I was sitting at a small table at Peaks Cafe, addressing the envelope of a note I had written to my brother Bill, when I noticed the time - 10:00 a.m. - the beginning of Winds of Change. As I walked to the nearby Post Office, sensations of the January thaw abounded: the sound of song birds chirping, the smell of mud, the feel of warmer air and sun, the brilliance of the day.
After mailing several packages and cards, I walked an easy pace home, up the hill and along the winding road, being purposely aware of my surroundings. There were receding patches of snow in yards and driveways and individual droplets of water, sparkling in the sun's light, coating low lying bushes. My feet squished through the wet dirt and crunched through wet snow, sinking a little with each step. Crows cawed continuously.
Once home, I checked my phone messages, responding to a call from my sister Mary, whose birthday is today (Happy Birthday, Mary!). I appreciated conversing with her during WoC time, holding an awareness of the shared "presents" of each of you, in celebration of her birthday.
It was so glorious a day that after our conversation ended, I returned to the outdoors and walked the curves of Seashore Avenue, watching the rising sea as it slapped against huge rocks and sprayed into the air, rushed to the shore, then retreated to the ocean with a thunderous clattering of pebbles. The waves glittered and the sun glowed.
As I continued walking, I noticed my mind wandering away from the present and into the past and future. Several times, in response to my distraction, I inwardly heard Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, yelling, "Silence!" as he commanded his students in one of the Harry Potter series. Routinely, I slipped into several of my walking mantras, one of them from Zen Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh: "Breathing in I calm my body, breathing out I smile, dwelling in the present moment, this is a wonderful moment."
Wishing to return to silence, I repeated the word "si - lence" within myself, in rhythm with my pace, until gradually, the word shifted into two words, sigh-lens. At that point, a deep sigh flowed through me, expanding my present moment consciousness - my breath/sigh becoming a lens, a way of "seeing" from a deeper perspective. Each time I silently repeated the words sigh-lens, I would immediately be brought to that spacious place of opening. It is in this space that WoC time ended, so I retreated to one of the upper shoreline ledges, sitting in the serenity of sun and sea and salty air.
As always, I am so grateful for sharing the ride with each of you, and invite you to share your own experience here in the comment section of this blog. Namaste.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Winds of Change Time
Winds of Change will be held Monday, January 14th, from 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. EST. Please set aside this time in whatever way you choose to connect with your Winds of Change family. Namaste.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
The Epiphany 2012
Winds of Change time began while I was chatting with my sisters Anne and Mary in a fun free-for-all through our shared e-mail, when Anne commented that we were WoC-ing together. I love the sound-play between the acronym WoC and the word walk, as I indeed feel that we walk together during this time.
Once our on-line conversation ended, I lit a candle that has the faintest scent of lilac, and decided to quiet my mind to the 30-minute version of the Aethos Sound Meditation (found near the bottom of the page to this link). What a task that became! I could not position myself comfortably nor the speakers properly, try as I might.
During the course of my discomfort, I observed myself several times, wondering just what it was that was happening. I re-started the recording 7 times - yes, that's 7 - before listening to it without interruption in its entirety. I wanted to take full advantage of the sun that was streaming through the southern windows onto the living room floor, but instead, it turned into a huge production - I was staging the perfect set for WoC time - the sun at a certain angle warming my face, my favorite shawl covering my body just so, the speakers positioned for optimum listening. Though all good, when I real-eyes-ed the distress I was creating by focusing so much on the externals, I smiled, then eased into the simple task before me: lying on the floor listening to the Aethos Sound Meditation in communion with all of you.
Once relaxed, I shifted my focus among my upper chakras, the energy centers of my heart, throat, third eye, and crown. It is my third eye and heart chakras that responded. The third eye created an endless, narrow, glowing filament that extended into what looked to be outer space and my heart chakra glowed, radiating outward in all directions. It is from the vantage point of my heart chakra that I felt as if I was suspended in a pool of energy. In this state, I heard my name being called several times, followed with a question: "Claire... Claire... Claire... Where are you?" to which the response came from the space that was me, "I am everywhere," as, simultaneously, "I" expanded beyond the space that was me and the space of the question, into an ever widening, open space, that was still me and more.
As the sound meditation ended, I remained on the floor, feeling the space that was me become aware, ever so slowly, of my physical body. When I opened my eyes, the expansiveness I had felt lingered, as "I" and Room intermingled. My body felt light and airy and spacious. After acknowledging each of you, I got up and continued with the rest of my day, still feeling your "presents," even as I write this.
I would love to hear of your own experiences during this time, as would others, so please do comment. Namaste.
Once our on-line conversation ended, I lit a candle that has the faintest scent of lilac, and decided to quiet my mind to the 30-minute version of the Aethos Sound Meditation (found near the bottom of the page to this link). What a task that became! I could not position myself comfortably nor the speakers properly, try as I might.
During the course of my discomfort, I observed myself several times, wondering just what it was that was happening. I re-started the recording 7 times - yes, that's 7 - before listening to it without interruption in its entirety. I wanted to take full advantage of the sun that was streaming through the southern windows onto the living room floor, but instead, it turned into a huge production - I was staging the perfect set for WoC time - the sun at a certain angle warming my face, my favorite shawl covering my body just so, the speakers positioned for optimum listening. Though all good, when I real-eyes-ed the distress I was creating by focusing so much on the externals, I smiled, then eased into the simple task before me: lying on the floor listening to the Aethos Sound Meditation in communion with all of you.
