Practicing Grace

Dear Wise Women,

It was so suiting for us to end our eight week session together through an inquiry into the mystery of Grace. Thank-you for your profound contributions and your open hearts!

xo

Patti

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GRACE AND GRATITUDE

“Grace is always present. You imagine it is somewhere high in the sky, far away, and has to descend. It is really inside you, in your Heart. Grace is the Self. . . .You are never out of its operation.
—Sri Ramana Maharshi

Whether life appears to bring tears or laughter, it is all grace. Grace fills the world, but only a heart awakened to Love will taste its depths. In awakening we understand that grace is always present. There is a basic trust in life’s movement and its goodness. We realize that whatever is here in the moment is a gift, if we can receive it as such. Whatever is here expresses life’s wholeness and can be an invitation back to its Source. Awakening allows us to freely appreciate the gifts of impermanence and continual flow, no longer bound by the suffering that comes from perpetually wanting “more,” different, or unending experiences.

When we realize the movement of grace in our lives, the natural response of the heart is gratitude. Gratitude is not simply being thankful for things we deem beneficial or pleasurable. It is really a way of living and an expression of the peace we discover that is right here in all circumstances.

We may find that:
It is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy. —Brother David Steindl-Rast

”

— Dorothy Hunt is the Spiritual Director of Moon Mountain Sangha, teaching at the request and in the spiritual lineage of Adyashanti. She is the founder of the San Francisco Center for Meditation and Psychotherapy, author of Only This!, and contributing author to The Sacred Mirror and Listening from the Heart of Silence. For more information, see www.dorothyhunt.org

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WEAVING THREADS…
(This is the passage I spoke about during qigong but did not read during our circle. At first glance this passage does not seem to be about grace at all…but I chose it because I wonder if the ever flowing and infinite relational energetic exchange of life might just be at the core of what is known as
God’s Grace??)

“If a rational Creator started this whole thing, then there has to be a “DNA connection,” as it were, between the One who creates and what is created. One of the many wonderful things that scientists are discovering as they compare their observations through microscopes with those through telescopes is that the pattern of the neutrons, protons, and electrons in atoms is similar to the pattern of planets, stars, and galaxies: both are in orbit around one another, and all appears to be in relationship to everything else. We now know the same is true in biology, as Robert Lanza’s work on biocentrism so brilliantly demonstrates: “the universe is created by life and not the other way around.” [1] Our word for that foundational life is Spirit, hovering like a brood hen over the formless void in the very first lines of the Bible (Genesis 1:1-2).

The energy in the universe is not in the planets, nor in the atomic particles, but very surprisingly in the relationship between them. It’s not in the cells of organisms but in the way the cells feed and give feedback to one another through semi-permeable membranes. The energy is not in any precise definition or in the partly arbitrary names of the three persons of the Trinity as much as in the relationship between the Three! This is where all the power for infinite renewal is at work:

The loving relationship between them.

The infinite love between them.

The dance itself.

In other words, it is an entirely relational universe. If, at any time, we try to stop this flow moving through us, with us, and in us, we fall into the true state of sin—and it is truly a state more than a momentary behavior. It is telling that the first destabilization of the foundational structure of the atom (in New Mexico in July 1945) created the atomic bomb. With supreme irony, the test site is still called “Trinity” as Robert Oppenheimer first named it.

The divine flow either flows both in and out, or it is not flowing at all. The “trap doors” at either end must be kept open in order to both receive and let go, which is the work of all true spirituality. The Law of Flow is simple, and Jesus states it in many formulations such as “Happy are the merciful; they shall have mercy shown to them” (Matthew 5:7). Or as we cleverly put it “What goes around comes around.” We are conduits.

Gateway to Silence:
Love flows in and out, in and out.”

— Richard Rohr, A Relational Universe www.cac.org

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HEART ADVICE
from Pema Chodron

“In the morning when you wake up, you reflect on the day ahead and aspire to use it to keep a wide-open heart and mind. At the end of the day, before going to sleep, you think over what you have done. If you fulfilled your aspiration, even once, rejoice in that. If you went against your aspiration, rejoice that you are able to see what you did and are no longer living in ignorance. This way you will be inspired to go forward with increasing clarity, confidence, and compassion in the days that follow.”

— Pema Chodron

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Ladies, I truly feel that grace has led me to do the work I am doing and my heart is exploding with gratitude to each of you for showing up so willingly and eagerly and open-heartedly to share and grow together! I look forward to continuing our circle with so many of you in the future and to those who I won’t be seeing in the near future, I wish you the very best and trust our paths will cross in the future at the exact right time. 💫

Blessings,
Patti

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The Energy of Gratitude

Dear Wise Women,

The past few weeks have been intense, both in our circle, and outside. We have all felt the collective pain of the unbalanced masculine and unbalanced feminine in the world. Many of us have felt the impact of the recent full moon and its challenging energies. Several of us have been directly impacted by the death of a young boy in our community. Last week we courageously dove into vulnerability and it couldn’t have been more timely.

This week, I felt with resounding clarity that it was time to focus on gratitude, but not in the love and light kind of way that has the tendency to sweep over the darkness. No, I wanted to explore and feel the real energy of gratitude. The essence of it. Not the “be grateful for your dinner, there are children starving in Africa” kind of gratitude, but something much more.

The readings I chose to share helped point us in the right direction, but it was the sharing circle that really blew the roof off! The insights each of you shared were so profound.

My question has continued to resonate and deepen within me: “I wonder if gratitude is the spark of life that we feel at the moment of our conception?”

I am also feeling deeply connected with what each of you shared. I find myself feeling into the intense and pure gratitude that one feels while in nature, the sensation of a heart explosion, and the often confusing art of weaving together gratitude with the painful injustices of humanity.

I am also deeply grateful for the words Delona shared after class which I paraphrase: “The deepest wish of any child is to see your face light up when they enter the room.” If that doesn’t embody the energy of gratitude, I don’t know what does! Thank-you Delona.

My sincere gratitude to each and every one of you!!

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“GRACE AND GRATITUDE
Through gratitude, joy expands.

Card meaning: The secret to expanding joy is to cherish the preciousness of life and everyone and everything around you. It’s simple, easy, and so very powerful. Be grateful for as much as you can. Thankfulness is modern day alchemy; it can yield happiness, grace, and peace beyond imagination.

The Sacred Traveler Wants You to Know: The secret to a remarkable, fulfilling journey is to allow gratitude to flood you at every juncture. No matter what twists and turns there are in the road, whether you are comfortable or uncomfortable, whether you are confident or unsure...no matter what you are experiencing, even if your challenges seem insurmountable, feeling grateful will ease any challenge, replace darkness with light, and allow you to hear a chorus of the angels. Your entire life can transform when you take time to fully, deeply, and profoundly allow the grace of gratitude to fill you.”

— Sacred Traveler Oracle Cards by Denise Linn

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“I RAISE THE pipe of my being to the rising sun in openness and humility. With my eyes closed, I give Thanks to the Life Giver and ask for the strength to be humble through the course of this day. I smudge myself with sacred medicines and give thanks for the blessings that are already present in my life. I ask for nothing. I only offer Thanks. Then, in gratitude and humility, I enter the journey of each day. This is wakefulness, this is becoming, this is ceremony - and I am made more. ”

— "Embers, One Ojibway's Meditations" by Richard Wagamese

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“ME: What if we’re wrong?

OLD WOMAN: Wrong about what?

ME: All this ceremony, prayer, meditation. What if at the end of, all there is is nothing?

OLD WOMAN: Then we still come out better people.

ME: How?

OLD WOMAN: Can you think of a better way to live than in gratitude? Can you think of a better way to be than to be kind, loving, compassionate, respectful, courteous, truthful and forgiving? Even if we’re wrong, can you thin of a better way to breathe than through all of that?

....

I couldn’t. I can’t. I continue. ”

— "Embers, One Ojibway's Meditations" by Richard Wagamese

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“YOU ARE THE MIRACLE, AND YOUR LIFE ENERGY IS THE MIRACLE. IF YOU WANT TO LOOK FOR MIRACLES, LOOK FOR YOUR MIRACLE POWER DEEP WITHIN THE CORE OF YOU, THE CHI.

Make no mistake, your life energy is no less a miracle because it is inside of you. Your life energy is a piece of the Tao, the original life force that created and sustains the entire cosmos. By reconnecting with this power through the vehicle of your own life energy, your power is virtually infinite. ”

— "Chi, Discovering Your Life Energy", Master Waysun Liao

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Our circle of sharing was followed with a deep and long qigong practice today. Much gratitude!

xoxo

The Power of Vulnerability

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Dear Wise Women,

As I shared, this past Friday I came face to face with vulnerability in the worst way.

Just prior to leaving to facilitate my morning circle of women I received a text that one of the woman’s son had been killed in a car accident the night before.

She and three of her closest friends, who are also in the circle, would not be coming, but the rest of us would gather like we do every Friday, and I knew that we devote our practice to Jen and hold her in our hearts.

As I was driving, I thought to myself, I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know what to do with this kind of heart wrenching pain. I don’t know how to be with this depth of sorrow and loss. I don’t want to face this level of vulnerability. I’m not capable of holding it together for everyone.

I phoned my friend Ariel and told her the news through tears and panic. And she said, very calmly and firmly, “Patti, this is WHY we gather in circle.  This is WHY we have a spiritual practice. This is where the rubber hits the road. You don’t need to hold anything “together”, you just need to show up and be real.”

And so I showed up and so did the others. We gathered, eight tender hearts, and we spoke of our sadness, our fears, our grief, and our confusion. We called upon our ancestors who’s wisdom on death is so much richer and deeper than ours. We asked to unlock the knot in our bellies, the lock that wants to keep this pain far, far away - that doesn’t want to see how vulnerable and fragile life is. We courageously softened into the pain, we saw it, we held it. We held Jen. We held Ryan. We held their family. We held our children. We held our pain. We allowed ourselves to see and feel vulnerability. It was very difficult and it was beautiful.

I had planned to speak about vulnerability this Monday and to base our qigong practice on the feelings of vulnerability, but I certainly didn’t expect to get walloped in the stomach by it just a few days before our class. So far in my life, I’ve had many opportunities to dispel the myths around vulnerability, and each time I discover a new level of connection, as uncomfortable as it is!

Dr. Brene Brown is one of my favourite experts on the subject of vulnerability and it is mostly her work that I chose to focus on today. Though I also highly recommend the book “Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help us Grow” by Elizabeth Lesser.

Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor who has spent the past sixteen years studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of four New York Times Bestsellers– The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, and Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and The Courage to Stand Alone. 

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“The original definition of COURAGE was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. ”

— Dr. Brene Brown

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“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy and creativity. It is the source of hope, accountability and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper or meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.

Vulnerability isn’t good or bad: it’s not what we call a dark emotion, nor is it always a light, positive experience. Vulnerability is the core of all emotions and feelings. To feel is to be vulnerable. To believe vulnerability is weakness is to believe that feeling is weakness. To foreclose on our emotional life out of a fear that the costs will be too high is to walk away from the very thing that gives purpose and meaning to living.

The Four Myths of Vulnerability:

1. Vulnerability is a weakness

2. I don’t do vulnerability

3. Vulnerability is letting it all hang out

4. We can go it alone”

— "Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead" by Dr. Brene Brown

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“A new kind of power will emerge from vulnerability. The more honest we are with ourselves about how we feel and what we really think, the more power we will have.

We may have once thought that being powerful meant not getting in to what we felt, what we thought, or who were really were. But that attitude didn’t garner power for us. It caused life, the universe, us to continue creating situations that would help open our hearts, helps us to feel, help us learn the lesson of vulnerability.

The sooner we become honest with ourselves, the sooner we can be honest with others. The sooner we become honest with ourselves, the more quickly we’ll grow and move on to a new place. Become vulnerable, at least with yourself. Be honest about what you think and how you feel. Write it. Speak it. Feel it. Release it Then you will know where to go, when to go. What you are to do next will emerge naturally, quietly, and clearly.

Try being absolutely honest. Reveal your most private feelings to yourself. It’s a new kind of power, a different kind of power. It is spiritual power, the power of opening the heart. ”

— "Journey To The Heart" by Melody Beattie

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Thank-you ladies for sharing another heartfelt circle and practice today!

xo

Patti

Balancing the Masculine and Feminine in YOU

Dear Wise Women,

Thank-you once again for bringing your whole self to our circle last night. As you know, I deeply believe in the healing power of women’s circles and last night, once again, reinforced this.

I lovingly share with you the various readings and sharing from last night’s circle, so that you may integrate them at a deeper level, should doing so speak to you.

BALANCING THE MASCULINE AND FEMININE IN YOU

“We each have within us both masculine and feminine energies. While your sex indicates what energies you chose to focus on in this life, we still embody both.

As we are coming out of 5000 years of patriarchy, where the unbalanced masculine has been the focus, it is important to note that the unbalanced feminine can be just as destructive.

Just as the sacred feminine’s anger has been silenced through patriarchy, the sacred masculine’s ability to express emotion and recognize his divinity has too.

As we recover from patriarchy, it is important not to aspire to its polar opposite - patriarchy to matriarchy. Rather, let’s bring the sacred masculine and sacred feminine energies back into balance. As the sacred feminine rises, may the sacred masculine rise along with Her.

Below is a list of some of the characteristics of the sacred masculine and feminine energies when balanced and unbalanced. Read through them and see which you relate to; remember we are capable of them all.”

— "Rise Sister Rise", by Rebecca Campbell

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To further our understanding of the balancing of Feminine and Masculine, let us explore the basic laws of nature and the workings of the one original energy, the Tao.

We Are Made of the Life Energy Signal - Chi

“Each one of us is endowed with a piece of the one original energy, the Tao. This energy, through a series of transformations, becomes our Chi.

Our body is made of dust (material), which is amassed and propelled by the invisible force and activities of Chi. When you see the physical form of a friend, you are not seeing the real her, but only the material from which she is made.

Have you had the experience of attending a funeral or wake? If you were able to gaze upon the corpse of the person you once knew, you could easily see that “they” were no longer there. The force that animated their body held the real person you knew, not the lifeless material in the casket.

Similarly, you might claim to have seen a tornado either in real life or on television. But actually, you did not “see” the tornado. What you saw was merely the debris that the tornado churned up and held together in form. The actual force we call a tornado was the invisible part you could not see that held the whirling debris together and gave it power.

Similarly, it is our Chi that holds us together, animates us, and makes us who were really are. It is our true self. It is the source of consciousness, awareness, and life. Without it, nothing lives.

While our invisible life force signal, Chi, is in orderly action, life thrives and well-being abounds. Conversely, when this signal of the life force, Chi, is in decay, becoming weak, or in the process of disintegrating, the “life” of the material body is in a chaotic state. When Chi deteriorates, suffering predominates, even leading to death.

Since this life energy signal is composed of the memory of the cosmic force, it can behave only according to the law of its nature: it is always in motion, transient, and dynamically playful. These are the same characteristics of the one universal energy from which your Chi came.

Because of its likeness and affinity to the original cosmic force, our life energy signal is capable of harmonizing with that original cosmic force. Our life energy can tune into the signal of the original natural force and follow its direction. It can harmonize with the One-chi in order to continue, to multiply, to adjust to changes, to fine-tune itself, to adapt, and to “survive”.

Your Chi will always seek to harmonize itself and will always seek balance as best it can. It will cause you to take action that will bring harmony and balance to your life and body. The degree to which your Chi signal can maintain its integrity and clear reception of the original One-chi signal is the extent to which your Chi is able to succeed in maintaining harmony and the force of life within your body. The degree to which your Chi signal is confused, weakened, and off-balance is due to factors that muffle and block the signal from the One-chi.

One of the biggest factors leading towards Chi imbalance is the use of our mind. When Chi, the life energy signal, converts into a mental signal, it is gradually depleted and weakened. ”

— "Chi - Discovering Your Life Energy", by Master Waysun Liao

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It is not the mind itself that is the problem, it is the activity of the identified and trapped mind, or what Micheal Singer calls the voice in our head. This negative and destructive voice in our head is the single most destructive factor leading towards Chi imbalance. Given this, many of us have been inclined to try to stop our mind from thinking or certainly to rid ourselves of negative thoughts. If you’ve ever tried this you can attest that this approach, especially when motivated by control, never works! But there is another way. When we view our thoughts with COMPASSION, gently WITNESS them, and SOFTEN to them an inner alchemy occurs. Loving-kindness and benevolent curiosity has the power to restore harmony and return any imbalance to its true nature.

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Todays movement practice was all about softening and allowing the natural harmonization of the opposites, the masculine and feminine, in our emotional and physical body.

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With love,

Patti

Falling behind the Functions of the Mind

Dear Wise Women,

Our Circle of Presence is about giving space to whatever arises, exploring it and witnessing it compassionately from the ground of our being. We do this work individually and collectively, and its valuable work. Tonight we explored how to DO from a place of BEING, how to witness the activity of the mind without getting hooked into the problems created by our thoughts, and how to bring present moment awareness into all of our interactions and activities.

This is an ongoing practice and one that is best carried out in a practicum setting (i.e. our daily lives). Doing dishes, washing laundry, tending to children, typing an email, driving, doing our jobs…the list goes on and on. Pay attention to the thoughts you are having during these activities, notice when they are out of alignment with what you are doing and compassionately invite in flow and balance into all that you do.

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The Belly of Compassion meditation

Last week I shared this meditation in an audio form with you, and this week I will share the written. I just love this meditation and sense we will be doing it quite regularly. Practicing it as a group is so powerful as together we liberate the holding, grasping and protecting of the belly.

“Bring your attention into the sensation in the body. Just feel what sits here. Feel this body you were born into. Allow awareness to come to the level of sensation in the body.

Gradually allow your attention to drop into the abdomen. And begin to soften to the sensations in the belly. Softening the belly to receive the breath. Softening the belly to receive life. Softening to any resistance. no holding. No grasping in soft belly. Letting go of the hardness in the belly. Practicing “merciful belly”.

Moment to moment softening the belly. Moment to moment making room for your life.

Don’t try to grasp or trap the breath, to shape or control it. Just let it be.

Surrender to the breath, softening the belly from moment to moment.

In soft belly is the release of the posturing of a lifetime. All the grief hidden hard in the belly. Have mercy. Letting the hardness float in the belly.

Levels and levels of softening. Levels and levels of letting go. Levels and levels of letting be.

The belly fatigued with its holding, with its mercilessness to itself. Have mercy. Just for this moment at least, soften to this ancient clinging. In a new mercy. In a new willingness to heal. Have mercy on this mercilessness.

Each in breath, belly rising. Each out breath, belly falling. Rising and falling, let your breath breathe itself. Letting go of control, trust the breath to breathe all by itself.

Each breath breathing itself in soft belly. In soft belly we have room for it all. Even room for our pain. Room to get born, room even to die in soft belly, in merciful belly.

Levels and levels of softening. Levels and levels of letting go.”

— Becoming Kuan Yin by Stephen Levine

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Our meditation today, travelled from the belly into the heart and eventually up to the mind. Today, I shared Pamela Wilson’s offerings on the nature of The Mind.

Pamela Wilson’s book (an endearing glimpse into human nature as told from the perspective of her golden retriever, Honey.

THE MIND

“I notice my human friends seem to have trouble with their Mind. *
* We dogs rely on the nose that Knows!

The Mind is very simple...
and a mischievous genius

All creative and practical,
a Supreme Intelligence.

Its nature is Silence.
Surprising isn’t it?

What agitates the mind is not
Circumstances,
but being contained.

The Mind is vast
and
it is in too small a space...
your head!

In school, the mind was trained
To Focus, Contract.
To pull its vastness in and
concentrate. Ouch!

So, let’s liberate the mind.
Take a moment and really honour it.

Endlessly giving,
offering,
wish fulfillment, protection,
comparing, separation,
judging &
other role play services.

It’s
a coach, worried Love,
director, script supervisor.
So many functions!

Ask it to look behind its roles and functions.

Who are you really, Mind?

It does not need to know or get anything right.

Whatever it says
Or does not say
is okay.

Give it all the timelessness it needs.
Reassure it that you don’t want it to go away.

Its practical creative intelligence
is needed!

It might feel its functions
Are all it is.

Ask it to look behind
the known,
all its ideas about itself.

What is noticed?

There might not be much there.
Reassure it, and ask
if it notices it has not lost any intelligence
when it rests!

Be with it as the mind explores
its naturalness.
Here is its strength, in its Being.

Pure Intelligence. Unconditioned.
Unlimited.

Now, ask it to let you feel or see
its vastness.
Wouldn’t it like to live as
Soaring Presence?

And if its willing, ask the Mind
To let you feel its majesty and dignity.

