A Metaphore for Life

I’ve said it many times… the Labyrinth is a metaphor for life.  At the last Labyrinth Event that I assisted this was never more apparent… and I didn’t even walk the labyrinth at that event.  It  was at a church.  The labyrinth was there for the congregation to enjoy and it didn’t feel appropriate for me to walk.  I was simply there to help hold the space for the congregants.

When the time came to pack the labyrinth away I experienced a revelation!   The Labyrinth that I work with is a 36′ canvas labyrinth.  It is a 11 circuit Chartres design and it is on 3 huge pieces of canvas that we roll out and Velcro together.  We joke sometimes that it is like sailing without the water… as the pieces are just like huge sails!   We assemble and disassemble the labyrinth at every event.  It is very physical work!  It is a labor of love.

As I was ripping apart the sections of the labyrinth in the very hot sanctuary on this particular day I suddenly connected to the fact that I am in the midst of ripping apart my life… through divorce.  I underwent emotions of doubt and  frustration as I separated the huge sections.  The task felt overwhelming and sometimes hopeless.  I had to fold and roll each section.  It was up to me.  Would it fit into its case when I got it all rolled up?  What would it look like in the end?  Would I get it right?

There was only one thing I could do… go through the process, do my best and hope that I got it right.   I couldn’t stop.  I had to just take it one step at a time and trust.  Much like life.  The task seemed overwhelming when I was in the midst of it, but I persevered and got through it.  I also accepted some help, and that helped.  It was just nice to not be facing the task completely alone… much like having a support system in place.

The result?  In the end it all worked out.  Without a hitch.  I realized that my life will work out as well.  Even though sometimes it seems big and messy and out of control… that, I realize, is part of being human.  The labyrinth is truly a great tool for mirroring life… and on this occasion just being responsible for putting it away created the metaphor I needed for a shift in my perception,   hope for my future and the realization that for me, trust was key!

Showing up…

I learned a valuable life lesson this week at Improv class.   I was having great fun participating in class, we did some different types of games, from a simple being part of a machine by building on what others were doing to working as part of a group to be a photo from vacation.  All fun.  Then we broke into  groups.  Suddenly there was trouble in paradise.

Each group experienced it’s own set of problems.  No group was perfect.  My group, however experienced the most difficulty.  I’ve pondered our difficulties all week.  And I think I’ve come up with at least a partial explanation.  I didn’t show up!

We had two guys in our group that I perceive as experienced and talented performers.  They have taken classes/ and or actually performed before.  Then there was me and another woman.  I don’t know about her… but I stopped fully engaging.  Something about the chemistry of the group allowed this.  We stopped communicating clearly.

We were no longer playing.  It was no longer fun.  No one would take and idea and run with it, fully committing; and no one was fully supporting an idea.  We stopped giving.   We were in a stalemate.   Like when kids are bored and start with the miserable “I  don’t know…  what do you want to do”

I learned that to get the best results out of any situation it is advisable to be engaged.  Playing small and thinking what you have to offer doesn’t make a difference, does not bring about the best results.

A coaching colleague said at her graduation from coaching school one of her fellow classmates said it best:  Once you are conscious you have a responsibility to frickin’ show up!  I’m committed to showing up from here on out, at Improv… in life!

Children

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, ‘Speak to us of Children.’

And he said:

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;

For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Kahlil Gibran

I find myself reflecting upon this poem today. It is one of my favorites and really sums up the philosophy I adopted when raising my own children. As they are now grown and in the midst of their own lives I am in awe and wonder at the people they have become.   They are truly living arrows and it is with humble gratitude that I give thanks for the honor of  having been part of the bow that propelled them!

On Birthing Babies, Social Media & Qigong…

Wow!  So much has happened in so little time and for a while there I had so little sleep!  LOL!

Jaidyn Savannah, 6lbs.12 oz., 19.5″ long, was born   on 02-09-2009… how’s that for a birth date?!  A very auspicious day I’m told by many!   I sense that she is a special girl… I mean of course she is special;  she is after all my granddaughter… but with the birth date, and the fact that she received her first Reiki Attunement in utero, and the first Angel card reading we did for her that first night before she was even 24 hours old showed great promise… Jaidyn Savannah holds so much potential.  A powerful being,  she is!  It is up to us to support her and nurture her into that power!

Once she decided to be born she was a girl in a hurry!  We arrived at the hospital at the hospital just 30 minutes or so before she was born!   Cutting it a little close for Nana’s taste, thank you!   I was privileged to  be there for the entire birth and sent energy to both my daughter and the baby through out!  This was a great birthing experience for my daughter, unlike her first.  No sleeping pill this time (don’t get me started on that story!)  So my daughter was awake and alert and participating and bonding with the baby the entire time!  …And I could just do cartwheels to be part of this whole experience.

