A few weeks ago during the May Full Moon, our group gathered for monthly meditation with the theme of the flower moon on our mind. The idea being that it is spring, a time of new birth, a time to till the soil, nurture what we plant, and watch it grow. As part of making this ritual more tangible, one member brought several herb plants for each person to take home and care for.
As we considered our plants that night some great questions arose:
What seeds are you currently planting in your life?
How are you nurturing those seeds and yourself as you wait for them to flourish?
Can you be patient as they take root and grow?
Can you still love and accept yourself even if despite all your best efforts they do not grow?
All great questions that can be applied to both the individual little herb plants we took with us that night as well as to the bigger picture within each of our lives. We are always planting seeds and growing. Sometimes it looks like a new career, striking out in your own business, a new business deal, a new relationship, moving to a new home, and so forth. The possibilities are endless as we are constantly in the cycle of getting ideas, planting them, nurturing, harvesting, and letting go as we transition yet again. Yet how often do we consciously notice how we are being – in relationship to ourselves, to the seed we are planting, to each other, and to the world at large? And, how do those relationships shift depending on whether things are going our way/according to plan or not?
A dear friend of mine passed along this video to me the other day. I have to say after watching it that it absolutely blew me away. I have been a friend of the Ted.com videos for a while. They are amazing speeches by the world’s greatest thinkers and doers.
This particular video is called “My Stroke of Insight”. It is about neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor’s experience few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story of recovery and awareness — of how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another. I take these words right from her bio on the Ted site because they are so powerful. The video is even more iinspiring.
I have been fascinated by the study of consciousness and how the brain works for years. While I am no scientist, the possibilities for connection and being fully present and creative in one’s life do fall within my passion and profession as a coach. Taylor’s experience drives home an important message at the end for us all.
Sit back and treat yourself for 19 minutes. You’ll be glad you did.
By Paula ( April 25, 2008 ) · Filed under Living Fully
I recently had the pleasure of attending some Habitat for Humanity Women Build seminars. Yes indeed I was drunk with power learning how to safely use a circular saw as you can see here…
Tomorrow I am doing my first full day of building on site. Kim (my partner) is doing it too. I’ll let you know how that goes.
What struck me about the learning sessions were:
What an awesome group of women
What could be more empowering than learning how a house is built and knowing that you have the knowledge to apply to your own living situation?
You get to have a lot of fun
Ultimately you give back to a great cause
Where might you be able to stretch the limits of your comfort zone and try something new? What would get you really jazzed about giving back to others in need? To me tomorrow will be a great stress buster and empowering experience. I can’t wait.
So I am looking forward to tomorrow…wish me luck… I’ll let you know what I learn about myself and working in a team in the process.
Right before Christmas, our full moon meditation group had their monthly gathering. It was a fine way to really get still and quiet during a time that is typically filled with more rushing and doing than just about any other. We had a small group…some last minute illnesses got the best of several of our dear friends. Yet as always it was a very nourishing and enriching experience.
One of the advantages of having different people host the gatherings is that we get to meet new people who show up because they are friends of the host. This time a neighbor who had not gathered with us attended. It was her first time sitting for a meditation as well. As we went around the circle to start the evening she shyly shared that she is just starting to experience for the first time that her life is more than one dimensional. In the past everything would be black or white, yes or no, but now other possibilities seem to be showing themselves.
I thought this was a powerful comment because I think we all experience life as one dimensional until we… well don’t. Much like the saying that everyone is heterosexual until, well, they discover that they are not. It is the assumed path until something within us realizes that there is a different option meant for us - whatever that might be. Read the rest of this entry »
around the circle to start the evening she shyly shared that she is just starting to experience for the first time that her life is more than one dimensional. In the past everything would be black or white, yes or no, but now other possibilities seem to be showing themselves.
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