Please honour this moment.
It’s so rare that a human mind
unveils its bright, shiny nature,
its innate freedom.

Now, under pressure it may return
to habitual thinking,
worrying or strategizing.

Notice that and reassure it, and invite it
to rest back into its constancy.
Your respectful, kind presence
allows it to discern and relax.

Eventually, The Mind lives unwaveringly
as quiet strength, clarity
and benevolent practicality.
Its very existence is divine!
”

— Pamela Wilson, "A Golden Retriever's Guide to Joy, Helpful Hints for Humans"

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Pamela’s description of the mind is beautifully poetic and invites in such a sublime experience. If you prefer a more concrete pointing, you may be more drawn to Michael Singer’s discussion. I didn’t share the following passage in its entirety today, but I welcome you to take it in now.

“♥ Consciousness is pure awareness of being, an intuitive sense of existence.

♥ Consciousness is that that notices all the experiences. Our consciousness is the one who is experiencing the experience.

♥ By its nature, consciousness has the ability to focus. The essence of consciousness is awareness, and awareness has the ability to become more aware of one thing and less aware of something else.

♥ The difference between a conscious centered person from a person who is not so conscious is simply the focus of their awareness. It’s not a difference in consciousness itself. All consciousness is the same.

♥ If you step back, you will clearly see that objects are constantly passing before you at all three levels: mental, emotional and physical. When you’re not centered, your consciousness invariably becomes attracted toward one or more of these objects and focuses on them. If it concentrates enough, your sense of awareness gets lost in the object. It is no longer aware that it is aware of the object.

♥ When you are centered, your consciousness is always aware of being conscious. Your awareness of being is independent of inner and outer objects you happen to be aware of.

♥ You come to realize that the outside world and the flow of inner emotions come and go, and you, the one who experiences these things, remains still.

♥ You realize that you’re not who you thought you were. You realize that you’re not your emotions, you are the one watching them. You realize you are not the voice in your head, you are the one who hears the voice in your head.

♥ Your voice and thoughts are created by the mind, which is part of you, but it is not you, it is only a function of you.

♥ The mind creates a model of your reality and then incessantly filters and processes the outer world to fit within this model. It does this to make you feel safe and comfortable, and it never stops. The problem is not the activity of the mind, the problem is that we identify with the mind we think it is who we are, and because it is constantly trying to control our experiences, we never rest.

♥ The more you are willing to just let the world be something you’re aware of, the more it will let you be who you are – the awareness, the Self, the Soul.


Ask yourself, Who Am I?

“I am the one who sees. From back in here somewhere, I look out, and I am aware of the events, thoughts and emotions that pass before me.”

If you go very deep, that is where you live. You live in the seat of consciousness. You effortlessly look outside and see all thoughts, emotions and outer form. Behind it all, there you are.

From that seat, you are aware that there are thoughts, emotions, and a world coming in through your senses. But now you are aware that you’re aware. The great mystery begins once you take that seat deep within.
”

— - excerpts from Michael Singer's book, "The Untethered Soul"

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Fellow Wise Women, may you courageously venture into your week with a sense of optimism and joy and celebration of your BEING!

With so much respect and love,

Patti

The Belly of Compassion

Dear Wise Women,

Tonight’s circle was one of the most courageous and honest gatherings I’ve witnessed. Your willingness to ask to receive more of what you want and to release that that no longer serves was a gift to behold. And, wowza, did you dive deep into the pit of your bellies!! I could feel us working together to release lifetimes of holding. My belly thanks you. I know I could not have done that work on my own!

I also want to thank each of you for holding such presence for each other! As you know, ever March, I have felt a very strong calling to create women’s circles, and to trust the circle to create its own healing energy. For millennia, women like us have gathered to support and hold each other. Sadly, this tradition was lost as patriarchy took over. In recent times, it seems that women have spent more time posturing and competing with one another than supporting each other. This is changing and it is circles like ours that is impacting this change! Even though we don’t know each other well, we are holding each other, we are witnessing each other and that is the beginning.

We are not alone.

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The Belly of Compassion meditation

“Bring your attention into the sensation in the body. Just feel what sits here. Feel this body you were born into. Allow awareness to come to the level of sensation in the body.

Gradually allow your attention to drop into the abdomen. And begin to soften to the sensations in the belly. Softening the belly to receive the breath. Softening the belly to receive life. Softening to any resistance. no holding. No grasping in soft belly. Letting go of the hardness in the belly. Practicing “merciful belly”.

Moment to moment softening the belly. Moment to moment making room for your life.

Don’t try to grasp or trap the breath, to shape or control it. Just let it be.

Surrender to the breath, softening the belly from moment to moment.

In soft belly is the release of the posturing of a lifetime. All the grief hidden hard in the belly. Have mercy. Letting the hardness float in the belly.

Levels and levels of softening. Levels and levels of letting go. Levels and levels of letting be.

The belly fatigued with its holding, with its mercilessness to itself. Have mercy. Just for this moment at least, soften to this ancient clinging. In a new mercy. In a new willingness to heal. Have mercy on this mercilessness.

Each in breath, belly rising. Each out breath, belly falling. Rising and falling, let your breath breathe itself. Letting go of control, trust the breath to breathe all by itself.

Each breath breathing itself in soft belly. In soft belly we have room for it all. Even room for our pain. Room to get born, room even to die in soft belly, in merciful belly.

Levels and levels of softening. Levels and levels of letting go.”

— Becoming Kuan Yin by Stephen Levine

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The Autumn Equinox occurred on September 21, 2018 at 7:55 pm. The full moon occurs on September 24 at 8:52 pm.

“This equinox is designed to support and honor inspired change and new intentions. Change requires letting go. What you let go of includes your harvest of lessons and experiences of relationships and events and it is important to honor the medicine of your personal harvest as you choose
what to let go of and what to fold into a new cycle.

The time is marked by a robust emotional energy that can fuel new insights and decisions influencing your intentions going forward.There is an opportunity to turn recent challenges into powerful allies that can energize your path instead of depleting your enthusiasm. This is also a great time to honor the balance between the masculine and the feminine, the sun and the moon, the sky and the earth. If you are contemplating a big change that requires letting go, this is a good time to anchor it, to make a concrete plan, and to release the old pattern connected with the past in some ceremonial way.

We always recommend doing a ceremony or ritual in honor of the Equinox as it represents the change of seasons, the ending of one cycle and the beginning of another. A simple ritual is to write your releases, burn or bury them with gratitude for their medicine, then write your new intentions keeping in mind what wants to emerge from any recent insights or clarity.

Right on the heels of the Equinox is the Full Moon on Monday September 24 at 8:52 PM MDT. This full moon further supports the energy of the Equinox for release, restructuring and recalibration. As you work primarily with what you are letting go of, gain clarity by focusing on what you don’t want instead of second guessing how the future may unfold. In this way you may gain some clarity on a new direction.

As you let go of the patterns that have held what you no longer want in place, there will be a need for choice. You are the only one who can make the choice you need to make and it may take courage and commitment. Use the mental creativity available at this time, as well as an open vulnerable heart in the process of healing, to connect with what you have a passion for. This will inspire you to reach for that new frequency that will support the bigger picture, the longview, and the change you need to make for a new path forward. ”

— The Power Path School of Shamanism, www.thepowerpath.com

Continuing with our theme of open-heartedness, I shared the following Oracle, a card I drew for our circle over the weekend. I invite you to read it slowly and really take it in, there is much to glean from these wise words!

“In the chaos of modern life and the constant fluctuations of our minds, it can be difficult to remember that a sublime sanctuary lies within. Yet it is always there. Beneath the ceaseless activity, there is an endless, vast spaciousness that exists outside of time. Some might call it “eternity”.

Within that sanctuary, sacred sound is felt rather than heard. That sacred sound is actually the reverberating heartbeat of the entire universe. Your own heart’s rhythm sounds within the greater universal heartbeat. The totality of life, all of your being, can be felt as one, through listening to, and feeling for the sacred sound of the heart beating within you. It is though the heartbeat that we experience a love that is more than preference or attachment. This list the love that inspires, energies and moves us to create - even beyond what we once thought was possible. Your love for life, the need to feel alive and express yourself, and the quest for that which is truly fulfilling...these are the sacred urges that rebel against fear and promote passion for being alive, they flow through your blood and can be felt through the beating of your heart.

This oracle has a message for you. There is the way of the mind - which makes mountains out of molehills, even when it thinks it is turning mountains into molehills! Then there is the way of the heart. It is subterranean and moves subtly beneath possible obstacles, intelligently shifting with exquisite sensitivity, sensing the way forward, through dangerous pathways and responding to what is before it even occurs in the physical world. However, with the heart’s intelligence we cannot see and know in the same way that we do when we allow the mind to direct us. We have to be open to another way if we want to benefit from the innate intelligence of the heart.

The mind sees, plans and strategizes. The heart feels, responds, senses and intuits. When we walk the path of the heart, we must feel and respond rather than plan our way. It is a different way to live and create. It is closer to the earth and to the source of life itself. It is not for those who are lacking in courage and trust, but you are not one of those! You are being asked to trust your heart, and to drop into it. The mind is important, but it cannot supplant the heart. The role of the mind is to serve the truths of the heart. That is, to create the spacious chamber of receptiveness into which the sacred rhythm of your heartbeat can resound.”

— Alana Fairchild, Sacred Rebels Oracle. #21 Beyond the Mind, The Heart Beats

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With the balancing energies of the equinox in full force, I felt it timely that we practice the balancing movements of Five Element Qigong. These series are designed to bring the energies of the Five Elements and their associated energies and emotions into harmony and balance. The focus is on balancing the energies, rather than getting rid of the “negative” emotion. Remember, every emotion just wants to be seen and honoured.

Metal: Lungs and Large Intestine. Exhale Grief and Sorrow. Inhale Compassion and Empathy.

Water: Kidney and Bladder. Exhale Fear. Inhale Courage and Wisdom.

Wood: Liver and Gall Bladder. Exhale Anger. Inhale Strength.

Fire: Heart and Triple Warmer. Exhale Anxiety and Overwhelm. Inhale Joy and Peace.

Earth: Spleen and Stomach. Exhale Worry. Inhale Trust.

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Fellow Wise Women, may you courageously venture into your week. Celebrate the joyous occasions, celebrate your body and your every breath. It was a very powerful practice today and I wish you continued integration throughout your week.

With so much respect and love,

Patti

Take good care of your heart (Sept 17th circle)

Dear Wise Women,

Thank-you for bringing your whole and beautiful hearts to our circle yesterday evening!