Once relaxed, I shifted my focus among my upper chakras, the energy centers of my heart, throat, third eye, and crown. It is my third eye and heart chakras that responded. The third eye created an endless, narrow, glowing filament that extended into what looked to be outer space and my heart chakra glowed, radiating outward in all directions. It is from the vantage point of my heart chakra that I felt as if I was suspended in a pool of energy. In this state, I heard my name being called several times, followed with a question: "Claire... Claire... Claire... Where are you?" to which the response came from the space that was me, "I am everywhere," as, simultaneously, "I" expanded beyond the space that was me and the space of the question, into an ever widening, open space, that was still me and more.
As the sound meditation ended, I remained on the floor, feeling the space that was me become aware, ever so slowly, of my physical body. When I opened my eyes, the expansiveness I had felt lingered, as "I" and Room intermingled. My body felt light and airy and spacious. After acknowledging each of you, I got up and continued with the rest of my day, still feeling your "presents," even as I write this.
I would love to hear of your own experiences during this time, as would others, so please do comment. Namaste.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
New Year's Winds of Change
Thank you for this opportunity to share in the Winds of Change. It has been a very hectic retail holiday season and I have been lagging in stamina, so I looked forward to our time together in solitude.
My spiritual resolution for 2013 is to be in Awareness, everyday ~ to experience my humanness, our shared humanity, as the spiritual beings we are, from moment to moment, breath to breath. It is in this state of attentiveness that I walked the 15 minutes from my workplace to the ferry terminal, bundled against a wintry cold, dark, Maine evening. Once at Gate 5, I waited in anticipation, sitting on an outdoor bench nestled against the south face of the terminal building, sheltered from the winds and looking out to the sea and the approaching Machigonne II car ferry.
Our time together began as I walked onto the ferry, through the warm inner corridor of the first deck, up the stairs, and out onto the second deck of the stern. As the ferry left port, I positioned myself near the doorway out of the wind, sitting on a metal hub facing west. I walked to the outer reaches of the bow and was overcome with a deep urge to share the complete experience with each of you, so I climbed the outer stairway to the top deck and my usual perch, with nearly a complete 360 degree view.
As we rode to Peaks Island, to the west was the Portland city skyline, an array of lights, yellow and white, green, blue and red, ever receding; to the north, were faint city lights, a darkened Fort Gorges, a dimly lit Little Diamond Island, and then the open sea passage around Peaks; to the east were the lights of Peaks, growing ever brighter with our approach; and to the south were huge oil tanks luminescent in the night, the squat Spring Point Lighthouse decorated in two tiers of white Christmas lights, the steady, rhythmic flash of Portland Head Light in the distance, the pale, snow-covered House Island, and the open sea.
It is the sky that I am so drawn to, and on this dark, cold, windy night riding with all of you on the top deck, I watched the overturned Little Dipper spilling into the Big Dipper to the north; protector Orion standing watch over Peaks and the the seven sisters - the Pleiades; and Cassiopeia sitting proudly in the south, all among an array of heavenly, luminescent bodies, ours and the sky's.
As we were docking, in the frigid sea, there were seagulls, white in the light of the ferry, paddling away from the mother ship. We debarked and walked the serpentine back road, listening to the crunch of footsteps and the wind sighing through the woods, our way lit only by intermittent street lights and the stars.
Once home, I lit a votive candle of Our Lady of Fatima and a stick of Awareness incense, then turned on Tom Kenyon's Worlds Ascending and prepared an organic butternut squash to bake, the preheated oven warming the kitchen. As the Winds of Change was ending, I lay down, knees bent, on the carpeted living room floor, basking in the presents of all of you.
Namaste.
My spiritual resolution for 2013 is to be in Awareness, everyday ~ to experience my humanness, our shared humanity, as the spiritual beings we are, from moment to moment, breath to breath. It is in this state of attentiveness that I walked the 15 minutes from my workplace to the ferry terminal, bundled against a wintry cold, dark, Maine evening. Once at Gate 5, I waited in anticipation, sitting on an outdoor bench nestled against the south face of the terminal building, sheltered from the winds and looking out to the sea and the approaching Machigonne II car ferry.
Our time together began as I walked onto the ferry, through the warm inner corridor of the first deck, up the stairs, and out onto the second deck of the stern. As the ferry left port, I positioned myself near the doorway out of the wind, sitting on a metal hub facing west. I walked to the outer reaches of the bow and was overcome with a deep urge to share the complete experience with each of you, so I climbed the outer stairway to the top deck and my usual perch, with nearly a complete 360 degree view.
As we rode to Peaks Island, to the west was the Portland city skyline, an array of lights, yellow and white, green, blue and red, ever receding; to the north, were faint city lights, a darkened Fort Gorges, a dimly lit Little Diamond Island, and then the open sea passage around Peaks; to the east were the lights of Peaks, growing ever brighter with our approach; and to the south were huge oil tanks luminescent in the night, the squat Spring Point Lighthouse decorated in two tiers of white Christmas lights, the steady, rhythmic flash of Portland Head Light in the distance, the pale, snow-covered House Island, and the open sea.
It is the sky that I am so drawn to, and on this dark, cold, windy night riding with all of you on the top deck, I watched the overturned Little Dipper spilling into the Big Dipper to the north; protector Orion standing watch over Peaks and the the seven sisters - the Pleiades; and Cassiopeia sitting proudly in the south, all among an array of heavenly, luminescent bodies, ours and the sky's.
As we were docking, in the frigid sea, there were seagulls, white in the light of the ferry, paddling away from the mother ship. We debarked and walked the serpentine back road, listening to the crunch of footsteps and the wind sighing through the woods, our way lit only by intermittent street lights and the stars.
