Going Deeper

In this world of instant information, extensive possibilities and experts on nearly every given topic we have a treasure trove before us of sampling that we can partake in. Sometimes that is all we want or need. But then sometimes we seek more substance. We want a fully satisfying portion of experience, wisdom or inspiration to play and explore in.

Knowing when to go deeper to gain the fullness of what is offered to us is an important life lesson. Yes, sometimes less is more. But not always. Sometimes these offer quick fixes that do not manifest. Sometimes these offer relief that does not last. Sometimes these offer experiences that fall short. Depth is needed.

It is easy to hop and jump from one lily pad to another in this pool of possibilities. We skim the surface. We are gathering tidbits of information that really don't carry us very far. Our soul is left seeking more. Our energy becomes depleted. We realize this is not going to be the necessary path to follow for our personal growth. We are only visiting, not setting down roots in order to thrive and flourish.

For us to manifest change in our life and to expand we need to understand more fully the work we are undertaking. We need to deeply tap into our soul's energies. We need to reach further than the surface. This takes time. The quick fix is not an option. This means change. Doing things the same way over and over again only leads us to the same results. It also means allowing time for taking chances, which could mean different approaches, different successes and failures and time for pause. Contemplating what we are learning is equally important as the actions we are taking.

Jumping from one technique to the next, one lily pad to the next or even one pool of knowledge to the next does not give our body, mind and soul the needed time to integrate the fullness. We are only allowed a sample. We walk away feeling unprepared, unsure, anxious or confused. Every part of our being will benefit if we slow down and go deeper to what calls to us, what is inspiring us, and what is challenging us. That is where we will find our personal growth and evolution.

It is often not enough to splash around in the shallow end, although it can be fun. But when it comes to moving on our personal path, finding our authentic truth, exploring who we are and where we are going we need to take a deeper plunge. We need to find the motivation to stick with it. We need to commit to a longer time frame and value the complexity it may bring us. As with most things in life, quick fixes have short durations, small experiences don't satisfy and insufficiency of anything leads us to feeling weak, dissatisfied and incomplete. Going deeper provides us with the opportunity to be fully present, immersed and full.

Blessings, Lisa

Finding Presence in Solitude

A day to myself! A rare thing in my life, but so valued. My husband and youngest son went to ski with our oldest son three hours from home. A full day to myself! What a treasure! What a treat! What to do?

I spent the morning preparing for a visit from a mentee later this week. She will be flying in from Hawaii and staying for a several days. We have so many delightful plans. I organized, gathered, grouped and prepared. I took great delight in making the space she will call home while here filled with beauty and comfort. I cleaned and primped the space. Washing the warmest of flannel sheets for her, knowing the New England temperature will feel fierce to her heat loving body. I set out candles and crystals to call in positive energies and peaceful moments. I gathered books to share, items to discuss, and mapped out activities we are so looking forward to doing together. The morning was quickly over as I delighted in my arrangements made for her visit. There was wondrous anticipation present in the joyful planning.

After a quiet lunch and a pot of Dragon's Well tea I read. Three whole uninterrupted chapters! I got lost in the pages, took notes, paused and re-read paragraphs and enjoyed the author's voice and vision. I then turned to my journal to capture my thoughts on what I had read and what inspirations were created. Curled up under an afghan with a cat sleeping on my feet, we both purred the early afternoon away. I felt connected to my soulful presence and my thoughts.

Later in the day I caught up on email and friend's messages. I looked up a few recipes for my mentee's visit. I then took stock of ingredients I had on hand and those I would need. I shared an hour long call with one of my daughters, exchanging thoughts about this and that and lots of laughter in between, missing her presence but feeling her essence through the phone lines.

As the quiet of the late afternoon descended I went into sacred space. It was there that I brought my presence and attention to next. I reflected deeply upon the past year and all its unfoldings. I looked inward to the ways in which I have expanded. I remembered the release of so many different aspects, beliefs and ways that were not serving me and realized that they were no longer missed. I appreciated those who are in my life, sharing of themselves, adding to my days, celebrating with me, challenging me, inspiring me and witnessing me and my work. I offered gratitude to the many ways in which Source allows me to connect, shows me light in the darkness, offers moments of encouragement and calls me further and deeper still. I wondered at the many possibilities that I have been exploring and felt a deep peace settle within me as I realized, whatever direction I choose, I will receive what I need from it, I will learn and grow in it and I will find beauty there as well.

