“Right where you are, the potential of the universe is.”
~Alexandra Katehakis
Be Right Where You Are
Natural Gratitude
“love the world as your self
then you can care for all things”
~Lao Tzu
There is an earthy Celtic tradition that I enjoy very much. This tradition is simple, healing and fun. It involves speaking or singing your love and appreciation directly to the trees and flowers, birds and animals that you encounter in nature.
For example, I might go out into my backyard and whisper to the pine trees and tell them just how lovely their green branches are today. Or I might smile at the lavender bush and praise its scent. I might stop as I’m walking the dog, and thank the sky for the amazing cloud shapes floating by. If I’m feeling especially exuberant today, I could even go so far as to sing my gratitude to the trees and flowers and sky. Or create a little poem about their beauty and effect on me.
This ancient Celtic practice gives me a simple way to honor and acknowledge my relationship with nature. Our human lives are interwoven with the natural world in a multitude of ways. But I often forget just how important nature is to my life. This gratitude practice helps me to remember.
“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet
and the winds long to play with your hair.”
~Khalil Gibran
Gratitude Walk
Below I share yet another way to shift into a naturally grateful state:
Take a walk in a beautiful natural space. As you walk, just notice what is beautiful around you. Whenever you notice a beautiful object, silently say thank you to it; thank each beautiful tree and flower and blade of grass for existing and brightening up your life.
Can you come up with 10 things to be grateful for? 25? 50? Make your list silently. And then notice what happens to your mood when you practice gratitude.
∞
Ayni
Ayni is a beautiful little word.
Ayni is the art of living in balance within and without;
Living in right relationship with Self, Soul and World.
Click on the link below to listen to a wonderful little talk; Two well-known shaman discuss Ayni and Shamanism as the Art of the Soul: Interfaith Radio
My Soul Has Come Home
Bloom Anyway
Shadowy Green
#mindful #space #soul
Full Moon in Libra with an Eclipse Twist
Tyler Leavitt’s photographs of last night’s full moon moving into a total lunar eclipse are stunning. I am reminded of how immense this Universe truly is. AND how every part of this vast Universe interacts and cycles to the rhythms of a magical melody.
This April full moon is in the sign of Libra, which means that relationship, balance and equality issues get activated and may come to the forefront in our lives this week… So, don’t be surprised if you experience “interesting” conversations and dynamic shifts with your lover, spouse, best friend, or business partner! AND Mars is also hanging out in Libra right now, amping up the male / female relationship dynamics even more.
With the moon in Libra, it is the perfect time to take some action to restore balance and harmony within your most important relationships – focus particularly on emotional balance. And please don’t forget about your relationship with Mother Earth, the one who nourishes us and provides this beautiful home. I love what shamanic practitioner Lena Stevens shares on her web site about this full moon time:
“This Moon in Libra is closely aligned with Ceres (exactly) and Vesta fully illuminating our relationship to our Mother planet and the gifts of nourishment and support she provides and reminding us to hold these feminine manifestations as sacred. This is a major theme of the eclipse/Full Moon not to be taken lightly… ” ~Lena Stevens, The Power Path
Now is the time to look for new ways to connect with Mama Earth. Now is the time to help our Earth to cleanse and restore balance. With Earth Day rapidly approaching – and isn’t EVERY day actually earth day? – now is the perfect time to focus on rebuilding a sacred, loving relationship between ourselves and Gaia, the original mother of all life on this planet.
Lena Stevens also writes about another subject near and dear to my heart, the power of spiritual connections to ground and calm us in these crazy times.
Tapping into our spiritual connections will help us avoid and balance the chaos and fear that can come from those around us when they lack an anchoring relationship to truth, love and power. When we experience an eclipse, it is an opportunity for reset. A portal of alignment is created where new influence can take precedence over the old…” ~Lena Stevens, The Power Path
How about renewing your spiritual connection to Mother Earth this week? No elaborate ritual is required; just a clear intention and an open heart.
Try This: Spend a few moments outside this week, reconnecting to mother earth. Revel in Spring! Sit on the ground and connect down into the soils of the earth, the dirt that grows our food. Breathe in the air that the trees create for us. Drink the water that this beautiful blue wet planet showers us with.
Breathe it all in with gratitude. Ask Mama Earth how you can help her. Then listen for her response.