Time, where did you go?

You know, when I was turning 16 years old – I couldn’t wait until I was 18.  On my 16^th birthday, I was working at my part time job at a jewellery store in Fairview Mall.  Mrs. Stewart worked in the handbag section.  She was an old Scottish woman with a thick Scottish accent who always smelled like cigarettes and perfume (yeah, not pleasant).  That day, I was telling her how I wished this birthday was my 18^th instead of my 16^th and she told me something I have never forgotten to this day.  She said ‘dear, don’t wish your life away.  As you get older time passes far too quickly.  Weeks fly by and soon the month is over.  Relish this time of youth when time is still a forgiving friend’.  

 The past couple of weeks have been a little hectic for me…Can you relate? If only I had time, I would have my desk in order, my email folders set up, my projects prioritized, my meetings arranged, my phone calls answered, my workouts all done, my vacations set, my binders organized, my questions asked and answered, my daily tasks accomplished, my kids colds cured, my friends taken care of, my work done, my life in balance, my house in order, my problem pile finished, my website fixed, my legs shaved, and my mind all clear by bedtime, if there’s even time for sleep! **PHEW**

 When I hear myself saying ‘there’s not enough time in the day’ it’s a good indicator I need to stop; I need to breathe; I need to wait to feel the calm that comes from focus.  I remind myself everything will get done, when it gets done.  The world won’t end, the sun won’t stop shining and the earth won’t stop turning if my list of ‘stuff’ doesn’t all get accomplished in the time I’ve put aside for it.  I need to take my list of ‘stuff’ and reprioritize it and mostly, I need to take some time for me – because I’m certainly never on that ‘list of things to do’!

 So, the bad news is time flies. But the good news is you’re the pilot.

The dance of balance

No matter who you talk too, people struggle with balance.  Some of us eat too much and exercise too little; party too much and sleep too little; work too hard and love too seldom and of course some live beyond their means.  There are those who never take time to fuel their souls and others who spend so much time in the soul place they neglect the everyday responsibilities bestowed upon us by being human.  What a dance this life can be.

A balanced life is a high quality life and we are the sole judges of what that means. For example, achieving balance in your life starts by discovering the wisdom you’ve gained from living all of these years and by discovering what is important to you and why. There is no paint-by-number kit or a one size fits all for creating a balanced life that fulfills each of our desires and makes room for what is missing. It has to come from within you!

Unfortunately, the society in which we live is geared towards distraction.  Interruptions are the norm of our hectic lives.  We immerse ourselves in these distractions and then wonder at our increasing stress levels and unsatisfied states of mind and physical well being.

Moving through these distractions to allow time for contemplation can be a hard exercise for many. Most of us have never been taught the importance of making time for ourselves to ‘self discover’. It takes a lot of courage for us to turn inward and see what makes us feel alive. You know, things which feed, energize, inspire, and soothe us. Self discovery is the path which leads us to a mind, body, and soul connection. It is your soul’s intention for you. There is no wizard, no great and powerful being to show us the way to our enchantments. But we can become our own fairy godmothers and grant ourselves permission to design a balanced and high quality life.

Take time out of your busy life and go on a quest for some life magic. Reflect, reassess, rediscover, redesign, realign, regroup, renew, and re-enchant yourself.  If it’s true that our outer world reflects our inner world, your entire life will begin to mirror the perspective you choose.  Live a life worth waking up to.

If you need some tools to help – just ask and I will lend you mind.

2 Full Moons in December!

Pray to the Moon, when She is round,
Luck with you, shall then abound.
What ever you seek for, Shall be found,
In Sea, or Sky, or Solid Ground.

We get 2 Full Moons this month!  How lucky is that? The second full moon in December is also going to see a partial eclipse – making it even more magical!!

Traditionally, when there are 2 full moons in one month, the second is referred to as a ‘Blue Moon’.  It happens about every 3 years and the expression ‘once in a blue moon’, came from the infrequency of this appearance.

The first full moon is on December 2, although the influence can be felt a day or so before and after.  This moon has often been referred to as the Cold Moon or Longs Night Moon.

The key to working with planetary energies is understanding you’re a part of it all, too. As the Sun and Moon move through the signs, a force field of energy is cast down, engaging with your own unique astrological blueprint.   Staying intimately connected to this cosmic dance allows you to tune into subtle shifts and changes. Our intuitive selves experience these through dream images, spirit guidance, and soul yearnings. You go beyond awareness of your known self, so you can experience your spirit self and its possibilities.

