Magickally Human

Life sucks!
My life is so boring!
Nothing ever turns out the way I want!

Wait, just breathe and take a look around.
Have I tried to be present in the moment?
Have I tried something new?
Do I really know what I want?

Everything I try fails!
No one really cares about me!
And, I don’t care about anyone!

Maybe I should put your energy into what I am passionate about.
Do I care about myself?
Not caring about anyone, means that I do care about someone.

Every day is just as pointless as the next!
If only!
If only!
If only!
Why should I be grateful?

Everyday Iwake up is a gift !
“If only” will never come. But, “Now I can” is always an option.
If I do!
If I can!
If I see!

Why should I be grateful?

The more I offer appreciation for whatever I have, the more I will see the abundance that I actually have.
The more I see the abundance of what, the better I am able to enjoy every bit of my life.
The more I enjoy my life, gratitude will become my ally and the radiance of that change in my perspective will show me the importance I have in the lives of all I meet.

The official day for gratitude (in the US)-Thanksgiving- is over. Back to the norm of looking for what we lack versus what we have. I’m not saying that everyone falls into this category, nor that this is a daily routine, but at some point in a day/week or month it is easy to lose sight of what we have to be grateful for. I work with a law of polarities, so these slip ups are not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, these lapses in seeing the positive and having gratitude can foster a deeper awareness of be fully present in those gifts of hope and inspiration. 

It may seem counterintuitive, but having gratitude for those things that have disappointed or failed to meet our expectations, opens a new dialogue and potential for what can be learned from the experience and more importantly how we can choose to respond (or react) to what befalls us.

Awaken prepared to give thanks that you have, indeed, awakened for another day.
Move through your day, expecting that there will be harmony and discord, and be thankful that within each is a lesson to be gained.
Return to your home each evening, fully present in the experience of your day and gratitude for the space of sanctuary and rest.
Surrender into a sleep of breath that will fill you in your slumber; a heart that beats strongly in maintaining life and enter into dreamscape with thanks for the anticipation of another day at dawn’s light.

-Lamb meatballs and penne in a wine rose tomato gravy- 

Food is one of the first experiences we have as we enter this world. The closeness that evolves from the child suckling at mother’s breast; first solid foods and explorations; favorite foods served on special occasions and a meal lovingly prepared that nourishes both body and soul. This is the magick of food and the deep memories that food awakens.

Most of the time I enjoy cooking and becoming empty nesters when our five children left home several years ago still has not dampened my enthusiasm in cooking smaller meals for my husband and myself. Adding a little variety to developing my cooking skills comes from having to prepare meals that are both vegetarian (for myself) and carnivore traditional (for my husband).

Even when I am short on time, everything I prepare is done with the intention of love. This is the magick of food and the invoking of it’s nourishing properties as a sacred component to what the offering will be and to whom it is offered.

What is it that you are preparing for yourself and your loved ones to consume? Are you infusing it with the sacred heart? Are you taking time to offer up thanks to the sources of what is on that plate and those who have processed, packed or picked the ingredients you are using?

Food recreates the setting in which it was first experienced. Was this offering in a space of comfort, contention or celebration? This is often why we crave certain “comfort” foods when sad. These are the same foods that we had at a joyful celebration. Moreover, we engage all of our senses in these experiences. Taste, texture, sight, smell and even the sounds associated with the food we are eating contribute to the overall magick of the experience.

-Sharp cheddar topped Tempeh, fresh tomatoes, zucchini and mushroom saute-

As living organisms we require food to survive, grow and remain healthy. The quality and quantity of that food determines the outcome of health or disease. Give pause to your choices. Take a moment to honor the act of eating and what you have chosen to nourish and satisfy your body. Make each meal a sacred act filled with gratitude for what has been provided.

Stand at the hearth of offering. Prepare with Love and consume with gratitude. And, when you have found your sacred nourishment, open wide and say…. 

Feed Me!

Want to read more about our sensorial gifts? Check it out here..
Engaging Your Senses

The world moves on around us and still we choose to remain still. People come and go in our lives and still we choose to remain still. Years pass quickly, even those that feel like forever, yet we chose to remain still. We choose to remain as observers of our lives and hope that we will largely go unnoticed. Even those who step into the light of recognition, choose a mask and that is what they project to the world. The truth hidden and buried as we choose to remain still.

And, what of all that stillness that we wrap ourselves in? Does it protect? Does it shelter? Does it give comfort? Does it bring awareness? Does it bring joy?

What if in our standing still we also chose action? What if the truth of our standing still was crafted in the choice of remaining anchored and rooted. Pressure builds, and action ignites into new perceptions that need the anchor of foundational quiet and stillness. The stillness that is the pause between the last breath of exhalation and the next of inhaled action.

