Category: conscious change
The Lie of Security

The Lie of Security

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The three of us sat there, in the back of the bagel shop, in our own force field of power. It might not have looked that way as three middle-aged women shared ways we are leaving the old paradigm and forging forward into new territory, but the energy was palpable.

Each of us, in our own way, is releasing the fears that keep us stuck in the old beliefs of how money works, how our work in the world can be expressed and we are standing with a foot in each world trying to maintain balance.

Sound familiar? People are doing this all over the planet. We are leaving the idea that you must be chained to the status quo in order to survive. Sort of feels like the Matrix movie. Do you choose the red pill or the blue pill? Do you want to know the truth or continue to feed a system that is toxic just to have the illusion of security?

Definition of security: “Freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury, danger, or loss.” (Dictionary.com)

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” Helen Keller wrote that.

I would rather live life as a daring adventure than be stuck in fear that keeps me chained to the old paradigm. The red pill reveals the unpleasant knowledge and the truths of everyday life, the blue pill keeps us in ignorance. I know which one I will choose every single time. What about you?
Goodbye Television

Goodbye Television

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For a while now I’ve wanted to stop watching television. I didn’t watch much the last several years but had streaming channels that offered just enough drivel to keep me hooked into mindless vegetative bingeing on occasion.

Recently I changed wireless service providers and decided it would be a good time to back away from the TV. I have a few movies I kept after giving most as donations…The Bird Cage, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Young Frankenstein….just enough to give a laugh when needed.

After unplugging my Apple TV and staring at a big, black glass rectangle I had a strange reaction….I actually felt withdrawal symptoms. Fortunately I began reading more and found a sample of a book I downloaded a while back. I decided to purchase it as it was quite perfectly timed. The title? The Way Home: Tales from a Life without Technology.

Mark Boyle lives in Ireland and wrote a book about leaving the world of technology. His was an extreme choice. It wasn’t just a screen…it was nearly everything. No indoor plumbing, no electricity…he even opted to leave music behind unless it was live. No email, no computer, no social media. Nothing…except an occasional ferry, ship or train travel and he even walked to get to those.

Reading Mark’s book made me realize stopping the majority of television-watching was really nothing compared to leaving nearly all technology behind. The book is very interesting and didn’t convince me to do it…ever…unless I have to.

The main time I would watch was after working at a part-time retail job that can be rather draining. As an empath, being around so many people is challenging so the TV was a way to numb out after work. Not a great choice but better than some I suppose. I would prefer being outside but with sweltering temperatures I pass on that until later at night.

So the first few days were weird. After a bit of a shock at realizing how much I was addicted to it, I began to feel so much more mental and physical energy. As much as possible I would go outside, even if only for a few minutes, and just breathe with the trees. I found my entire brain function felt different. And there was extra energy to do things I love…writing, playing music. But I also faced the feelings that surfaced when I didn’t numb out watching mindless garbage.

Who knew that watching television, even fluffy, funny stuff, could affect us so much?

I’m not saying I don’t pull out a few movies here and there and allow myself some vegetative time…I think we need time off on occasion. But I don’t turn the thing on every day and I’ve even put it and my home theater system up for sale. I don’t want to take it when I move.

Something that also transpired is I no longer have an internet modem constantly bombarding my home with a wi-fi signal. I have a hotspot I use only when I post on my blog or upload photographs to my photography site or do maintenance on my web page. I wonder if that isn’t making a really positive difference as well.

It’s taken me years to make this choice and its amazing how much better I feel–cleaner energetically, clearer mentally and more aware emotionally.

Next in line….reduce time on social media. And who knows what will follow.
The Tower Crumbles

The Tower Crumbles

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The other night in meditation, a very strong vision came and I watched with discomfort as the Tower I stood on with my white horse started to crumble. But it wasn’t crumbling from any outer force. It was falling apart because the horse and I were striking it. The white horse reared up and used both front feet to begin the destruction and I slid off her back and grabbed a sledge hammer and aided her. Then I saw my child self and teenage self arrive and begin to work with us. There came a point when the energy was so intense the three parts of myself were hitting each other and the guide intervened and reminded us not to turn on each other. Then as the Tower fell, the horse took the three of us to safety on her back. The ground turned to boiling lava so the horse flew us to safety…a green pasture beside a clear stream. The edge collapsed and we went into the water where we were washed clean.

It wasn’t the most peaceful meditation. It was more of a journey into the reality of what is happening not just in my life but with all of us. The old paradigm is crumbling and the process is scary and filled with danger. We even turn on others we care about in the process of dismantling the old way of living.

Today I was opening boxes I packed nearly a year ago when I had a near-sale of my home and the buyers were pushing me to get out quickly. When they ghosted, I never bothered to unpack. So I decided to open all the boxes and get rid of more stuff…if I haven’t used it why keep it?

I came to a box of books on the Ocean, whales and dolphins…some of my most precious books. When I started looking at them I stopped and hugged the box to me and wept deeply for my cetacean brothers and sisters and our beautiful seas and all life that hangs in a very precarious place. I allowed myself to feel the grief and be with feelings of great sadness.

What a strange time to be alive. We are watching the old paradigm be challenged every day and it rears up and shows its abusive self…but we are collectively taking it down….piece by piece.

