New Moon & New Beginnings; Signs from the Robin

I was on my way the other day to, what I considered, a fairly important meeting when I was delayed by a Robin.  The Robin was sitting in the middle of the driveway and didn't seem to be in any particular mood to move.  I inched forward in my impatience and still the bird stayed there staring at me, I assumed.  I wondered if the bird had been stunned by something. It sort of looked like it was surprised to find itself where it was, if birds can actually have such a look, and I like to think they can.  After what seemed like a long time, in no big hurry, it moved out of my way and let me pass.  I haven't seen it, or any other robins since.

No doubt about it, in my part of the world, the Robin is considered a sign of Spring.  I got today's picture from http://www.symbolic-meanings.com/2008/03/16/massive-red-robin-sighting-symbolic-interpretation/.  She agrees with that assumption.  In fact, this is a great site in my opinion and I've "ended up there" a couple of times lately, which again may be a sign! 

I wrote about the appearance of robins last year.  They came very early last year and rumor had it they were a bit confused or displaced robins when they arrived in February http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/02/animal-signs-robin.html I welcomed than anyway. We haven't seen a lot of real spring signs yet, so the robin was a happy occurrence for sure this year.

But it wasn't until a couple of days later that I realized it wasn't the robin that was stunned that day- alas it was me.  It took me awhile to see past the idea of the robin being "just" a sign of Spring. Steven Farmer, in Animal Spirit Signs, writes that if a Robin shows up, among other things, it means: "Let go of your attachment to drama and allow as much joy and laughter into your life as you possibly can."  Hmm...

If I had of paid attention to that particular message on the way to my meeting I might have had a more joyful day I think. Sorry Robin for being so stunned... and thank you for the message, even if I am a little late on the draw.

So today, a couple of days since I've seen the Robin, we also enter a New Moon in Aries phase.  New moons are always about new beginnings and the presence of this moon in Aries means energy is really focused on initiating projects and doing what makes us feel alive. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/03/new-moon-in-aries.html   This year I think I'll worry less abut "butting heads" than I did last year.  Under the energy of the New Moon in Aries we may find it easier to listen to our muse first and others second.  That seems to be a nice match for the Robin's message to me.

There is lots of darkness and angst in the world.  It's everywhere we look.  But so too is there a chance for new beginnings. It's everywhere we look.  And at this particular time of the year, we may be that much more able to bring this new energy, new beginnings, light, laughter and joy into our lives.  So why not do it??

It's perhaps easier to bring in darkness. We are drawn to tales of woe.  We listen for various reasons; because we think we should, because we think we have the solutions, because we might be able to make a rescue, because we feel guilty that we aren't experiencing such pain and think we should somehow share the load, because we want to feel lucky for what we do,have or don't have... And the list goes on and on. And once you get pulled into the drama tornado http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/09/detachment-from-drama-tornadoes.html it's really hard to get out again.  The tornado has an energy all it's own and before you know it, everyone is in the darkness and you no longer know where the light switch even is.

Springtime seems a time of fluctuating opportunity. For parts of the day it's dark and gloomy, then all of  a sudden the sun comes out only to disappear a few minutes later.  From insid,e it often looks cold and dreary, only to discover in reality it's quite warm and pleasant out there. It seems like the energy of Spring suggests a chance to go to one side or the other; light or dark. Both opportunities are equally there- ours for the taking.

I choose the lighter side of life.  So in this new moon phase, I'm going to choose the light. I'm going to follow the muse to what feels light and right. I'm going to take that on as a project.  I'll "embrace the light" without apology, guilt, angst, or misgivings.  I understand wanting to stay in the darkness. There is a sense of comfort in pulling the covers over your head, closing your eyes and feeling the weightiness of "all". There is nothing wrong with staying in the dark if you choose to.  But, I'm not staying there to keep anyone company. Let me know when you want me to come back and turn on the light.

That Robin I saw was all by himself.  Perhaps he was the first guy sent out to see if living conditions were sensible out there in the light.  I read that in some parts of the world, Robins don't actually migrate away, they just go deeper into the darkness of the woods during the winter. I guess the darkness doesn't go anywhere but we can choose to step out of it and  into the light. Like the Robin, I'm prepared to go there alone for a bit if I have to.  That's what the muse is all about.  It doesn't follow the crowd, popular thought, or the comfort zone.  It follows the light. 

Happy Spring.  Enjoy the Newness of the Moon!!