Our stillness does not need to hold us inert. Our action lay in the pregnant pause of what will become. The “becoming” of a stream of informed will that has grown in the stillness of listening and observing.

The action that is born of this stillness is powerful and palpable in its effects. This is the action that stands strong in the face of challenge. The action that uplifts another so that they may find their own place of stillness. The action that speaks its truth, unashamed, yet mindful of the power of those words if ill-placed, having felt its sting. The action that finds its purpose and without wavering follows it to its natural course of ending as the newness of beginnings weaves a new path.

The world moves on around us and still we choose to remain still… knowing that the most powerful action of fully embracing the gift of humanity lay in the stillness of knowing your manifest power…so,

Act Now and Stand Still!

We all want to be successful and foster growth in all areas of our lives. This is largely what keeps us motivated. We fill our days, and often nights, with thoughts of how to make more money, be more productive, have more, be more and do more. And, with each incremental success, the desire to exceed what we have reached takes hold and the “wanting” begins anew. You are familiar with the phrase, “the grass is always greener, on the other side”? We don’t have to look very far to see that the “other side” is our own back yard!

We have been conditioned to believe that we must keep trying. That this is the “positive” attitude to have. But, at what point do we stop and simply enjoy where and who we are?

Life is full of opportunities that allow us to stretch beyond our perceived capabilities. The real lesson in all of these lay in realizing the simple joy of satisfaction that is achieved in having tried. A deeper lesson; one that is often discarded is that of knowing when to rest in whatever has been achieved through your efforts and measuring it as neither more nor less a success.

Oftentimes we miss out on the exhilaration of feeding and nurturing what is in the hurried pursuit of moving on to the next level of what should be. Maybe, just maybe, what “is” is exactly what should be!

The next time you have your sights set on a specific “I think I Can”, take a moment to pause and look fully at where you are right now. Savor this “now” and think on all that you have gained from what already exists. Then, decide if there is more to be gained in this present “now”. And, if so, settle into that space, happy and whole right where you are.

The last post focused on the emotional aspect of our humanity and the way in which we allow our emotions to guide and direct our responses. If only it were that simple, but to this equation is added what is acceptable behavior in accord with societal, cultural and communal rules of order. “Speaking your mind”, which is actually the result of what the heart and emotions have formulated as conclusion, is often seen as a negative trait, rather than being acknowledged as an act of courage.

“Holding your tongue” may be more acceptable, but at what cost to claiming your personal power and being forthright in what you are feeling. We are continually moving through the delicate balance of what is appropriate, what is truth and what is honoring and being accountable for what emanates from these two points.

What happens when this balance sways in the direction of pent up emotion. When these emotions reach their boiling point and what you want to say can’t be said. What is the recourse? For me, this energy becomes that of screaming in silence.

There are people I love and care deeply for and still these people can bring me to a space of frustration and emotional turmoil. Lashing out is not always the best practice,, but I have also come to realize that holding everything in is just as non-productive and damaging. I pick and choose carefully where I allow my anger to find its mark, and most often what has provoke me are small bones to pick, when I really take the time to breath into a response rather than jumping to the first reaction.

This approach usually works, but for those times when I need to release strong and potentially erosive feelings I find a quiet place of solitude. In this space, where I can let go and allow raw emotion to spill from me, I call up what has provoked such intense feeling.  I pull it up, open my mouth and shatter the silence of this space with a full bodied scream. I do this until the purging of what upset me is complete and the  energy of my space of choosing has accepted my release and transformed it into pure and dynamic flow.

This is the magick of the silence and the power of emotional release emanating from a vessel that is human, manifest and potent in its ability to feel, to react and to respond. Not only do I feel better, but whatever would have been the object of my wrath has not taken that energy from me. This is an important observation that we do not realize when we allow our anger or negative emotions to get the best of us. We imagine that we are blasting away at whatever caused these emotions and that by doing this somehow we will feel better. Usually we do not! Often we feel depleted and drained; having offered up the energy of our power to the other. And, not always do we see the results of change that we hope this outpouring will have in changing the outcome.

Now this is not to say that I do not express myself and speak up when my emotions have been reached critical mass, but it is all in the timing as to how much the resulting outcome changes me (for the better) and allows me to stand in the fullness of my power and ability to express myself. Actually, waiting until after I have “screamed into the silence” gives me the composure and anchoring to be effective in what and how I communicate. These emotions have been tempered and refined and I am now in control, which is after all, the desired outcome!

So, the next time your emotional self reaches its bursting point, breathe into the silence, scream your frustration into powerful, raw energy acknowledging that you are magickally human…

Next Post

I think I Can- But Should I?