sent or Delivered – Day 905

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Sent or Delivered? – Photo: L. Weikel

Sent or Delivered

It’s always amazing to me how Spirit will sometimes turn the most mundane objects or tasks into opportunities to send (or is it deliver?) messages. I guess the answer to that question (sent or delivered) depends entirely upon the recipient. Spirit can send a million messages – or a single message a million times – but that act alone doesn’t ensure a single one will be noticed, read, heard, or received in any way.

A piece of garbage that blows out of the back of a garbage truck can remain on the side of the road for days or weeks, or even much longer than that. It might get whisked into a roadside gully where a thunderstorm washes it into a stream, ultimately delivering it into a river. It might even make it to the ocean if it doesn’t get caught on a rock or buried in silt like the skeleton of a dinosaur.

There’s a chance that piece of garbage was sent as a message for someone to find and pick up. But if the intended recipient chose not to walk before the rain or went a different direction – or just wasn’t paying attention – then that sent message might never get delivered.

Ah, which tells me that it takes the efforts of two for Spirit to actually deliver a message. Spirit’s acting alone in sending is only the first affirmative act. But we need to do our part if we’re to give Spirit the satisfaction of claiming delivery. We need to see it and recognize the effort as the message it is.

Act On It?

It’s romantic to think that all messages we receive we act upon, but let’s face it: we don’t. I think we’re probably lucky to bat .200 or so in just recognizing a message has been sent and we snagged it as it passed by.

But following it? Actually listening to the message? Yikes. That entails a lot of steps. Receiving the message, recognizing it as such (and not dismissing it as a random piece of garbage), realizing it could actually be a message intended for us on some miraculous level, and then choosing to respect the message. And by that I mean respecting it enough to take the time to contemplate just what the message might mean and how it could apply specifically to our life.

Is this meant for me?

How does it apply?

Does it answer a question I’ve been mulling over?

Does it make sense?

A Picture or a Word

All of which makes me wonder just what I was being told and shown this evening. I believe the application calls for some contemplation. But no matter what, “Message sent – and  delivered.”

Bifurcated Sunset – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-206)

Message for Friday – Day 613

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Sunset 16 July 2020 – Photo: L. Weikel

Message for Friday

I felt drawn this evening to choose some guidance from a tarot deck I work with quite a bit, the Tarot of the Crone by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince. It felt like we might benefit from a message for Friday that could give us something to contemplate and reflect upon as we head into the weekend.

While I’m hoping there won’t be some egregious ‘Friday night news dump’ that will send us all screaming into the night, at this point we all know there are no guarantees.

As it turned out, the cards I chose and the lovely, thoughtful prose written by Ms. Lorenzi-Prince is worthy of our attention and, in some unique way we might figure out for ourselves, implementation:

I chose the Nine of Cups on top with the Grandmother of Wands underneath, providing the foundation or context.

Nine of Cups – Tarot of the Crone (Ellen Lorenzi-Prince)

Nine of Cups ~ Healing

“I am the Many and One

 

I am whole who has been broken

I am the power of redemption

I am the renewal of creation

 

Two unusual beings, with ribbons of red life spiraling through the serene lavender of their skin-like cloaks, touch and twist and merge in the creation of something wonderful, whole and new. The Nine of Cups represents healing of the heart and soul: when what has been separated comes together again, when feeling flows free and true, when you are aligned with your greatest good, when you become more than you believed you could. The authenticity of your self is not subsumed by bonds with others, but is enhanced through acting with integrity and love.”

Grandmother of Wands -Tarot of the Crone (Ellen Lorenzi-Prince)

Grandmother of Wands ~ Matriarch

“It is time to have a talk

And time to have a listen

Time to recognize our common bonds

 

With honest standing

With Goddess guiding

 

We create our culture

By how we treat one another

 

In a cave of light under a cover of dark, many figures gather closely around a fire. One figure looms larger than the rest: this is the matriarch. One of the group, she is also its heart and its strength. She speaks, she leads, she ensures all are heard and considered. She weaves individual strands into a tapestry, creating common ground and common cause. With warmth, rectitude and respect, she creates space for group magic to happen. She is tradition and invention in one. She is the fullest integration of your spirit. Embrace it; her power is yours.”

 

Spirit Speaks to Us

I stand in awe of how the messages come through for us. There’s nothing I can add to these two cards; they have such obvious application to the division and strife we’re currently witnessing, yet hold out an incredible vision of the power we have to create something even greater – together.

(T-498)

Peace – Day 582

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Peace – Mystic Art Medicine Cards by Cher Lyn

Peace

This evening, I got out the set of oracle cards I wrote about some time ago, Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards, by Cher Lyn. I asked for a message or a concept that we would benefit from contemplating and reflecting upon this week, as we approach the solstice and solar eclipse. The card that presented itself for us is Peace.

We all have our ideas of what “Peace” means. The obviousness of how beneficial it could be for all of us to be holding this concept in our minds this week is inescapable. But I want to share with you the uncanny words that the author wrote to accompany this card. Her words are, in my opinion, even more essential to contemplate than the image.

