Cosmic Gardener – Cultivating a Life

In indigenous cultures humans are often referred to as the story telling animals. Story telling has defined and maintained Aboriginal culture across millennia. In medieval times Bards kept history and culture alive through storytelling. Lucky children learn early the magic of stories that begin, “Once upon a time.” As adults our stories are used to illustrate our values, politics, or religious beliefs.

Everyone has a story. In our deeply polarized society there is a disturbing tendency to dismiss, demean or discount another’s story. It’s time for us all to become story listeners

Everyone has a right to be heard without being attacked or vilified. Whether we agree with what they say or not. A wise friend posits that no one’s story diminishes another’s.

His story.
Her story.
My story.
Your story.
One story.
Love.

We can all stretch our hearts to make room for one more.
And one more after that.
And one more after that.

For the health of the World, we must.

Our life is our garden. We plant many seeds. It knows many seasons. Some plots are more complicated than others.

Our attention influences our harvest. Reflection and reframing are useful tools for the spadework of cultivating it.

Reflection stimulates growth. When we reflect on something we can often see a bigger picture. It is a process that offers us the opportunity to build on, or to reframe our life’s experiences.

Reframing is a bit like weeding. By asking What did I learn? our reflections can lead to (and often allow for) a rooting out of any idea, thought pattern or behavior that is no longer (if it ever was) in our best interest. Reframing a memory can also lead to transplanting it into another’s garden. For them to tend.

A garden needs attention in order to flourish. So does Life.

“An unexamined life is not worth living.”
~Socrates

We live in vexing times. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by polarity, and with the abundant evidence of its attendant discord regards everything from the pandemic to politics to economic considerations to a myriad of social issues. Factor in personal concerns that more often dominate our daily lives, and clearly there is much that warrants our attention. Worry can crush even the most resilient among us.

If you can do something about a situation, do it. Don’t worry about it.
If there’s nothing you can do about a situation, don’t worry about it.
Do something else.

Rather than default to worry, ask
~ What can I do to address this situation without giving away my peace of mind?

Many of my treasured memories of travel adventures involve animals. Among them are the joys of watching demonstrations of working dogs in Alaska, and in Ireland.

Some breeds of dogs love to work, sheep dogs and sled dogs are paramount in the pack. When it’s time to move the sheep or to ready the sled for a journey these dogs will do anything, and everything, they can to be included in the tasks at hand.

First and foremost, they are vocal. Very vocal. And with their bodies they lobby to be included. Jumping up and down. Racing in circles. Body blocking other dogs. All the while pleading, Ask me! Choose me!

Like sheep dogs and sled dogs I believe that it is the job, and the Joy, of our Angels and other unseen helpers to support their human companions, perhaps even metaphorically behaving in much the same way as the dogs in their efforts to get our attention.

Esoteric wisdom teachers suggest that except in extreme situations Angels, too, must be asked for their help in order to serve their human companions. It’s a foundational soul principle.

Asking for their help is how members of both our earthly and our guardian teams are called to service. Our unseens are standing by, just waiting to be asked to help

Mark Nepo speaks of his growing up family. What a lyrical way to describe our foundational origins. Most of us also have a family of choice, its dynamic ever transforming because of, and through, our life experiences.

We can do our part to keep either family healthy and strong by tending to it like a garden. Nourishing it. Giving it priority. Sometimes having to decide what to do with a weed.

Our life’s journey is rarely smooth. We often miss road sign, encounter potholes, sometimes even run into dead ends. The choices we make along the way influence the outcome.

We marvel when we learn about those who overcome unspeakable adversity and triumph against all odds. Consider for a moment that rather than allowing the obstacles they met to become stumbling blocks that left them dispirited and unable to see a clear way forward that, instead, they chose to persevere and developed resilience by using the hurdles they met as stepping stones. Not only surviving the difficulties they encountered, by being willing to look at the unknown ahead as potential opportunity, possibly they even thrived because of them.

Facing challenges we often find ourselves in the dark and under pressure. Perhaps by divine design. Will our experiences make coal of us, or will we become diamonds?

As we become and express the best version of our Self we attract our highest good.

Sometimes we are the spark.
Sometimes the pilot light.

Sometimes we are the candle.
Sometimes the beacon.

Sometimes we are the mirror.
Sometimes the projector.

Always, we are the Light.

Living with global pandemic, a year. Little to measure our days. Time warps.

It feels like my psyche, maybe the Human psyche writ large, has been worn thin, stretched by the distortion of life upended by illness, death, isolation and a collapse of familiar societal structures.

