Just when you think

Just when you think it's something, it changes to something else. And when we look at it, we realize that we have been asking, preparing for that change all along.
Will attachments and fear keep us from moving forward and embracing the fruits if our practice?

Shakti

Shakti. Power. Life force. Prana. That which animates. Creative force. Shakti.

What does that mean to you? How do you know when you have it?

Do more of that and less of the other stuff. That way you will gently and lovingly build your capacity to hold/contain more. More of what you love.

Vibrancy

Release tension, even a little bit, and notice the vibrancy that lies beneath. Tension masks this vibrancy. Why we needed to mask it, who knows? Perhaps because in some moment in time we didn't feel safe in listening to our internal voice of truth- the one that said "something isn't right here. Something is not serving your highest purpose." And for whatever reason we chose to "buck up," "Do it anyway," "be a man," "be a good girl." But whatever the reason, that's in the past. Release tension and start to remember the vibrant light that is you.

Just sayin'...

Rain

The end of panditji's final satsang before the group departs tomorrow. (Feb 4). Really loud thunder. Horizontal lightening. Huge rain drops. Before the rain started, I made a bee line to the hut (made of straw) to bring the shoes inside. Then find enough plastic bags to cover things that don't agree with water including our beds. Quite dramatic. Very auspicious ending.

It will be sad to see friends leave, but it will be awesome to move into the next phase- personal practice. Lots and lots of personal practice with no distractions. And silence. At least from my mouth.

I've been lucky with Internet. Not today though. Maybe the universe is telling me something. And maybe It's time to listen. And yes, this blog is part of my practice. That's how it started, and that's how it will continue.

But I have very little control as to posting these writings. One minute there is connection, and then, poof! Gone. Nada. Zip.

And part of this trip for me was to strengthen my connection with the divine.

And that is a constant.

Receiving

Learning to receive love. How do we do it? If we want to experience the full love of the Divine, then I think it would be helpful to practice building capacity by learning how to receive love from other mortals to prepare ourselves.

If we didn't learn love by being loved, if the love we learned was steeped in dysfunction or conditions, then how do we learn how to even recognize love when it's happening?

By practicing. By opening ourselves to the possibility. By loving ourselves. When we start loving ourselves, it's like we are teaching ourselves the language of unconditional love. We start to figure out what love really is by giving ourselves what we think it is. By trial and "error" we observe, experiment, and learn. Then when a gesture of pure unconditional love comes our way, we feel it melt another layer of separation. And in this melting, we are fuller, and it's easier to give that same love to others, because we know how it feels. We understand more of what it is.

In this way we prepare ourselves to feel the arms of the Divine holding us, guiding us, unconditionally loving us. And to feel that oneness, that union, that is yoga.

Love thy self, love thy neighbor

Yes, in that order.
Because you can't give what you don't have. And who better to practice on than your self?

Groundhog Day

When we wake up, do we see our shadow? Are we scared of it? Does it make us want to crawl back into our hole for 6 more weeks?

Or do we embrace the sun as well as the shadow? For without the sun, there would be no shadow.

Or we can stay in the fog.