Peace – “Mother Mary”

(…)

In the aftermath of a war zone, its devastating effect brings to mind one question: What could have been so important to cause such violence and bloodshed? Everyone’s soul wants Peace, everyone wants love; so what’s the problem? The minds of our civilized culture are programmed with dysfunctional information. Beginning at birth you undergo cultural programming, indoctrination and subtle brainwashing. Your mind has been the domain of your parents, teachers, and preachers; you’ve given rights over to psychics, authors, and television politicians to mention a few. In other words, you’ve allowed others to think for you, without thinking.

Be cognizant, protesting for Peace while unleashing force will most likely create more anger, more war. Everyone around you has emotional wounds. You can’t fix anyone else. Your responsibility and power is within to change ‘you’ and only you. Transform that which is in you. Release attempts to solve, as judge and jury, the anger of the world. The only functioning place to truly propagate Peace is within your conscious mind and open heart.

(…)

The beloved Mother Mary is here, full of compassion and understanding. Whatever it is you are seeking, for all that you need ask the Mother. Allow inner Peace and receive.”

Worthy Goal

Given everything we are witnessing at the moment, I was moved by not only the serenity of the image but especially the uncanny applicability of Cher Lyn’s words at this specific time in our lives – and the life of our nation.

No matter what else we do this week, it feels wise and worthy to contemplate our own inner transformation – to allow inner Peace and receive.

(T-529)

Timely Question – Day 542

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 Sunset on Fire – 5 May 2020 – Photo: L. Weikel

Timely Question

I had to go out the other day to do a grocery run to a special store I haven’t been to in almost eight weeks. It was the first time I’ve been in my car for a while, so I was enjoying just driving along listening to the songs on my iPhone, when a timely question was posed from an unexpected source.

Some Background

When I used to drive the Grey Ghost (aka Good Girl), I would listen to my iPod all the time. Remember, Good Girl was so old (2005) that she hadn’t come with a standard connection to electronic devices. She had a cassette tape deck and a CD player. So a few years later, my guys bought me an upgraded speaker system and a connection to my iPod for my birthday or Mother’s Day, I can’t remember which. But I do know I made very good use of it.

It wasn’t until Karl died, though, that I started listening to my iPod with it set on ‘random.’ I have a collection of well over 3,000 songs I’ve accumulated over the past 15 years or so, most contributed by my three sons. After losing Karl, I was so numb I couldn’t make a choice of what to listen to if my life depended on it. So I set it on random.

And that’s when I discovered his easiest – and most effective – means of communicating with me.

Quick Search

I just did a quick search of all my blog posts and I apparently have never written about this before. I’m astonished. Honestly, I thought for sure that I’d shared this cherished aspect of my life with all of you already.

Well, realizing this at this late stage of the game makes me see that I need to write about this in more depth another time.

The point of tonight’s post, though, was to share with you a song Karl brought to my attention yesterday, when I was in the car. As usual, I was sort of half listening to what was playing and then drawn up suddenly when I realized what the lyrics were actually saying.

The Question

Where do we go from here?

It’s not just the question posed by the title of the song. It’s the lyrics as a whole and their eerie applicability to the precise situation we’re facing globally. Right now.

Turns out the song was published in 1970. Huh. Who’d have thought Chicago would be so prescient?

As soon as I realized what the lyrics were saying, I knew I wanted to share the song – and the timely question – with all of you. Because I feel this is precisely what we all need to contemplate and decide.

The fate of our country, and quite possibly the world, relies on us getting this right. And I can’t help but feel Karl sees all of this from a different perspective – and is making an effort to get our attention.

Raindrops on the Tohickon – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-569)

Fruit of My Contemplation – Day 120

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Revealing and Rejecting the Shame

Shame is quite a word, isn’t it? It’s even more ‘quite’ a feeling, quite an insidious corrosive force, especially when left in the dark.

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I was surprised when I realized, through writing and then re-reading my posts on International Women’s Day and then its Part 2, that shame was bubbling up to the surface.

When thinking about the way things unfolded in my life, especially career-wise, I’d felt lost of different feelings over the years. Frustration. Anger. Disappointment. Irritation. Aggravation. Indignation.

But I can honestly say, before this past weekend, I don’t think I ever realized that shame was the foundation upon which all of those other emotions stood.

At the root of shame (for me): dishonor

Dictionary.com (that august resource) defines shame as follows: “1. the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, ridiculous, etc., done by oneself or another.” “3. disgrace; ignominy.”

And further, defines ignominy as follows: “1. disgrace, dishonor, public contempt; 2. shameful or dishonorable quality or conduct, or an instance of this.”

Shame Borne of Dishonor

And there it was: the common word contained in the definitions of both of those terms: dishonor.

It is only now that I realize that a deep and abiding wound I’ve been carrying around and occasionally picking at within myself over my career in the law (particularly those early years) was shame borne of dishonor.

While I did not go to law school with the primary motivation of becoming wealthy, I was aware that lawyers generally appear to make comfortable livings. You’d have to have lived under a rock not to have that association drilled into your head through media, including television and movies.