Once home, I lit a votive candle of Our Lady of Fatima and a stick of Awareness incense, then turned on Tom Kenyon's Worlds Ascending and prepared an organic butternut squash to bake, the preheated oven warming the kitchen. As the Winds of Change was ending, I lay down, knees bent, on the carpeted living room floor, basking in the presents of all of you.
Namaste.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Monday, December 31, 2012
Winds of Change
Winds of Change will be held
Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, from 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. EST.
I wish you each peace and sheer joy.
Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, from 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. EST.
I wish you each peace and sheer joy.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas Day 2012
At the onset of Winds of Change time, I was lost in the 1,000-piece moose puzzle I was making, so it was nearly 3:15 before I made conscious preparations to be with all of you.
I lit a stick of Devotion incense, then attempted to light a tea candle set in a square glass candle holder, each face decorated with a simple brass etching of an ancient shaman standing within an upright circle. When I lit the wick, it sputtered before releasing a flame too high for the glass walls, so I impatiently blew it out, found my scissors, and trimmed the wick. Taking note of the impatience which had risen within me, I real-eyes-ed that I was hurrying to set the tone for WoC time, which had already started. I eased myself back to the present moment, as the ritual of lighting the candle became part of Woc time, and my impatience mingled with the flame and dissipated.
With the warmth of a screened, woodstove fire inside complementing the gentle, steady snowfall outside, I positioned myself on the carpeted floor, lying on my back with legs bent at the knees, and listened to the 30-minute version of The Aethos Sound Meditation. (According to one of Tom Kenyon's Hathor messages, "The Aethos (pronounced, AH-EE-THOS) is a bandwidth of consciousness anchored in pure non-duality." More simply put, it is where we can readily access the vibration of interconnectedness.)
I was quite distracted for the first 5 minutes or so, unable to reign in my wandering thoughts, surely a result of my Christmas sugar overload. I turned off the sound meditation, took a few deep breaths, centered my focus on my heart chakra, and began again. As I relaxed into my heart chakra, creating space for all of us, the area of my chest seemed to expand into a boundless emanation of soft yellow light - an infinity of glowingness. It was so soothing and peaceful that I was lulled to sleep, which I realized only at the sound of loud crack-pop-ing noises coming from the woodstove, which woke me. I re-focused, heard more loud popping, focused again, heard even more popping, and decided to pay attention, opening my eyes and turning my gaze to the blazing fire beyond the screen.
In my soothed state of awareness, the tongues of fire, leaping, flickering and dancing, reflected how we are all Fire, yet each of us, an individual Flame within that Fire. This is exactly what the Hathors had described in their message which accompanies the Aethos sound meditation:
"Some persons believe that interconnectedness is the same as 'oneness' and that as you enter higher states of consciousness and higher dimensions of being, you merge into a blob of light, in which all distinctions disappear. This is not our view.
"Interconnection or interconnectedness is the recognition that all beings and all aspects of the cosmos are interrelated and at the same time beings have unique differences. These differences are fascinating and unique. Sometimes they are annoying, and sometimes they are enriching. But these differences are part of the tapestry of manifest reality, and they are not superfluous.
"...In our experience of ourselves through all dimensions we remain unique individuals, and the higher dimensions of our being do not obliterate our uniqueness but rather present greater opportunities for creation."
As I continued to gaze into the fire, each of us was a different tongue, a different expression, of the glow. Once the 30-minute sound session was ended, I continued to lie on the floor in silence, having several more enlightening visions before arising and sharing this with you, as I now invite you to do. I hope to hear from you! Namaste.
I lit a stick of Devotion incense, then attempted to light a tea candle set in a square glass candle holder, each face decorated with a simple brass etching of an ancient shaman standing within an upright circle. When I lit the wick, it sputtered before releasing a flame too high for the glass walls, so I impatiently blew it out, found my scissors, and trimmed the wick. Taking note of the impatience which had risen within me, I real-eyes-ed that I was hurrying to set the tone for WoC time, which had already started. I eased myself back to the present moment, as the ritual of lighting the candle became part of Woc time, and my impatience mingled with the flame and dissipated.
With the warmth of a screened, woodstove fire inside complementing the gentle, steady snowfall outside, I positioned myself on the carpeted floor, lying on my back with legs bent at the knees, and listened to the 30-minute version of The Aethos Sound Meditation. (According to one of Tom Kenyon's Hathor messages, "The Aethos (pronounced, AH-EE-THOS) is a bandwidth of consciousness anchored in pure non-duality." More simply put, it is where we can readily access the vibration of interconnectedness.)
I was quite distracted for the first 5 minutes or so, unable to reign in my wandering thoughts, surely a result of my Christmas sugar overload. I turned off the sound meditation, took a few deep breaths, centered my focus on my heart chakra, and began again. As I relaxed into my heart chakra, creating space for all of us, the area of my chest seemed to expand into a boundless emanation of soft yellow light - an infinity of glowingness. It was so soothing and peaceful that I was lulled to sleep, which I realized only at the sound of loud crack-pop-ing noises coming from the woodstove, which woke me. I re-focused, heard more loud popping, focused again, heard even more popping, and decided to pay attention, opening my eyes and turning my gaze to the blazing fire beyond the screen.
In my soothed state of awareness, the tongues of fire, leaping, flickering and dancing, reflected how we are all Fire, yet each of us, an individual Flame within that Fire. This is exactly what the Hathors had described in their message which accompanies the Aethos sound meditation:
"Some persons believe that interconnectedness is the same as 'oneness' and that as you enter higher states of consciousness and higher dimensions of being, you merge into a blob of light, in which all distinctions disappear. This is not our view.