 As the days get shorter and nights get longer, we must force ourselves to get through this darkness because eventually we will see the sunlight and warmth again. Think about the things in your life that you’ve had to endure. Sometimes, a part of us must die in order to be reborn. Now is the perfect time for spiritual alchemy — time to evaluate your life, and know that you’ll survive the dark times.  We use this time of darkness for thought,
introspection, and growth.

If you’ve already put the darkness behind you, take your good fortune and share it with others. When it’s cold outside, open your heart and home to friends and family. Reach out to people who might be suffering from the chill of winter, either spiritually or physically.

 The correspondences for this moon are:

Colors: White, red, and black

Gemstones: Obsidian, ruby, serpentine

 The second full moon is on December 31 making it the Blue Moon.  Think of this moon as a lunar bonus round!!  Personally, I treat this kind of moon as a ‘wild card’ to which I may attach whatever intention I so choose.   As well, this moon will have a lunar eclipse strengthening its influence.

A lunar eclipse occurs at the time of the full moon when the sun and moon are in opposition to one another. The sun and moon are at the point of maximum stress and represent the culmination of events or the end of a matter. Lunar eclipses often influence relationships because of the polarity between the sun and moon. A lunar eclipse becomes a catalyst from which dramatic can change occur.

 So the last day of 2009 will be a very magical day indeed!  The end of a complicated year and the end of whatever you feel needs to be gone!!  You’ve definitely got the Moon on your side for whatever magic you want to weave for 2010.  Make the most of it, for it only happens ‘once in a blue moon’.

The Guest House

During my Spiritual Counseling course my professor would start each class with a poem.  Rumi was one of her favourites and is now one of mine.  He was a 13th Century Persian poet.  Do yourself a favour and take a little time to google some of his work and read about his life.  He truly was extraordinary for his time.  This is one of my favourite pieces because it’s so true, especially in today’s world of  fear surrounding depression etc.  These dark thoughts and feelings have been around for centuries, and will always be around because it is part of the human condition.  Sometimes, you just have to listen to yourself and acknowledge those dark thoughts and feelings as part of who you are. 

The Guest House – Rumi, 1230 AD

This being human is a guest house.  Each morning a new arrival!

A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture – still treat each guest honourably.

He may be clearing you out for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.

This morning I had breakfast with Frustration.  He can be such an ass!  Never too deep and never to involved, he’s always just that surface type guest who gets under your skin for a glimpse of a moment.  As soon as I recognized him, he said he couldn’t stay and finished up his coffee and left.   That spot at the table was quickly occupied by Remorse who reminded me I had allowed Frustration to rub off on me earlier and affected my communication with my son before he left for school.  While Remorse and I were talking, Forgiveness walked in like a breath of fresh air and suggested I text my son and apologize for Frustration’s influence this morning.  Once I did that, it lightened the air and made room for a much nicer guest, Love.

This weekend I invite you to feel your ‘guests’.  Good or bad, let yourself get to know them a little better and then let them carry on their travels.  We all know what it feels like when a guest over stays their welcome!!

I am Thankful for…..

Thanksgiving’s a great holiday – especially the American one.  It’s a day when I can reflect on what I’m Thankful for, only this time I won’t have to stuff my face with too much food I will regret later, help clean up the mess up or take the long drive home from my family’s place. 

Everyday should be Thanksgiving, metaphorically speaking.  Wouldn’t we feel better about our lives and ourselves if everyday we took a minute and reflected on what we were ‘thankful’ for? For example:

• I am thankful for my children (even though I’m still picking up after them, paying for most of their shit and doing their laundry)
• I am thankful for my job (even though it doesn’t pay ALL the bills, it sucks the soul from my body and it’s totally unfulfilling)
• I am thankful for my mistakes (especially the biggest one in the U.S.A; the crazy mental fuck I married and is now finally divorced from who continually tests my belief system in the goodness of the human race)
• I am thankful for my lawyers – yes ‘plural’.  (I didn’t need that $50,000 anyway!)
• I am thankful for early Christmas presents that come by FEDEX (especially when they tell me I owe them $31.54 because my sister forgot to check ‘that’ box on the form and now I must pay) LMAO!!  
• I am thankful for this great cup of coffee (even though somehow I know I should feel bad because they have probably used child labour to harvest the beans, or are paying the workers some ridiculously low wage because they can and somehow are environmentally destroying that part of the world to keep up with the demand of us rich greedy North American people who like to enjoy a blast of caffeine every morning)
• I am thankful for free healthcare (who am I kidding; what a crock of shit)
• I am thankful I have a choice and right now, I am going back to bed to bury my head under the covers.

I am thankful for love, for friends and family and for the day the light bulb went off and it totally made sense.  Life is what you make it, thoughts become things and everything is exactly how it should be – right now.

« Previous Page — Next Page »