Deep Presence
Compassion
Open-Heartedness
Courageous Vulnerability

Time and time again, these four qualities stand out to me as some of the most important qualities to cultivate on the path towards what some may call spiritual enlightenment, but which I prefer to call freedom. I am referring to the freedom that comes from being ok with whatever happens.

As Michael Singer says,  “You can learn to stay open no matter what happens in the world. At first it feels unnatural since your innate tendency is to close as a means of protection. But closing your heart does not really protect you from anything; it just cuts you off from your source of energy.”

If we can truly stay open no matter what, then we are in fact “free”.  Please note that this is not the same as condoning atrocities or overlooking bad behaviour, nor does it mean we are free from experiencing pain, grief and loss. Being open simply means that, no matter what, we are not disconnecting our heart from inner energy. Only when we are able to stay open can we truly heal ourselves and others.

Over the coming weeks we are going to deeply explore Compassion and Open-Heartedness. I will be touching on the teachings of Michael Singer, Pema Chodron and others.

As I shared, when I was laying out the oracle cards yesterday morning, one of the Wild Woman cards fell off the table (actually it pretty much jumped off the table). I laughed and said to myself, “I guess I’m supposed to read that one.” It was the Compassion card. I read it and smiled at how perfect it was for today. So, I set aside the other reading I had planned to share and shared this one instead. Here it is again for you to savour…

“Come with passion to that which calls your heart no matter how big or small the pain, suffering, joy or happiness is. Do not be afraid. Compassion is not afraid to feel. It is not afraid to suffer. It is alive and beating and knows we are one...we are the Holy Divine.

Caress your wild and sacred heart for it will carry you to places of understanding beyond what your mind could ever do. Notice your feelings. Allow your heart to feel safe and open to all there is to experience as you carry it through your life. Walk gently. Embrace your hurts. Celebrate your triumphs. And, remember that you are doing the best you can do, just as others are doing their best too.

Allow yourself to feel what you feel, and it will lead you to that Wild Woman place - that authentic true nature that brings you peace of mind. This is where great ideas flow and the biggest problems have solutions you couldn’t have imagined.

It is important to uncover what moves your heart. Let go of preconceived ideas. That is your mind. Open instead from your heart. Let it lead the way in your life. Discover, “what is the feeling that moves your heart into action towards that which calls you?” Consider your awareness with mindful and heartfelt interest. Hold in your arms the deep embrace of all life’s story, no matter what it is and who you are. The story is there for your unfolding. We all have a purpose. Trust the light that shines within and let your heart bathe naked in your support. Keep it safe and warm for the journey, knowing it can trust you to hold it, feel it, know it and allow it. What can you feel to nourish this knowledge and understanding?

Let the energy behind your heart’s passion move you into the action you want, need and desire. Open your self to a world far deeper than your mind could ever know. Your heart knows something it can’t explain - but it feels in a way you understand, helping you to remember who you are. Connect up with this. Align with and support your soul. Do not stop yourself. The world needs your genuineness and your respect. Witness the expression of your wild dignity and understanding. It is a small world really, when connected, with possibilities unfolding everyday. Walk in your possibility, and allow your potential to seek compassion in yourself so that you may serve yourself and the world in the tradition of the wild and real. Every step you take is a healing step. Every step you take is a sacred step.

Take good care of your heart as you carry it through each step of your life. It’s the only one you have, and truly it is there for you in every way. It wants to feel everything and be safe in doing so. It looks to you for that safety, for that knowing, for that understanding that it is very much a part of your journey here on earth. Heal your body. Heal your soul. Heal your heart. Heal the earth and all her creatures. It is time. ”

— Elizabeth MacLeod - Wild Woman Mystery Cards

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And here are the excerpts and pointers that I have summarized from Michael Singer’s chapter on Infinite Energy…

“Consciousness is one of the great mysteries of life. Inner energy is another.

Just as everything that happens outside in the physical world requires energy, everything that happens inside requires an expenditure of energy.

Creating thoughts, holding onto thoughts, recalling thoughts, generating emotions, controlling emotions, and disciplining powerful inner drives, all require a tremendous expenditure of energy.

This energy doesn’t come from the outer energy source. It doesn’t come from food and it doesn’t come from sleep.

This flow of energy comes from the depth of your being. All the great spiritual traditions give it different names (Chi, Shakti, Spirit). This is a source of energy you can draw upon from inside. It is what you feel when love rushes up into your heart.

This spiritual energy is yours. It’s your birthright, it’s unlimited and it’s equally available to everybody. True spiritual teachings are about this energy and how to open to it.

The sun does not shine differently on different people. It’s’ the same with inner energy. The only difference is that with the inner energy, you have the ability to close up inside and block it. When you close, the energy stops flowing.

The only reason you don’t feel this energy all the time is because you block it. You block it by closing your heart, by closing your mind, and by pulling yourself into a restrictive space inside.

There are centers within that channel your energy flow. When you close them, there is no energy. That is what it means to be “blocked”.

The energy center you intuitively know the most is your heart. The heart is an energy center, and it can open or close.

When you are open, you feel the wellspring of beautiful energy inside of you. When you are closed, you don’t.


There is a very simple method for staying open. You stay open by never closing. It’s really that simple.

Closing is a habit, and just like any other habit, it can be broken.

We are programmed based upon our past experiences such that all kinds of things cause us to open and close. If you pay attention, you will see it happen regularly throughout each day.

Any time you start to close, ask yourself whether you really want to cut off the energy flow.

Because if you want, you can learn to stay open no matter what happens in the world. At first it feels unnatural since your innate tendency is to close as a means of protection. But closing your heart does not really protect you from anything; it just cuts you off from your source of energy.


Do not let anything in your life be important enough that you are willing to close your heart over it. When your heart starts to close, just say “No, I’m not going to close. I’m going to relax. I’m going to let this situation take place and be there with it.” Honor and respect the situation, deal with it. Do the best you can. But deal with it with openness.


The most important thing in life is your inner energy. If you love life, nothing is worth closing over. Nothing, ever, is worth closing your heart over.

The more you stay open, the more the energy flow can build. At some point, so much energy comes into you that it starts flowing out of you. You become a source of light for all those around you.
”

— Michael Singer, The Untethered Soul, Part 2: Infinite Energy, Chapter 5: Infinite Energy

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I invite you to place your hands on your heart and say:
”I love you. I trust you. You are beautiful and you are wise. You beat in harmony with the greater plan of life. You are my guiding light.”

Wishing you open-hearted living this week. Remember, the very simple method for staying open is to not close. So notice when you are closed, acknowledge that you are closed and ask your heart to open, no matter what!

With love,
Patti

Stepping Into the Divine Feminine (Sept 10, 2018 gathering)

Dear Wise Women,

Before I start, I want to revisit the term “Wise Woman” and my invitation for you to receive this name. Earlier on, through an email, I asked you to allow me call you a Wise Woman. I also invited you to really feel into what a “Wise Woman” means to you? 

I asked you to close your eyes and notice what images come to your mind, to let yourself notice what is evoked in you. I invite you to do this again. Really, really take the time to be with it all. Notice your resistance and judgement, notice your longing and desires, notice it ALL. Have some fun with this, and above all, and give yourself permission to be called a Wise Woman.

If you are seeking a more definitive answer of what a wise woman is, I encourage you to consider Susun Weed’s description as transcribed below. Susun is a renowned herbalist and healer and advocate for the reclamation of the Wise Woman. Every single word resonates and aligns with my beliefs and visions - and I hope it strikes a cord for you too. Please take the time to savour this invitation to step into your Wise Woman self!

“The Wise Woman Tradition empowers women by:

~ Focusing on simple remedies that are easily accessible
~ Sharing information freely
~ Offering compassionate listening
~ Renaming her weaknesses as strengths
~ Reminding her that her body is the body of the earth, is the body of the goddess, is the sacred ground of being.

The Wise Woman Tradition empowers women to:

~ View themselves as healthy, even when they have problems
~ Create their own healthy norms
~ Honor their natural cycles and changes (puberty, menses, pregnancy, menopause)
~ Define themselves from a woman-centered viewpoint
~ Connect with other women for personal and planetary healing”

— Susun Weed, http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/November09/healingwise.htm

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As I explained at the beginning of our gathering today, I am continuously guided to bring forth a variety messages and pointers. Sometimes they arrive weeks and months prior and sometimes the morning of. I had planned on sharing a different reading/teaching today, but in my morning meditation I was called to draw a Kuan Yin Oracle card and the one I drew seemed to summarize exactly what I have been feeling about the power of the feminine and the reason I am compelled to bring women together in the manner that I do. I was also particularly struck by how I felt that the message was not just for me, as the apparent teacher, but for each of YOU as the spiritual leaders you are in your own lives.

I have included the reading below for you, I invite you to especially consider the following excerpt, which touches on the power of presence and compassion in a most beautiful way:

“The gifts of the Yin Empress are experienced through your feminine power which is accessed through living your heart truths, your genuine values and your fierce gentleness. Femininity is not weak, nor is it aggressive, it is fierce compassion that refuses to descend into judgement and if it does, rise again to compassion over and over and over again. ”

“The Yin Empress brings peace, prosperity and success to her beloved devotes. Your Soul Purpose includes Healing and Empowerment of the Divine Feminine, The Yin Empress herself. You gain power, assistance and untold blessings in following your Soul Purpose. You are lifted and supported in your Sacred Work now.

You are a spiritual leader and pioneer and part of what you are here to do for the planet on a soul level, whether you are a man or a woman, is to empower the Divine Feminine, the cosmic Empress of Yin or divine feminine energy, so that we might live in more balance as a species on the Earth.

The Divine Feminine is only now making her resurgence on this planet and many do not understand Her. Your sacred task, for which you will be richly supported, nourished and rewarded, is to help live Her truths now. In doing so, you are planting seeds of awareness and experience for others to draw from when they too are ready to live into Her sacred truths.

This will explain why at times you feel you do not fit in to current culture. You are not meant to, because you are meant to help it to grow and change! In the same way that beloved Kuan Yin had a rebellious and compassionate streak, and did not fit into the world in the way that it was because she was born to help it heal and ascend, so to does your Soul yearn to make a real difference in this world, to help it be free of fear that leads to competition and domination and power struggles and instead to live from a place of love and peace.

