Category: consciousness

Make Way for the Dreamers

Make Way for the Dreamers

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rowe (2)We are the dreamers.

Recognizing our connection to something greater than human-created rules and boundaries, our spirits know no limits.

We have known oppression….ridicule…segregation….aggression. Even so, we continue to dream.

The dreamers see beyond apparent realities of the physical into the Great Unknown. We tap into possibilities and create from that vast Cosmic Cauldron.

We are the dreamers.

Peace, love, light…compassion, joy, celebration. Not words, but who we are…

We see all humans as part of this celebration of the Creative Impulse and invite you all to awaken to the dance with us.

Our tool is art–our art is prayer, poetry, music, movement, writing, photography, singing and all creative expressions.

We are the dreamers.

We are here.

rowe (1)Keep a fire for the human race
Let your prayers go drifting into space
You never know what will be coming down
Perhaps a better world is drawing near
And just as easily it could all disappear
Along with whatever meaning you might have found
Don’t let the uncertainty turn you around
(The world keeps turning around and around)
Go on and make a joyful sound

Into a dancer you have grown
From a seed somebody else has thrown
Go on ahead and throw some seeds of your own
And somewhere between the time you arrive
And the time you go
May lie a reason you were alive
But you’ll never know

Lyrics from For a Dancer, Jackson Browne

 

Time and Purpose

Time and Purpose

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water (2) The concept of time has been on my mind a lot lately. For many years people across the planet have had various ideas about what the end of the Mayan calendar might bring. There are all sorts of scenarios.  The one I have held is that it is simply a time of change from one era to the next–and in my mind it includes a collective leap of consciousness. Regardless of whether they just ran out of room on their stone tablets or if their wisdom-keepers truly saw a time of global awakening, because so many people on our planet have held a belief that something is going to happen, it will indeed happen…even if it is simply the equivalent of turning the page to a new year.

Personally the idea of time has taken me on a deep inner journey of late. Several articles, books and videos have crossed my desk and have created fertile ground for this adventure. Some questions have emerged:

What if I could stop the inner dialogue that constantly keeps me second-guessing myself…that keeps me in constant motion of striving to make effective use of time?

What if I could end the inner voice that berates me if I am not constantly doing what I think is expected of me?

What if I could be still and silent and allow my natural gifts and talents the space to be…with no thought to production, saving the planet, and other ideals?

water (1)What if I simply stopped doing what I thought I should do and allow myself…my Self…to live organically doing whatever it is that comes natural to me?

I have come to believe, to know even, that this is when the real magic of life will occur. If I can do that, if you can do that, will the ‘time’ change?

What would your life look like if you allowed a natural expression of your strengths, gifts, talents?

I believe the possibility of healing our planet lies in one, simple step: Individual healing…allowing our true selves to shine and reconnect with our Earth Mother, live with Her, not on Her. It’s time we remembered who we are and let go of who we are not.

Now is the time.

water (4)

Mother of the Bride….

Mother of the Bride….

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Since returning from my dive trip there has been a constant hum of activity that led to the arrival of my daughter and her fiancé and a week of celebrating Thanksgiving, shopping for a bridal gown, an Iron Bowl gathering, and their engagement party held at the river pavilion in my home community along the Magnolia River. With all the busy-ness I have had little time to write–that beloved exercise that keeps me happy and fit as much as paddling my SUP board, cycling or walking through live oaks and cypress trees.

While much of our time together was noteworthy, there was one day that stands out…profoundly. I was completely surprised at the emotions and tenderness that surfaced from within as we walked into Bliss Bridal store in Fairhope, Alabama. It was as if a curtain was opened and I glimpsed not only my daughter’s beauty but the beauty of every woman preparing herself for marriage.

And while she’d probably roll her eyes at my Jungian meanderings, the experience also reminded me of the marriage of the Higher Self to the lower or human self–the conscious joining of spiritual self to earthly self.

Standing in that wonderful store, it was as if a gateway opened and I saw my daughter’s spiritual self surrounded by white gowns symbolizing the purity of soul that each of us has. I understood on a deeper level the importance of acknowledging, through ceremony and celebration, the wedding of partners, of lovers. And the acknowledgement and celebration of the path that leads to higher spiritual awareness.

I took a photograph of Emily surrounded by gowns, as if gazing past their form into the depths of the Universe. I saw and understood, like never before, the inner marriage each of us can choose to make by committing to the spiritual self and reaching for a higher expression of humanness. She will argue she was just looking at wedding dresses. But I saw more.

I may be mother of the bride, but mostly I’m still learning from my daughter.

 

Land-Locked No More!

Land-Locked No More!

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Awakening in the black of pre-dawn, I stood up and immediately missed the gentle rocking of the ocean. Sitting at my desk under the open windows beside the oak tree, birds singing to me, the entire house rocked me gently all day as I processed images and video. Or at least that’s what it felt like after a week on a boat.

During the many years I spent as a land-locked diver, I would always have a deep sadness at leaving the ocean and returning to the mountains. I love the mountains but the sea remains my constant, the core of who I am. And now, after dive trips, I find myself heading back to a coast and the joy is unmistakable. And the gratitude bubbles up in waves of heart-felt love for my beautiful home and the live oaks it’s nestled under….and the Magnolia River and the bays and the Gulf of Mexico–all a part of this life I inhabit.

The sights and smells of the rivers, bays and open water of the Gulf keep me grounded in pure ecstasy and appreciation for my wonderful home….yes, the outer home but mostly this inner home of beauty I discover as I open my heart and mind to beauty, to light….to unconditional love. I am free and the coast of Alabama mirrors this freedom to me, mentors my expanding efforts to bring all of who I am to this life.

And Then There Was Silence

And Then There Was Silence

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Today I was presenting a workshop on relieving stress through connection with nature. At one point participants were paired and were completing sentences given to them as cues. The room was lively as people shared about places they loved, animals and other nature-related themes. At one point I gave them the cue: What’s happening to our planet makes me feel….  The energy in the room suddenly shifted and it was quiet. Sad, depressed, scared….twenty-one individuals united for a moment by their concern about our world.

We need to get together, share our concerns and work together to create change. One thing is certain–if we do nothing, nothing will change.