Here is a recap of my thoughts/emotions after Hurricane Helene decimated my area of Western, North Carolina, as it may strike a chord with how you are feeling and provide some support. Also I have provided some good local donation options if you are interested.

Fighting never leads to peace. Neutrality seems contrary to some of the things we have heard all of our lives, like we have to "fight evil" or "wage a war" on drugs. We take a position that we think is right. In fact, who would take a stand not thinking it was right? This begs the question of how we can all be right when opinions are in direct opposition with others? 

As I look around the world at large, it is a fair question. However, no matter what the collective conscious (or more aptly the collective unconscious) is creating, you can tune your antenna to a different station and dramatically affect the world by elevating your consciousness. 

On the way to the reunion, I was drawn to visit places my ancestors lived. These experiences included looking up old addresses and finding run down homes in place of the well-kept photographic images from 50 or more years ago.

I am sure you have heard the saying, “history repeats itself, or at least it rhymes”.   There may be a good reason for this.  As I have postulated before, we are co-creating our reality through our consciousness, like through a projector, but most of this projection comes from our subconscious.  These programs, much like software code, were laid down primarily during the first 7 years of life, through absorbing the energy signature of our family.

Recently I was reminded of the book, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.  This heartwarming children’s book actually is a pretty dynamic portrayal of codependency.  Psychology Today describes codependency as follows:

Are you consistently saying yes to things you want to say no to?  Or, are you not even sure how you feel and auto pilot takes over? Well…your body knows.  A “no” feels like constriction and may be accompanied by shallow breathing. You will probably feel a vague sense of unease when you are in the situation or just thinking about it. 

More and more, I am seeing life like a metaphor.  We play out on this stage, in the material world, experiences our soul needs in order to return “home” and find wholeness.  Just like our bodies are always communicating with us, so are our daily life experiences and interpersonal relationships.

As we start a new year, in addition to setting intentions/resolutions for yourself, you may want to contemplate your relationship first to self, and then to others and to Mother Earth/nature. Don’t judge yourself harshly, but honestly assess where you are with patience and gentleness. Awareness is the first step to any improvement in your life. Take some time to pause and reflect on these questions.

Opening your lens is like pulling back from the issue and taking a larger perspective of what is going on. For example, if we are just zoomed into the view of one leaf we may get to know that one leaf intricately, but we don’t see how it is a part of a branch, tree and forest, all interconnected. When we look from a wider lens, opening to views different than ours or from other cultures, we have a chance to see the dynamics of the whole forest and beyond. Opening up our lens raises our consciousness

My desk lamp (from Pottery Barn) is an inspiration…really, read on.    What unconsciously attracted me is the strong iron core from base to top that connects to the light.   It is made of transparent crystal signifying honesty and integrity with nothing to hide. What you see on the outside is what is on the inside, no distortions.   My light is deeply grounded in the earth, but connects strongly upward.

The Shawshank Redemption has many metaphors for our reality. Andy Dufresne, (Tim Robbins) went to great lenghts to feel truly alive and free. He spent a month in “the hole” for playing “Duettino Sull’aria” a piece of opera music, over the loudspeakers for the entire prison to hear.

Andy Dufresne: “That’s the beauty of music. They can’t get that from you…haven’t you ever felt that way about music?’…..there are places in this world that aren’t made out of stone. That there’s something inside…that they can’t get to, that they can’t touch. That’s yours.’

As per usual, what is showing up in my life as a theme is often the subject of my monthly blog. Most of you are familiar with the famous Buddha quote: 

“The root of suffering is attachment”. -Buddha

We are not just attached to people and objects, we are attached to all of these things as this visual shows

Most of you are probably familiar with Metatron’s Cube and the “Flower of Life”. These symbols are all over yoga studios, new age crystal shops and materials that say that they support ascension… but do they really? Have we really stopped to understand what these symbols represent?

The short answer to this question could be: not using the right type of love for the situation or thinking that being a martyr is a type of love.   If you are reading this blog, you have most likely been there…flat out exhausted caring for others before tending to your own needs. This may be caring for children, elderly parents, clients or friends before taking care of yourself.

Are we currently living in a blended reality, one organic/natural, and the other synthetic/artificial? I assert that we are. When I think of natural vs. artificial, the idea of organic sugar compared artificial sweetener comes to mind. One comes from the earth and the natural order of things, and one is created in a lab, like the robot above. I have recently come to realize that there is a part of us that is organic, connected to prime creator and nature’s intelligence system. 

Sometimes we have to say no, even if it isn’t popular, because that NO is coming from the core of our being, not something that is programmed into us out of fear, shame or guilt. That unwavering inner knowing of what is and is not morally right, from a place of unconditional love, is actually an attribute of the Divine Feminine in women and men. This aspect of me was calling so strongly that I had to get up this morning (at 4:44 a.m.) and write this. We must all stand in our truth and speak before it is too late. So, here is my truth:

The guy with the mike was discussing our Bill of Rights and the Nuremberg Code and how three letter agencies and government officials we ignoring our rights. Something was resonating with the town of Whitefish as many honks and cheers of approval resounded. I immediately wondered why more of this isn’t going on in other places around the world….or maybe it is and we just don’t see it on the news.