"Interconnection or interconnectedness is the recognition that all beings and all aspects of the cosmos are interrelated and at the same time beings have unique differences. These differences are fascinating and unique. Sometimes they are annoying, and sometimes they are enriching. But these differences are part of the tapestry of manifest reality, and they are not superfluous.
"...In our experience of ourselves through all dimensions we remain unique individuals, and the higher dimensions of our being do not obliterate our uniqueness but rather present greater opportunities for creation."
As I continued to gaze into the fire, each of us was a different tongue, a different expression, of the glow. Once the 30-minute sound session was ended, I continued to lie on the floor in silence, having several more enlightening visions before arising and sharing this with you, as I now invite you to do. I hope to hear from you! Namaste.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Winds of Change will be held Tuesday, December 25th, from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. EST. Please
join me in being consciously aware of your thoughts, words, and actions as well as the presents/presence of other WoC'ers, during
this time.
Also feel free to share your experiences and thoughts here on this blog. Namaste.
Also feel free to share your experiences and thoughts here on this blog. Namaste.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Winter Solstice, 2012
I'm sitting at my writing table as winds up to 60 mph blow outside, whistling through the bared deciduous branches and heralding in the shift of my blogspot name from Harnessing the Winds of Change to Riding the Winds of Change. And what a ride it is!
My sister Anne had suggested the name change close to a year ago and I'm finally catching up to the idea as my life reflects the ride more and more. From day to day, moment to moment, my life twists and turns of its own accord as I real-eyes that I don't harness the winds that drive me, but instead ride them. And it is the manner in which I choose to ride that makes the difference.
So here's to the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar and to New Beginnings as we all ride the Winds of Change. And to enhance the ride, I will once again set aside weekly or bi-weekly, one-hour sessions for the Winds of Change, announced through my e-mail list and this blog. As always, wherever you are, whatever you may be doing, by simply acknowledging our group time, you are contributing to the Winds of Change. I recently read a quote on a solstice greeting card from The Borealis Press housed in Blue Hill, Maine, that beautifully expresses the purpose of WoC time:
"A time to quiet our hearts ...
to soften our edges,
clear our minds,
enjoy our world
and to
share best wishes"
that these days and
"... all the new year
be joyful and peaceful."
I look forward to our renewed shared time together, as I hope you do, too, and encourage you to post comments here on this blog.
Namaste.
My sister Anne had suggested the name change close to a year ago and I'm finally catching up to the idea as my life reflects the ride more and more. From day to day, moment to moment, my life twists and turns of its own accord as I real-eyes that I don't harness the winds that drive me, but instead ride them. And it is the manner in which I choose to ride that makes the difference.
So here's to the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar and to New Beginnings as we all ride the Winds of Change. And to enhance the ride, I will once again set aside weekly or bi-weekly, one-hour sessions for the Winds of Change, announced through my e-mail list and this blog. As always, wherever you are, whatever you may be doing, by simply acknowledging our group time, you are contributing to the Winds of Change. I recently read a quote on a solstice greeting card from The Borealis Press housed in Blue Hill, Maine, that beautifully expresses the purpose of WoC time:
"A time to quiet our hearts ...
to soften our edges,
clear our minds,
enjoy our world
and to
share best wishes"
that these days and
"... all the new year
be joyful and peaceful."
I look forward to our renewed shared time together, as I hope you do, too, and encourage you to post comments here on this blog.
Namaste.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
At the onset of this week's Winds of Change time, I was gathering up my letter writing materials at Peaks Cafe, where I had enjoyed the company of the two owners, Lisa and Ellen, as they worked on a picture puzzle of Slavic decorated Easter eggs while I wrote to my dear friend Loanne.
I packed my shoulder bag, donned my turquoise patterned fleece vest, button-up, grey wool sweater, wool hat, and mis-matched gloves, and headed out the Cafe door. I meandered up the hill towards home, walking the winding "back way" road, taking you all with me. Just this morning, I had seen two male cardinals, or perhaps the same cardinal, from both living room and kitchen windows, harbingers of a day of Self love. I crested the hill, and as I followed the northwest turn in the road, I heard chickadees calling, smelled the scent of mud as I felt the squish of soft earth under my boots, saw bags of garden soil in neighboring yards, and spotted newly turned flower beds. In the distance, between seaside roof tops to the south, was the glistening sea, beckoning me to her.
When I arrived at my doorstep, I entered my kitchen, pausing long enough to put down my shoulder bag and pocket a small pair of binoculars, returning to the out-of-doors and the short, ribboning roadway to the ocean side. Following the lead of some other calling, I clambered across rocky beach to a sheltered stand of ledges, finding a perfect shelf to sit on, facing the receding tide.
The play of sun in and out of clouds patterned the sea with long slices of white glitter and muted slate grey in whatever way sun and cloud tagged the sea. I closed my eyes, feeling the sun's warmth caressing my face, releasing any tension into a slow and easy smile. It has been weeks since I've formally meditated, as moment-to-moment has become a meditation on Aliveness, so the stance my body was taking was like a homecoming, a familiar invitation to stillness, silence, and peace.
As I was let go, there was the sensation of the middle space of my body, from shoulders to hips, expanding into grey ocean like ripples, the very ones before me, as my head and my legs remained solid. I returned, laughing with a gull I heard overhead, wondering if he saw me, this head floating above water, with legs bent in a sitting position. I peeked open my eyes, seeing the sea, and closed them again, to the very same sensation of head above water, and feet planted firmly on rock solid earth. Was I dissolving into the Beingness that Tony Parsons describes? And is it my head - my mind - and my legs - my movement through this world - that are resisting this transformation? I laughed again, opening my eyes to the moment before me.
