The Shift

I have ordered for years a calendar that is filled with poetry and art by women of vision and spirit. I keep these long after the year has passed because I cannot part with them. I reflect on the poetry and the images often, they inspire me and bring me great joy. Today, I came across this poem. Time and time again, it seems as though my spirit is directed to the just right image or poem as it fits so perfectly in alignment with what the day or the unfolding possibilities of my life are. And so I share with you today. "I am dreaming back my sisters Whisper-worn footfalls on the Temple steps Skywalkers Storm dwellers Heavy-breasted cauldron keepers Songweavers Snake sisters Darkmoon dancers

Labyrinth builders Star bridgers Fiery-eyed dragon-ryders Wind seekers Shape shifters Corn daughters

Wolf women Earth stewards Gentle-handed womb sounders Dream spinners Flame keepers Moon birthers

Come home sisters, come home"

~Marie Elena Gaspari

I am ever so stimulated with the work that is transforming around me, with the women that I am blessed to be working with, and with the call to service that the Universe has placed before me! I am woven into a tapestry of beauty. My essence is moving the clouds in the sky and swirling among the stars. My purpose is to continue moving forward into the new way of Being that has begun. I join with others being called. Together, we are all of the above; dream spinners, shape shifters, sky walkers, waysayers and more. And the perceptions of old will burn away with the ash and the new perspectives of beauty will shine brightly in our souls. The healing will transform what once was into what is needed now. And the world will respond to the shift.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

Wild Woman

Born a female in today’s society can mean many things to many women. For some it is a very dangerous first breath. For others it is the long exhale of holding back and not being free; being restricted, being secluded, being beaten, and being lost. For some it is a place of power, of connection, of privilege and great gains of freedom for the present and the future. Being a woman in today’s society, I look to my role with a sense of wonder, honor, and possibilities. I look to my ancestors for their wisdom. I look in my heart for compassion. I look to my peers for support. I look to my global sisters for connection. I look to the earth for Her calling.

It is there that I find much of my sustenance to carry forward my acts of service. I am privileged, I am free, I am powerful, and I am full and ready to shake things up. I am ready to be graceful and of peace. I am ready to dance and chant and sing and rage. I am ready to lie still and be listening, to be open and receive, and to pause and wait. I am ready.

From the great author, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, "Within every woman there is a wild and natural creature, a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. Her name is Wild Woman, but she is an endangered species. Though the gifts of the wildish nature come to us at birth, society's attempt to "civilize" us into rigid roles has plundered this treasure, and muffled the deep, life-giving messages of our own souls. Without Wild Woman, we become over-domesticated, fearful, uncreative, trapped."

I am a Wild Woman who is ready to take on the role of continuance of what needs to be carried forward, the role of releaser of what needs to be left behind, the role of receiver of what is yet to come and the role of being in the moment – for being in the now is where we all need to be to be present to the energies.

The Wild Woman can be in us all. Even if our actions are restricted, she can live in our hearts and souls. Even if we are forbidden, she can dance in our minds. Even if we are lost, she can lead us back. The Wild Woman is a force of her own, she knows when to roar and when to whisper, she knows when to leap and when to be still and she is ready to birth within us the remembrance of who we truly are. She brings our beauty to life and she awakens our inner light. She grounds us when we feel as though we are to be blown away. She cools us when our fire is too hot. Wild Woman reminds us of our connection to all energies of the Universe. She resides within us waiting for our moment of recognition. Once that occurs, there is no forgetting!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

This Soul Is On Fire

Do you know the song that Alicia Keys sings, “this girl is on fire…”? Well, last night I had a dream. I dreamt I was standing on the edge of a cliff looking up into a sky bedazzled with a million stars and I was singing, “This soul is on fire…” And I could feel it within me! Burning brightly, not merely an ember. Radiating out from my voice and being carried across the land into the hearts and souls of those it reached. My eyes glowed with its essence and if anyone dared to look into my face, they would have seen my soul through my eyes. My fingertips traced neon glowing images, a sign language of their own, across the sky, telling stories I have not yet told in my shaman role. My feet left sparks as I paced back and forth across the edge of the stone, flint makers they were. My breath was the smoke as I blew forth the whispers of the guides out to the universe and its beings. “This Soul is on Fire!” Then this morning, after my morning ritual I stumbled upon this and the sparks ignited once again: "One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires ...causes proper matters to catch fire...Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do. Do not lose heart. We were made for these times."~Clarissa Pinkola Estés

May my soul be the firestarter. May it show itself to others, shining in the dark time. May it call forth my essence and share my passions. May my soul send up its flares and beckon those to me who are meant to be touched and may it light the way for those who walk onward. May my soul show up and be present in these times, shining brightly, radiating its warmth and compassion, bringing its fire to burn off what no longer serves it, and may it kindle yours to do the same.

Long ago I was told, “The time is here, the time is now.” And in the universal timelessness of what is now, I see that more clearly today more than ever. My soul has lit the way for me to find who I am and what I am in service of. For now, it is a dazzling illumination that penetrates all. And much like the sun in our sky, I know it is always there.

Blessings ~ Lisa ©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

From The Darkness

From the author Joseph Campbell, from Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living: The dark night of the soul comes just before revelation.

When everything is lost, and all seems darkness, then comes the new life and all that is needed.

I have been with many souls of late who have suffered and still are suffering. They feel lost, they feel as though there is no hope, they feel heavy hearted, weakened bodied and weary minded. They barely are able to hold on, yet they do. They hold on. Somewhere within, their soul knows that this pain will pass, this challenge will be overcome, this heartache will heal and they will move forward.

When we are at these dark places all often seems lost. We turn to others to lean on, to cry to, to vent our frustration to and to be held. It is in this holding, this offering of compassion and tenderness that we find respite. We are able to pause long enough to catch our breath and reassess, to regroup our efforts, to rethink our tactic or to simply just be.

When the soul cannot hold itself in this place, the shaman is of value. She can step into the realms of the energies and she can create the pause, the assessment, the regrouping and reconnecting of what is lost or hidden. She can hold with compassion and tenderness the wounded soul and help it heal. She can bring the guides to the place of need and find the ways to correct what has been broken.

And then with time, the process slowly ebbs its way throughout the entire being of the human form and the spiritual and humanness unite again in a glory of wholeness and wellness. Then the soul can be in a state of expansion and lightness. The beauty and possibilities return to life. The revelations of what was meant to be become known. The stability of groundedness is found. The new life of what is meant to be is born and transformation slowly unfurl itself to the wonder of us all!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade