The Gift of Slowing Down

I live in Connecticut and we are on the back end of the big storm, Blizzard of 2015. While it did not impact us as badly as the weather people had forecast we surely got our share of snow, at least a foot or more, and the high winds that howled through the night.

Upon waking this morning, the beauty that awaited me outside was breathtaking. And my soul soared at the thought of a unquestionable slow day. Obviously Mother Nature had gifted me with this delight. With no cars allowed on Connecticut roads, the driveway with drifts rising to three feet and the snow still coming down I headed back to the warmth of a hot cup of coffee and got ready to settle in.

Most days, life is full and busy. While I pay close attention to the natural rhythms of my day and my life, there is a certain outer influence that is dictated by schedules, clients, calendars and the like. But today, all that is placed aside.

Today will be a day of a long walk in the silence that freshly fallen snow brings. Today will be the chance to sit by the fire, favorite book in hand and cat curled at my feet. Today will be hot soup for lunch with fresh corn bread from the oven.

Today will also be a day of reflection. A beautiful opportunity to bring my focus on the moment. To bring deliberate intention to what I am engaged in this winter season. It will be a day to pause and really appreciate the abundance in my life, the beauty that surrounds me and to bring calming energies to my intentions and dreams.

Blessings, Lisa

Where Is The Balance?

We pass through many stages in our soul growth. The gates open for us and we pass through. Sometimes while we are in this process of learning something new, we are developing a blossoming skill, or we may be quieting down in the use of an one we overuse and we feel a bit of overwhelm and struggle with our balance.

As we step into unknown territory and begin new practices or release one's that no longer serve us there is a tremendous shift in our energies. Sometimes we gracefully move through this shift, but many, many times we find ourselves asking, "Where is the balance?"

Imagine learning the skill of using your words wisely to get what you need in life and not taking on more than you do need. We may find ourselves saying yes to too much. Or we may be saying no too often without giving it enough thought and looking at things from the many different perspectives. Hmmm, we need to find the balance.

Perhaps we gain a new tool to use in our spiritual practice. Our excitement and delight in this tool has us turning to it again and again with each decision or prayer we put forth. Our other tools sit waiting patiently for our return, even those that would so much better serve the purpose at the moment for us. Once again, we find we need to restore our balance and learn to select the just right tool for the intention.

As we learn to master our new skills, our tools, our newest practice we find that a tremendous aspect of the mastering is in finding the balance. Our soul will help us in this lesson. We just need to remember to tap into our inner wisdom and listen. We need to pause, slow down, consider, weigh and wait. With time it will be come clear what is needed. Our soul will help us to hone and craft the best use for our needs. We do not want to overcompensate or under use. We need to find our sweet spot in the process. That just right balance of energies, time and use. When we discover that finding the balance is also big part of the lesson we then find ourselves accepting that this is as well a wonderful aspect of our growth.

Blessings, Lisa

Loss of Land Brings on Flood

Life has its disappointments. People let you down, circumstances do not lead you to your hopes and dreams, other's make choices that don't align with yours and so on. How do you roll with the energies that rise up from this place of loss? The way in which you respond can either help you find your way through or find you in a undertow that will cause you tremendous struggle. In a recent loss of a hoped for land to build our homestead on, I found myself in a flood of feelings to swim through.

While I try to live a life without expectations, it is not always easy. Our passions and our dreams often bring us to a place in life where we are filled with anticipation. All is well, if the next sequence of events unfolds in the way or at least somewhat like what you hoped for. But when they don't we find ourselves feeling a bit lost, maybe feeling a little empty or sad and trying to figure out what is next.

When this happens, I try to give myself time for pause. I need to be present with my feelings, rather than stuff them or ignore them. In the past, when I would do this, they would only surface once again, a bit later, often during a very inconvenient time, bringing with them a fury of energies that was disproportionate to what they originally were. Quite a mess to mop up. Eventually, I figured out I could save myself a good deal of clean up if I would just give them room right at the beginning of their bubbling forth.

Sitting in this place of pause I can grieve if I need to. I can also allow the disappointment to rise up and then release it. I don't hold onto it begrudgingly. I don't fester over it. And with time, I can look beyond. That is the beauty of feelings, they come and go, if we allow them to.

I picture myself riding the waves, rising and falling, sinking and surfacing, but always able to walk out of the waters of emotions. They are an important part of who I am, but they do not define me or control me.

Each time I can do this, I find a new depth has been reached within. I find a better understanding of who I am, why I do what I do, how I can evolve and where I am stretched. What a tremendous gift! Life brings us to these places for a reason. We may not always know why, but surely it serves us to be fuller, more aware, and closer to our truth.

So when disappointment washes over you, do not run and hide. Allow the shower to wash over you. Seek cover to wait it out. Pause and be. Feel and release. Open your heart and soul to the truth as it unfolds and embrace the gifts to be found there.

Blessings, Lisa

Release and Wonder Found In the Sky

A dear friend of mine always finds wonder in the sky. Her soul finds the most majestic energies, beautiful pictures and wondrous release there. Allowing your mind and soul rise to the clouds and release any tension is a beautiful meditative practice.

Cliches often result from truthful occurrences. "Having your head in the clouds" can mean that you are not fully present or have flighty ideas. But, that does not need to be viewed from a negative perspective. Perhaps you are intentionally not being fully present in the chaos or tasks of the day, but instead are fully aware of your other needs. And so laying back, eyes following a beautiful puffy cloud formation, feeling the gentle breeze and watching a bird dip and dive is the perfect fit. Perhaps those flighty ideas are ideal for your pause from problem solving and instead allows your imagination to come out to play and your stress to be carried away.

I find myself practicing this meditative release and delighting in the wonder I see in the sky more often these days. A mere five minutes of this activity rejuvenates my body, mind and soul. Tension leaves, creativity is inspired, thoughts become clearer and joy steps in.

There is much hustle and bustle in my life, but to rise above it, just like the clouds, is a very helpful practice. Creating this intentional contrast between all my day's have to's to a few moments of want to's is a very important act of self-care and a delightful gift.

So, the next time you feel a little overwhelmed, a bit tired or drained or even need some inspiration, look to the skies. Take a few moments to be present there and the rest will follow.

Blessings, Lisa