Imbolc: In the Belly of Wonder

February 2^nd traditionally signals Imbolc, the return of the Light. As a harbinger of Spring, it's one of the most powerful portals on the Wheel of the Year: the exact midpoint between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. A time to honor and go deep with the natural world.

Stephen Buhner's Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm is a Mystery School disguised as a book; a work that opens the doors of perception with wisdom and humor. On p. 301, this piece by William Stafford sang to my Spirit as an ideal invocation for the Return of the Light in your soul:

If you don't know what kind if person I am

and I don't know what kind of person you are

a pattern that others made may prevail in the world

and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.

For there is many a small betrayal in the mind,

a shrug that lets the fragile sequence break

sending with shouts the horrible errors of childhood

storming out to play through the broken dike.

And as elephants parade holding each elephant's tail,

but if one wanders, the circus won't find the park,

I call it cruel and maybe the root of all cruelty

to know what occurs but not recognize the fact.

And so I appeal to a voice, to something shadowy,

a remote important region in all who talk:

though we could fool each other, we should consider —

lest the parade of our mutual life get lost in the dark.

For it is important that awake people be awake,

or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep;

the signals we give — yes or no, or maybe —

should be clear; the darkness around us is deep.

    

A Subtle Shift Makes the Diff!

I'm a huge fan of subtle shifts. Sometimes just moving a letter, or changing where you place the emphasis, can completely alter the meaning and intention ~ and thus, shift your world.

Play with these pairings:

Scared ----- Sacred

Toxic ----- Tonic

Nowhere ----- Now here

Reactive ----- Creative

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No More Countin' Dollars...

If 60 is the new 40 and green the new black, barter is the new money. And barter's creative potential is unlimited.

As our planetary upgrade quickens, we're all being challenged to think outside our brains. Radically rewiring our thought processes is the keynote of a rapidly evolving world. Just as we can choose to seek guidance from a spiritual guru — or, as I like to say, "dial direct" — the same holds true for other life transactions. Money is a middleman, and while we're far from being able to barter all of our basic needs, one day our forms of energy exchange will transcend the currency that currently rules our lives and livelihood. READ MORE

   

Are Your Wells Low? Have Faith: Help IS On the Way!

Several years ago, when my own wells were full and a friend was struggling financially, I invited him over for dinner, placing a $50 bill in a holiday gift envelope under his plate. When he saw it, he said, "Oh, I can't accept this!" And I replied, unconcerned about repayment yet with absolute certainty, "Spirit will give it back to me!"

Two days later there was a long envelope in my mailbox from a chiropractor friend, who had never sent me snail mail before. Figuring it was an announcement of some kind about her practice, I opened the letter to read a heartfelt thank-you for my newsletter all these years — accompanied by a donation check for $50. I was astonished at the absolute perfection with which realization leads to manifestation.

But what's more incredible is READ MORE

Victim, Volunteer — or Visionary?

Music artist Christine Lavin once penned an arresting tune called Victim-Volunteer, with blisteringly insightful lyrics that lay bare how we hide from ourselves:

Do you think of yourself as a victim? / Or do you volunteer? / Do you let somebody else call all of your shots? / Do you cower in the corner in fear?

Or do you follow because it is easy to do? / Do you fool with modern high tech voodoo? / Too bad if you're a victim but whatever you do / Don't volunteer.

Two is duality: victim or volunteer, we're still dancing to external music, out of time with our own rhythm. It's been the way of the world for eons — until now. As we enter an era beyond history, we can drop duality along with dusty yesterdays, and embody a grander possibility. Caroline Casey calls this magnificent moment "a windfall of wherewithal," when the capacity and connections we need to give our vision a voice materialize at the speed of Light. It's time to acknowledge our intrinsic genius, which means saying yes to a third "V" — visionary.

The catch to claiming visionary status is, READ MORE

Walking Between the Worlds: Samhain, Spirit and Sacred Story

This is a mystical time of year, when the veils between worlds are whisper thin. Secularly called Hallowe'en, in Earth-based traditions the turning of the wheel is known as Samhain (pronounced 'sow-in'), a powerful time to manifest intent.

In the U.S., Hallowe'en is about costumes, trick-or-treating, and occasionally, mischief. On the Celtic calendar, Samhain ushers in winter and the mysteries of the dark. October 31^st precedes Day of the Dead/All Soul's Day on November 1^st, a paean to the ancestors. The dark side — that which is hidden from our view — calls us to remember our transpersonal soulscape.

I've experienced a lot of death in 2014, including my Mom, my literal and actual oldest friend at 101, one of my greatest spiritual teachers, Angeles Arrien, and several acquaintances. This season of dying and release is an excellent moment to explore what is ending or "dying" within our own beings. What do you need to let go of in your life in order to move forward? Samhain and All Soul's Day is an invitation for each of us to embrace personal and planetary transformation.

Visionary activist astrologer Caroline Casey says, "We cannot live through the dead, but we can invite the dead to live through us." What gifts are asking, aching to be brought forth through you, when the entire world is awash in liminal rebirth?

The real treat of Samhain is the opportunity for quantum growth. The trick, perhaps, would be turning our backs on these inner voices beseeching us to shine our brilliance and step fully into our aliveness, passion, purpose and service.

It's time to remove your mask, and become who you came here to be.

How to Leap from "To Do" to "Ta Da!"

It's the perennial first question in Western culture: "What do you do?" In an earlier era, I had a straightforward answer: "Marketing communications." (This was when "content" was plural, and referred to what you'd find in a book.) When my former life dissolved, so did easy categorizations. Later, when pressed for a sound bite, what ushered from my mouth depended on the moment — and the audience. I might say, "I facilitate conscious evolution," or, "I'm a life coach." The first was a truer reply in the fullness it conferred; yet often, the recipient's eyes would glaze over in confusion. If I answered, "I'm a midwife for the soul," the person might exclaim, "Oh, you're a midwife!"

You see the challenge. READ MORE