Newsletter
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Greetings!
Wow! It's already fall!
I am surprised, honestly, how quickly summer passed, yet I am enjoying the changing of the seasons. I love the cool breezes of evening, the beauty of the harvest moon and the simplicity of practical routines.
As we head into fall, I offer you some thoughts about taking a time out for yourself, how apathy creeps in as you awaken, and - appropriately - how to fall back into the rhythm of autumn!
What do you do to help you align with the bountiful season?
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SELF CARE
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| Taking Time Out Most of us spend the majority of our time in contact with the world and others. We work, run errands, watch the evening news and so on. Perhaps one day this week, you take a much deserved time out.
What does it mean to have a time out?
For starters, you could clear your calendar of all obligations and choose to do nothing at all. A time out isn't necessarily a vacation or weekend get-away; I'm talking specifically about taking a time out from your daily routine, from interacting with others, from watching TV, from browsing the internet, from driving, and all those other things you do on a regular basis.
Just sit home and do nothing?
Sure, why not? Of course, your time out can be spent doing things you love, but rarely find the time to enjoy. Imagine reading a novel all day. What about pulling out those crafts or hobbies and create something that has absolutely no "purpose"?
It may seem like a stretch to give yourself a full time out day, so begin with a smaller segment of time, if necessary. Who knows? Maybe you'll enjoy your time out so much you'll start a whole new tradition and give yourself one day a week. Maybe you can call those days Sabbath or Sundays.
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AWAKENING
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| Apathy Apathy may seem like the opposite of awakening, yet it is often a noticeable part of the enlightenment process.
When we align with more awakened states of consciousness, we may start to feel critical of the world, the way things are, or how others behave. As we become more conscious, we become clearer about how we operate best and discover that there are major disconnects from how the rest of the world operates. In order to release our attachments, we often drop into feelings of apathy.
Apathy can be quite uncomfortable for someone who used to really care. "What's wrong with me?" you wonder. Rest assured, you are simply awakening and your feelings of apathy are not only normal, but even necessary. When apathy arises, simply take a deep breath and allow yourself to feel your feelings. Also note that they will pass and, as you progress, soon be replaced by the energies of neutrality, also known as non-attachment.
See, if you went from caring to non-attachment, you would feel as if something was terribly wrong with you. So, by heading straight to the other side of the pendulum to apathy and hanging out there a while makes the move into neutrality quite joyful!
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SACRED LIVING
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Fall back into Nature's rhythm
As the days grow shorter, we may feel rushed to get things done by
sundown. The summer days are long and slow and offer plenty of time to
do our daily duties in addition to enjoying sunshiny outings here and
there. Fall, however, can be a confusing push and pull of our energies.
Namely, Nature - including our own inner rhythm - begins to call us
inward and to slow down while the rest of our activities ask us to
continue at a heightened pace, or even require more from us, like going
back to school. Perhaps Nature's beckoning us to fall back into her rhythm.
It is responsible to honor our obligations, but it is imperative that we
learn to listen to Nature's call and ease up on the throttle if we are
to feel connected to ourselves, Source, and - yes - Nature herself. Of
course, we can always squeeze in time for ourselves, a daily prayer or
brief meditation, or a short hike, but in so doing we will likely feel the intensity of that constant squeezing action (also known as a contraction), not to mention the impressions it leaves on us.
When we spend much of our energies hurrying and scurrying, squeezing
and pushing, efforting and going, going, going, we often squeeze out
some of the fundamental properties of living joyful, healthy lives. For
example, how deeply does one breathe when contracting or pushing? Is it a deep, calming, rhythmic breath? (Not usually.)
How does one listen to Nature's rhythm and harmonize with fall? (Read More)
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
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Judy Garland "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."
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Enjoy the harvest of the season and may you make time for what really matters!
Blessings,
Veronica
Sacred Offerings (530) 885-4755
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