After a simple dinner and a quick phone call from the men telling me they were heading home after a full day of skiing and male bonding, I found more presence. I sat looking out into the night sky. The full moon of yesterday, just a sliver shy. The gray sky of the day now filled with stars. The snow seeming to glow from the moonlight, with shadows of bare branched trees stretching over it. My heart and soul overflowing with the day's gifts and gentleness.

A day of solitude, full, varied and all mine. I brought my presence to each part of the day, finding in the layers much for me to honor. The abundance found, the gifts, the wonder, the reflections and the pause all swaddled me in a comfort much needed. It is a gentle reminder to me that days like today are a special necessity. Bringing presence in all its beautiful forms to my life allows me to step into the wholeness of my life and to feel my evolving truth in all its places.

Blessings, Lisa

The Magic of Imagination

The biggest tool I bring to my life's journey is my imagination. My soul celebrates with it, dances and prances with it. My imagination is the creator of many of my magical questions. It is what allows me to soar through possibilities and wonder at my options. It awakens a special creative focus within me that when I spread that through my solutions and the mystery unfolds!

When I play with my imagination I entertain new qualities I can bring to my day. Through my imagination's view I see with a new perspective. When I bring my imagination to my life's journey I can become an adventurer as I explore and uncover patterns, concepts, processes and energies of my life. I delight in my passions and uncover possibilities that often seem hidden from my realistic view of life.

When I do not take my imagination out to my day's work I find that I feel one-dimensional. I don't go nearly as deep as I can. I feel flat. Life sometimes needs this jolt of energy to keep me from getting stuck and taking things too literal.

My soul thrives in imagination. It recognizes it as potential energy to expand in, to play with, to challenge things over and to step boldly into. Living with imagination keeps me vibrantly multidimensional and awake. When I choose imagination as a means of taking on a situation or a task in my day I bring in energies that create, they help manifest, they see beauty and love, they find the miracles, and the change and shift things. My conditions are altered, I re-write my past scenarios and find potential, and my divine essence blossoms.

Imagination; one of the greatest gifts I have been given. It is vital to the fullness of my life. It is the breath that sets me sailing into the unknown with hope and wonder. It is the fire that fuels my inner light and my passions. It is the delight that forms when I recognize the wonder shimmering throughout my day.

Blessings, Lisa

Bringing Presence to Your Support

There are times in my shamanic work that I am sitting with someone who is in tremendous suffering. I, no matter how much my tender heart may want to, cannot remove their suffering. Nor should I, for there are times that it is through our suffering that we find our healing. And yet the client sits before me, seeking my services; wanting to find relief and release from their pain and loss.

And so the work becomes one of being present. I bring my presence to the relationship we are sharing together. By doing this there is an expansion of the energies between us. There is a widening of the understanding, often first on a soul level, but then with time the heart and mind follow.

Pain is a great inducer of change. We all have pain in our lives. This is not about whether it is fair or not, pain cannot be measured by that scale. This is not about how terrible or unfortunate the pain is; for each of us suffering feels bad. But this is about the fact that when we are in pain it is a natural force within our soul to move away from it into an energy of change, to find a flow that supports growth, evolution and insight.

Supporting someone in understanding that their pain can become a vehicle of transformation is sometimes the very shift they need to step out of the hurt and into the healing. We cannot rid someone of their suffering or pain, but instead we can help them find that there is some truth in the pain, sometimes there is beauty there as well. In our suffering, if we can remain present, we can often find meaning. In this meaning is the next step that takes one out of their unbearable pain. It is an encouraging force that beckons them to look beyond the pain into tomorrow or at the least, into the next moment.

I have worked with those who have faced unbelievable suffering, loss and pain. In the moment, they felt there was no way out of it. But with time, remaining present for them, when they could not, space was created so that the energies could expand and shift. With time, tenderness, compassion and presence the soul found its way out of the wound and into the healing. The story did not remain stuck in the loss and hurt. The unfolding of the vibrations of the continuum of life brought the client to a place of healing and wholeness, away from the space of pain and brokenness.

The best medicine a shaman can offer to a client is that of being fully present to all that the moment holds. It is within that precise exchange of energies that the client feels witnessed, supported and held. From there the healing can begin.

Blessings, Lisa