opportunity

Procrastination – Day 1108

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Puppies luxuriating fireside – Photo: L. Weikel

Procrastination

Oh yeah, baby. You have to know that’s my middle name. You may think it’s Joy (or maybe you didn’t know that), but either way, I’m here to tell you, procrastination takes on some peculiar characteristics in my life.

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m realizing I don’t always have the same fundamental emotion motivating me to be…demotivated. You would think it’s primarily founded on avoidance of pain or unpleasantness. And I guess that’s true for some things I procrastinate on, such as inputting data into my Quicken or mowing the lawn when the grass is tall and the weather hot and sticky.

But even as I sit here and try to come up with stuff I really don’t like to do – and routinely procrastinate on – I find myself thinking, “Yeah, but when I finally end up doing those things, it feels so good.” I am often flooded with a sense of relief that I can cross them off my list.

And yet, that’s actually the least influential ‘good feeling’ I have after completing something I dragged my feet to do. I love the feeling of being organized or the satisfaction of seeing and smelling fresh cut grass. I love how the wildflowers growing in the middle of the lawn seem to duck the blade and spring up triumphantly about half an hour after I’ve put the mower away.

I’m serious about that, too! I used to feel annoyed by those wily wildflowers. Now I celebrate their resilience (as well as their color and diversity).

The Flip Side

The other side, or perhaps fundamental cause, of my procrastination is something I think I wrote about seemingly a million years ago – or at least early on in my 1111 Devotion. I guess I didn’t call it procrastination then. I think I called it hoarding. (Note! In finding the link to the hoarding post, I realize it was written way back in 2013 – well before embarking on my 1111 Devotion.)

And deep down, I think most of my procrastination is actually rooted in a desire to hold onto the feeling of potential, promise, and opportunity that comes when poised at the beginning of a new activity. I love the feeling that anything is possible. As a result, sometimes I linger a little too long in the imaginal realm. (Ha ha – spell check refuses to acknowledge that imaginal is a word.)

But this desire to linger also applies to tasks or projects I engage in often (or ‘should’ allow myself more often) – not just to new activities. And that’s actually the feeling and type of endeavor I’ve allowed to get a slow burn on lately.

I love to really dig into things, especially thoughts and feelings. Motivations. The real and honest stuff that informs our choices and helps define our reality. Writing in my journal is the way I make sense of the world, because writing in my journal is where I allow myself to dig deeply into my feelings and motivations.

And Then…

And then this happens: I forget where I was going with the thought that started this whole post. Now I see I’m going to barely have enough time to get it posted without it being bumped into the next day’s email.

Ugh.

OK, so I will end here for now. Maybe you’ll forgive me if I include some puppy photos.

I swear to you, this bottom one was taken only moments ago. No matter how many times I shift, they keep piling onto my left hand!

Writing Partners – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-3)

Opportunity – Day 1022

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Shark – Opportunity – The Ocean Oracle by Susan Marte

Opportunity

The cards I drew last night for us as a collective yielded Jellyfish – Hidden Gifts as the primary with Shark – Opportunity as the foundation card.

I’m still pondering the perfection of the Jellyfish card’s message in light of the swirling miasma of events we’re witnessing in the world around us. And yeah…lucky are we if we are, in fact, only ‘witnessing’ any or all of it. Because to be experiencing any of the horror firsthand must feel like your entire world is being ripped out from under you.

It doesn’t matter where we look, in what direction, toward which catastrophe, or in which country, there just seems to be a cascade of awfulness. So the fact that the cards that presented themselves were Hidden Gifts and Opportunity begs reflection.

Conundrum

The whole little vignette relayed by Shark in The Ocean Oracle (set out below) has a vaguely familiar feel to it. Perhaps you’ll recognize in it another story that’s often mentioned when people feel forsaken. And it’s probably safe to say that there are thousands (if not millions) of people who feel forsaken right about now.

And just like last night’s message about Hidden Gifts, neither the Opportunity nor the Hidden Gifts are necessarily obvious as such. In fact, it’s likely they’re not. Who could possibly think that any of the extreme circumstances we’re facing in our country and world today could be considered either gifts or opportunities? And yet…

Shark’s Message

“Shark – OPPORTUNITY

The Story

Once upon a time in the watery depths of a great ocean long ago forgotten, there lived a community of sea creatures. They lived together in peaceful harmony. Their community was abundant and prosperous and provided for all of their needs. One day a neighboring shark came by, telling them of an opportunity that would enhance their lives even more. Since the community could not fathom what else they may need, they let the opportunity pass them by. The shark swam away. Time passed and the community started to hear about other communities, who had taken a chance with the opportunities the shark offered them, and how their communities had become even more abundant and prosperous.