It’s a time of intense emotions and fears and great anger at what is being done to innocent children and wildlife and wild places. Ultimately compassion and kindness and a deep, fierce love and devotion is what is needed. The kind of love that stands up and says…NO MORE! We are experiencing the old paradigm die within ourselves and in the world around us.

This is a time when we need to forge bonds of love and compassion and reach out to those experiencing difficulties….and who isn’t these days? It’s not a time to isolate ourselves even though we might need time alone to access stillness and inner silence. A phone call, a visit, an email or text….are you okay, friend?

The new is found within the old so as we witness and feel the old falling away, let us be mindful of the seeds of new awaiting nurturing so they can take root and grow and thrive. Water those new seeds, give attention to what you wish to create.

Stay hydrated, rest, take time to be still and quiet, eat well, talk to friends who understand, talk to a life/spiritual coach, be outdoors, get a massage, take a salt bath. Take loving care for you are birthing a new world from within yourself.
The Magic of Ireland

The Magic of Ireland

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Back in September I spent ten days in Ireland, mostly on the island of Inis Mor. The pull was strong to return to the land where I felt most free, most able to be myself.

So four months later I find myself sitting in a cottage on a hill in Doolin looking at stars twinkle through the window before me while the lights of the village twinkle down the hill. Beyond that, the mighty Atlantic Ocean.

Yesterday the Cliffs of Moher called to my spirit as I hiked the muddy path perched high upon the edge. Even with the multitudes of humanoids that visit during the summer season, the power of the land and sea remains steady and enormous.

By way of recommendation of a shop owner, my friend and I traveled to Ennis and I purchased a new Irish whistle to add to my collection of Irish instruments, the intention being to purchase it on the visit and play it in various locations. I wanted to infuse the sweet sounds of it with the magic of Ireland.

Today found us on a beach during low tide. Rivulets of sea water reflecting the sky reminded me of the sea running through my veins and I felt at one with the land and ocean…perhaps more so than ever before.

The Poulnabrone Dolmen has called to me from the first time I saw photographs of it so it was on the list of places to visit. When we arrived heavy clouds were moving in and after being at the portal tomb for only a few minutes, it began to rain and sleet. Everyone left but me…and the spirits of the place.

I kept my camera out and removed the whistle from my pack and sat down. The wind made playing very difficult but I managed to produce a few sweet notes. As a played I sent love and thoughts for a peaceful rest and afterlife for those thirty-three individuals that had been laid to rest there perhaps 5000 years ago.

From my heart I played and then stopped, closed my eyes and dropped into stillness. The rain stopped. The clouds parted and within minutes the only clouds in the sky overhead were feathery wisps that seemed to decorate the top stone.

Tonight at a local pub, Irish music filled my heart and brought tears of joy. The magic of Ireland is helping rekindle the magic within me. And for that I am ever so grateful.
Patterns

Patterns

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SimoneLipscomb copyWe find magnificent patterns in nature…sand ripples, turtle shells, leaf structure, rock formations…an endless list. There are the patterns of global wind and ocean currents, weather, movement of stars through the vast, velvet sky as well as river’s pathways and crystalline formations. Amazing, magnificent patterns abound and give us structure, things on which we can depend.

SimoneLipscomb (10)With one of the last iPhone updates, my phone automatically gives me estimated time of travel to various locations based on patterns in my life. It’s a little freaky that my phone can guess my travel based on regular moments. 29 minutes to Fairhope it tells me when I start the car at 7am. Or 25 minutes to home from cycling or walking Buddy in the state park. When it doesn’t predict my destination correctly I taunt it. Ha, you are wrong! That’s not where I’m headed. It’s a bit strange to be so predictable that my phone can usually guess where I’m headed.

SimoneLipscomb (1)Sometimes patterns are wonderful…yoga, cycling, walking the dog, meditation, nourishing meals. All healthy. But what about those other less-than-healthy patterns?

On my way to yoga this morning I was enjoying the beautiful back-country roads and contemplating stuff….you know stuff. I saw how behaviors and choices in our lives become habits or patterns. Chemical grooves are literally worn into our brains like the grooves on vinyl albums. Inner patterns can be beautiful or can be self-destructive.

SimoneLipscomb (9)The vision came of standing in the eye of a cyclone and experiencing the calm at the very center of life. Fears swirl around inviting me to grab hold and collapse into that old way of being. The familiar, the practiced behaviors can entice us so temptingly but the moment we step out of the calm center and grasp the old fear pattern, we are jerked into a chaotic cyclone. This is one example but the possibilities are truly as endless as the patterns we find in nature.

SimoneLipscomb (2)The beginning of true personal power comes with the realization that we have choice. So often we simply choose the familiar reactions, practice the same behaviors and we stay stuck in our lives. The moment we pause and listen before leaping into old, reactive behaviors of action and speech is the moment we begin to see there is no prison except the one we create for ourselves. As surely as we build our inner jail cell, we have the key to exit it at any moment and create a life without in-prisoning behaviors and actions.

SimoneLipscombWhile this certainly applies on a personal level, it also applies on a community level or global level. What are the choices we make each day that keeps us stuck or frees us? Imagine a planet where we collectively pause and reflect upon our actions…our reactions. The potential for peace and love grows with every one of us that pauses before reacting, before practicing old behaviors and patterns of speech and being.

SimoneLipscomb (3)I celebrate beautiful patterns in life….those that enhance beauty and peace, love and compassion….those that keep us in the sacred, calm center.