The gifts of the Yin Empress are experienced through your feminine power which is accessed through living your heart truths, your genuine values and your fierce gentleness. Femininity is not weak, nor is it aggressive, it is fierce compassion that refuses to descend into judgement and if it does, rise again to compassion over and over and over again.

Men and women in touch with their feminine power are able to love, to have compassion, to be truthful and to honour what really matters to them, whether it fits with contemporary cultural values or not. They realize that they are helping to create a new culture with wiser values. Living in this way not only feels better and more truthful, it also leads to a successful life with much creativity, positive contribution, personal empowerment and satisfying relationships, not to mention inspiration for others to draw from so that they too may grow.

You are being asked to live into your feminine power now, to be true to who you are and not give in to social conditioning that tells you feminine power is not enough, that you must compromise your values, your beliefs or your compassion to ‘get ahead’ or ‘come out on top’. You do not have to live that way, you are being empowered to live from your heart and realize that this is not only enough, it is a blessing for all. The Yin Empress thanks you for your loving devotion and service to her and shines blessing upon you now, beloved.

HEALING WITH THE YIN EMPRESS
Sit quietly with your eyes closed and imagine that you can journey within your heart on the breath, riding it like a wave. As you enter into the heart you become aware of how endless the space is within the heart. It is dark, open and peaceful, supportive and empty. There is a sense that it extends endlessly, this peaceful empty space, filled with love and presence, above you and below you, and before you and behind you and to the left and the right of you. Feel how it is eternal and peaceful, that it does not force or fight, and yet is always there. Imagine any struggle or issue being released into this darkness, consumed by it and it ceases to exist. The bliss that you feel in recognition of this opens your heart and you allow yourself to be held in this space and spiritually fed.

PRAYER TO THE YIN EMPRESS
Divine Yin Empress, Mother of Compassion, Kuan Yin, Om Namaha. Peace, Grace, Light and Feminine Power infuse your being within my heart now. May I be a vessel of the grace and healing of the divine feminine. May I live my Soul truths on this planet, may fear and anger be softened with love, may I find the true nature of my spiritual power and may I align with you, beloved, into eternal Grace of Divine Love. My devotion to the Yin Empress and Her wish for all beings to be spiritually free grows in my heart now, I receive your love and protection. Om Mani Padme Hum. ”

— #40 Kuan Yin Oracles by Alana Fairchild

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Embracing the Tree of Life...and our Voices (June 18th circle)

Dear Wise Women,

So much to say about our class last night, though I don't think words will come close to describe the magic that transpired. As Leslie put it, "We totally blew the roof off that place last night with our circle of energy. Just wow."

What I've discovered over the past several weeks is that our circle sharing creates an opening for our energy to move towards. A thread is woven between us and then our collective energy weaves this thread into a tapestry of truth and healing. The more we allow this guidance the more divine it becomes. Last night was a perfect example of this. From June and Michelle's serendipitous drawing of the card "voice" to Michelena's call to bring us together.

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"VOICE" the card drawn by both June and Michelle and that June so eloquently shared in our circle. I believe that this (extremely powerful) message paved the way for the story of the "Two Birds" to carry such deep meaning for all of us and to evoke such powerful imagery, imagery that inspired Michelena to receive a vision and to act upon the calling to have us entwine our arms. 

“This card expresses a desire for you to tell your stories, stories of your life, stories you’ve read, and wisdom you’ve learned through your journey on life’s path. Share your experiences and nourish others with your stories. Touch others with your memories of life however big or small. They are a treasure found in the time capsule of your heart at the precise time and place required, waiting to share and acknowledge who we are in the scheme of things.

Lending an ear will help others to tell more stories. Women need to tell more stories. Open the silent doors of wisdom and power within, and unleash the tales of magic in everyday life the short profound moments of mystery, the everyday humor of our daily experiences, the knowledge of our similar paths. Show each other we are here, ready to stand up and reveal who we are to one another. This will continue feeding our wisdom, nourishing our souls, empowering our beings so that others know that they too walk a worthy and powerful life.

Never underestimate the power of a story. Stories lead us to places of knowing within. Let your stories be heard.”

— Wild Woman Mystery Cards, Elizabeth MacLeod

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Earlier today, I was inspired to share on Facebook. I don't post often so I put quite a bit of time and thought into the posts I do share. The words that came to me this morning spoke so clearly to me that I would like to share them here as well:

“A time of endings and beginnings!

Serendipitously the day I signed a rental contract for my new space was also my last day of classes at Wolf Willow Studio.

Two years ago Michelena Bamford welcomed me into her studio and introduced me to her extensive network of friends and clients. Without her support, Practicing Grace Qigong would not be what it is today, and I am truly grateful.

After my cancer recovery I knew with total clarity that I wanted my classes to be a gathering of women. I wanted to facilitate and unleash the sacred power of women gathering in a circle. My vision was to create a space where group sharing invites an opening for healing energy to move towards, and I wanted to allow myself and the group to follow the guidance of this energy into our qigong movements and visualizations.
Over the past nine weeks this vision has truly come to life! Last night’s closing circle was the most perfect culmination of all I have worked towards and dreamed of. To hear comments such as “this circle is about friendship, “this is my weekly trip to the gas pump”, “I’m always amazed how powerful each week is”, truly warmed my heart. Perhaps most powerful was when, Michelena added to our visualization of trees by guiding us to entwine our arms and see ourselves both hugging a large tree and being the tree itself. It was divine and was a perfect punctuation point for me, a transition from being a “teacher” to being a “true facilitator” of women’s circles and of calling forth group energy.”

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THE TWO BIRDS
BY MOOJI

Some time ago, I saw a picture depicting a parable from the Bhagavad Gita. It showed two birds in a tree, and one of them was building a nest. This one is flying off collecting things, arranging the twigs—it’s active, doing many things. 

Above this bird, on another branch, is a second bird. It looks identical to the first bird, but it’s not building anything. It is just observing. It’s not building a self-image out of its perceiving, and it’s not deeply interested in any aspect of what it sees. Its perceiving is happening quite spontaneously without effort or judgment. There’s a silence there, that feeling of Being without thought. Just looking. 

This is a beautiful portrait of who we are. 

These two birds are connected. The first bird represents our dynamic being, the self that is engaged in the world, in future and past, in growing. It is the aspect that is living life with the sense of my family, my children, my work, and so on. The second bird represents that conscious witnessing within us. It is the ability to observe life taking place and activities unfolding, but it is not actually doing anything. It is still within the same body, but it is not manipulating. It is not saying, “I hope this, and I fear that.” No, it is very still. It is simply there, and its seeing is panoramic. It sees not only the first bird, but also the wind in the trees, the sky—everything is observed with a kind of neutrality. 

Initially the first bird is very identified with building the nest. It may not even be aware of the second bird. But as soon as it is able to be quiet, it becomes aware of the second bird, which is actually itself at a deeper inner level. When the first bird’s mind is synchronized with the second bird, the activities become much more gracious. There is a sense of a unity, a oneness. In that harmony, the work may still happen but without obsession, without fear, without the sense of needing to control things. It is simply happening because life compels this activity to happen. It is as though another power is helping the actions to take place. 

The second bird represents the change of perspective from the mode of the person to the state of presence. When we are involved in the activities of life so deeply that it seems that the daily routine is all there is, then we are like this first bird, the nest builder, oblivious to our second bird position. 

Come to the second bird position, to the one who is observing, and you will discover that the one who is busy building a life will slowly become more transparent, leaving only the functioning itself. The activities are happening anyway, beautifully, but the sense of doer-ship—which is the ego sense—will fade away. Activities are just happening; our self-image as a person is just happening, but our true Self is not a happening. In fact, the true Self is a third position, which is not a bird, but the space within which both birds are arising and seen. 

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I wish each of you the most glorious summer and I sincerely hope you can join me in my new digs at St. Stephen's Anglican Church beginning on September 10th.

xo
Patti 

St. Stephen's Anglican Church, 1121 - 14 Ave SW

Like a peacock, your beauty is multiplied when you spread your wings (June 11 circle)

Dear Qigong Goddesses,

Goddesses of Courage, Goddesses of Compassion, Goddesses of Vulnerability,  Goddesses of Honesty, Goddesses of Love.

Yes, you are all of these!

Honour your inner goddess and watch her grow - watch as she comes to know her beauty and her strength, watch her beauty radiate outward, watch her love and wisdom naturally spread to others! Your inner goddess knows that her beauty comes from life itself, she knows that we all originate from this ONE source. This is why she is able to fully accept and appreciate her beauty...an appreciation that is founded on communion rather than comparison.

Thank-you everyone for courageously opening your hearts and expressing what you love about yourselves. It was truly astounding to see the transformation in the group before and after the exercise. I loved how we all held loving kindness and presence with one another while each of us courageously shared our beauty with one another! I sincerely hope that you took away a renewed sense of loving kindness towards your self and that it grows throughout your day, week and life! 

With deep appreciation and utmost respect.

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LOVING KINDNESS AND MEDITATION:

“When we start to meditate or to work with any kind of spiritual discipline, we often think that somehow we’re going to improve, which is a subtle aggression against who we really are. It’s a bit like saying, “If i jog, I’ll be a much better person.” “If I had a nicer house, I’d be a much better person. “ Or the scenario may be that we find fault with others. We might say, “If it weren’t for my husband, I’d have a perfect marriage.” “If it weren’t for the fact that my boss and I can’t get on, my job would be just great.” And, “If it weren’t for my mind, my meditation would be excellent.”

But loving kindness - maitri - towards ourselves doesn’t mean getting rid of anything. Maitri means that we can still be crazy, we can still be angry. We can still be timid or jealous or full of feelings of unworthiness. Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already. The ground of practice is you or me or whoever we are right now, just as we are. That’s what we come to know with tremendous curiosity and interest.

