Perseverance

Perseverance Pays Off – Day 713

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Photo: Nationalgeographic.com

Perseverance Pays Off

If you read my post on Watchwords the other day, you’ll recognize one of them in the title above. I’ve noticed the word in recent articles or popping up in conversations over the past few days, but this evening I actually experienced first hand the wisdom in trusting that perseverance pays off.

And no, it’s not what you think. My epiphany has nothing to do with internal fortitude or relentlessly putting my shoulder to the wheel, pushing forward in the face of dire circumstances or daunting poll numbers. My appreciation for the benefits that perseverance can bring to our lives is much simpler and mundane.

Yet it made our evening.

In the midst of all the anxiety and insanity surrounding the election and – perhaps even worse, the worry over how things will unfold post-election – Karl and I persevered. And it paid off.

Embracing Distraction

The weather where I live shifted dramatically late this afternoon. It felt like the temperature dropped about 20 degrees within the span of half an hour. I’d been working at my usual perch on our porch, engaging in a long distance reading for a client and friend, when all of a sudden I realized that the wind had shifted and I was cold. Shifting my workspace inside, I completed the session, but I was chilled to the bone.

I flirted with the idea of taking a long, hot bath and just settling in to crack open a book I picked up at the library just yesterday. But Karl was the pushy one tonight, prodding me to take a walk, even if it was just our shorter two mile jaunt.

Upon our return, we agreed that we just wanted to hunker down, get warm, pig out (no, I’m not going there), and lose ourselves in a distracting movie – ideally a feel-good one.

Karl suggested a movie that looked light and might have potential. I think it was called The Prince & Me, and it was airing on Netflix. Good grief; it was awful. The dialogue was stilted, the premise formulaic. And while I don’t claim to be a film connoisseur, even I have my limit. We gave it a total of about 20 minutes and had to just let it die on the vine.

We surfed the movie lineups on a couple of channels. (It should be noted here that Karl was hell-bent on watching a movie. We’re actually in the middle of a couple of really great series, but he wanted a movie.) We saw one that had Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus in it: Downhill, and gave it a try. Oh my. It was a downer. We like both actors and wanted to like the movie, but no. No. We wanted to laugh. Or at least not feel like we were being forced to watch a marriage plunge off the side of a mountain in slow motion.

Out of Character

Once again, we gave the movie a good 35-40 minutes or so to redeem itself and give us a reason to stick with it. (Yes, we gave it a slightly longer opportunity than we gave the other. The writing – and acting – were both significantly better than the first debacle.) But alas, as out of character as it was for us not to just ‘stick with it’ (and suffer), we persevered in our quest to find a movie that would lift us out of our routine thoughts and existential concerns. We turned off Downhill and resumed our search for a movie that would fit the bill.

And we prevailed.

Karl had another suggestion. One we had to dig for because he misremembered the title and our search kept coming up empty. But then he remembered enough of the title for us to ultimately zero in on it: Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Watch the trailer.

Quirky for sure, but most definitely a worthy distraction. I recommend it for many reasons: amazing scenery (you can’t beat New Zealand for stunning scenery), the accents, a plot line that held a number of surprises, and heart. The movie definitely has heart.

So while our perseverance tonight may not have yielded transformation, it did put smiles on both of our faces. Our moods most definitely shifted as a result of our relentless pursuit of a movie to take our minds off the utter awfulness in the outside world, if only for a couple hours. If you watch it, you won’t regret it.

And it just goes to show: you never know how or when the Watchwords we’re given will come in handy.

(T-398)

Another Dimension – Day 711

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 4 Comments
Crescent and Fog – Photo: L. Weikel

Another Dimension

Sometimes we stumble across a person, place, or thing in our everyday lives and we almost have to pinch ourselves to see if we’re dreaming. That’s sort of been Karl’s and my experience the past two early evenings. Not just once, but twice we’ve encountered a very obvious threshold; a portal into another dimension.

The spontaneous rising of a rather substantial bank of fog in the fields surrounding our home lent an eerie and ethereal atmosphere to our walks the past few evenings. On the one hand, we were treated to a spectacularly clear view of Saturn, Jupiter, and the waxing crescent moon creating a graceful arc in the evening sky. It’s also kind of cool to realize that, if our eyesight were only powerful enough, we’d also be able to see Pluto nestled in the expanse between Saturn and Jupiter.

Yet at the same time that we revel in that unobstructed view of those outer planets and our moon, when we bring our gaze down to ground level, we can barely see beyond our own shoes. There’s a little inner double-take that happens when we first realize how backwards this all seems. Why is our ability to see things up close so obscured?

Perhaps it’s a metaphor; I really can’t say. Maybe we’re supposed to be setting our sights on what we want to create and the ideals to which we choose to aspire. We know what we want; we can see it clearly. But maybe we’re supposed to reach those goals through an act of faith.

Approaching the Portal – Photo: L. Weikel

Entering the Portal

We reached a point in our walk both last night and tonight when the way ahead appeared to be an illustration straight out of a book of fairy tales. Clarity prevailed almost everywhere we looked, but straight ahead? Our path led us directly into what appeared to be a portal to another dimension.

Entering this portal felt like it might lead to another time and space. We joked that at least we had each other; maybe we should hold hands so as not to lose each other in the heavy mist. Perhaps the Beings of the threshold would try to persuade us to take a nap and we would awaken a decade or two hence.

