We honor you for the transformation that has danced across
our lands and through our lives.
May you see the respect we intend in the numbers and
qualities of beings we send to battle you.
We know that you are the heart of the sun, burning strong
and proud, never truly quenched, the fire we have buried in our own hearts
until you broke free to display your power in a way we could not deny.
Let this symbol of creativity show that you have been heard:
Not all fires
should be quenched; the fires of passions and joy and love and creation
and
exploration should burn on forever. And those fires should be used.
I pray you, release our forests from your embrace, and
return to the candle and the camp.
Your work here is done.
Thank you, fire, for that work.
Thank you, fire, for your message.
Thank you, fire for always being alive in our hearts.
I recently had the opportunity to do some readings, and I must say, I loved it!
So, to honor the Summer solstice and do more of what I love, I am having a Reading Special - 1 hour for $55.
If you're like me (and Colorado), it feels like it's taken this long just to pull yourself out of the winter of contemplation.So now is a great time to pause and ask a few questions:
Am I where I want to be?
What seeds have sprouted in my life's garden?
Which ones am I still waiting for?
Which dreams do I want to tend, and which am I ready to weed out?
Do I HAVE to think in plant metaphors?
The answer to the last one is no 😉
But if you have questions, I'd be happy to help find the answers. I use the runes, the Wild Wood Tarot, and connection with the divine to translate what you need to hear from the Universe. As a Happiness Practitioner, the focus tends to be on what will be empowering for you; Self Care and Acceptance are also themes that often weave through the conversation.
The readings can be in-person (within a reasonable distance of Denver, CO) or online. Once you've purchased a reading, we'll connect and coordinate time and place.
And if you want to be informed about the flowers in my Garden sign up for my newsletters.
Happy Solstice, Gentle Beings. May the sun shine brightly, and without harm.
If you're like me,
you feeling like your slogging through something you can't quite identify and
you can't really see your way out of. Your strength is sapped, you're tired all
the time, and you're not always sure that there really is a light at the end of
the tunnel.
And more people die
and the economy is uncertain and everyone is fighting about politics it seems
and somedays…the only feeling
is "Why bother?"
And since most of us
are feeling that way, it seems to multiply and spread until we're as beaten
down as district 12 in Suzanne Collins' books about the MockingJay.
So, if you're like
me, it's time to explore a different question. Cuz we know what we feel, and
what we're afraid of. What would we like to feel? Seriously. Take a
few minutes, take a deep breath, push back from the desk or lay down on the floor. Look out the
window, or close your eyes - and allow yourself to answer this question…
"What would I like to feel?"
Be curious. Be
imaginative. Be brave. "I'd like to feel safe. I'd like to feel free. I'd
like to feel 30 pounds lighter. I'd like to feel like an astronaut. I'd like to
feel the ocean on my feet, the mountain breeze on my face, the hug of my
family, my pets.I'd like to feel
magical, delighted, competent, healthy, free of this headache, full, strong,
mellow, sad, excited… "
What would you like to feel?
Hopefully, just the
act of contemplating that - of exploring the possibility that there are other
feelings out there to be felt - helps your body connect with some of those
feelings. What does it feel like - physically - to feel safe instead of beat
down? To feel magical instead of drudging? To feel free?
What does it feel
like in your heart, in your head and your shoulders? What does it feel like in
your breath?
And there! if only for a minute, we are
breaking through the bleak fog of habit and reaction and we are emitting rays
of hope, sunshine, possibility. This is how we change our worlds, my friends.
It doesn't change the weather, but it definitely changes how we approach it.
What we add to the collective.
And the answer can
be different every day! every minute.
So what, in this minute, would you like
to feel?
I hope the warmth of the sun breaks through the fogs and lightens your
day.
I have
been attending a Universalist Unitarian church lately - delighted by the
professed inclusion of a variety of spiritual practices. The structure of the
celebrations follows the norm - entrance, light candle, words and music and
non-denominational prayers/ meditations, douse candle. One service was lead
wholly by various members of the congregation.
And the
music. OH! the music has been a balm to my soul. Choral music. Contemporary
music, orchestral and pop Congregation singing hymns, of course, and members
playing Chopin, and choirs singing Billy Joel, and... and... and... So far
every service has been different and every service, musically at least, has fed
my soul.
Propelled
on the love of the music, I joined their choir. Just this week.
I am glad
that I did. That I have been carried on the wave of the music. Because today, I
was told that I was wrong. That my practice - the Happiness Practice -
basically everything I am - is wrong and NOT part of the inclusion that is the
Unitarian Universalist tradition.
I am
"enlightened enough" to understand that this could be my
interpretation… but the words I would say her sermon paraphrased down into was
"Individualistic focuses and practices are bad." We are, as humans,
relationship beings. And so, our focus the core of the faith practice - even a
liberal faith practice which has no set dogma or creed but is all about
inclusion - should be on the society. "Ask not what your church can do for
you…"
I am proud
of myself. I was still able to enjoy the music.
