Being Change

The next four Being Change circles will be a series exploring Margaret Wheatley’s “Eight Fearless Questions.” To begin to truly honor the intention of gathering art and stories for the Being Change work, I’ve asked that participants take some time to reflect on these questions and create a response that they can share in the form of a journal entry, a story, a collage, a poem, or whatever they like.

I’ve been working on my own project to share in the form of a collage – a medium I’ve always wanted to seriously play with. Half the fun is cutting out all the pictures. I find it a practice in meditation. But the real joy in it, for me, is to see what emerges. It’s much like my poetry; the end result is often more than the sum of whatever “parts” I contribute. It can be mysterious and magical.

This is a very important dimension of the Being Change work – getting out of our heads and making room for the Source, the Great Mystery, the God Consciousness, or whatever you want to call it, to flow through us – to speak, to create, to evolve through us. When I look at my finished collage I wonder, wow, where did that come from? What is it saying to me? What does it touch in the depth of my being, my knowing? How does it open me up to new perspectives, possibilities?

This is what I want to bring forth, and empower in others to do the same, whenever I can. I have a great quote, source unknown, that streams across my computer screen: “We can’t think our way out of this. Navigating in a global crisis is a spiritual adventure.” I’m always exploring ways to get out of my own head and step into the adventure AND in our thinking-dominant culture it’s not always easy. I’d love to hear your stories of when you’ve experienced the connection with the Flow – or as Agnes Pilgrim, one of the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers said (and I paraphrase) – when you’ve made that 18 inch pilgrimage from your head to your heart.

I’ve begun to keep what I’m calling my “pilgrimage catalog.” In it I have a page for everyone I want to visit, with their contact information and information about who they are and what they do. It keeps me inspired and motivated and excited. It makes it more real. For example, here is one possibility:

Joyce Kendall is Founder of Earth Heart Farm, a sanctuary for spiritual teachings where people can come together in community to learn, share and support each other in our spiritual walk. She is a Certified Yoga Instructor, Registered Polarity Practitioner, and Practicing Herbalist. She was inducted as an Andean Yachak Shaman after years of study with Ecuadorian Yachaks. During her studies, Joyce formed a deep bond with the indigenous people of Ecuador, learning their many traditions. She has observed how visiting with and learning directly from indigenous cultures has changed many peoples’ abilities to see themselves as part of a new vision. To this end she formed Earth Heart Expeditions, offering shamanic journeys to visit with the elders in South America. These trips are designed to encourage deep healing, personal transformation and an awakening of spirit consciousness.

How wonderful it would be to sit with this woman, and perhaps her friends, sharing stories, experiences, wisdom, and visions. And did I mention that I already have thirty pages of these extraordinary, ordinary people – as I like to call them?

If you know anyone you think I should meet, or if you have stories of when you decided to reach for a dream with all the trials and triumphs, please share them.

P.S. Well, I didn’t answer the “how” but I got a good start in naming what I’m up against!

Last night we had a lovely circle where we did music, ritual, and sharing around letting go of the old and embracing the new. Guest facilitated by musician and interfaith minister Jody Kessler, we shared appreciations, released limitations, and gave voice to ways we can move forward in the coming year towards our greatest potential and service.

“I’m going to make dreams come true,” I heard my Self say as I chose a stone from the altar to keep as a reminder of my intention. As I write, I have it in my pocket, and I take it out from time to time to look at its beauty and feel its smoothness. I think about “the thing I need to do” that I talked about in the previous post, and I hold those thoughts like I hold that precious stone. Like that stone, they have weight and substance, texture and beauty.

And what do I feel I need to release in order to move forward?

…fear, limiting beliefs, addictive behaviors, self-doubt, ingrained habits, and more…

If only they could disappear as effortlessly in real life as they did having been written on dissolve-able paper and tossed in a bowl of water.

But if it is true, as Bill Plotkin and others have observed, that we live in a culture dominated by adolescent habits and desires, then the enduring societal changes we so desperately need won’t happen until we individually and collectively evolve into an engaged, authentic adulthood. Follow the link to see his excellent book on what such an evolution would require.

I certainly can begin by leaving some of my sillier human foibles behind! It’s ALL a part of this amazing journey, one day at a time. Still, there’s the “how” to do the thing I need to do. Stay tuned.