The shark came again to the community, and again offered them an opportunity to enhance their lives. They were hesitant. They knew what they had and they were happy. Could there really be more out there? When the shark came for the third time the community decided to take the opportunity presented to them, this time not letting their fear stop them. Although at first it was scary and there was some hesitation, when the community whole-heartedly embraced the opportunity, they found their community grew and expanded in ways they never dreamed possible.

The Messages

Is opportunity knocking? Be aware it does not knock forever. If you do not take the opportunity it could pass you by. Is this an acceptable option? This card could be a reminder that there are opportunities and you need to grab hold and shape what comes your way and make it yours and make what you will of it. Opportunities may or may not be straight forward. They may be in the murky depths. They may come at dawn or dusk or be just out of vision or tangible reach. Opportunities abound. Take the fullness of the possibility and open up to the potential it holds.”

My Take

While some of us may be lucky enough at this moment in time to be witnessing as opposed to directly experiencing the ravages of Covid or Hurricane Ida or the terror of trying to escape Afghanistan or wildfires or earthquakes, it’s only a matter of time before we all get a taste of direct experience. If nothing else, we all live on and share Mother Earth. Climate change, like a virus, is blind to any of the superficial reasons we may tell ourselves that ‘it can’t happen to us.’

But there are hidden gifts in these tragedies. There are immediate lessons we can learn in each moment. And there are opportunities that demand to be explored and embraced if we – the community of humanity – are to thrive. But we must open our eyes without delay.

(T-89)

Hidden Gifts – Day 1021

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Jellyfish – Hidden Gifts – The Ocean Oracle by Susan Marte

Hidden Gifts

At least tonight drawing a few cards for wisdom and watchwords didn’t feel completely alien. The atmosphere surrounding life itself continues to feel out of sync to me. Things are off. Even the weather seems confused and ill-tempered. The temperature here dropped twenty degrees yesterday, but the humidity seemed to have increased, which seems impossible as everything’s sopping wet already. But could our inclination to withdraw into ourselves to escape lead to the discovery of hidden gifts?

That’s what a quick consultation with The Ocean Oracle would seem to suggest.

Instead of getting fancy, I asked the age-old cop-out question I use when I’m not sure what else to ask: “What do we need to know right now?”

Jellyfish – Hidden Gifts

“The Story

The florescence of the object drew her towards it. It was a jellyfish, washed up on the shore, its whole being spread upside down before her. She realized with some clarity the luck at the jellyfish being reversed. Upright and she would have risked stepping on it, not being able to distinguish its translucent shape with the beach around it. She bent down to study the still creature, noticed how out of its natural environment it instilled awe in her, and not fear. She thought how often we give more power to things through fear, things that out of context are diminished; safe; unalarming. She saw the intricate beauty as the jellyfish was laid bare before her. She was able to study the hidden side of this perceived danger with a sort of reverence – she never realized the beauty which resided in this creature, because she never had the opportunity, or took the time, to look. There were so many hidden gifts to be thankful for.

The Messages

Are you in a situation where you have to look deeper, or beneath, in order to see the hidden gifts before you? Even if you cannot physically remove yourself from the presence of what you perceive to be threatening or harmful, in your mind or heart remove yourself to equal ground. Turn the situation around to see the gifts being offered to you. There is huge fear around how things can hurt you, but do not let this distract from the gifts they offer. Edit the voice which tells us that what appears dangerous and poisonous and harmful we must stay away from or watch out for because it will hurt us. There are gifts in every situation.”

At the Foundation

Underneath the startlingly relevant card described above was the Shark card – Opportunity. The simple fact of Opportunity laying at the foundation of the Hidden Gifts speaks volumes.

For now, however, I leave us all to the ‘opportunity’ to contemplate what hidden gifts might be presenting themselves to each of us right now. Hidden gifts that we might otherwise be afraid of, but which are precisely what we require in the moment.

(T-90)

All These Ones – Day 1001

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Ripples – Photo: L. Weikel

All These Ones

Holy cow! With all these ones surrounding us tonight and a powerful new moon to boot, how could it not be a time for fresh starts, planting seeds of creative intention, and contemplating the new stories we’re ready to begin weaving in our lives?

In case you’re puzzling over exactly what ‘ones’ I’m talking about, it’s the “Day 1001” above and the “(T-110)” at the end of this post. Ones galore. New beginnings. And since many of you have been faithful compatriots over the long slog that’s brought us to yesterday’s milestone – now with only 110 left to go! – I dare say each one of you is undoubtedly standing at the cusp of something new in your life, too.