It felt like we weren’t alone as we broached the almost cave-like threshold. A photo I took captured not a wall of fog but rather shapes and swirls and the maybe even the faintest source of cool hands brushing our cheeks and tickling our necks.

We walked maybe 25 yards through this ground cloud of haze only to emerge – suddenly – into a what felt like the other side of the mirror. We returned to the road, further along by far, but with our surroundings revealed to us with laser-like focus and clarity once more.

Photo: L. Weikel

Emergence

Were we changed by the experience? At first glance, it would appear we weren’t. But maybe we should take a little time. Wait and see. Was this a metaphor? Do we feel relatively unscathed because we persevered? Because we continued walking through the veil, putting one foot in front of the other and having faith we’d eventually emerge from the fog?

I don’t know.

It felt significant that we stayed the course; that we didn’t turn around or freeze up just because the way forward was suddenly and dramatically obscured. Not that we even entertained stopping. Or turning around. Not really. But…what was that passing in front of me as I tried to take a photo?

(T-400)

Watchwords – Day 710

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards by Cher Lyn – “Perseverance”

Watchwords

You may have noticed that I’ve been trying to keep my recent posts light and, while not totally ignoring the mayhem and insanity all around us, at least making an effort to think and write about generally more upbeat, or at least benign, topics. But what we’re enduring politically and existentially in the United States at the moment is the elephant in the room. Every once in a while, therefore, I’m compelled to address it. Tonight being one of those nights, I was inspired to choose watchwords for us specifically to hold on to over the next three days or so.

I’m not sure why, but the sense I got was that this pick of cards from the Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards by Cher Lyn was valid ‘for the next couple of days.’ I may be told to choose additional cards as events unfold – or not. My sense is that the next two weeks will almost feel as though we’re reliving the last four years, only this time experiencing them crammed into 14 (or fewer) days.

This deck has been a reliable resource over the past several months, weighing in every once in a while with watchwords or concepts that have been remarkably appropriate to our circumstances. It feels important to emphasize that this oracle deck contains 64 different cards representing vastly different concepts. I suppose it feels necessary to state this because the main card I chose (the top card) in answer to my specific request for guidance for all of us over the next few days almost seems set up. But it wasn’t.

Perseverance

Yes. I chose the Perseverance card. And while that single, simple word may be all we really need to hold close as circumstances grow increasingly precarious, I just have to quote Cher Lyn’s words. Even the title of her painting (the card’s image) and her introductory poem are eerie in their appropriateness:

Perseverance – “Still I Rise”

Twas the hardest thing to do,

Be myself under that rule.

Burning rage red-hot fire,

I am not a slave nor I aspire.

Bury the cross and my loved ones lost.

I persevere through white man’s fear.

“…Life can be hard with many painful lessons. Sometimes it feels as though it will never end. For a time there is nothing more you can do than to breathe and know ‘this too shall pass.’ In the dark tunnel of suffering acknowledge others who have carried on through unimaginable torment. Brave ones rise from the ashes like the phoenix to find that the gift of Perseverance is freedom. Physical, emotional, or spiritual, it is freedom you come to know through Perseverance. Know that with every thought, word, feeling, and action you are either adding to your suffering or nurturing with a healing touch. Carry on in the monitoring of your thoughts and focus your attention moment by moment. Change is coming.

Your prayers, intentions, surrender, and trust in the Divine Will of Creator does matter. Take steps to transform what needs adjustment, clear your plate of that which does not serve you. Receive help, forgive and embrace all of you.

The medicine of this card is asking you to know this suffering will pass and never give up. Thin of an oak tree growing out of a rock with little or no soil. So determined to live. This is Perseverance, this is the power of life. This is God, the sun, and the love light giving life. This is you shining through despite circumstances.”

Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards by Cher Lyn – “Transformation”

The Foundation – Underneath: Transformation

Transformation – “Egyptian Magic”

“ (…) All things form and transform within the mysterious cycles of birth, life, and death. Instead of fearing the darkness you can bless it, learn from it, and embrace it. It is both your humanness and your light. The shadow you fear is powerless without the interpretation of your beliefs, thoughts, and desires. The power of Transformation lies in your ability to find the light within the shadow and make the connection, infusing focus on its light quality instead of the darkness.

Everything you think, feel, and do creates your lessons in the world you live in. Inside you great intelligence, wisdom, and love are ever present. It is the beliefs you have been taught that are the hindering factor here. Let the fire in your heart inspire you for Transformation. Perfecting your character and at the same time helping you let go while allowing any pain, sorrow, or difficulty to just be there. Allow the alchemical change to unfold and evolve you in its own time as you journey through your world with the power of intentions.

The Transformation card suggests that you be in touch with both your shadow side and your spiritual side. True Transformation can only happen in connection with your heart. Setting in motion authentic spiritual alchemy you will see a change in you, like base metal into gold. Essentially shifting your whole perspective.” (emphasis added)

My ‘Take’

Once again, I dare say words added by me are pretty much superfluous. When I ask Spirit for a message for us, something for us to contemplate and hold on to through the coming turbulence, Spirit delivers.

Almost every time I decide to choose cards for us in this way, I feel a little hitch in my chest. It always feels like at least somewhat of a risk – in spite of the fact that I’ve never been abandoned by Spirit. Will we receive some dire message? Will a card present itself that leaves me completely unable to see or perceive a connection to what we’re experiencing?

In a word: no. We’re always supported. Always guided.

Hang on and hang in there.

(T-401)