The Dalai Lama and my teacher, Khenpo Khonchong Gyaltshen Rinpoche

“Compassion reduces our fear, boosts our confidence, and opens us to inner strength. By reducing distrust, it opens us to others and brings us a sense of connections with them and a sense of purpose and meaning in life.”
Dalai Lama 

Welcome to this week on the art/life trail ride. This might be a trail of tears for some and a trail of celebration for others. In Buddhism we’re taught to stand in the middle between attachment (what we want) and aversion (what we don’t want). The Middle Way. The idea now is to hold energy for compassion, humble confidence and for the awareness that no one outside of us can steal our inner strength without our consent; even our collusion. Do not give away your power. Notice who you are Being as the wobble takes place. The wobble is the natural shift between primary masculine (spring/summer) to primary feminine (fall/winter). It takes about six weeks to get with the natural urge to slow down and relax the pace. This half of the year is when we truly can own our experience and take authentic good care. 

‘Being Present’, Drozda, 4 x 4″, Media blend, 2015, Private Collection

I’ve been chatting with many of you this week. It’s been rich and meaningful. It’s also stunning to tap into how well trained we are to think that others can actually ‘steal our power’. It’s fascinating to be able to notice that many of us are taught, from our earliest age, to open ourselves up to the theft of our true nature and the right to live our most authentic art/life. 

Stop Thief!

Being schooled to feel less than our true power we become vulnerable. Not vulnerable in a way that reveals our willingness to be transparent and genuine, that level of vulnerability to empowering. Rather old programs lodge into our thinking/feeling bodies and we become a convoluted and distorted version of our self…victimized and depressed.

Vulnerability, victimization, depression are three very different ways of looking at our experience. This year on the art/life trail we may notice that there is a new path ahead…we’ll follow the trail of the six moon/months of fall/winter. This fresh trail will make each of us an explorer and provide a template for nourishing our creative connection in a natural and nurturing way.

This month on the art/life trail ride we’re exploring Experience. This is an excellent month to keep a log and jot down notes regarding what comes to meet you day by day. We do this every year throughout the 31 days of October. It’s easy to get on track…scan back and recollect what’s been going on. There are so many natural creative connections to why this is ‘the time’ to do this yet for our purposes this week let’s simply note that by making notes now as to how the art/life looks physically, emotionally and spiritually you’ll have a ready check n’ balance in place for when the East Gate opens in the spring. Between now and then we’re concentrating on repair and replenish following a very active and busy spring/summer.

Take a moment now and do a quick scan on what your physical, emotional and spiritual experiences have been so far this month.

‘My North Star’, Drozda, 4×4″, Media blend, 2015, Private Collection

The natural calendar begins each spring at the equinox point. That’s when we naturally create a vision for the coming 12 moon/months. The 12 weeks of Spring followed by the 12 weeks of Summer catalyze masculine energy.

The inclination during the spring/summer is to command and control our ride full speed ahead. Hopefully we feel invigorated during those 24 weeks while redefining self-expression and coming into new relationship with others who will champion and support us on the art/life trail.

THEN: A big shift occurs in September…

we begin to draw inward toward relaxing the pace.

Press the p a u s e button

Become naturally more receptive to what is. Our metaphoric art/life trail begins a gentle winding downward toward a canyon symbolizing the turn inward.

We move at a pace that lets us take in the scene. We stop. We linger. We pull in the scent of falling leaves and distant campfires. Deep inside our cellular memory we consider the benefit of:

Each October we receive 31 days to take part in a creative energy preview. We might decide to start the slow down by tracking any of the three primary ways that we experience our experience…the physical, emotional and/or spiritual/intuitive.

Since October is the Experience cycle it’s rather nifty to consider, in advance:

What do you want to have come of the time ahead?

What will the year 2016 be for?

2016 will be providing creative art/life situations, relationships, circumstances, challenges and opportunities that will be teaching us through compassion and service. Compassionate service is like a balm. Trusting the art/life is an integral part of being on the trail.

We have ample opportunity during this preview energy month to trust the path and the teachers/role models that we meet on the trail.

Alice was my touch stone for crafting the art/life with a deep sanity. Her first letter contained the invitation: wherever you walk, I’ll be with you…my strength is vast, and from Beyond.

These words, this phrase, that idea carried me through each high and low. Her words gift echoed into my soul and served me well through 16 years of body work and alternative therapies to tend to Post Traumatic Stress. 

Let’s rally. Let’s form a circle round the fire as the days begin to turn cool. We crave warmth and comfort necessary for repair and replenishment after a full out race/pace of spring/summer.

Let’s gather together to hear the heart stories that keep us compassionate, confident, strong and trusting. Find your stories. Share them with us if it feels like a fit or gather your group ’round the fire’ during the coming months to make sacred space for what brings us back to our center, our central, our inner home. Speaking of home…I invite you to tune in and watch the 30 minute video of my interview on We Evolve TV with host Medea Bavarella Chechik … our conversation is fun and mindful of the beauty of sharing our Experiences of being ‘scared sacred’ …we’re not alone in experiencing our experiences.

Let’s be role models and lead the way for one another. As my mama used to say, “Don’t hide your light under a bushel.”

I’m so glad that you are here; that we are here.

How will you practice becoming the masterful ‘Here-O’ in your art/life during this preview month?

How will you be holding the vision of leaving a trail of wisdom gems and creative joy for the coming generations?

Email your birth month and day and I’ll send over your 2016 Personal Year Energy PDF giving you a sign post for what your art/life offers.

 

I am a working Heartist with more than thirty years of practice in supporting the creative best in each of us to come forth and shine. Join me and make joy the vocation of your mind.

Connect with the uplift of ‘Luna See’ and Lifecycle; time management tools for aligning with natural creative rhythms. Discover and uncover the ecstatic thrill of ‘making life the master peace’.

Let’s travel together into realms of calm and renewed heart-centered emphasis.

Through our shared journey with our monthly newsletter  ‘Luna See’ and the creative consult service ‘Lifecycle’ you will discover and expand your ability to experience, express, create and contribute your deepest and wisest most authentic gifts to this unspeakably beautiful world.