Perhaps it’s a major life decision, such as selling your home, pursuing a new field of study or expertise, opening your own business, or adopting a baby. Or maybe it’s something on a much smaller scale – or perhaps only seems so in this moment – but may end up changing the major trajectory of your life.

Flow and Bubbles – Photo: L. Weikel

So Much Going On All Around Us

With all the static and confusion, the rancor and fear that’s swirling around us, I challenge us all to find one new little twist we can add to the story of our lives right this moment. Even if the new thought or activity only changes five minutes of the story we tell ourselves, what will happen if we think it and then act on it?

Where will those new and different five minutes of our lives lead us? That new thought or choice might seem to shift the strands of our destiny a single degree from where they were otherwise headed. But over time? Wow. It could lead to a transformation of our reality.

I’m sharing ‘all these ones’ with each of you. If you weren’t reading my words, then they wouldn’t matter in the least.

And so I invite you to embrace this opportunity to add a little spice to our stories. And ok. If you’d rather sweet instead of spice, I say, “Go for it!” Either way, or even another way entirely, recall the tantalizing anticipation that comes with starting a new book or movie and imagine feeling that way about your tomorrow.

(T-110)

It’s Been a While – Day 842

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The Ocean Oracle by Susan Marte – 12 – Shark – Opportunities

It’s Been a While

It’s been a while since I chose an Ocean Oracle card for us to contemplate. While there is the possibility that in a couple of days we may have to deal with some weird hangover stuff still lurking in some people’s minds following the insurrection attempt on January 6th, I’m holding out hope that it’ll all blow over. Maybe that’s what that wild wind last night was trying to sweep away.

We can hope.

New Card

I cleared my mind and shuffled the deck. If I held anything in my mind, I guess I’d describe it as mostly a feeling, a sort of ‘holding’ the idea of March in my consciousness and just asking for a word or an idea that could be our collective March ‘watchword.’

12 ~ Shark ~ Opportunity

The Story:

“Once upon a time in the watery depths of a great ocean long ago forgotten, there lived a community of sea creatures. They lived together in peaceful harmony. Their community was abundant and prosperous and provided for all their needs. One day a neighbouring shark came by, telling them of an opportunity that would enhance their lives even more. Since the community could not fathom what else they may need, they let the opportunity pass them by. The shark swam away. Time passed and the community started to hear about other communities, who had taken a chance with the opportunities the shark offered them, and how their communities had become even more abundant and prosperous. The shark came again to the community, and again offered them an opportunity to enhance their lives. They were hesitant. They knew what they had and they were happy. Could there really be more out there? When the shark came for the third time the community decided to take the opportunity presented to them, this time not letting their fear stop them. Although at first it was scary and there was some hesitation, when the community whole-heartedly embraced the opportunity, they found their community grew and expanded in ways they never dreamed possible.

The Messages:

Is opportunity knocking? Be aware it doesn’t not knock forever. If you do not take the opportunity it could pass you by. Is this an acceptable option? This card could be a reminder that there are opportunities and you need to grab hold and shape what comes your way and make it yours and make what you will of it. Opportunities may or may not be straightforward. They may be in the murky depths. They may come at dawn or dusk or be just out of vision or tangible reach. Opportunities about. Take the fullness of the possibility and open up to the potential it holds.”

At the Foundation

Underneath (on the bottom of the deck) when I chose the Shark card was – surprise surprise – the same card we’ve had sitting in counsel with us for months now: Sea Heather – Resilience.

As it has indeed shown up before, you can read about Resilience here.

My Take

While I provided the link to the specific description of Resilience in the Ocean Oracle from when I chose it for us last time, I have to admit, I wasn’t at all surprised for the concept to be underneath and holding up everything around us. Resilience is essential if we are going to survive.

In many ways, I think most of us hoped that we would be able to let our guards down at least a little once President Biden was elected. That’s because we knew, among other changes, a serious fight would begin to be waged on the Covid-19 pandemic and its pernicious threat to our health, lives, and livelihoods. In some ways, our internal holding ourselves at ‘defcon 5’ all the time has subsided at least a little bit.

But the truth is that – above all else, or fundamentally (underpinning all else) – we know and are being shown every day that there are a tremendous amount of threats facing us at the moment. With the Opportunities Shark is telling us to look around for and consider embracing, we must always hold fast to what is true. We must stay strong in ourselves and remain open-minded; if we do, we just may see opportunity in a whole lot more situations than we ever might have imagined just a month or two or six ago.

There’s a lot of upheaval still simmering just under the surface. Unexpected opportunities to make a difference will come and go, especially this month. We need to consider them. Entertain them. Quite possibly seize them. But throughout it all, we must keep our roots planted deep enough to foster our resilience.

