Gently Softening Our Boarders and Edges

Do you hear the powerful ocean chime in to the rocky coast . . .
“Will you allow my waters to soften your edges?”
Sounds deafening to fine-tuned soulful acoustics.

Movers, shakers and nanosecond market exchangers –
Please proceed with caution and take stock in
Spirited winds of change at your backs . . .
Release Imperial urges to weaponize technological advances.

May our collective soul heed the heartbeat of Whale’s memory
Of our planetary consciousness . . .
Submerged beneath us is their wisdom –
Swimming with our living history . . .
Deeper than His story –
Of Manifest Destiny.

Tinder boxes are a burning bush when ignited by rising yang-masculine sunlight
May we heed the call back of inner peace and awaken
Conversation with our Higher Selves
During this powerful Eclipse season . . .

Letting go of primal violent urges to pound our war chests.

Reworking our resourceful intention by building egalitarian community
And channeling equal access to resourceful Liberty . . .

Do you see clean energetic causeways?
Gradually melting away our internal rigidity . . .

Freedom from boxed in programs of mind controlled psychic resistance . . .
Might we embrace fiery Aries inspirational impetus to
Get up, stand up and do the right thing?

The survival of our species depends on hitting musical high notes
By singing in the key of positive silver lining harmony –
Coupled with a mystical-scientific convergence of cross-pollination co-creativity!

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Spring Equinox Blessing: A Masculine and Feminine Sacred Union

seasons run
shifting tides come undone
moon descends
illuminating water blankets
changing seasons
fleeting feelings transcend

nature’s embodiment of
balanced masculine and feminine
relational equanimity
in transient spring equinox harmony

smiling gold glistening sun-god
permeating our radiant souls
healing our wounds
and expanding our flowing sea of consciousness
whistling though wind chime seashells
beyond the abyss of fear

illuminating our shadowy soul’s
natural rose petal love-light

in our eternal moment of now
drilling into our unrefined well of clean energetic truth
smiling with you
we leap with faith
plunging through and through
together we do

singing a passionate wedding chorus of rekindled seasonal vows
in spite of death, divorce and dirge of waning yin

letting go of winter . . .
waking up to spring . . .

Buds rise up and return to outward yang expansive life again

Past Lives, Past Loves

Previously, in my eyes loving you was all I thought mattered.
But seeing you hurt – your soul and mine . . .
Has left my heart shattered.

I have given enough – I have no more to share.
With you my dear – in our ongoing affair.

Like a Robin in winter – I have flown away toward the light.
Severing energetically coveted ties . . .

Of you from my eyes.

Eternally resting – a peacefully quiet place in my soul reserved for you . . .
Infinitely wishing you peace, love and happiness too.

Transformation Within During the Process of Letting Go Without

Since you floated away,
I’ve been pondering my feelings – particularly today.

If I were a movie and you were my director,
After your credits were over, I could no longer cry on your shoulder.

As your script flashed before my interior eye,
I was left disillusioned before I could cry.

Literally, I was your creation – your pride and joy.
You were my mommy, and I was your little boy.

Soul Power

Sometimes saying no is saying yes
(and)
Less is more . . .

Working in rest into daily routine paradoxically
creates more space for productivity . . . Smarter not harder

The Tao does nothing and yet does nothing undone

Soulful authenticity opens doors for heartfelt mutual exchanges
When branching out with birds from a different flock
Let go of fear-based rejections that blocks authentic connections

In hardship, buried treasures are waiting to be unearthed when digging on
dormant lying old wounds woken up
But pain is an informer (lick them with a patient tongue)

Rushing? What’s the hurry to kill the living moment?
Sitting with what is – a walking meditation
Indulging in awakened doing oriented rituals with sacred meaning
rather than automated drone-like roboticism

Remembering to choose trust relaxes the Doubting Thomas
Faith in folks blazes a trail that boomerangs positive responses
Ripple effects Cosmic Karma

GMO labels and no drilling in Alaskan Chukchi Sea puts the safety button on the
Global Warming trigger . . .
May we weather Climate Change more gracefully

Listen to the Wise Sage within to smoke out avoiding our problems
serving super-sizes meals of conveniently inconvenient distractions from our pain
Running away instead of weaving into a walking meditation

Speaking your truth, while honoring your feelings without being invested
(and)
Letting go of it is the antidote to co-dependency in couple relationships

Thank You to woman’s circles that inspire us to bring in an energetic perspective that asserts,
“the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Integration of the feminine reaffirms and therefore increases the power of redefining masculinity.