I have something I need to do. It’s not clear to me what, why, when, with who, or how, but it’s something I need to do. I figure I can flesh it out here, start putting it into words, and see what emerges. So far it goes something like this:

I need to get out on the road. There are people I want to meet and places I want to see. There are challenges I need to face and experiences I sense are waiting for me. I need to do circles and gather art and stories. I want to visit wild places and commune with people who are awake and awakening. This much I know.

Well, so maybe I’m clear on the “what.”

I need to do this because my heart and soul demand it and my fears and self-imposed limitations will no longer fly. It’s both a quest and a pilgrimage. In many ways it’s a rite of passage. It’s a way of seeking to do service in and for the world – for my beloved Pachamama. It’s a journey into the discovery of the possibilities and processes of The Great Turning.”

Good start on the “why.”

I hope to do a test run in April (when.) I already have quite a list of destinations in and around the state of New York (who.)

Well, well, well, look what’s emerging! Stay tuned for the “HOW!

Debbie Ford

“The Best Year of Your Life” is a remarkable book by Debbie Ford and one of the best I’ve read on how to bring forth your fullest Self with intention, courage, integrity, creativity, and commitment.  I’m going to be working the process of this book over the year (and beyond) and I imagine many posts will reflect that. I’d like to share a few quotes to give you a taste of what it’s about.

“The best year of your life depends not on some outside accomplishment but on allowing the greatest expression of yourself to be unveiled. (It’s) about becoming the person you always wanted to be. It’s about embracing a vision of yourself at your best and developing the qualities that will take you there.

“We each must make a commitment to chip away at our self-imposed limitations and take the time to discover the ways we have hidden our talents and covered up our deepest desires.

“It’s time to break through the illusion that the best year of your life exists somewhere out there, in the future….
It’s not about getting all the things you think you need to be happy…what it does require is for you to develop those parts of yourself that are yearning to be expressed…it’s about living each day grounded in reality, with passion and excitement for life.

She goes on to give a thorough blueprint for bringing all this about, not pulling any punches about the courage, honesty, focus, and persistence that will be required. This book is important to me because it too much of my life energy gets diffused through procrastination, lack of discipline, negative self-talk, limited beliefs, and many other things. It’s time to truly step into my power and “be the greatest expression of (myself), knowing there is no finer contribution (I) can make to this world than fulfilling (my) highest potential.”

I’m excited about the possibilities this endeavor might bring about; I feel like a kid in a candy store wondering what I might discover, learn, let go of, be challenged by, shift , create, accomplish! Let the journey begin. Join me. Leave comments!

The other night I had the opportunity to hear a talk by Bill McKibben for maybe the third or fourth time. This man is one of my heroes, a true Shambhala Warrior. He stays awake and engaged with compassion and fearlessness even in the face of all he knows and has seen in the world. He never gives up or gives in. He doesn’t pull any punches in his articulation of the gravity of our global situation, yet he keeps his heart wide open and he wears his love for all of creation on his sleeve. I know he must have his moments when he wants to throw in the towel, but he’s been doing what he does for years with, thankfully, no end in sight. I think this is because he embodies what I believe are three essential qualities:
Wakefulness: the ability to be present to what is happening in the world around you
Groundedness: the ability to hold that wakefulness in such a way that you don’t get lost in it or consumed by it (often through a spiritual practice), and
Action or service: the ability to creatively respond to 1 & 2.

Take some time to explore those qualities within your own life, as I will. Leave comments and share what comes up for you. Also, take a look at Bill’s work and how to get involved at:
350.org
billmckibben.com

One of the practices I use for seeking spiritual guidance or discernment is shamanic journeying. I’ve been trained in this technique by both Dream Change and The Foundation of Shamanic Studies. With the aid of drums and rattles, I open myself up to the possibilities of other realms besides my own limited ego. The result is always a story:

I traveled to the upper world in the rising smoke of a campfire. I kept getting stalled and couldn’t progress. Self-judgments kept coming at me and I would grab them: you’re not worthy, you have nothing to give, it’s too late, no one wants you, and on and on. I would grab them and drop them into the fire far below, and each time I became more weightless until I was effortlessly ascending. I came to a place where I just floated for awhile.