Soaking in warming rays, I took off my hat and gloves, then removed the binoculars from my sweater pocket and lifted them to my eyes. Out on the sea was a flock of maybe 30 ducks, most of them looking to be younglings to my untrained eyes. They swam westward together, intermingling, then one by one, disappeared under the waves, only to emerge again, repositioning themselves, instinctively improvising this dance over and over again. Putting the binoculars down, I gazed at the large rocks by the water's edge, some splayed with seaweed, others wet with sea spray, and one particular formation glistening like seals huddled together, shapeshifting from rocks to seals and back to rocks again.
I took up the binoculars, looking to where I thought the ducks would be, and they had disappeared. As I scanned back over the waters towards the east, they had backtracked and were turning back around, heading in the direction I had first seen them swimming. What were they doing? I thought. "Simply being," came the answer, "riding the Winds of Change" without a need to how or why. And so have we, I thought, during this shared hour and a half.
Please feel free to share your experience of the Winds of Change time or your thoughts on my experience in the comment section of this blog. Namaste.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
I set today aside as a Mindfulness Day in keeping with Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings - "to be mindful means to dwell deeply in the present moment, to be aware of what is going on within and around us."
In that light, I was so grateful to acknowledge the presents/presence of all of you in my life as I am experiencing a bout with vertigo, which I understand many of you have come down with as well. At the onset of this Winds of Change, I felt a communal embrace, and it was comforting.
As I gazed outside my kitchen window, there were huge flakes descending, an unpredicted freshness added to my day. I finished making my vegan "chicken" salad, searing the tempeh in marinating juices of balsamic vinegar, Braggs liquid aminos, and dijon mustard, as I blended soaked raw cashews, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and a bit of rice milk in my blender for homemade vegan mayonnaise. Once the tempeh had cooled, I toppled it into a mixing bowl, adding the cashew-naise, chopped celery and onion, and a dash of poultry seasoning, stirring it all together, covering the bowl, and placing it in the fridge to set. I then decided to clean up the kitchen at a slow and steady pace, and proceeded into the living room, sitting at my laptop and writing this blog post.
Oftentimes when I'm not feeling well, I check in with my sisters for clarification of possible causes. My sister Anne is usually ready with a reading from the book Heal Your Body by metaphysical lecturer Louise Hay. This "little blue book" as it's referred to, includes an alphabetical chart of physical ailments, the probable causes, and healing affirmations. I've misplaced my copy, and decided to e-mail my sister Mary instead, whose response was, "I don't see you being 'sick," per se...more spiritually 'off.' Does that make any sense?" It most certainly did!
I've been so off-kilter in my day-to-day spiritual practice, I feel like everything in my life is topsy-turvey, and my responses are so unpredictable. As one small example, while at work two days ago, I received a phone call in the middle of my shift. Because employees are only allowed emergency calls, my mind immediately ran through possible disastrous scenarios involving my mother, my daughters and my grandchildren. By the time I reached the phone, all of my flight-or-fight responses had kicked in. As I listened on the phone, it was the hospital calling to update my medical records. I calmly and clearly conveyed that it was not an appropriate time to call, hung up the phone, and returned to my shift, heart still pounding.
I was angry, coming down from what felt like a near panic attack, and at the same time, surprised at my vehement response. I finished the 20 minutes of my shift before breaking for lunch, still fuming in the break room, preparing my lunch and walking down the stairs to the cafe, where I found a seat in the sun and stared out the window. It wasn't until then that I was able to break through the illusion of the moment, observe the totality of my reactions, acknowledge them, and shift my focus from my reactions to simple beingness. I felt an immediate release.
Just as Anne wrote in her comment to the previous post, my life is "...taking unexpected turns every day - somehow not playing out the way I imagined or even planned. And it's all okay and often even better than what I thought or at least DIFFERENT." Indeed!
These days, I feel like I'm breaking down old concepts and the new has yet to settle in, so I'm in a temporary limbo. Thoughts and feelings, ideas and no ideas are coursing through this identity called Claire, and yet, there is no Claire, not even clarity. As Tony Parsons says, "It just is." Thank you for the opportunity to share this experience of the great shift that is taking place, and please, if you are moved to, feel free to share your own thoughts here. Namaste.
In that light, I was so grateful to acknowledge the presents/presence of all of you in my life as I am experiencing a bout with vertigo, which I understand many of you have come down with as well. At the onset of this Winds of Change, I felt a communal embrace, and it was comforting.
As I gazed outside my kitchen window, there were huge flakes descending, an unpredicted freshness added to my day. I finished making my vegan "chicken" salad, searing the tempeh in marinating juices of balsamic vinegar, Braggs liquid aminos, and dijon mustard, as I blended soaked raw cashews, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and a bit of rice milk in my blender for homemade vegan mayonnaise. Once the tempeh had cooled, I toppled it into a mixing bowl, adding the cashew-naise, chopped celery and onion, and a dash of poultry seasoning, stirring it all together, covering the bowl, and placing it in the fridge to set. I then decided to clean up the kitchen at a slow and steady pace, and proceeded into the living room, sitting at my laptop and writing this blog post.
Oftentimes when I'm not feeling well, I check in with my sisters for clarification of possible causes. My sister Anne is usually ready with a reading from the book Heal Your Body by metaphysical lecturer Louise Hay. This "little blue book" as it's referred to, includes an alphabetical chart of physical ailments, the probable causes, and healing affirmations. I've misplaced my copy, and decided to e-mail my sister Mary instead, whose response was, "I don't see you being 'sick," per se...more spiritually 'off.' Does that make any sense?" It most certainly did!
