Connecting to Source

How do you connect to source? Do you have personal rituals that you use to bring you from the busy-ness of the outer world to the calm and peace filled inner world? I have over the years found that my connections change as I evolve in my spirituality. But there is one constant that has always remained. I find my best connection to source is through my connection with nature. Whenever I step out of doors, my soul begins to resonate. My breathing deepens, my senses awaken, my step becomes lighter and more intentional as I connect to the earth. I find that during those times of confusion, foggy brain, or overwhelm, the best “medicine” I can give myself is a pause and a moment to connect with Mother Earth. Clarity returns, a calm enters my soul, and perspective shifts.

I have no favorite season, as some do. I find delight in the first neon green shoots that begin to show after days of mud forming rain. I am tickled with delight each summer as flowers magically bloom and awaken with the most vibrant colors. I am invigorated by the first frost of autumn and feel the celebration within me as I look back over the year at all the abundance in my life. And there is absolutely nothing more exquisite to me than a walk in freshly fallen snow under the stars and the moon; my soul sings!

I have learned so many of my life lessons from Spirit come through this connection to nature. I have learned to study the animals for their attributes and offerings of insight and how they can be applied to my life. Watching hawk, for example, has taught me that intention and keen vision are imperative to my path in moving forward with integrity. Observing spider has taught me the delicacy of strength from her web building as well as the importance of the energies of connection.

I have also discovered that honoring the plants around me supports my connection as well. Working in a garden, nurturing plants from seedlings to full maturity offers me opportunities to practice perseverance, to be mindful and attentive, to be appreciative of even the smallest bit of growth and to celebrate the harvest of my efforts.

My creativity awakens when I am outdoors. My mind becomes fluid with words and images. My voice longs to break into song. My body finds its grace and rhythm in every movement. My heart beats stronger and resonates to the pulse of the earth.

My spiritual connection is multifaceted and transcends what my everyday brings to me. I cherish this relationship. Much like the ways in which I have learned to respect my body temple, I have learned how to honor my connection with spirit. I do not take it for granted and I make a point of “checking in” daily to make sure that it is being nurtured, celebrated and valued.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

Celebrating YOU

I have so much in my life to celebrate, so much to be grateful for, so much to take delight in. But I have made it a priority to celebrate me first. Yup, I am first in line. Why? Two reasons. One, I have learned that my definition of celebration has a bit more depth than most. And two, once I make celebrating me a priority the power and joy, the light and peace, and the magical abundance flows and flows and flows! Before you know it, there is not a day that goes by without someone or something to celebrate! So how do I define celebrating? It is so much more than parties, cake and balloons or champagne toasts! Celebrating is honoring, and admiring. There is a recognition of the value. An accepting the whole package in its wabi sabi perfectly imperfection. There is respect, esteem, and appreciation in the act of celebrating as well.

When I bring celebration into my day I open the doors of connection. I embrace those who cross my path. I look to the seasons, the time of day, the moment with an eye of appreciation and wonder. I am looking for the spark in the moment. My whole perspective shifts from blindness to awareness.

When I take this celebration to a more personal level I look to myself and honor the spiritual being that I am. I cherish the body I have been gifted with. I value the wisdom I hold within. I am amazing! You are as well. Now, that is worth celebrating! And the beautiful thing that happens next is that our body responds. It resonates to the positive energy in which we are holding it.

I have learned to celebrate the form of my body, its role, it movements, its stamina. I have also learned to accept its softness, its vulnerabilities and its potential. The human body has taken an awful lot of abuse, neglect and hate of late. I decided to change that channel and find my own personal rhythm to move within.

And at this celebration come the relationship I have with my body. I have witnessed over time the better I participate in this relationship, the keener my sense of my value of my body and the better my body seems to respond. We are in constant communication. It is hard to believe that at one time in my life, I was barely listening and often that listening was filled with resentment, negative expectations and denial.

To celebrate oneself we need to be awake to the voice of our body. We need to be aware of the messages that are being sent to us and not make up excuses, rationalizations or refusals to what they are. We need to be responsible for our part of the relationship.

As we learn to listen we find more and more ways to honor our bodies. Whether it be through food, movement, spiritual practices, rest and relaxation, creativity or more. With each act of compassion and understanding, responsibility and support that we offer we take yet one more step closer to the celebration! Our body wants to be jubilant! Our body wants to be revered! Out body wants to serve us well...really, really well! And that is a party in itself! Imagine the gifts of that!

Today listen closely. What message is your body sending you? How will you receive this message? How will you respond? How long before you take the actions necessary for the celebration to begin?