I asked for a helper or teacher to come to me. The first thing that came was a lion that later shifted into a mountain lion. There was also an old woman. More self-judgments came that I taunted the lion with, basically saying I’m not worthy, you’re wasting your time. The lion promptly ate me and traveled out of the floating place to the top of a mountain, where he just as promptly shat me out.
I again asked for a teacher and an eagle soared overhead. I found myself lamenting that I can’t see what I’m supposed to do; I can’t figure it out. The lion then bit off my head and spat it out, and I “watched” it roll down the mountain. So I just sat there for awhile, my headless self, with the mountain lion on one side, the old woman on the other, and the eagle soaring above. I realized I was looking over all the world without my head. My heart sometimes seemed to be beating with the drums: call-ing, call-ing, call-ing.

As the journey was ending, eagle flew down and stood in front of me. We gazed at each other for some time. Then I got the sense that he was going to grab my heart and fly away with it. Instead, as the drums started calling me back, he retrieved my head and I journeyed back home.

Last night I was at a fundraiser at a local eatery when a person I had just met asked me what I do. Oh, Lord, the little dance that goes on in my heart whenever I get that question! Will I get the wide-eyed, smiling, resonating nods or the deer in the headlights, oh-that’s-nice blank stare? My husband says, tell them you’re a poet. That will impress them. I told him that wasn’t exactly a goal of mine but I have to say, I struggle with a gamut of feelings around this issue.

The reality is, what I DO doesn’t fit into neatly definable sound bites like “I’m a doctor” or “I’m a teacher.” And the reality also is, that’s going to be true for anybody trying to forge a new path into our unknown future. It’s both unsettling and exciting. It’s unsettling because, in the old paradigm, the oh-that’s-nice reaction can feel demoralizing and even demeaning. It’s exciting because it’s simply good information and an opportunity to engage more deeply. At the very least, it’s a lesson in letting go of what others think as well as the temptation to put oneself in little boxes.

My husband likes to joke that I’m a prophet – and you know what they do to prophets. They’re ostracized, vilified, and sometimes crucified. Oh boy. While those are strong words, at times I feel some measure of all of them, even from my own self-talk. You know. “That’s crazy.” “That’s impossible.” “Who do you think you are?”

And I think that’s one of the keys – knowing who you are and doing that. Not proselytizing, not apologising. I really believe in the BeingChange work even though it’s messy and meandering. It feels right and that’s good enough for me.

Bottom line: I’m finding living within our current paradigm of injustice, unsustainability, and outright insanity increasingly excruciating. My heart breaks a little more each day as I witness to the suffering and violence we visit on each other and our Mother Earth.

I ask myself every day: How can I unplug? How can I live according to my vision and values, as well as creatively midwife a new paradigm, when there are such strong forces wanting me to keep towing the line? This is a very big question with no easy answers.

So I frame my life journey as a pilgrimage: each day, each step, each choice is dedicated to living these questions. Every day, I become more aware of the radical changes that are required of me and I relish the challenge and the opportunity for boundless creativity regarding these changes. I’m also in good company. There’s amazing stuff going on out there with MILLIONS of people asking these same questions, people who have the courage and compassion to say no to what keeps us small and disempowered while saying yes to what calls to us most deeply.

I’d like to share with you one such person. Her name is Lynne Twist. www.soulofmoney.org
ONE of the ways Lynne is challenging the status quo is through shifting how we think about money from a paradigm of scarcity to one of sufficiency. The implications of such a shift are profound. I highly recommend her book The Soul of Money. It’s a beautiful example of what’s possible and empowering.

I’m so grateful to be on this journey called life, this mysterious spiritual pilgrimage. Every day I ask Pachamama: What can I do for you today? It helps me unplug. It helps me remember who I am. It helps give me courage and compassion for the road ahead.

In my garden

Dear friends of BeingChange,

I have been playing with a couple of options for sending people on my email list periodic newsletters filled with BeingChange news, up-coming events and resources. I have decided to try a free service called Comm100 and will begin crafting the first e-news shortly. You can subscribe through the form provided in this blog or on the web site.

Therefore, I have decided to use this blog as a container for the telling of my personal story of being in this transition time and my visions for the future. I would love to create a conversation with you all, so please leave your comments. Share your stories. Stay tuned. The next post will be along soon!