And it is
so tempting to rail against the injustice of this personal attack - though it
wasn't. It wasn't personal at all. She didn't even know I was in the audience.
Only a few people in the congregation even know I am a Happiness Practitioner.
Heck, only a few people in the world know what a Happiness Practitioner is!
The first
part of the service had readings which talked about the difficulty of being a
liberal religion - because there is no One True Way. There is no set dogma,
creed, or practice to say "DO THIS" in bright bold letters. So it in
not, as was said, a faith path for the faint of heart.
And this
sermon was the minister's way of giving her congregation a sense of purpose and
a direction for their spiritual focus. "Ask what you can do for your
church. For your community." It was her job!
And isn't
my job to accept that? Not that I am wrong, not that I have to change in order
to become an acceptable choir member. But to accept that the words she spoke
are her truth. Her reality. Her Happiness hinges on this belief. This is her
center.
And it
does piss me off, that to be true to myself I have to accept her truth as
valid, for her. It would feel so good, so righteous, to use all this hurt to
argue with her, tell her how wrong she is, make her validate my point. MAKE her
- and by extension the community she represents - accept me.
Well,
that's not my job. That's not my truth. And in the end, it might feel
triumphant - for having said my piece - but it wouldn't be fulfilling. It
wouldn't be my PEACE. Because in the end, it would be against the true meaning
of acceptance and inclusivity - which means basically she has the right to
believe her reality of the world. She has the right to make the world a better
place in her fashion. She didn't throw me out. She didn't even single me out.
She didn't harm me in any way - though I was harmed by her words.
I, to be
true to my faith and my practice and my Happiness, get to practice accepting
her. And I get to make a choice.
Am I going
to let her truth become my truth? Am I going to turn myself into her version of
a Universalist Unitarian in order to feel I have permission to sing? No.
Am I going
to slink into the church each time, hoping to be unnoticed so I can get what I
need and scurry away? No.
Am I going
to swagger in, daring someone to ask me if I am an individualist? No.
Am I going
to starve myself of music in order to be out of her sphere of words? No.
Am I going
to sit martyr like through her sermons and wait for the arrows of her truth to
pierce the armor of mine? No.
I am
responsible for my Happiness, for my joy, for my practice. And if we ever meet,
she will think what she thinks about me. She will include me - the Unique and
Equal individualist - or not as fits her truth. It has nothing to do with me.
And will I
include her? Well. The Happiness Practice is diverse. And Inclusive. And we
accept that everyone, EVERYONE has the right to their truth. And frankly, I
don't know her. She could be a very nice person. But I won't be seeking out her
company any time soon; I doubt she is my KIND of person. Because of this one
truth she has spoken.
If I want
to make the world a better place - if I want to make MY world a better place, I
have to do it my way.
Today I am writing to reveal the answer to that eternal mystery.
Like you, I have been frustrated by this enigma for most of my years of driving in this state (except when I am using the right lane to pass all the traffic.) But I recently have begun travelling in the older parts of Colorado, and I have discovered the reason behind this cultural norm.
Or should I say reasons - because there are a few.
1)The right lane is for loading and unloading
How does traffic merge on? The right lane.
How does traffic exit? The right lane.
Whether you're on a highway or a main street, the right lane is the lane from which one turns right. Sometimes there is a small lane carved out of the bike lane. Sometimes there is not. And sometimes the right lane suddenly becomes the turn lane, as signaled by the discreet white sign was saying "This lane MUST turn right."
2)The right lane disappears
Yes, I said what I meant. The right lane disappears.
Many is the driver who is caught by surprise when she finds herself heading toward the sidewalk because the two-lane street merged, for no discernible reason, into one lane.
3)SNOWPLOW!
It's actually pretty logical - though, since I avoid driving in snow, the husband had to tell me this one. The snowplow plows the left lane first - much more efficient, than plowing the right lane first, since the snow (and or slush) that is being plowed gushes to the right.
And driving next to a snowplow is NOT fun. Exciting - yup. As in "WTF!" But not fun. (Yes. This is personal experience talking.)
4)The right lane dips like a ballroom dancer
And I don't mean this in an attractive, graceful way.
Denver loves to boast of it's status as a Mile High City at the base of some beautiful foothills.
What this really means is we DRIVE on hills. Our roads are carved on hills. Which means the right lane might have a tendency to lean to the right - which means, you're driving at an angle. Not comfortable when you're trying to look over your shoulder to see if you can merge before the lane ends!
So if you see a Colorado plate cruising sedately in the left lane, just smile and nod. Cause now you know a few of the reasons why. And yes, you could ask us to change, once we're on the Interstate. But if you've ever tried to break a habit, you know how easy it is to consciously switch years of daily behavior. (Ie - Not) We thank you for your tolerance and understanding.