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

At the Mindful Post of Mid-Life

There has been a good deal of talk lately among my peers and among celebrities in the media about what is today’s definition of mid-life? Is it 40 or 50? How do we find the scale on which we weigh it? Over time our life expectancy has changed and we would like to believe our quality of life as well, at least for some of us. Yet we still live within a culture that worships youth. So are we mid-life, are we older than that? And either way, what does it mean? How does it impact our life’s daily perspective? Sit and flip through the infomercial channels any given Sunday morning and you will be introduced the variety of ways in which one can slim inner thighs, tone up abs, firm underarms, remove unwanted body hair and even make one’s hands look younger! Do we only look to the aesthetics of our bodies for clues that we are reaching the mid point of our life?

For me, only a mere five months from turning fifty, midlife is the ending of one cycle and the beginning of another. And for me, it has so little to do with body image. It has little to do with the face in the mirror or the jiggle of my thighs. Honoring my body has taken front seat, but in a very different way. I find myself in a beautiful flow of adjustment. I have reflected on all the different events that have led to the point I find myself at today. Everything has mattered. And now when I look back I find I have grown a new appreciation of this fact.

Additionally, this time of life creates opportunity to explore my mortality. What is left to be done in this lifetime? What needs to be addressed with my health, my relationships, my pass times, and my career and callings? I feel elder-hood is a bit far off, yet I can see it on the horizon and I cannot fool myself any longer about how quickly time flies!

As I approach the infamous age of fifty that has wreaked havoc on many minds I have come to some conclusions for myself. I have learned to really enjoy life, not to worry about who is looking, how silly I may seem or if anyone else is interested…I am going for it! I dress the way I feel most comfortable. I wear my hair in a style that offers ease. I exercise for my body’s health and well being, not because I want to be a step ahead of bathing suit season.

I also have learned to really appreciate people in my life. And not just the one’s who are nice to me! I have developed an appreciation for those who have made me stretch, challenged me and even caused a little chaos from time to time, because of them…I have learned so much about myself, my strengths and my flaws.

Speaking of flaws, at this age, I am more than willing to admit I have them! Long gone are the days of striving to be perfect! I have learned to honor the delicate parts of myself and celebrate them! If I had lived a life of no regrets…I think it probably would be rather boring if life did not have any.

I also have found I have less to prove. I have strong opinions that have been born of a life filled with many experiences, rich with many relationships and peppered with a variety of interests. But, if you don’t agree, that’s cool. I am more and more comfortable with just doing what I want or need to do and not taking on more than that. Gone are the days of comparing myself to another. I celebrate you right along with me!

And finally, at least at the point of writing this post, I gift myself with ample time for reflection. I have grown to appreciate the importance in this. I have opened myself to life’s mysteries. I have opened myself up to more than just my ordinary thoughts. I have connected to something that is larger than what I thought the whole to be and I find great comfort there. I find inspiration and delight there. I have found a richness I did not know existed in my years past. My spiritual practices don’t fit in anyone’s box, but mine. I am beyond comfortable with this and find it nurtures me in a way I never expected.

So mid-life is interesting for me. I don’t seem to look at it quite the way society does. And there may be some differences from my perspective and yours, but I am good with that. And on that note, I will end this here so I can go and reflect on the tranquility of the coolness of the night air as it creates a longing for a sweet cup of chamomile tea and a warm flannel nightgown. I know what you are thinking…and I am good with that too!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

Creative Shake-up

How do you creatively celebrate your spirituality? Is it through art, dance, cooking, or some other beautiful activity? Spirit gives us the gift of creativity, some more…some less. But it is given none-the less. For some being creative is a wonderful outlet for stress, expendable energies or expression. They live to be creative. They enjoy the process. They take delight in it. Then there are others who do not turn to it that often, sometimes it is the first thing they toss aside when added stress comes their way or they prefer to express themselves in less creative ways. When is the last time you tried something new to express yourself creatively? Are you kind of stuck? Do you seem to turn to the same media or activity every time? What would happen if, for example, the dancer in you instead writes a spiritual poem? Or what if the photographer instead painted a picture of sacredness? Sometimes when we stretch ourselves like this we learn something new about ourselves. Sometimes we learn we really cannot paint very well and have a good laugh at the outcome, but still enjoyed the creative expression and levity of the activity. Sometimes we learn we have a hidden gift we did not know about and discover a new aspect of our creativity to explore and honor.

Like many things in life, doing something different brings about a much-needed change in our lives. We have to shake things up from time to time, step outside our comfort zone, be childlike and playful and take a small risk with our creative outlets.

I have done this from time to time for myself. I have learned to not judge myself so harshly and to simply enjoy the new form of spiritual practice and celebration. I let go of perfection, I play, I make a mess, I act silly, I try it on for size and be in the moment as fully and as mindfully as I can, taking it all in and letting all the newness excite me, delight me and even challenge me. I grow in those moments. I also have great fun.

Spirit wants for us to be joy filled, to explore, to question, to stretch and to wonder. Yes, you can still do all that in a practiced creativity as well. But sometimes it is so wonderful to color outside the spiritual lines of our sacred art!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

I will not be able to post next week as I will be involved a shamanic intensive. I will be returning with regular Monday through Friday posts on September 17th. Many thanks for your understanding.