Contemplation of the weight of the world is a heavy-hearted mind-set.
But we should not let that block pathways toward opening our minds to . . .
“grand and wonderful possibilities.”

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Spirited Seasonal Blessings

Today, we get into alignment with the Winter Solstice – the darkest day of the year. Tomorrow, we gain a little bit of light every day. In the darkness, we have an opportunity to receive the information from our lower Chakras, or a “land down under”, so to speak. Although frequently unwanted and uncomfortable to look at, we are equipped with these Chakras to help us shed light on and live in harmonic relationship with the Earth, our sexuality, base emotions, personal will and self-esteem. It is easily conveniently inconvenient to resist this information, change the channel and exit or avoid with denial or aggression. However, we have the opportunity to dig a little deeper by taking an authentic glimpse into our bodily portals of consciousness. As such, we might allow ourselves to see what information Spirit has to reveal to us in our unfolding story. In this process, we may develop acceptance and even make friends with what is. One way to do this is be part of a fire ritual in community and share what you are grateful for and what you would like to let-go of this year.

When I notice those unwanted internal news broadcasts, I remember the old Beavis and Butt-Head episodes. Do you remember watching those two character idiots watching MTV videos together – making comments like, “this sucks” and “change it”? Don’t those characters merely embody theatrical resistance to the inner space of our lower Chakras? After all, life really is like “a box of chocolates” because “you never really know what you’re gonna get.” And remembering a sense of humor is good medicine. We cannot always control, script and choreograph our life-like a reality show. Sometimes, the “best in show” is simply remembering the full-bellied laughter of the Buddha when the funeral parade comes knocking on our door. Our modern world is chock full of distractions that give us easy permission to change the channel, rather than being present on Channel Now. Being present doesn’t mean getting sucked into old dramas, mental tapes or the “voice in the head”- like feeding off an endless IV drip of sympathy. Rather, it does mean being in the moment with what is and breathing in and breathing out the living present, one step, one breath and one moment at a time. If “every thought is a judgment”, then just return to your breath and see what happens.

Many souls choose to leave the material realm this time of year. This is part of why this time of year is such a mixed bag for folks. We feel conflicted about getting into the spirit of the season, the emphasis on consumerism and pressure to buy gifts for each other that we hope will be well-received. We feel pressure to be “up”, instead of “coming down into our souls”. But we need to remember that this junction is really about gratitude and letting-go. Christ’s Light embodied the Sun that is a beacon of light that serves as shelter from the storm. His consciousness was meant to inspire us that the Kingdom of Heaven is an internal experience. When humanity evolves into this place with regularity, we see its unfolding reflected in our outer world. In this way, we become the change we want to see in the world.

Do you remember the character Holden Caufield in the classic book The Catcher in the Rye? Holden Caufield is the epitome of our dying Pisces age and represents the letting-go of our savior complex. The character can’t let-go of trying to catch lost souls jumping off the edge of the cliff, where he waits to save them from their doom. This lose-lose scenario leaves him feeling lonely so that he looks to fill his empty cup with alcohol to medicate his spirits. But we don’t need to carry the heavy burden of trying to save anybody. However, we can become an embodiment of inner peace. When we do this, our souls light up. When we don’t, our souls dim. Those of you who know material bounty and perhaps the “white picket fence”, have probably realized by now that “living the dream” of the leafy suburban lifestyle does not feed your soul alone. Meditation is a healthy spiritual diet that will nourish you soul and help you feel pleasantly full.

Sending much inner peace your way,

Ari

Remembering Past Family Members

Humanity is grieving the loss of Nelson Mandela – one of our great fraternity brothers on the forefront of our movement into a flowering New Age. It is hard to say good-bye to our loved ones that have passed on. In the letting-go, I am grateful for his energy and look forward to his spirit breaking out and shedding even more light on our Planet and Universe. Sadly, society is frequently put in the position of taking away freedom from those who cannot handle it. But for some free thinking individuals like brother Mandela, he was unjustly crucified for decades for breaking the rules by doing the right thing as a freedom fighter. I particularly appreciate his understanding that regardless of what was taken from him, he refused to allow his soulful attitude to be stolen. Regardless of how small his jail cell, he knew he was in charge of his attitude about the cards he was dealt. Part of being human is to indulge in a little self-pity once in a while. However, too much self-possession sneaks us into the portal of a Martyr. Did he not have the patience of Turtle while he walked this Earth? But like any enlightened Being or good role model, our task is to emulate the experience of inner peace rather than being seduced into the dogma of putting our guru onto a pedestal. Part of being human is learning to honor our imperfections. Otherwise, unwelcome disappointments will overwhelm our souls like a flash flood.

