Come Present

Hello Friends!
It has been a while; life is full and I was delayed in connecting with you. Today I feel compelled to blog about coming present with what is.

We find ourselves midway through October 2017 and quickly approaching Samhain (pronounced "sow-in") - the celebration behind All Hallows' Eve and modern-day Halloween. Samhain was originally celebrated to honor the spirits of the dead, for it was believed they visited the Earth on October 31st and provided insights into the future. Sacred hearth fires were burnt all night as a gesture and request for protection through the approaching darkness of the cold, harsh Winter months.

Photo by Olivia Henry on Unsplash

 

Samhain comes at an auspicious time of year when the season shifts from long, warm Summer days to long, cool Autumn nights. The color of the leaves on the trees signals the change most prominantly. Traditionally this meant the energy and activity of the season was shifting too: crop growing was done and harvesting began.

Photo by Evgeni Evgeniev on Unsplash

Though our context may be different, these same shifts apply to us today, if more to our internal world than our external one. Our body wisdom responds to the energetic shifts inherent in the change of seasons. And if we pay close attention, we may feel a shift in what we long to do that mirrors this change.

While Summer is typically filled with a lot of external busyness and play, Autumn beckons us to start slowing down and bring more presence to what is...to take stock of what we've created in our lives, trash what didn't work, harvest what did, and be grateful for it all.

Today we can use the symbology of Samhain this way:

• honor and release what no longer serves your life (the crops that did not grow or no longer serve your life; your "dead")
• claim what does (the crops that grew to enhance your life; your "harvest")
• be grateful for what is (all the gifts born of your year and your life so far, both tangible and intangible)  

 

Photo by Simon Maage on Unsplash

 

You might want to write down the things you are releasing and ceremonially burn the paper; you might also want to make note of the gifts of your harvest and ceremonially bury the paper. By honoring the ancient Samhain tradition in this way, you can clear your energetic field, gain perspective, and better prepare for what approaches next.

This placement of your attention is a powerful tool to keep you present with what is, in a way that leads to the next aligned step toward right action in your life, rather than getting caught up in messy distractions and distorted reactions that don't serve. I define right actions as those based in love, and distorted actions as those based in fear. For what it's worth, now is a great time to be curious, to stretch beyond your comfort zone, and to choose love above fear.

Photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash

Each and every one of us is called to stop being shy, and to step into right, aligned action for ourselves and for the greater reality of which we are a part. For what better purpose is there to life than serving the world in a way that leads to positive changes for you and for all the beings you share this Planet home with? I can't think of any...

Until next time, fare thee well my friends,
Dr. Ceci Zuniga

Solar Eclipse: More Sacred Opportunity Than Spectacle

Solar Eclipse: More Sacred Opportunity Than Spectacle: This may or may not be news to you, but there is so much hype about the upcoming Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017, that I feel compelled ...

Solar Eclipse: More Sacred Opportunity Than Spectacle

This may or may not be news to you, but there is so much hype about the upcoming Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017, that I feel compelled to share about it on a deeper level, for your consideration.

It came to my attention that the upcoming Total Eclipse of the Sun is not a “spectacle,” as it is being treated in typical Western fashion, but a sacred and powerful event. For instance, certain Native tribes share that this Eclipse is an intimate and rare encounter between the Sun, Moon, and Earth, a connection to be respected rather than “stared at.” They add, in fact, that it is "rude" to stare at it. The word that comes to mind for me is “disrespectful.” 

From a Shamanic perspective, the Total Eclipse of the Sun is a powerful and significant event, providing an opportunity for heightened awareness and positive change. Out of the light from which we are born, into the shadow of this ego-oriented reality, and back to the light of our true nature we die - a Solar Eclipse symbolizes the sacred journey of our lives.

  
Here are some other reasons why the Solar Eclipse is not only a significant opportunity, but a sacred event:

From an energetic standpoint, the Total Eclipse of the Sun signifies change, or a disruption of the norm. For instance, it is not "normal" for the Sun's light to be blocked, or to glimpse twinkling stars during the daytime, or for the Planet Earth to be cast into full shadow. The symbology of these things is intriguing.

The Total Eclipse of the Sun flips the reality of what is on its head. It is a turning over of the status quo. It rocks the energetic boat of our lives, offering a significant opportunity to reboot outdated, hurtful patterning.

This Eclipse invites us to explore the multitude of changes within ourselves, our lives, and our world that feel like a “disruption of past norms.” How do we respond to them in a way that maintains our integrity and fosters harmony or even evolution? This is the challenge; it matters not whether we feel aligned with the changes or disruptions we face. And there are many right now.

How we choose to address the changes is significant: it is the point of our personal power in terms of what we manifest in this reality. Through our choices, we can either make substantive healing and peace possible, or we can feed the wounding and chaos - within ourselves, our lives, and our world.

Just as the Earth will be cast into shadow, we, too are thrown into the shadow of our beings, our lives, and of what we have created in the world, even if only through our ignorance, apathy, or by our default membership in the Human Race. We are all responsible, since we are all energetically inseparable. 

This event invites us to look deeply inward to search out the shadow aspects of our being that we generally deny - those parts of ourselves we reject; those parts we are ashamed of and choose to keep under cover; those parts of ourselves that in some way contribute to our personal and global suffering. By bringing them into the light (of our awareness), we claim the opportunity for change, allowing us to make a different choice - to release and move beyond them to something greater for ourselves and our world, rather than continuing to hide them in the shadows of denial, fear, apathy, ignorance, or rejection.

Something powerful this way comes…

Up-Vibe!™ your life for fun!: Reality Check

Reality Check: In case you haven't stopped to notice it, we are ...