(T-269)

ICYMI – Day 532

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Old fashioned radio – Photo: pinterest.com

ICYMI

It’s funny – this is one of two acronyms that have grown in usage over the past several years that seem to stop me in my tracks. When I see ICYMI (which stands for ‘in case you missed it’), I always have to pause and make a conscious effort to say the full phrase to myself. For whatever reason, this acronym just doesn’t trigger instant recognition in my brain.

Neither does NSFW. Which is particularly ironic, if you know me very well on a personal level, since I tend to speak in NSFW language about NSFW subjects probably far too often. (That’s ‘not safe for work,’ Karl.) (He’s as bad as I am about these acronyms; trust me.)

OK, so now that we have that sorted (hmm, is OK one, too? maybe not), I want to let you know the reason why I titled this post the way I did.

KYW, Of Course

My ‘unexpected opportunity!’ My 30 seconds of fame, dear readers! Good heavens, I’ve only been writing about it for days. In fact, I’m sure you were wondering if it would ever air – or if I was just stringing you along. Because yes, including tonight, I managed to eke out three whole posts dedicated to an interview that seemed to go by in the wink of an eye. But at least tonight’s post includes a link to the actual broadcasted clip!

I have to say, being a person who does not routinely (read ‘ever’) get interviewed on tv or radio, I was pretty stoked when I hopped in my car this morning for my weekly run to buy our organic milk during the old people’s hour. (That sentence horrifies me. But sadly, it’s accurate.) The stoking factor was that it only took seven minutes or so from when I got in the car and turned on the radio for the segment to come on!

Then, having bopped in and out of the store in jig time, I got home all excited to have heard it, whereupon Karl turned the radio on here in the house. Sure enough, another version of the segment  – one that was a scootch longer, even! – aired within a couple of minutes.

Gratitude

I want to thank Kim Glovas for seeking me out for the interview. It was a privilege to be asked to share my thoughts on what our global experience of this pandemic might be instigating within and revealing to us, not only personally but on a much larger scale as well.

There are some of you out there who may smile when you read the paragraph above. Yeah. Life’s a hoot.

I also send out big hugs to each of you who so kindly expressed enthusiasm when I first wrote about the interview last week. While it’s always great to have unexpected opportunities arrive in our lives, it’s waaaaay more fun to share those bright spots with others.

So again, ICYMI, here it is. As always, thanks for reading. And thanks for listening!

Tigger – unimpressed with my shenanigans – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-579)

Unexpected Opportunity – Day 528

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 4 Comments
Last Night’s New Moon/Lyrid Night Sky – Photo: L. Weikel

Unexpected Opportunity

When I woke up this morning, I never guessed I’d be presented with such an unexpected opportunity. But there it was – a text message, asking if I would be willing to be interviewed for a segment on ‘Spirituality in the Time of Covid-19.’

The sheer fact that I was given the chance to voice my perspective is surprising enough. But on KYW Newsradio? (Yes, all of you from the tristate area surrounding Philadelphia, say the jingle aloud with me:  “KYW, Newsradio…1060!”)

Nope. I have to admit it; I didn’t see that coming.

But when I received that text message this morning, I immediately flashed to the fact that today is the new moon. New beginnings. A perfect time for planting the seeds of what we want to create in the future.

My Passion

I love the world that has opened up for me over the past 35 years through my studies of, and experiences in, shamanism. Embracing my relationship with Mother Earth and the interconnectedness of all beings, and exploring the different realms that exist around us, changed the course of my life.

My passion for this perspective on life and my direct experience of astonishing shifts in both my relationship to life as well as those of my family, friends, and clients, strikes a chord in me that is difficult to shush once you get me going.

Pretty Low Key

Nevertheless, overall, I think I come across to most people as pretty low key when it comes to my relationship with ‘the spiritual realm.’ I don’t shout from the rooftop the nature of my work. I don’t try to persuade people to ‘believe’ anything in particular. But I do love introducing people to our inherent ability as humans to access information from and establish relationships with unseen forces and archetypal presences that want us to remember and recognize that they have sentience.

Whew. That was saying a lot. Luckily, I didn’t wax quite so rhapsodic in my interview.

Speaking Out

Given that I tend to mostly only speak of this passion to my family, friends, and clients (and to those of you who care enough to read this blog), I have to admit, when I was invited to participate in the interview today, my first inclination was to say no.

But I do try to ‘walk my talk.’ And given everything I’ve been writing about lately, the choice seemed clear and unequivocal – even if it did make me really nervous.

So I just wanted to let you all know that I planted the seed of one of my intentions today. And I’m so incredibly grateful for the unexpected opportunity to do so.

I hope you planted some as well.

Maybe you’ll catch the segment if you tune in tomorrow.

Photo: L. Weikel

(T-583)