Curiosity involves being gentle, precise and open - actually being able to let go and open. Gentleness is a sense of good heartedness toward ourselves. Precision is being able to see clearly, not being afraid to see what’s really there. Openness is being able to let go and to open. When you come to have this kind of honesty, gentleness, and good-heartedness, combined with clarity about yourself, there’s no obstacle to feeling loving-kindness for others as well. ”

— Pema Chodron, "Uncomfortable With Uncertainty, 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion"

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REVEAL THE PEACOCK BEAUTY:

You are just like the stunning peacock, a great beauty within you resides, a glorious divine being of beautiful light with an ability to create, as your Divine birthright. Let your creative energies rise to a sublime inspired new level this week as you are accessing the power of your throat chakra for higher creation. Your intentions, decisions, and particularly your words are becoming more and more powerful. Enjoy the wise use of this growing creative potency to express the beauty within you asking for Divine Blessings on all your plans, projects and words.
- Kuan Yin Oracle Cards by Alana Fairchild. #24 Reveal The Peacock Beauty

PRAYER TO THE PEACOCK BEAUTY:
Beloved Kuan Yin, bless me with the grace to surrender into the beauty of my own Soul, to recognize my higher creativity in flow now, to make the creations of my Soul my highest priority, that I may life with abundance, peace and happiness. Help me beloved beauty to recognize my own beauty, as magnificent and colourful as the stunning peacock. May my creations be as lovely. Om Mani Padme Hum.
- Kuan Yin Oracle Cards by Alana Fairchild. #24 Reveal The Peacock Beauty

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We followed with a beautiful practice of Shibashi Qigong and closed with three chants of Om.

Next week is our last class in this session. What an amazing journey we have had together! I sincerely hope to see many of you this fall.

xo
Patti

Tapping into the power of ancient wisdom (June 4th Circle)

Lovely ladies,

Thank-you, once again, for bringing your whole self to class today. Your focus, pure intention and presence was palpable. It is truly an honour to facilitate such  a gathering. 

Johanne, welcome to the circle!

I wish you all a week of unconditional love. I hope you try my suggestion of Embracing Yin and Yang first thing in the morning (inhale, extend arms all the way up; exhale, cross arms and fold inward)...while doing this, set an intention to be very present today. :)

xoxo
Patti

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HEALING PRAYER (shared at the end of our seated meditation):
"I call upon the presence of unconditional love. Be here now, without restraint. Fill me and fill this space. Touch all beings with your grace. I feel the presence of unconditional love within me. I acknowledge the presence of unconditional love all around me. I am the presence of unconditional love and in this love, no fear can remain. May unconditional love guide any fear back to the light of love, or back into the earth, as serves the greatest good My body, mind, heart and soul are now completely bathed in and protected by unconditional love. Through my own free will, this is so."

- Alana Fairchild, Sacrel Rebels Oracle Cards # 11 Diving For Light

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Today there was an extra focus on the honouring of ancient teachings, beginning with a brief exploration into the Toltec tradition and followed by a practice of the Eight Silk Brocades, one of the oldest and most widely practiced forms of Qigong.

THE TOLTEC:
Thousands of years ago,  the Toltec were known throughout southern Mexico as "women and men of knowledge". Anthropologists have spoken of the Toltec as a nation or a race, but, in fact, the Toltec were scientists and artists who formed a society to explore and conserve the spiritual knowledge and practices of the ancient ones. They came together as masters (naguals) and students at Teotihuacan, the ancient city of pyramids outside Mexico City known as the place where "Man Becomes God."

Over the millennia, the naguals were forced to conceal the ancestral wisdom and maintain its existence in obscurity. European conquest, coupled with rampant misuse of personal power by a few of the apprentices, made it necessary to shield the knowledge from those who were not prepared to use it wisely or who might intentionally misuse it for personal gain. 

Fortunately, the esoteric Toltec knowledges was embodied and passed on through generations by different lineages of naguals. Though it remained veiled in secrecy for hundreds of years, ancient prophecies foretold the coming of an age when it would be necessary to return the wisdom to the people. Now, Don Migual Ruiz, a naguals from the Eagle Knight lineage, has been guided to share with us the powerful teachings of the Toltec.

Toltec knowledge arises from the same essential unity of truth as all the sacred esoteric traditions found around the world. Though it is not a religion, it honours all the spiritual masters who have taught on the earth. While it does embrace spirit, it is most accurately described as way of life, distinguished by the ready accessibility of happiness and love.

A Toltec is an artist of Love, 
an artist of the Spirit, 
someone who is creating every moment, 
every second, the most beautiful art - 
the Art of Dreaming.

Life is nothing but a dream,
and if we are artists, 
then we create our life with Love, 
and our dream becomes
a masterpiece of art.

GOD WITHIN YOU:
There is an old story from India about the God, Brahma, who was all alone. Nothing existed but Brahma, and he was completely bored. Brahma decided to play a game, but there was no one to play the game with. So he created a beautiful goddess, Maya, just for the purpose of having fun. Once May existed and Brahma told her the purpose of her existence, she said, "Okay, let's play the most wonderful game, but you have to do what I tell you to do." Brahma agreed, and following Maya's instructions, he created the whole universe. Brahma created the sun and the stars, the moon and the planets. Then he created life on earth: the animals, the oceans, the atmosphere, everything.

Maya said, "How beautiful is this world of illusion you created. Now I want you to create a kind of animal that is so intelligent and aware that it can appreciate your creation." Finally Brahma created humans, and after he finished the creation, he asked May when the game was going to start. 

"We will start right now," she said. She took Brahma and cut him into thousands of teeny, tiny pieces. She put a piece inside every human and said, "Now the game begins! I am going to make you forget what you are, and you are going to try to find yourself!" Maya created the Dream, and still, even today, Brahma is trying to remember who he is. Brahma is there inside you, and Maya is stopping you from remembering what you are. 

When you awake from the Dream, you become Brahma again, and reclaim your divinity. Then if Brahma inside you says, "Okay, I am awake; what about the rest of me?" you know the trick of Maya, and you can share the truth with others who are going to wake up too. Two people who are sober in the party can have more fun. Three people who are sober is even better. Begin with you. Then others will start to change, until the whole dream, the whole party is sober.

- Don Miguel Ruiz, "The Mastery of Love"

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Eight Silk Brocades (Ba Duan Jin)
The history of the Eight Silk Brocades series of qigong exercises can be traced back to over 800 years ago. The legendary founder was the famous general in the Southern Sung Dynasty, Yue Fei, who used the exercises to train his army. His army was never defeated and its success was traced back to these exercises. The Eight Silk Brocades is recognized by the Chinese Health Qigong Association as one of four official Qigong exercises, and is practiced around the world.

"Drawing the Bow", the Second Piece of Silk

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OM:

The first syllable is A, pronounced as a prolonged "awe." The sound starts at the back of your throat and you stretch it out. You will start feeling your solar plexus and chest vibrating. The second syllable is U, pronounced as a prolonged “oo,” with the sound gradually rolling forward along your upper palate. You'll feel your throat vibrate. The third syllable is M, pronounced as a prolonged “mmmm” with your front teeth gently touching. You will now start to feel the top of your vibrate. The last syllable is the deep silence of the Infinite. As intelligence rises from the deep silence, you have to merge your chant from the ‘M’ to the deep silence. Symbolically the three letters embody the divine energy (Shakti) and it’s 3 main characteristics: (1) creation, (2) preservation and (3) liberation.

Why do we chant it?

Everything in the universe is pulsating and vibrating – nothing is really standing still! The sound Om, when chanted, vibrates at the frequency of 432 Hz, which is the same vibrational frequency found throughout everything in nature. As such AUM is the basic sound of the universe; so by chanting it we are symbolically and physically tuning in to that sound and acknowledging our connection to all other living beings, nature and the universe. In addition the vibrations and rhythmic pronunciation also have a physical affect on the body by slowing down the nervous system and calming the mind similar to meditation. When the mind is relaxed, your blood pressure decreases and ultimately the health of your heart improves.

- Sam Saunders, www.mindbodygreen.com

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The Simple Power of Presence (May 28th Circle)

Lovely ladies,

The presence held by our circle yesterday was precious! I continue to be in awe of the gifts that show up when we collectively tune into the energetic field, and especially when we begin to move together!

I enjoyed sharing my experience and insights from attending Eckhart Tolle's talk in Calgary. One of the most significant insights I gained was the awareness that "striving" to be present actually (and ironically) has been serving to distract me from the present moment.

Thank-you for also sharing your insights and experiences regarding present moment awareness. There is always so much to learn from each other! 

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"Your relationship with the present moment IS your purpose. It is all that matters."

- Eckhart Tolle, Calgary May 15, 2018

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The evening with Eckhart called me to pull out one of my favourite books, "The Presence Process" by Michael Brown. Like Eckhart, Michael teaches that presence is the portal to spiritual awakening. 

Here is the excerpt I shared in class...

“Present moment awareness is a state of being as opposed to something we do. The simplest definition of present moment awareness is to be fully aware of the moment we are in - or, to be present in the moment.

The emphasis isn’t on the moment, but on the beingness we bring to bear on our life experience when we pay full attention to the moment.

A reliable indicator we have entered present moment awareness is if our experience, no matter how comfortable or uncomfortable it may feel at any given moment, is infused with gratefulness.

When I speak of gratefulness, I’m not referring to the kind of gratitude that’s been founded on comparison, such as feeling grateful we are in better health or have more wealth than someone else. Neither is it the sort of gratitude that arises because life is unfolding how we want it to and everything is easy. Rather it’s gratitude that requires no reason - gratitude for the invitation, journey and gift of life itself.

Gratefulness is the one single marker we can depend on as an indicator of how present we are in our experience. When we lack gratitude for simply being alive, it’s because we have strayed from the present into an illusory mental state called “time”. In the world of time, it’s challenging to be grateful because nothing appears to unfold the way we think it should. The past holds regrets and the future the promise of improvement, while the present requires constant adjustment. We therefore spend our waking moments reflecting on what didn’t work in the past and planning those adjustments we believe are necessary to attain the peace and fulfillment we week. Because those adjustments are oriented to a “better tomorrow”, we’ve forgotten how to have a meaningful today.

Present moment awareness isn’t a concept - it’s an experience. The fact that more and more of are entering it now is a consequence of our accelerating evolution. For anyone willing to receive its blessings, its invitation is here, now, in this moment, this set of circumstances. It calls us in a silent voice that says” “STOP. THERE’S NOWHERE TO GO AND NOTHING TO DO. THERE’ SIMPLY EVERYTHING TO BE.””

— - Michael Brown, "The Presence Process"

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I am open and willing to allow divine light to flow through me, to notice in every moment when my attachments and my stories disconnect me from this infinite flow. Each day and each moment, I aspire to do my best to cause no harm with my actions, words or thoughts; to do my best to keep my heart and mind open to nurture compassion to ease the suffering of the world; and to do the most difficult of all - to accept and embrace the world just as it is.

  - a prayer I wrote (contains the three vows of Buddhism)

I felt so blessed to have been invited to a concert by Deva Premal & Miten with Manose! I had never heard them before and was simply blown away by the beauty, authenticity and energy of their performance. Here is a link to one of their songs, which we listened to and sang along to yesterday. If you would like to learn more about Deva and Miten, click here.

