Be Not Afraid!

Today, I finally faced a fear.

I’ve been skirting around it for days, using all of the tools like  thinking of the situation in a positive fashion and focusing on other things instead of on the fear.

But when I do that, I know that I am avoiding thinking about the thing, so in a way I am still thinking about the thing.

In order to "be not afraid", I actually have to look at the fear straight forwardly. And I have to ask the question, “So what if this does happen?”

It is amazing how light I feel after I do that.

I suppose it’s surrendering, in a way. Maybe giving up the fight? Which makes sense if I think about it. Fighting is about resisting something. And when I resist something, I am acknowledging it’s presence and it's power over me.

But when I quit resisting the thought, it shrinks the fear from a looming "Big Bad" down to a mere possibility.

And I know that there are ever so many possibilities out there. Like falling leaves or blades of grass--there is never just one in any given spot. I can choose the one I really want to look at.

I can choose the possibility I really want to give power to.

And yes, the thought that evoked the fear will return again and again. But since I've already faced the fear, I feel the peace and see the possibilities and change my focus again.

Just like a November day, which can be sunshine with a light breeze, or blustering rain, or even freezing cold with snow. I bring my well-insulated trench coat (a gift from my mom), and I put an extra scarf in the car, and I am ready for any possibility.

And I am grateful for every day I see the sun.

It seems appropriate to close with a condensed version of a quote from Dune.

"I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. [...] Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." - Frank Herbert

Happiness is... A State of Knowing

 

Happiness is not, as I may have mentioned before, about being positive and uplifted and perpetually gleeful and laughing instead of crying. Happiness may actually be a misnomer, but all of my life all I’ve wanted was to be happy--by which I  meant at peace in my soul, and not feeling like the sky was about to fall every moment.

When I was playing with becoming a Happiness Coach, my business coach Laura Naughton helped me  define the tag line for the Happiness Practice. “Happiness is a state of being in every day life.” It was a little play on words (which I love) because it is a state of BE ing as well as a way of behaving in every day life.

But I realize that Happiness is also a state of knowing.

In November, the sun disappears. The leaves are mostly fallen and the trees no longer seem beautiful. The wet starts to come in. November is, despite Thanksgiving, a kind of dank dark month for many of us.

Many people deal with depression during November. The cold saps the energy, the darkness makes us want to sleep more and hide in our caves. It is tempting to think we will never be happy and energetic again.

But we know, from past experience, that the cold and wet is a season, part of the cycle. We know that it will change again.  That there will be warmth again. That we will complain of the warmth again.

We know that the Sun exists out there, even when we can't see it. 

And like November, with Happiness we know that the depression, the difficult time, the tragedy, the sorrow, is a season.  We know there is something outside our pit or room or shrouding blanket of despair. We know that there is love all around us. And we know that we will feel it again.

We may not see the sun shining all the time, but we know that it is shining all the time. And we will see it again.

Meanwhile, may there be pretty lights and fuzzy socks and  warm drinks to help keep the smile in the month of November.

November is Happiness Month

 

(Because I said so, that’s why.)

 

If you’re like me, the idea that winter is approaching definitely brings out the grumpy. The weather is consistently colder and colder, and the sun goes to bed right after dinner. Energy levels sink and it’s pretty easy to fall into a slump of food and tv and feeling like something is just a little off.

 

To reset the grumpy brain, we can find small things to enjoy. Like the string of pretty lights over the window. Or the hand made afghan that looks really good, if I do say myself. Which I do. Stirring, blood tingling music is always a favorite.

And exchanging smiles with the Universe.

 

In November, getting a smile is as easy as jotting down the date with a little extra flare:

 

 Look we Created Happiness! (we've got the power!)

 

May all your smiles come easily :)

-L

Happiness is... My Halloween Celebration

 

About a week ago I decided I would really like to celebrate Samhain, Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve with Pagans. Or at least with people who have a tradition of celebrating the 31^st of October as more than a night of candy and fright. I was looking for reverent and reminiscent.

I knew there were a couple of pagan groups online, so I thought I would jump on Facebook and see what I could find. That is never a good idea for me. Because FB means scrolling which starts with the “oh how fun to catch up on friends’ lives” and ends with contrasting opinions and sniping.

In short, I kept getting distracted.

And then SJ Tucker announced – or I finally saw the email from SJ Tucker announcing – her Halloween concert. Yay! And with it was a notice that she would be providing the music for a Samhain Service offered through UUFF.

So I happily clicked on the link to see what UUFF was and what the service was about.

"UU" is for Unitarian Universalist - a diverse spiritual denomination. I had attended and sung at a UU Church in CO; in fact, I helped lead a pagan service once. So I was comfortable with the the format the service would probably follow.

The "FF" for is Fellowship of Fayetville, a town in Arkansas. Which makes sense because SJ Tucker lives in Arkansas.

The service was titled “Healing Hallows”.  And it was going to be on Zoom.

Now, it’s been awhile since I’ve done a Zoom service. Lakewood Church is “televised” live, and while I certainly participate (singing and standing and sitting) it’s still more of an observer thing than a being involved thing. And I can eat my breakfast or run to the bathroom whenever I want and no one can see me. On zoom, I feel it’s rude to turn off my video unless requested.

But I have also been practicing trying new things and being myself (as opposed to trying to figure out what others expect me to be and working myself into a frenzy); I told myself I could go pee whenever I wanted. I had the choice.

So I found the link and put it in my calendar and I got to church on time. I even dressed up a bit (because I wanted to, not because I felt I had to).

And when I signed in, I was greeted by name. Which was a shock! I had expected a little bit of anonymity, especially in a church I didn’t know and had never attended before.

But I took a deep breath and settled in—after a few minutes of playing with gallery view and speaker view and etc. and so forth. Cuz that’s what I do.

And it was beautiful. It was exactly what I wanted for this day. And it was heart filling because I felt that I was not just participating, but contributing to the actual service. It was personal.

I was so happy.

And then, my day got even better.

I received my order of a large tea pot and accessories a day earlier than I expected.

I won a door prize on the SJ Tucker concert I was watching (she said my name!) and I heard some new songs.

And I had a marvelous little feast while visiting with the Sun. 

It was an amazing day.

But the biggest gift, here at the end of the harvest season, is knowing that most days can be like this. I just have to be open and say “this is what I want.”  I don’t have to look very hard, or make gargantuan sacrifices. I don't even have to "work for it". I just have to open my heart and allow.

Which I do. Happily.

May every day be a blessing and may there always be something beautiful in our sights.

Happy Halloween.

Blessed Fire

 

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.

Hail and farewell.

Summer Solstice Divination Special

Hello to you!

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.

-Lila

Watcha Feelin'?

 Hey! How ya' feeling?   

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.

-Lila