I've been so off-kilter in my day-to-day spiritual practice, I feel like everything in my life is topsy-turvey, and my responses are so unpredictable. As one small example, while at work two days ago, I received a phone call in the middle of my shift. Because employees are only allowed emergency calls, my mind immediately ran through possible disastrous scenarios involving my mother, my daughters and my grandchildren. By the time I reached the phone, all of my flight-or-fight responses had kicked in. As I listened on the phone, it was the hospital calling to update my medical records. I calmly and clearly conveyed that it was not an appropriate time to call, hung up the phone, and returned to my shift, heart still pounding.
I was angry, coming down from what felt like a near panic attack, and at the same time, surprised at my vehement response. I finished the 20 minutes of my shift before breaking for lunch, still fuming in the break room, preparing my lunch and walking down the stairs to the cafe, where I found a seat in the sun and stared out the window. It wasn't until then that I was able to break through the illusion of the moment, observe the totality of my reactions, acknowledge them, and shift my focus from my reactions to simple beingness. I felt an immediate release.
Just as Anne wrote in her comment to the previous post, my life is "...taking unexpected turns every day - somehow not playing out the way I imagined or even planned. And it's all okay and often even better than what I thought or at least DIFFERENT." Indeed!
These days, I feel like I'm breaking down old concepts and the new has yet to settle in, so I'm in a temporary limbo. Thoughts and feelings, ideas and no ideas are coursing through this identity called Claire, and yet, there is no Claire, not even clarity. As Tony Parsons says, "It just is." Thank you for the opportunity to share this experience of the great shift that is taking place, and please, if you are moved to, feel free to share your own thoughts here. Namaste.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
For today's Winds of Change time, I first lit 2 incense sticks - Awareness, for myself, and Devotion, to all of you, turned on the Himalayan salt lamp, and then started a fire in the small wood burning stove, bathing the living room in a soft glow from shimmering flames and lamp light.
I sat on the floor by the wood fire, mesmerized by the play of orange flames, rising in bursts and settling into flickers, over and over, around and through different parts of the 3 igniting logs. I then lay down, knees bent, in silence, listening to the the hum of the Rinnai heater, the crackling of birch bark, and a gentle whirring of the ceiling fan blowing a warm breeze over my body. I watched through the south windows as the sky turned from sunset to stars, like magick, with mighty warrior Orion appearing ever brighter in the heavens.
I basked in the stillness of my body, the coziness of my home, and the community of you all. As my life is enriched day-to-day, moment-to-moment, through a conscious effort to be presently aware during routine tasks at home, daily walks, commutes to and from work, work responsibilities, and communications with family and friends, I am finding the extraordinary in the ordinary and sacredness in the mundane. Lying on my living room floor, I felt part of something much bigger, beyond words.
In my contentment, I was moved to listen to several Tony Parsons' audio clips, sensing the aliveness he speaks of with humor and simplicity and directness. I contemplated separateness and Wholeness, this illusion called life, ego and the dissolution of ego, and Consciousness vs. Beingness. I realized that when I first started Winds of Change, I opened my home to weekly hour and a half group sessions in hopes that it would spark routine conversations about the very same concepts I was contemplating today.
Perhaps it is time for me to once again try to organize discussions about the great leap in consciousness evolution, however it translates for each of us, and how each of us is navigating these forceful Winds of Change. I would love to hear if there's an interest in this, and if so, your ideas about the frequency and location of such meetings. Let me know what you think.
I sat on the floor by the wood fire, mesmerized by the play of orange flames, rising in bursts and settling into flickers, over and over, around and through different parts of the 3 igniting logs. I then lay down, knees bent, in silence, listening to the the hum of the Rinnai heater, the crackling of birch bark, and a gentle whirring of the ceiling fan blowing a warm breeze over my body. I watched through the south windows as the sky turned from sunset to stars, like magick, with mighty warrior Orion appearing ever brighter in the heavens.
I basked in the stillness of my body, the coziness of my home, and the community of you all. As my life is enriched day-to-day, moment-to-moment, through a conscious effort to be presently aware during routine tasks at home, daily walks, commutes to and from work, work responsibilities, and communications with family and friends, I am finding the extraordinary in the ordinary and sacredness in the mundane. Lying on my living room floor, I felt part of something much bigger, beyond words.
In my contentment, I was moved to listen to several Tony Parsons' audio clips, sensing the aliveness he speaks of with humor and simplicity and directness. I contemplated separateness and Wholeness, this illusion called life, ego and the dissolution of ego, and Consciousness vs. Beingness. I realized that when I first started Winds of Change, I opened my home to weekly hour and a half group sessions in hopes that it would spark routine conversations about the very same concepts I was contemplating today.
Perhaps it is time for me to once again try to organize discussions about the great leap in consciousness evolution, however it translates for each of us, and how each of us is navigating these forceful Winds of Change. I would love to hear if there's an interest in this, and if so, your ideas about the frequency and location of such meetings. Let me know what you think.
Friday, January 27, 2012
January 21st Winds of Change
In the past several months in particular, I've been very aware of a shifting in perspective in my life which I attribute to the great shift in consciousness that is taking place on all levels - personal, local, global and universal; physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. I see and hear of its impact on a day-to-day basis, in the news - weather patterns, the Occupy movement, toppling of governments - and in the lives of family, friends, and acquaintances.
I recently read and have re-read the Tony Parsons' book As It Is: The Open Secret to Living an Awakened Life, in which he attempts to describe Beingness, which I experience as "the Field." Like many other sources I've read, he describes this life in our physical bodies as a play, "an illusion of a journey in time."
