Growing Seeds of Change
Greetings!
"Everything evolves from self image. If we
enlarge our areas of endeavor, it's because
we've enlarged our self image/world
perspective." -- Patricia Norris
The Grandmother redwood tree, a 1500-year-old
gnarled beauty near my home, was left behind
by loggers because her wood wasn't straight
enough to sell or use. She stands midst a
circle of second growth (newer trees grown up
since the first logging), a sentinel to distant
histories and nearly forgotten lifestyles. On
a recent hike, I greeted the Grandmother. As
I stood quietly, back-to-back with this tree,
a sense of clearing the air surrounded me. My
body relaxed; I felt and listened more
closely. The words that came were "clear
running stream;" my body and energy field
felt as if the tree's energy was clearing and
smoothing my own.
A few days later, the feeling returned. I
quieted and shifted my attention into my
etheric field (aura), remembering and
recreating the sense of clearing and
smoothing. The most parallel human encounter
I can think of is snuggling in my
grandmother's arms as a child: she had no
expectations, and I was safe and soothed and
enclosed.
Such feelings, from grandmothers and trees,
remain in our bodies. They can be accessed
over and over, and we can use them
consciously to grow seeds of tree or
grandmother energy. Right this minute I can
close my eyes and feel myself in the tree's
quiet, slow my breathing to match that of the
forest, and move into resonance with that
world.
When our resonance shifts, we
see and
perceive differently. For example, if you
shift your breathing to match the rhythm of
someone else's breath, you'll feel a
surprising connection. If you shift your
breathing to match that of a tree, everything
will slow down and open up; what you sense
and what you experience as a human will
change. And what if you shifted your breath
and movement to match that of a hummingbird,
or a stone?
Our pre-industrial ancestors did just this,
all the time, with everything: animals,
plants, butterflies, mountains. They "knew"
things because their consciousness opened to
the living energy of all.
Moving Outside Time
When we are in the midst of change (personal,
collective, global), how can we respond in a
way that eases the anxiety and builds tools
of healthy response? How are we supposed to
shift our consciousness, do our jobs, live
our lives, take care of our responsibilities,
and learn what we need?
If the earth's
"pulse" is increasing, "time" is speeding up,
and the earth's magnetism is decreasing, as
writer Greg Braden talks about (see link),
what are we supposed to do?
Part of the answer lies, for me, in learning
to step outside time. There are moments when
we are graced with an experience that
transports us; and there are tools we can use
and habits we can shift to create more
spaciousness in experience and perception.
The other morning I opened my eyes to a flock
of about two million cowbirds and blackbirds
flying by my window, It was so magical and
amazing that time stopped. Towards the tail
of the flock, a small group of the birds
swerved and shifted direction: all I heard
was the rush of wings filling my world. This
is the world we are dreaming, praying,
lobbying, writing letters for. This is the
world of abundance, beauty, and balance that
we and our descendants deserve!
When I go into deep meditation, all the
racing mind drops away: I am just present,
just breathing, just observing. Or, when I
stand back-to-back with a tree, and really
listen, my body comes into resonance with the
sap rising and falling. Or, when I am
laughing and cooing with a baby, there is no
other world.
On the other hand, there are many habits that
grind me into the heavy present of
not-enough-time: coffee; lists; shopping;
projects unfinished; emails I have to answer;
people I am supposed to call; family crises;
deadlines. I am sure you can think of your own.
If you've done yoga, or martial arts, you've
probably heard of prana, chi, ki, or prajna.
All these terms are roughly equivalent to the
Andean concept of living energy; all of them
describe the dynamic of alive, fluid, moving,
and interacting energy in all things. The
Chinese character for chi is a rice pot:
steam rising, enfolding the dynamic energy of
scent, nourishment, fire, and water. Working
with chi--of the body, the breath, the city,
the woodland, the moon, the leaves
falling--is, like the teapot, a dynamic
process of attention, intention, and moving
energy. Becoming aware of the chi in
everything (even the family crisis!) is
another way of stepping outside
time.
Moving From the Personal to the Communal:
"Lights for Leaders"
Last Spring I began to receive guidance about
what a friend calls "guerrilla light work"--a
project we can all work on without anyone
"knowing." The specifics arose out of my long
personal work with stones, light healing, and
earth caretaking; I want to share them with
you so you can join in if you want, or create
your own version of this spiritual healing work.
In my project, I have placed special stones
in Washington, D.C. at the Jefferson Memorial
and in the Tidal Basin next to it (this is
where the famous cherry trees bloom in the
spring). The monument looks across the "Mall"
directly to the White House; from it you can
also see the Washington Monument and look
towards the Capitol and House and Senate
Office Buildings. The stones, which I worked
with extensively before I took them on their
journey, include: amethyst, smoky quartz, and
rose quartz polished stones, one river stone
from Oregon, one black obsidian from a sacred
waterfall in Mexico, and several amethyst
crystals: all of these are placed in trees,
and on the ground on either side of the
Monument. Two clear crystals, thrown into the
Tidal Basin, reflect the light in every
direction.
The purpose of these stones is to be a focus
for healing energy; to anchor and transmit
healing energy; and to ground our intentions
(spiritual work for the communal good can
feel abstract; the stones provide a focus
point). They are not for negative thoughts
towards our often misguided leaders (whatever
you put out comes back to you!), but for the
"highest good" to come from whatever we send.
Because they have been energetically
connected to other, sacred places of power,
the stones carry their own power and can
receive and transmit yours as well. I invite
you to play with them. Our leaders need all
the light, and lightening up, they can get!
Blessings of the dark time of the year,