Schools closed. Restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, even libraries, closed.
Out of creative ideas for things to make, cook, eat or do.
Tired of trying, tired of waiting, we are losing our “holding on” grip.

There is a wisdom in letting go.
When it’s time to let go Life will have its way with us.
No matter what we are challenged to let go.
Letting go always results in change. Change is always challenging.

It’s easy to forget that we were built for change.

I believe that Choice is one of the most powerful attributes we humans have been gifted with. On par with love. Love is a choice.

We all make small choices every day; what to wear, what to have for lunch, which music to listen to, which blog to read, etc. Fearful of our own judgment however, or of making a wrong decision about matters of real importance, we sometimes freeze and/or default to someone else’s opinion.

Over the years I’ve heard lots of stories and  it doesn’t seem to be the degree of difficulty someone faces in life that is an indicator of the quality of their life. Rather it is that when they continued to make their own decisions, even when the options were between bad and worse, that they often thrived.

We have free will.
What we choose changes us.
Choose wisely.

In this Earth School
Life as Teacher
Makes us students of each other.

In an interview the authors of What’s Your Story? shared a favorite question of theirs, What does a life well lived look like to you?

As I reflected on what that meant to me I thought that the next question should be, Are you living that life now?  Followed perhaps for some by, If not, why not?

No matter our personal, professional or humanitarian aspirations I believe that regret proofing our life is key to a life well lived. At the end of the day, or a life, I believe that it is actually foundational to such a life.

Giving priority to the things that are important to us and keeping our relationships current are ways to do that. During this time of an ongoing global pandemic and unprecedented social and political chaos around the world perhaps, in fact, nothing is more important to a life well lived, in the moment.

Letting go of old wounds, making amends when necessary and forgiving ourselves are also key elements. The words “I forgive my former self for not knowing what I know now” remind me that we are in Earth School to learn and grow, and give me comfort in my continuing studies.

Are you living your good life now?

While a New Year offers promise of hope and renewal the darkness of the one just past casts a long shadow on the path ahead. Although the way forward may not be clear there are Way Showers among us, those who (often quietly) do what they can to make a positive difference in their world. In their doing they illuminate a path we may not have seen or considered, a way to be an agent for good in our own lives.

Way Showers can be found in every race, generation, gender, culture and locality. You may have to look for them however as they are sometimes easy to miss.

Look for them.

Sometimes the pressures of life suppress our brilliance, dulling facets of our expression.
Sometimes in spite of, nay, often because of the crushing experiences we encounter our radiance is revealed.

We are all diamonds. Life mines us.

Miner or Alchemist?
Seeking the jewel in every person and in every circumstance…
The miner finds the gem in every encounter
The alchemist transforms every encounter into riches.
~ Cosmic Gardener

Relationships and circumstances offer us lessons, tests, and even sometimes, pop quizzes. We don’t always pay attention to the learning opportunities inherent in the experiences we are offered however.

While in “the classroom” the attentive student asks, What am I learning?
During “course review” the question becomes, What did I learn?

We are all students. Of life.

Earth School.

“ Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.”
~Eckhart Tolle

Speaking of the value of hindsight with a friend the term “Now Sight” drifted into our conversation. Both imply clarity. One upon reflection. One in the now.

I believe that things come up to be healed. While often painful, reflection may be the tool that lances old wounds. Being fully present in the moment may prevent them.

Reflection, hindsight, offers a framework for seeing things in a new light.
Now Sight, paying attention, enhances focus.

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
~ Socrates

“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.”
~ Kahlil Gibran

“If you were conscious, that is to say totally present in the Now, all negativity would dissolve almost instantly. It could not survive in your presence.”
~ Eckhart Tolle

Love is patient and kind.
Patience is Love.
Kindness in Love.
Loving Kindness is Compassion.
Compassion is Love.
Choose Love.

On our life’s journey we encounter many fellow travelers.
To some we are teachers. For many we are students.

Some get a hello. Some we meet for a reason; a particular life lesson or perhaps an unexpected gift, grace even.

With some we spend a season, or two. With precious few we spend a lifetime.

We experience many journeys in our lifetime.
We experience many lifetimes on our journey.

It was foggy outside when I woke this morning, dense enough to distort the outlines of the trees in my neighbor’s yard. Yet above it all the sun was shining and the sky was blue and in a matter of hours the experience of the morning’s limited outlook was transformed.

It seemed an apt metaphor for the collective pall that has rolled across our land. A foggy social construct that has warped our perspective and has shrouded our inner vision of the Light within us all.

We must continue to believe that the sun will come out tomorrow and that one day soon we will again wake up to a world of warmth and generosity of spirit, and with clarity for a compassionate way forward out of our current societal miasma