So when I was treated with the disrespect I described earlier, by members of a profession that I (idealist that I was – and still am) held in high esteem, I somehow, deep down, felt like I’d failed. I’d brought dishonor upon myself, for it had to be my fault. My failing. Particularly regarding the compensation I was paid.

The most profound realization I made over the past 24-48 hours, however, was the realization that I’ve been carrying around a sense of having dishonored my birth family, my husband and sons, and – this was the biggest surprise – my sisters, by not living up to my highest potential. Not necessarily my blood sisters, but most definitely all the women who had fought hard for our rights, including my right to pursue a legal education in particular.

I’m astonished to realize that I’ve been carrying around the weight of believing that I failed my feminist forebears.

Too Close To See It and Think I Could Change It?

How outrageous is it that I was not only highly educated but also employed in the profession that works with the laws of the land – and yet I permitted myself to be walked over so easily. If I didn’t speak up, who would?

And how shameful was it that my husband worked to put me through law school – and I had so little to show for it? Surely I should be able to do something about that?!!

The bottom line was that I dishonored and therefore brought shame upon my family and my feminist forbears (literal and figurative) by not fighting hard enough.

Secrecy Was Corrosive

I honestly feel it was important for me to tell the truth of how I and women like me were treated in the legal profession when we were getting started. On the one hand, it was only 35 years ago! And on the other, it was 35 freaking years ago!

No, it doesn’t change what happened. But it just might help young women to know now that we never achieved that equality we so blithely think we have. And by keeping all of the indignities we suffered quiet and hidden from ourselves and each other, we’ve allowed this inequality to persist.

Ideally the ones coming up next will learn from this to stand their ground. Hopefully they won’t be so polite as to consciously decide not to speak up. They’ll use their voices and their power to demand equality. The men in our lives deserve to have us being compensated well for what we do. Compensated and treated equally to the men with whom we work.

By revealing my secret shame of not demanding better (equal) treatment, of permitting myself to be exploited, I have stolen its power. I am free to write about the path my life took that changed it forever. Because now, what needed to be said first has been said.

We must choose to reject the shame.

(T-991)

I Got Nothin’ – Day Fifty Nine

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I Got Nothin’

I’ve shown up every night for 59 days, trusting I would have something to write about. But tonight? I got nothing’. I know I said at the very beginning of this 1111 Devotion journey that there might be days when I would write one sentence and that would have to suffice.

But I hoped it wouldn’t actually come to that.

And I guess it hasn’t literally come to that today, either, since I’ve obviously written more than one sentence. (Umm, yea for me?)

Get Out Of Jail Free Card

So I’m in the clear. I’ve saved myself from using my Get Out Of Jail Free card tonight.

Which makes me wonder: How many GOOJF cards do I get in the 1111 Devotion? Since I’m making up the rules as I go along, I’d say 111 seems fair. Ten percent. What do you think?

In the grand scheme of things, that might appear reasonable (10%). But wow. Looking at it from the perspective that 10% would give me 111 whole, actual, days of only writing one sentence seems crazily over the top. That’s just shy of four months if I strung them all together.

Funny how perspective can shift everything, isn’t it?

That’s the cool thing about shamanic work, actually. (Bet you didn’t see that correlation coming out of left field, did you?)

Perception and Perspective

But it’s true. So much of what we experience in our day-to-day lives and in our world in general is rooted in our perceptions. And as we learn and grow more adept at shifting our perception, we actually gain the ability to begin shifting our reality in ways we might never have imagined.

And part of how we perceive anything is the perspective from which we look at it. But obviously, before we can shift our perspective, we have to realize what our present one is. How are we looking at something? Is it from a place of fear? Of feeling magnanimous and abundant? Is it from a place of feeling centered and at peace?

There are those varying perspectives we can consider, and then there are different levels of perception we can employ to shift our reality. But again, we first have to train ourselves to become aware of the different levels so we can identify what one we are looking at or perceiving from at any given moment.

So here I am, starting a conversation on how important both perspective and differing levels of perception can completely influence our experience of ‘reality.’ And I’m also suggesting that shamanic work can result in dramatic shifts in not only our perceptions, and perspectives, but also our realities.

That’s some pretty heady stuff to be contemplating right around midnight. Or the crack of dawn, if that’s when you’re reading this.

Checking Our Perspective – Occasionally

Just think about it. If you were told you had only one more month to live, would you look at anything the same way as you are in this present moment? That’s a radical question to ask any of us to contemplate, even if it might be some people’s actual reality. And we might be inclined to judge it as just a dumb intellectual exercise, since it can feel like we are bullshitting ourselves if we really try to imagine looking at ourselves from the perspective of knowing we only have one more month (or week, or day) to live.

But I do think it is helpful, sometimes, to take a personal re-set. To really sit down and think about how we are choosing to perceive our life, our circumstances, our relationships, and even our world, at any given time. Are we looking at these things from the default perspective that ‘things will never change?’ That, it seems to me, is an even greater bullshitting of ourselves than the former.

Ha ha – maybe I should’ve stopped at that one sentence and let things be.

Naaah. I still have 111 in my back pocket. Or do I?

(T-1052)