During one particularly striking instance in his life, while walking across a park in London, he describes his own shift: "What happened then is simply beyond description. I can only inadequately say in words that total stillness and presence seemed to descend over everything. All and everything became timeless and I no longer existed. I vanished and there was no longer an experiencer."
He goes on to write, "Oneness with all and everything was what happened. I can't say I was 'at one' because 'I' had disappeared. I can only say that oneness with all and everything is what happened, and an overwhelming love filled everything."
What I am experiencing in bits and pieces of my life feels similar to what Tony Parsons describes, and also feels like a "crises" in awareness, only in that it is critical - of decisive importance - to my life as I know it. I've been sharing my path for years, through letters to my friend Loanne, who in turn shares her journey. I also have been sharing my evolving with my mother, while at home growing up, and once I left home, in meetings, letters and conversations.
At times, it is difficult to use words for what I am experiencing, and yet, I find it significant to share with others. During this Winds of Change time, I spent the entire hour and a half with my mom on the phone, talking about what has no words. (This makes me smile as I write it.) We've discovered in these past few months that we our experiencing very similar alterations in our awareness to the point that, if there is such a thing as "soul mates," I believe that is what my mother and are to each other, just as Loanne and are "celestial soul sisters," and each of us together are WoC'ers, harnessing the Winds of Change, for which I am truly grateful. With that, I look forward to your comments, and to our scheduled time together tomorrow. Namaste.
I recently read and have re-read the Tony Parsons' book As It Is: The Open Secret to Living an Awakened Life, in which he attempts to describe Beingness, which I experience as "the Field." Like many other sources I've read, he describes this life in our physical bodies as a play, "an illusion of a journey in time."
During one particularly striking instance in his life, while walking across a park in London, he describes his own shift: "What happened then is simply beyond description. I can only inadequately say in words that total stillness and presence seemed to descend over everything. All and everything became timeless and I no longer existed. I vanished and there was no longer an experiencer."
He goes on to write, "Oneness with all and everything was what happened. I can't say I was 'at one' because 'I' had disappeared. I can only say that oneness with all and everything is what happened, and an overwhelming love filled everything."
What I am experiencing in bits and pieces of my life feels similar to what Tony Parsons describes, and also feels like a "crises" in awareness, only in that it is critical - of decisive importance - to my life as I know it. I've been sharing my path for years, through letters to my friend Loanne, who in turn shares her journey. I also have been sharing my evolving with my mother, while at home growing up, and once I left home, in meetings, letters and conversations.
At times, it is difficult to use words for what I am experiencing, and yet, I find it significant to share with others. During this Winds of Change time, I spent the entire hour and a half with my mom on the phone, talking about what has no words. (This makes me smile as I write it.) We've discovered in these past few months that we our experiencing very similar alterations in our awareness to the point that, if there is such a thing as "soul mates," I believe that is what my mother and are to each other, just as Loanne and are "celestial soul sisters," and each of us together are WoC'ers, harnessing the Winds of Change, for which I am truly grateful. With that, I look forward to your comments, and to our scheduled time together tomorrow. Namaste.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Greetings one and all.
Winds of Change will be held from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm, EST, Saturday, January 21st. Let's join together at that time in being consciously aware of our shared presence/presents wherever we are and whatever we may be doing.
Namaste.
Claire
--
“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”
~ Rumi
Winds of Change will be held from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm, EST, Saturday, January 21st. Let's join together at that time in being consciously aware of our shared presence/presents wherever we are and whatever we may be doing.
Namaste.
Claire
--
“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”
~ Rumi
Sunday, January 15, 2012
It was a chilling -9 degrees this morning as I began my Winds of Change, a low sun reflecting off a pristine hard-crusted snow cover, with elongated shadows of tree trunks patterning themselves amidst the sparkle. I offered a prayer of gratitude for the beauty surrounding me both outdoors and indoors, the warmth of propane heat, the coziness of my living room, the comfort of a thick rug on which to stretch and meditate, the awareness of our shared time together. Knowing where some of you were, I pictured you in your own spaces, walking, sitting, gathering together, driving.
I wanted to skip my stretches, a good indicator that I should indeed do them, which I did cautiously, having experienced a bout of vertigo yesterday, not the debilitating dizziness, but the feeling of being top heavy in my head, as if I would topple over at any moment from the imagined weight. Though none of it lingered this morning, I felt light headed and nauseous. I invoked the healing presence of each of you to steady me through my stretches, each movement a prayer of thanksgiving for your "presents."
I then decided to lie on the floor, knees bent, hands resting on my solar plexus. I chose not to listen to any soundings or music, but simply to feel presence deep within, as my mind wandered in opposing directions. It was an exercise in ebb and flow, wandering and centering, breathing in and breathing out, being aware of stiffness in my body and letting go to relaxation, hearing the Rinnai heater turning off and on and listening to stillness within, listening with my ears and listening with my heart, holding the image of my spinning chakras and not holding any image at all.
In the past, I would have struggled through this meditation, considering it a failed attempt. Today, as I experienced the differences in my state of being, I remained calm, accepting each occurrence as part of my meditation, with gentleness and nonjudgment. There were no visions and sensations, no quivers or sounds. My meditation was quite ordinary, and yet there was an underlying extraordinariness (extra: outside of; ordinary: commonplace) about it, a genuine joy and an all encompassing peace.
I know that bringing all of you along through the Winds of Change enhanced my meditation, which I experienced as a collective meditation, and as a result, I was able to find wonder in my meditative wandering. Thank you for participating in the Winds of Change.
I invite you to share your response or your own WoC experience by posting it here. I would love to hear from you. Namaste.