A New Paradigm of Trust

Chaos still seems to be reigning supreme, at least from my viewpoint. It seems like individuals are dealing with all kinds of trauma and drama including strange illnesses and health concerns, deaths, personal changes, loss and anxiety, job struggles, fears, and above all; challenges.  It seems, that which you are most worried about or afraid of, is now "in your face". 

Throughout the ages, whenever people, either individuals or groups, have found themselves in crisis they have turned to faith- whatever they perceived that to be. But these days, the very faith systems that "held people up" seem to be crashing, somewhat suspicious, perceived as lacking, or at the very least, changing, as well.  We are seeing shifting in religious institutions, economy structures, and government order at the same time  individuals are most grasping for something to hold on to. Hmm...

Maybe it's our very concept of faith, or trust that is being challenged.  Maybe it's time for a whole new order of thinking, that is, in fact, disorder.

In this new paradigm, I'm suggesting that trust, in the universe, the divine, higher self, God, whatever you pick, is not about praying, asking for, or expecting any outcome.  It is not about trusting that you will be "looked after", because that is attaching to an outcome.  This trust is true detachment from all and any outcomes. No ordered set of events.

In my opinion, we are programmed to consider all possible outcomes during crisis. We try to think about what could happen and plan for all outcomes. We prepare ourselves for the good, the bad, and the ugly. We don't like surprises unless they are good, so we try to buffer ourselves by considering how we might cope with negative outcomes. By being prepared to some degree for all outcomes we feel we can maintain control.  Once we have it all roughly sketched in ,we say we place our faith in something external and "trust that all will be well and we will be taken care of".

What if you really let go of control. Really. Instead of trying to consider all outcomes you allow yourself to react and respond to whatever appears without practicing your lines ahead of time. You place your trust in self. It's a trust that you can act out your life as your true core self, your soul. It's the trust that your core self, your soul not your embodiment will still "be" and can't "not be"- no matter what. You don't need to be "taken care of". When you plan for a particular outcome, or a number of them, which actually means you are worrying, you're trying to re-write the script or move ahead so you can be prepared to go back.  That's a whole lot of work, effort and angst.

This sense of letting go of control happens sometimes.  It often happens when we have "hit rock bottom".  We have spent so much time trying to figure out the outcomes and imagine all possibilities and prepare ourselves for each and every one that we take ourselves to the point of mental, and sometimes physical, exhaustion. That's when we say "I give up".  That's usually also the time when, in fact, things start to fall into place. A shift happens and we come out the other side in a new and changed way. We learn a lesson. We find a new way of being, a new solution, a gift. Hmm...

In my new paradigm of trust we would give up in the very beginning.  We would give up before we have exhausted our strength and resources. We would carry that strength with us into every response we make rather than dribble it out in preparation phases or try to save it for recovery efforts.

When you can finally find that place of "having trust" it is incredibly liberating. It is a place of reacting only to what's in front of you. In crisis management terms, it's about being in perpetual response phase rather than spending effort in prevention, preparedness and recovery.  And if we are truly honest, response phase is by far the easiest phase.  It's also the most fun. It's the high energy, adrenalin fueled, making a difference, reacting to what's obvious, phase. We are energized by that.  We see the difference we are making for ourselves and others. We say it isn't easy, but in fact it is. Everything else stops and you can focus on what's in front of you.  You don't think about what you did in the past, or what you need to do in the future, you focus on the here and now and do what's obvious. No worry.  You trust yourself to do what you need to do. And it works. It works because you just keep reacting. That's the trust. You have no idea what's going to come next.  You don't consider what you did in the past. You trust yourself to say your lines and play your part to the best of your ability. It's real life, not a rehearsal.

I was thinking about this post and how I could try and put what I was feeling into words. I often do that by walking. I was walking and remembering how liberating it was in the moments when I really could do this: let go of outcome and just "be" without worrying, trying to control, or considering outcomes. Softly and gently a feather floated onto the ground in front of me. I didn't see the bird. I will admit I don't even know what kind of bird feather this is. It was just "there".  I didn't pick it up and take it- instead I "took it" as a sign. It's today's picture.  A quick check on the Internet reveals a feather, in most Native traditions, means a "gift from the sky".  They arrive unexpectedly but not without purpose and are considered evidence of a higher spiritual partner. That's what I'm talking about! That's the trust.