I managed to break away from the baby for a short time later in the day to go to my Qigong class and just really enjoy the energy…  I was already on a natural high, so it was an opportunity to share that with the class and just recenter and re ground myself as well.  One of the students commented that me taking time to go to class says something about how important it must be to me.  I didn’t really say too much, and he said maybe I just wanted a break from the hospital scene… and I just wanted to clarify here that No it’s not that I wanted a break.     Practicing Qigong really is that important to me!  I really wanted to be there and share my special day with my classmates and instructor, and also benefit from their energy as well.  I don’t know why I sometimes have such a difficult time acknowledging that which is important to me.  Fear of being judged?  We all get that at one time or another I think, don’t you?  I just feel that people will think I have no life! LOL! (Like when someone comments on the time I’ve put into this blog!)   But the truth is this is who I am… this is my life and the Qigong, and writing  and all the other stuff that I’m involved in are really very important to me!  Sometimes it’s just hard for me to be seen… I feel very vulnerable on those occasions, and  I am making an effort to hold that space, especially at Qigong… where I have a safe space and it’s really okay to be vulnerable.   — You may find it odd that I can write this on the World Wide Web though, after all I am being “seen” here for who I am…   It  just  doesn’t feel as personal I guess!

With in 24 hours of this amazing experience, and with 3 hours of sleep, (plus about 2.5 hours of Qigong and meditation)  I found myself pulled into preparing for a new (to me) business networking group.  There was a meeting in Troy, a training on utilizing Twitter, Facebook, Social Media, and Web 2.0 to promote your business and I knew I had to be there.  It was put on by Motor City Connects. It was great info and I’m glad I went!  I sense that some of the connections I made there were good ones… and like I said the info was great… walked out with  eight pages of notes and the conviction that I will be able to utilize these internet vehicles to increase my business and that of my clients and associates!

I just had a really weird flashback at one point!  I felt like I was me back in 1999, when I sold cable tv advertising.   That was 10 years ago and a lot of wisdom and experiences to be missing in one’s psyche!  It only lasted  for a minute, but it was really strong and really  strange!  I’m guessing lack of sleep plus stress of a new situation that was very similar to what I was immersed in back in those days was responsible for the phenomenon.  It was weird, like I was thinking someone else’s thoughts for a minute there!  The good part was I had the ability to be an observer of my own thoughts and to notice what was happening for me in the moment… and that I popped back into my own current reality!  Very strange… sleep is not overrated after all apparently! 

Of course the day was not complete without another visit to the baby and my daughter and an evening meditation of gratitude for my very rich and precious life!

Step Powerfully into Who You Are

Step powerfully into who you really are.

Who are you being? Are you standing in your power or hiding in the shadows? As humans this is our constant challenge.

There is a seed of greatness in each of us. It is up to us to live into that potential, but as humans we have blindspots and we have fears.

It isn’t always easy to step foward and trust the Universe and ourselves and claim our greatness. It can be downright scary. It can also be the most rewarding experience of your life.
What is your purpose… your seed of greatness? Do you have a support system? Good friends are helpful, but a coach is better… a professional life coach, or teacher or mentor acting as a coach can assist you in living into your full potential.

A life coach is someone who can hold a vision for you, mirroring back to you that which you can not see. They support you in your efforts, and hold you accountable. A life coach does all of this objectively and compassionately, assisting you on your path, creating a safe space for you to grow into.

You are here for a reason! Allow your light to shine for all to see! You are holding a unique puzzle piece that the world needs, step out of the shadows and bring it forth. Don’t play small out of fear or lack of confidence.

The Beatles had it right… We get by with a little help from our friends… all you need is love… Love (or compassion) is all you need! Consider a professional life coach the perfect source for this kind of support.

Blogged from 30,000 feet enroute to the sunny south.
Sent from my BlackBerry(R) smartphone with SprintSpeed

Serenity

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. –Reinhold Niebuhr Accepting that “what is” just “is“… and that it is neither good nor bad but just “is” is often the hardest thing to do. There are things beyond our control, so it does us no good to fret and worry over those things. Right action involves knowing what can be changed and doing it, while leaving what can not be changed alone.

The Power of NOW!

It seems like most of the free world is currently involved in the Eckhart Tolle books, thanks mostly to Oprah. I was interested in reading the books myself, but due to a pile of half read books on my night stand I was going to put off reading The Power of Now and A New Earth until later… when I finished my current stack.

However it didn’t happen that way. Some how it seemed that every conversation focused on these books again and again… to the point I felt like they were stalking me! Finally I succumbed. I had a coupon at Borders and bought both books and am currently reading both of them now.

They are life changing! Read them or at least listen to the downloads available at Oprah’s site now. I will have more to say about this in the near future. But for now I will say — this is not hype! These books are amazing! They are worth your time to read! Read them as soon as possible!