Friday, January 6, 2012
As I sit to write about my Winds of Change experience, I gaze out from my living room windows, seeing a dark sky and a layer of newly fallen snow blanketing trees, rooftops, and earth, our first real snow of the season.
In preparation for Winds of Change, I re-played one of my favorite Om chant videos as background music, having just finished watching the beautiful array of colorful mandalas fading one into the other. As I listened, I built a fire in the small wood stove cornered along the north wall of the living room. With every action - crumbling old newspapers, opening the windowed doors to the wood stove, placing the crumbled papers on the grate, gathering sticks stacked beside the stove, strategically placing them over the papers, selecting two sticks of wood, one a birch log, my favorite wood scent, positioning them on top of the pile, striking the match, lighting different pieces of paper, putting the protective screen in place - I was conscious of sounds, smells, textures, positionings and motions. I also opened myself up to the "presents" of each of you, wherever you were, whatever you were doing, inviting you into my experience.
As I entered the kitchen to freshen my cup of Egyptian licorice tea, I heard my phone ringing in the living room. Though I missed the call, when I checked my phone, I noticed that it was from my mother, so I decided to call her back. Talking with my 86-year-old mother is always inspiring - in~spire - in~breath - to take in a fresh breath - and the entire hour and a half was dedicated to our sharing. I wish I could have recorded our talk, it was that powerful, uplifting and holy. Our topic - our own day-to-day, moment-to-moment evolution in consciousness - was truly aligned with my original idea for Winds of Change as a conversation about the great shift that is taking place on a global and universal level. I am eager to hear how your own WoC was, as you all were WoCing along, side by side with my mother and me. Please feel free to post your experience here. Namaste.
In preparation for Winds of Change, I re-played one of my favorite Om chant videos as background music, having just finished watching the beautiful array of colorful mandalas fading one into the other. As I listened, I built a fire in the small wood stove cornered along the north wall of the living room. With every action - crumbling old newspapers, opening the windowed doors to the wood stove, placing the crumbled papers on the grate, gathering sticks stacked beside the stove, strategically placing them over the papers, selecting two sticks of wood, one a birch log, my favorite wood scent, positioning them on top of the pile, striking the match, lighting different pieces of paper, putting the protective screen in place - I was conscious of sounds, smells, textures, positionings and motions. I also opened myself up to the "presents" of each of you, wherever you were, whatever you were doing, inviting you into my experience.
As I entered the kitchen to freshen my cup of Egyptian licorice tea, I heard my phone ringing in the living room. Though I missed the call, when I checked my phone, I noticed that it was from my mother, so I decided to call her back. Talking with my 86-year-old mother is always inspiring - in~spire - in~breath - to take in a fresh breath - and the entire hour and a half was dedicated to our sharing. I wish I could have recorded our talk, it was that powerful, uplifting and holy. Our topic - our own day-to-day, moment-to-moment evolution in consciousness - was truly aligned with my original idea for Winds of Change as a conversation about the great shift that is taking place on a global and universal level. I am eager to hear how your own WoC was, as you all were WoCing along, side by side with my mother and me. Please feel free to post your experience here. Namaste.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
I hope this finds each of you centered in your present moment. If not, take a deep breath, yes, right now, ~breathe in~ ~breathe out~ one more time, ~breathe in~ ~breathe out~. Welcome to the present moment.
Today's Winds of Change time began while I was talking on the phone with my mom. I was reading her the latest essay by Minimalists Josh and Ryan, The Difference a Year Can Make, which I sent to those of you on the e-mail list. My mom and I have shared our progressive steps in the evolution of consciousness for over 40 years. She is my mentor, my confidant, my mother and my friend, so it seemed appropriate that I would begin my year's end Winds of Change time with her.
After hanging up the phone, I surprisingly lingered on the Internet, re-reading the essay above, then clicking on an essay my elder sister Anne had sent me Change is Easy?!!!! about the impact a small number of people can have on a global scale. This, too, seemed to fit right in with Winds of Change and our commitment to set aside shared time in our individual lives to consciously connect.
I tuned into a beautiful song Devi Prayer - Hymn to the Divine Mother, invoking the presence of the Divine Feminine, as I mindfully walked through the rooms of the house, aware of the "presents" of each of you, lighting candles, then returning to the living room to light a stick of Devotion incense.
I've compiled a number of Tom Kenyon's sound healing songs in varying combinations which I use in meditation. As I lie down to meditate, covering my body with a beautiful gold, sea green and white shawl gifted me by my former husband Don, I listened to several chakra attunements and energy meditations to enhance my connection to higher states of consciousness and Mother Earth.
Envisioning our combined energies as a web of light, I was able to slip into the between space of the tones that were vibrating through me, experiencing total serenity for several moments at a time as tears flowed and ebbed. As I opened my eyes out of the meditation, I gazed at the white ceiling above and through the windows to the white cloud cover and white birch trees. What I experienced in the whiteness was an expansion of my meditation to the real world, seeing with real-eyes, real-eyesing the Unity of all things. This sense stayed with me for several moments, before I rose from the floor and continued on with my day.
I would love to hear of your experiences as well, to share here on the blog, or via e-mail. Please let me know if it is all right to publicly post your response here. Namaste.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
11.11.11 Invitation
You are asked to join us for the Winds of Change Friday, 11.11.11 from 11:11 am - 12:41 pm EST in whatever manner you choose to honor our ever evolving individual and group consciousness.
I am unable to readily access the Internet, so there will be a hold on my posts until further notice. My post for the last Winds of Change is saved on my laptop at home. Hopefully, I will get it out to you soon.
I have so much to write about and share, and in turn, am eager to hear from each of you about your own shifts - this is a fascinating development for me. All good. Namaste.
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