Re-purpose

Things with purpose seem to embody more worth, more value. The wilted lemon appears to have little value except for maybe adding nutrients to the compost pile. However, its user cuts the lemon open and squeezes out the still fragrant juice to clean his counter and sink, leaving behind a sweet essence of clean. What a valuable lemon! When we feel as though our value has been deflated, it may simply be that the universe is preparing us for a shift in purpose. Feeling lost does not always mean that you've left your path and somehow missed the signposts along the way. It may perhaps mean that is it time to create a new direction that leads you to an even more spectauclar vista. The tree that no longer produces fruit shifts its purpose to provide habitat and food for a new community. Look around your home, how will you re-purpose an old item? Look around your heart, how will you re-purpose an old mindset that no longer serves you?

Pressure release

When we feel pressure from the external world, it feels real and it is real, but only because we perceive it to be so. We feel energy telling us that the world wants something from us, as though it demands us to create change against our will. Cleaning the floors late past your bedtime just because you believe the universe expects it of you can cause unnecessary discomfort. Feeling like you need to have children to please your family's need for small people to spoil, is often an opinion created in your own mind without proof. Why we put ourselves through this test is unknown, but in nature, a flower doesn't become stressed because of a perceived thought. It reacts to a squeeze from the elements, a change in physical properties, not a whisper on the breeze. When this pressure builds up, before you recoil into a ball and coat your mind in guilt, ask an external reference if this belief is based in truth. Most of the time, your assumption will be met with confusion followed by a release and then, comfort.

To heal a heart

Darkness holds the heart And pumps black stones Into the engorged veins. Always there. Always calling for evil deeds. Time mends the open wounds And calms the shaking soul But bitter taste reminds the tongue Of lost dreams forever Hidden in the bitumen Far below the soil. A flush of new liquid enters. New hope. Rebirth. Rain, ocean, sky, Making love in an infinite dance Beyond the body Steam crawls through the pores Cleansing mind, body, spirit. The heart emerges from the ashes Light penetrates the arctic blue eyes. Love. Exists again.

Space to breathe

If you are like me you like to help others find happiness and avoid pain. But this rescuer action is not always as effective as we want it to be. We want a quick fix, a bandaid to stop the bleeding. But why not give the gift of space? Maybe this means a safe ear to listen to their fears, or it means sitting in silence and just holding hands for awhile, and maybe, just maybe they want time to fix their own hurt away from the influence of others. Offering healthy food, someone to clean their house for them, and a chance at a neighbourhood walk with a support can be the light needed for them to open their eyes towards hope. Suffocating may seem helpful but can snuff out the fires of emotion that need to burn off so the body and mind are a less toxic place to be. Giving loved ones a chance to inhale and exhale while knowing they are loved deeply and unconditionally is a chance for them to step in a direction toward the healing light and away from the stagnant darkness. Just breathe and encourage them to breathe as well.

Walk into wonder

Autumn is the perfect time for a walk with the sweet odour of decomposing leaves, the crisp call of birds through exposed branches and the low sun filtering through to light your grateful face. Let your fingers brush past shrubs and tree branches, playing with the soft leaves that still remain before their final drop to the leaf litter below. Say a sweet hello with an inviting smile upon your face as other walkers cross your path. You can even do a walking meditation if this is in your practice. Choose a destination at least a few kilometres away where you can really get into a walking rhythm. Any changes in elevation are an added bonus because your breath becomes audible and you begin to notice the now's as you inhale and exhale into the fresh fall air. Feel your feet plant firmly on Earth and know that you will make it through this winter…one step at a time.

Release and recover

Our emotional body was not designed to hold in grief, worry and negative self-talk. We need to release these dark and often harmful thoughts. We expel toxins from our physical bodies every day. We exhale carbon dioxide, we sweat and we visit the bathroom several times a day. But how often do we flush our emotional body? Maybe when you come home and see your dog waiting for you? Maybe when you hug a loved one? But what about a big release, when could you take time to honour this need? In my weekly yoga session, our teacher would say "whatever you did this week, you did ENOUGH". I would weep each time in response to this pressure release in my heart. We can discharge grief when we reach a state of ecstasy and security with our self or with a loved one. Dance is a fantastic release or any fitness really. Singing and musical vibration can expand the soul. Writing as many of you can attest to, is a powerful exhale of the mind. Crying is….amazing. Soldiers cry, cops cry, and so can you! My favourite release is in meditation. I take all the heavy weight from my shoulders and place it into a beautiful urn for safe keeping while I walk away with freedom and and expansive spirit. True story. How do you release from pain?

Sun shine

The yellow sun gave Superman his other-worldly powers and fuelled him up to save the world another day. The sun is also a fuel centre for Earth. Water evaporates and separates into a fine mist that re-enters the atmosphere to provide moisture to the thirsty planet. Plants grow in the sun's rays and create oxygen for the wild ones to inhale safely. Food only grows with the power of our glorious star, creating diversity of species throughout every eco region. Temperatures warm enough to help creatures search for food and find shelter and keep their bodies from reaching hypothermic conditions. But what about us, do we need sun? Are we connected to this light just like the rest of the planet? Heck yes. As emotional beings, the sun also helps us to break through depressive symptoms and relaxes us following stressful events. Make a plan to honour the sun this week. Pick a day when you will watch the sun rise or the sun set. While your witness the miraculous colours and change in temperature, give thanks to this universal energy centre. Have you given gratitude lately for the light in your life?