The feather is a symbol of truth, lightness and ascension.  So I'm going to make it the symbol for my new paradigm of trust. Because having true trust is allowing truth, inviting lightness, and ascending to a new shifted reality.  It's peaceful. It's all about "being", and with that there is a bit of peaceful nothingness. 

It takes practice to move into a new paradigm but I'm going to try. There are some Bach Flowers that might help make this shift. So, my New Paradigm Bach Remedy will include Cherry Plum, Chestnut Bud, Red Chestnut, and Cerato. Cherry Plum will help let go of the fear of losing control.  Chestnut Bud will help maintain forward movement, learning from mistakes so I don't slip back into an old paradigm of control. Red Chestnut will help release that scenario creation mind that keeps putting outcomes into my head in the hopes that I'll divert energy to preparing for and worrying about something. Finally Cerato is the Bach Flower that is all about trust in self. That's where I'm placing my trust- in self. Cerato will  help keep that firm despite what the rest of the world thinks.

Release the shift!

April Foods Day or Crazy Wisdom

Seems kind of strange that today is Easter Monday and also April Fool's Day. Sort of a mix of serious and silly it would seem to me. I decided to lean more toward the silly.

I've written about Easter the past few years.  In 2011, I wrote about the colors of Easter and my thoughts on the whole Spring Bunny thing  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/04/easter-colors.html.  I talked about the colors of Easter as they related to Chakras and considered it was a good time to tune in to your intuition and bring it into your personal power of renewal.  In 2012, I was still on that Spring Bunny theme, but seems I was getting a little lighter myself.  I did see this time of year and this particular holiday as a good time to consider the Bach Flowers Agrimony and Scleranthus  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/04/easter-full-moon-in-libra.html  We were in a Libra full moon cycle at Easter time last year too, so balanced emotions were really front and center.  Those Bach Flowers still seem a good match for the energy of the day to me. 

But the whole world has changed this year I believe. We are in a new cycle.  Maybe it's time to really lighten up a bit.  Maybe it's no coincidence that this year, Easter Monday is falling exactly on April Fool's Day.  I don't see any other way to take that but as a message to "lighten up" and get "over ourselves"! 

The origins of April Fool's Day are not really clear., They seem to go way back, in many cultures, and the prevailing theme is that of being silly.  It's considered a day to play pranks. The pranks are usually designed around getting people to believe in things that don't exist. Hmm....

That kind of mystical quality led me to the idea of the Fool card in Tarot Decks. Today's picture if the Fool from The Rider Tarot Deck.  I am, by no means an expert in Tarot cards.  But, I do have the book "Tarot For Dummies". Yup, I'm not kidding, and I did warn you this post wasn't highly serious in nature!

It turns out the Fool is considered to be "spirit in search of experience".  It is considered mystical cleverness without reason, sort of "crazy wisdom".  If you look at the card, it's obvious that this guy is about to walk off the edge of a cliff without any real concern.  In fact, he seems oblivious to his impending plunge into the abyss.  No worries there; ultimate trust and unconcern. The sun clearly shines on the Fools back though and that signifies divine nature. That seems to me to speak to real Crown Chakra, the knowing that you're protected, and "peaceful in the knowing" type attitude.  He also has a dog with him that is said to represent animal desires.  He's gently holding a flower which is interpreted as an appreciation of nature. So it seems to me he's got both a connection to the beyond, at the same time he's very in tune with earth and nature.  A nice balance there in my opinion.  The Fool is also carrying all his possessions with him in that Hobo style stick/backpack.  He's ready for whatever adventure comes up.  He doesn't have to go home and pack first. He has everything he needswith him all the time.  Yet, his load looks pretty light and easy to transport. Sounds good to me!

Tarot cards, at least the ones in the Rider Deck are given numbers. But the Fool is given the number zero. This means he can become anything once he reaches his destination.  He's clearly on a path to somewhere with no expectations.  The "joker's wild" and can be anything.  From a mathematical point of view, zero is kind of interesting. It defies the rules a bit in my mind.  If you add anything to zero, you don't cause any change.  But if you multiply zero with anything you come up with a whole lot of zero.  Everything is transformed if you multiply zeros, except the zero itself.  You can't add anything to the fool, but it has the power to transform you. The fool remains the same and only creates more fools. In other words the fool creates, without trying it seems,  more people that are clearly on a journey simply for the joy the quest. Hmm...

So... lighten your load, trust the divine, find that balance between nature and the unseen, and get your adventure started. Happy Crazy Wisdom Day, and enjoy the journey!!