XO
Patti

Compassion, Compassion, Compassion (May 14th circle)

Dear ladies,

I am so glad I listened to the voice in my head that said “ask them to draw an Animal Spirit Card card and bring it to the circle”. Thank-you for trusting me and trusting the process.

Your individual willingness to receive your animal message and to look inside for the resonance was inspiring! And it was intriguing to see how each of us called forth compassion in our own unique ways. For some, there was a longing for compassion, and for others there was an awareness of compassion’s presence. All this was shared with some lighthearted laughs...courtesy of our animal friends!

I did not know that Compassion would be the theme of our class until after our opening circle, and, yet, the readings I picked out beforehand fit perfectly. Divine Grace at work!

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“LIGHTEN UP (and Do Something Different):

Being able to lighten up is the key to feeling at home with your body, mind and emotions, to feeling worthy to live on this planet. For example, you can hear the slogan “Always maintain only a joyful mind” and start beating yourself over the head for never being joyful. That kind of witness is a bit heavy.

This earnestness, this seriousness about everything in our lives - including practice - this goal-oriented, we’re-going-to-do-it-or-else attitude, is the world’s greatest killjoy. There’s no sense of appreciation because we’re so solemn about everything. In contrast, a joyful mind is very ordinary and relaxed. So lighten up. Don’t make such a big deal.

When your aspiration is to lighten up, you begin to have a sense of humour. Your serious state of mind keeps getting popped. In addition to a sense of humour, a basic support for a joyful mind is curiosity, paying attention. taking an interest in the world around you. Happiness is not required, but being curious without a heavy judgemental attitude helps. If you are judgmental, you can even be curious about that.

Curiosity encourages cheering up. So does simply remembering to do something different. We are so locked into this sense of burden - Big Deal Joy and Big Deal Unhappiness - that it’s sometimes helpful just to change the pattern. Anything out of the ordinary will help. You can go to the window and look at the sky, you can splash cold water on your face, you can sing in the shower, you can go jogging - anything that’s against your usual pattern. That’s how things start to lighten up.”

— Pema Chodron, "Comfortable with Uncertainty, 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion"

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“MOTHER OF MERCY
Just like a Sun that sines brightly casting a strong shadow, your growing spiritual power needs to be expressed with the awareness that it will have an effect on others, even if you are not completely conscious of that effect. To create peace in the expression of your power, we call upon the Mother of Mercy. Mercy tempers great strength and power with kindness, gentleness, compassion and caring. The Divine Kuan Yin brings the quality of Mercy to you know as a divine gift, encouraging you to cultivate mercy in your dealings with others and to receive it for yourself now too.

PRAYER TO THE MOTHER OF MERCY:
Mother of Mercy so loves my Soul
The Nectar of Mercy brings peace and bliss untold.
I open my heart now to this endless love and peace, which the grace of Kuan Yin helps me reach.
Om Mani Padme Hum.”

— "Mother of Mercy", Kuan Yin Oracle Cards by Alana Fairchild

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New Moon is Tuesday, May 15th at 5:47am Mountain Daylight Time

“Focus on the New Moon energy on Monday night. This New Moon is very potent and powerful. It comes with a robustness similar to an eclipse and is a marker for great change, the preview of which could be manifested through some major earth event or events.

We have seen this beginning to happen with earthquakes and volcanic activity in various parts of the world, all related to the earth. Watch for your own internal earth event that may feel like an inner earthquake, shifting all of your priorities and values around. This new moon is both difficult and exalted with potential for great inspiration that comes with the freedom you may experience following challenging choices you have made or are in the process of making.

While stepping forward into new territory through your choices and realigning values, it is also important to bring in the quality of beauty and inspiration into the equation. Nurture yourselves in some way and have some fun despite the chaos that you may feel around you. It cannot be focused hard work all of the time. You will reap many more benefits if you take some time to smell the roses along the way and do something for yourself that represents self-care with a bit of luxury like going to a fine restaurant for a meal or treating yourself to a massage. And if you are in the process of purging the old, bring in something new that is an upgrade in the area of beauty and inspiration.”

— Lena Stevens, The Power Path School of Shamanism

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Have a wonderful week and Victoria Day long weekend and I will see you on May 28th!

xo
Patti

Wild Women, Shared Presence and the Nuance of Passage (May 7th Circle)

Amazing Women,

Thank-you for participating in the sharing of your chosen cards today, and for once again bringing your authentic and willing self to our circle.

Carmen, we will miss you.  Enjoy your west coast adventures and hope to see you in class in the Fall!

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It was nice to formally share with you my vision for Practicing Grace Qigong which I had intended to do on our first class, but was drawn elsewhere until now. I have paraphrased this vision below:

Class Philosophy:
This is a sacred space from entry to exit, a place to join with others to access your own healing power. We honour each other’s unique journey, share and connect while being mindful to allow each person’s experience to be her own. Laughter and joyous connection is encouraged!  

Circle of Presence:
The person holding the stone receives utter presence from the others. No words are spoken, unless the person specifically asks for a response (as you witnessed last night, this is a rule I myself often break ;)... but the intention remains 💗). This exercise is about noticing what is and being with it without judgement. It is about shared presence, shared vulnerability and shared celebrations. Together we hold intense presence both for ourselves and for others and to set and sense the energy field of the group. Healing is amplified in a group, and many traditions consider a group to be a necessary component of spiritual awakening.

Practicing Grace Qigong:
Practicing Grace Qigong is an intuitive practice to open the mind and heart and restore energy flow to the body. We honour all traditions and all human experiences, recognizing that most energy blockages are caused from our emotions, our unwillingness to feel the sensation of emotion and stay with it without assigning a mental story to it. Only when we allow the emotion to move through us do we unmask, let go and open the mind and heart.

Qigong uses slow movements, deep breathing, and focused intention to restore the flow of qi to the body.  Of these three qualities the most important is intention; “intent guides the Qi to produce healing”.  It is not about perfecting the details and doing precise movements. It is about listening and following your body’s innate wisdom to move with the energy.

The following passages from three different teachers  capture the essence of what Practicing Grace Qigong is all about...

“It is our Qi that holds us together, animates us and makes us who we really are. It is our true self, the source of consciousness, awareness and life. Without it nothing lives. When our invisible life force signal, qi, is in orderly action, life thrives and well-being abounds. ”

— Master Waysun Liao

“This flow of energy comes from the depth of your being. All the great spiritual traditions give it different names: Qi (Chinese), Prana Shakti (Hindu), Spirit (Christian), Skan (Lakota).

The only reason we don’t feel this energy all the time is because we block it by closing our heart and mind which blocks the energy channels in our physical body (meridians and chakras). Fear is the cause of every problem. We block our flow of energy by closing our hearts and our minds and we do this because of fear.

True personal growth is about transcending the part of you that is not okay and needs protection”

— Michael Singer, "The Untethered Soul"

“The purpose of the spiritual path is to unmask, to take off our armour, to let go of our fixed identity. Buddha taught that the fixed identity (ego-clinging) is the cause of our suffering. Looking deeper, the real cause of our suffering is not being able to tolerate uncertainty.

If we can get in touch with the sensation as sensation and open ourselves to it without labeling it good or bad, then even when we feel the urge to draw back, we can stay present and move forward into the feeling. Our feelings are the gateway to liberation, an open doorway to freedom from suffering, the path to our deepest well-being and joy.”

— Pema Chodron, "Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change"

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Last week I received my new deck of Wild Woman Mystery Cards in the mail - I was so excited I just tore into the packaging. My beloved yoga teacher,  Michelle Crawford introduced me to these cards and they have quickly become my most favourite!  On Sunday I drew two cards from the deck: PRESENCE and PASSAGE. I had sensed that we would dive deeper into presence in this week's classes, so this was (yet another) affirmation for me. I was absolutely blown away by Elizabeth MacLeod's description of "passage". To me, her description is exactly what qigong is  all about -  presence through the motion of life. I  hope you enjoyed listening to the messages in class and enjoy reading them again here!

""Don't just do something, stand there!" shouts the Wild Woman. Be present in all your capacity. Envelop all there is. There is nothing you can do in greater capacity than to be present.

If you want to feel your presence you must be there in yourself. With this, you will feel connection to everyone and everything. 

To maintain balance in your life, especially when things are out of your control, is to recognize that there's nothing you can do, except be present. This is all you need to hold your balance. 

Be present to life now. Let it be. Recognize it is almost always the way. Be present. Just be present, and all will come to you."

- Elizabeth MacLeod, Wild Woman Mystery Cards

Passage is a word misunderstood. It suggests movement from one place to the other. Consider for a moment that passage is something more that you go through without movement, as if it were an initiation of sorts. Consider that passage is that which you are always engaged in as you move in and out of each moment in your life.

There are little and big passages, just like little and big moments. Sometimes the simplest moments are the most profound. Simple, Wild Woman is a word also misunderstood. Simple is made to look easy, or made to look quick, but simple is clear and can be as profound as any moment you might ever have. Notice that with each new moment, you are in passage, passage into something new. You are traveling into all that you are, in any given moment. When you realize this, you will know  you that you have reached the initiation of the Wild Woman, knowing that each moment is a passage into something greater than ever came before, because it is a new moment. And with this comes the allowing necessary to open your heart to all the experiences you could have. It's like you are literally birthing into your self in every moment and coming out new, with which to see your perceptions change before your very eyes!  This is the gift of passage. Coming into your self and allowing for passages of life to take place with compassion and light heartedness, you will initiate yourself into your self without the need for anyone to tell you of wisdom they think you should do. You will know.

Wild Woman passage is a sacred event unfolding every minute of every day. It takes a conscious awareness to be present to the steps you take and choices you make in each moment. Passage takes you to another passage. And passage is always there for you whether you like it or not. To be present to passage allows you to take ownership in your life, deciding which road to take and which path to climb. It allows you the full experience of all of you. It's as if with each step you move for you to create yourself. So create yourself. You do not have to find yourself. You are here. Create yourself, in every moment, in passage. What an enormous gift to yourself and ultimately our world."
- Elizabeth MacLeod, Wild Woman Mystery Cards

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And, finally, here is the closing Kuan Yin passage and prayer that I shared at the end of our class:

TAI CHI RISING
Your energy field is growing stronger, with more spiritual electricity pulsing through your being. Take time to nourish your nervous system as it adjusts and be gentle with yourself as you adjust to increasing levels of spiritual potency, which gives more impact to your words, actions and thoughts. 

A PRAYER FOR TAI CHI RISING
Through the mercy and compassion of Kuan Yin, and my own Free Will, may my energy field grow to meet the needs of my Soul light. May I be strong and merciful, powerful and wise in equal measure, may I be loving and potent with temperance and peaceful intention. Om Mani Padme Hum. 

- Kuan Yin Oracles by Alana Fairchild

Thank-you for another beautiful evening!

xo
Patti

curious moon gazing, being the witness, and the five element practice (April 30th circle)

Dear Monday Evening Warriors,

I want to start by thanking each of you for holding such sacred space for each other in last night's circle!  The group is very new and many of us have just met one another... and yet there is a rare willingness to be seen.  Sharing our struggles and our celebrations without judgement and comparisons is, in itself, a healing practice - even if not immediately felt, the experience alone can clear energy blockages and release old patterns. Thank-you for trusting this process! 

Perhaps it was this process that caused me to spontaneously change my plan midway through class and share the Qigong series of the Daoist Five Element for Organ and Emotional Health. I hope you enjoyed it - I suspect we will do it again next week. Based on the wisdom of the Five Elements, this set restores Yin and Yang balance by promoting efficient qi flow from one organ to the next. It brings the elements back into balance and keeps the organs clear, strong and flowing with qi.  It also has a powerful effect of harmonizing the emotions, especially when combined with the intention of doing so.

See below for some of the readings/pointers that were shared during our class. 💞

As always,  please feel free to contact me at any point during the week if you have any questions, comments or concerns.

“IT’S A GOOD TIME FOR HOWLING...

We’re all feeling the effects of the extremely emotional SCORPIO full moon.

All the pain and passion we’ve held since last October?
All the anguish and anger we’ve felt since last fall?
All the hidden secrets starting to be revealed?

The FULL MOON in Scorpio calls for us to release everything.

Every last little drop of rage, remorse, sorrow, grief, disappointment and despair. It’s a time for howling, gnashing, wailing and otherwise getting it all out.

Yet even bigger, on May 15, Uranus enters Taurus for seven years for the first time in 84 years. Many astrologers are calling it the most important shift of the year—a revolution in finances, materialism, farming, food, physicality. Last time this happened was 1934, when Hitler, Stalin, Mao were in power. Yet other astrologers see it as an extremely hopeful next seven years— a freeing shakeup to old outworn systems.

There is never any fear in astrology, because we are all souls moving toward greater expansion.

What happens in the past is NOT repeated in exactly the same way in the future, because we are continually evolving.

However, if you are feeling emotional, the Universe asks that you focus on yourself as a soul.

Connect in.
Get help from your Guides.
Ask for Divine assistance.”

— Sara Wiseman (www.sarawiseman.com)

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“This is an intense full moon with energy similar to an eclipse. It is an extremely important time to be mindful of your reactions and to take responsibility for them. If you are triggered in any way, you have an opportunity to look at those deep patterns that may be coming to the surface and work through them with focused and disciplined intention. Get help if you need it.

On the other side of this personal inner crisis energy is the support for expansion and the possibility of moving into something new and different. This is also a good day for gratitude and honor as you celebrate all of your accomplishments up to this point in your life without being attached to how they have defined you. Allow this full moon to support you in creating new intentions for redefining who you are.”

— Lena Stevens, The Power Path School of Shamanism

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“You are not your thoughts or emotions. You are the one who is simply aware of your thoughts and emotions.

True personal growth is about transcending the part of you that is not okay and needs protection. This is done by constantly remembering that you are the one inside that notices the voice talking. That is the way out. The one inside who is aware that you are always talking to yourself about yourself is always silent. It is a doorway to the depths of your being. To be aware that you are watching the voice talk is to stand on the threshold of a fantastic inner journey. if used properly, the same mental voice that has been a source of worry, distraction, and general neurosis can become the launching ground for true spiritual awakening. Come to know the one who watches the voice, and you will come to know one of the great mysteries of creation.”

— Michael Singer, The Untethered Soul

“VALE OF SHADOWS

A lotus blossoms with deep rich mud into which she plunges her roots and draws great nourishment. From this mud, made of water and earth, growth happens and great beauty is revealed. Your Soul lotus thrives through depth of emotion and aliveness of your body into which she can plant her Self and unfold as a lotus of light.

A PRAYER FOR ASSISSTANCE THROUGH THE VALE OF SHADOWS

I pray to Kuan Yin, beloved spiritual mother, please help me be fearless in the Vale of Shadows, realizing that I am just growing in self-awareness and whatever has grown ugly through lack of love will gleam like a polished jewel through my attention, willingness to love and accept all parts of me and my divinely-inspired creativity in integrating this part of me into my life with more consciousness. Om Mani Padme Hum. May all parts of me be blessed. Om Mani Padme Hum
”

— Kuan Yin Oracle Cards by Alana Fairchild #43 Vale of Shadows

Leaning into discomfort...with support from the Universe (April 23 circle)

Dear Monday Evening Beauties,

Oh, how I love the freedom  to explore what arises in our circle!  Thank-you ladies for a contemplative and powerful gathering last night!

Here is the reading I shared at the beginning of class. Thank-you for the heartfelt conversations and sharing that followed. I bow down to your willingness to be open, vulnerable, honest and humble. Know that you are not alone. 

“The Wisdom of No Escape

The central question of a warrior’s training is not how we avoid uncertainty and fear but how we relate to discomfort. How do we practice with difficulty, with our emotions, with the unpredictable encounters of an ordinary day? For those of us with a hunger to know the truth, painful emotions are like flags going up to say, “You’re stuck!” We regard disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, jealousy, and fear as moments that show us where we’re holding back, how we’re shutting down. Such uncomfortable feelings are messages that tell us to perk up and lean into a situation when we’d rather cave in and back away.

When the flag goes up, we have an opportunity: we can stay with our painful emotion instead of spinning out. Staying is how we get the hang of gently catching ourselves when we’re about to let resentment harden into blame, righteousness, or alienation. It’s also how we keep from smoothing things over by talking ourselves into a sense of relief or inspiration. This is easier said than done.

Ordinarily we are swept away by habitual momentum. We don’t interrupt our patterns even slightly. With practice, however, we learn to stay with a broken heart, with a nameless fear, with the desire for revenge. Sticking with uncertainty is how we learn to relax in the midst of chaos, how we learn to be cool when the ground beneath us suddenly disappears. We can bring ourselves back to the spiritual path countless times each day simply by exercising our willingness to rest in uncertainty of the present moment - over and over again.

”

— Pema Chodron, "Comfortable With Uncertainty, 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion"

Here is the closing Kuan Yin passage and prayer that I shared at the end of our class:

“The only wish of the Divine Mother Goddess is that all beings be spiritually free. The Divine Goddess calls us to realize our true nature, to fall in love with our own divinity. Enlightenment is a culmination of many small steps, each one as a drop of water forming a divine ocean of peace, realization, love and unity within us, an ocean that washes away fear, separation and scarcity and bathes us in abundance and bliss. You carry the torch of enlightenment within you, beloved. Let it shine each day.

Beloved Kuan Yin, Green Tara, Mazue, Goddesses of the Great Divine Mother, please help me to live my light, to live my enlightenment in each day, to know my own Self and to live the beauty and bliss with peace in my heart. Thank you for your help. Om Shanti. I feel your Peace in my heart now. May all beings feel and know this peace within. Om Shanti. Om Mani Padme Hum.”

— "Dynasty of the Divine Mother", Kuan Yin Oracles by Alana Fairchild

OM MANI PADME HUM
THANK-YOU  for chanting this with me. Wowza!  What an experience that was...a first for me... and I cannot wait for more!

“Om Mani Padme Hum is a powerful heart opening, consciousness-raising, peace-finding prayer of divine power. It is probably the most utilized mantra on Earth so it has a lot of group energy supporting it and those that choose to use it. It helps bring compassion and resolution to any issue. It calls on the divine power of Kuan Yin, of all beings of unconditional love, and the Divine Mother, as well as your own divine spark expressing through your Soul to get on board and help resolve whatever needs to be resolved.

It means ’the opening of the jewel in the lotus,’ or ‘may the heart awaken with divine compassion and may I know myself to be an awakened being of light’.  

Om sounds like “pom”, Mani as in “manicure”, Padme sounds like “pud-maye”, Hum rhymes with “gum””

— Kuan Yin Oracle Guidebook by Alana Fairchild

May the warmth and energy of spring fill your week!

xo
Patti

Thank-you for the warm welcome back! 🙏 (April 16th circle)

Hello Monday Evening ladies,

What an absolute gift and honour to share my first week of post-surgery qigong classes with each of you! I cannot wait to experience the next eight weeks with you and to grow together. 

Pam and June we look forward to having you join our circle next week!

As I shared yesterday, I am continuously drawn to the integration of various teachings — there seems to be an innate desire and need to find the common threads and to weave them together. The movements of Qigong seemingly open up the channels so that divine truth can flow in and I am just here to say YES, YES and YES…and to bring as many people with me as I can. Thank-you for coming along for the ride! Lately, I have been drawn to the basic teachings of Buddhism and have found the words of Pema Chodron to be the most soothing and insightful. So, for the time being, we are going to explore some of her words.

Here is the passage I shared from her book, “ Comfortable with Uncertainty, 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion”. 
 

The Love That Will Not Die

Spiritual awakening is frequently described as a journey to the top of a mountain. We leave our attachments and our worldliness behind and slowly make our way to the top. At the peak we have transcended all pain. The only problem with this metaphor is that we leave all others behind. Their suffering continues, unrelieved by our personal escape.

On the journey of the warrior-bodhisattva, the path goes down, not up, as if the mountain pointed toward the earth instead of the sky. Instead of transcending the suffering of all creatures, we move toward turbulence and doubt however we can. We explore the reality and unpredictability of insecurity and pain, and we try not to push it away. If it takes years, if it takes lifetimes, we let it be as it is. At our own pace, without speed or aggression, we move down and down and down. With us move millions of others , our companions in awakening from fear. At the bottom we discover water, the healing water of bodhichitta. Bodhichitta is our heart - our wounded, softened heart. Right down there in the thick of things, we discover the love that will not die. This love is bodhichitta. It is gentle and warm; it is clear and sharp; it is open and spacious. The awakened heart of bodhichitta is the basic goodness of all beings. 

Wishing you all a week of open-hearted presence!

xo
Patti