In much the same way as Gandhi, Nelson Mandela lead the cavalry by stampeding the institutional segregation system known around the globe as Apartheid. Isn’t it interesting that phonetically, Apartheid is pronounced as “apart hate”. Around Kindergarten, we learn to make judgments about our differences from one another as inferior or superior – My skin tone is different from that other kid, so that must mean that I am either better or worse and perhaps justified in hating him or her for that, goes the indoctrinated and typically unconscious belief system. It is a learned behavior. Our old world has not let go of this kind of programming just yet – although there is a burning desire to do so. Can you feel the Earth’s anger at that? Mandela’s death synchronizes with our dying old world of the perceived polarity of separation of “us” and “them”, heroes and villains, friends and enemies. Awareness reveals the yin and yang are always dancing with one another. Within our Being, we have the opportunity to look upon this sensuous feminine and masculine tango as energetic soul mates showing one another a mirror that reflects back parts of our greater whole – diverse expressions within our Unity. Where the sunlight dominates, the dark night is merely kneeling beneath her bounty. While poly amorous encounters might provide short-term extroverted happy endings – flirting with more introverted lovemaking probably leads to clearer forecasts and less dark and stormy weather down yonder.

While taking communion with the Full Moon and Winter Solstice coming up, we look forward to the light increasing thereafter. The reptilian-brain position of viewing ourselves as separate and disconnected from one another embodies a developmentally delayed way of looking at our world. While this dirge is a real position, it is not the position. Those of us that stay in that place have become comfortably numb with this familiar funeral parlor. You could even say it feels safe, even though it is a traumatic place to live. Our future plight as a human family, global and Universally Eco-sensitive community rests on learning to emulate the likes of Nelson Mandela and others that walk in “the Way, the Light and the Truth”. We all need to bring in more inner peace into our world. We all need a sense of security and belonging. At the end of the day, inner peace will only come from within – even though it abounds without.

Wishing You Infinite Inner Peace,

Ari

Venturing Down Old Roads With New Neurons

After overindulging in food, drink and enjoying the fuel injected Detroit Lions atypically route another team on national television, my wife and I ventured to a reunion. En route down Thunder Road, a dynamic mix of 90s background music conjured up nostalgia from that era, juxtaposed with Billy Joel’s Scenes from an Italian Restaurant danced on in my mind.

When we got to town, we made a pit stop to eat at a local pizzeria that features authentic pizza. In the spirit of life being like one big surprise birthday party, we recognized old friends for an unscripted encounter. It wasn’t Mystic Pizza, but we enjoyed a heavenly slice of conversational exchange on life’s happenings and where are they now. This is a good time of year to come down into our souls and revisit our past connections, if only in other areas of consciousness like our dreams, visions and imaginations. Of course, being present is easy to avoid these days with the emphasis on virtual social media, 24 hour shopping, playing with gadgets and other distractions. While reconnecting in a physical way can be especially anxiety provoking, underneath that rock is an opportunity to breathe new air into old relationships and connections. While I can appreciate bowing out gracefully from old relationships that appear stale and toxic, it was also a great energetic opportunity to re-work and transform. My heart is pleasantly full from that.

In much the same way as the good n’ plenty of our citizenry, High School years were an interesting experience. In the dancing and mingling, we celebrated diversity in unity during our cross-constellation exchanges. Right Tao, isn’t everything old new again? Bearing witness to a theatrical cast of characters – it was music to my ears to see that girls just want to have fun . . . but be careful because the floor is slippery when wet! I was in my element – trying my best to be mindful of organic opportunities to connect with peeps from back in the day. In my estimation, we consumed a co-creative venue to see old friends and breathe in fresh air. For yours truly, talking football with some old teammates was poetry in motion and a welcome nightcap. In the spirit of that, an old teammate gave me a bear hug that would have left any star NFL thoroughbred inundated.

Looking back, I walked away from the experience with the wisdom that you know you love your soul mate in their rank and beauty when you can laugh again at idiosyncrasies that once drove you nuts. In true Hollywood fashion, the romantic ideal of finding your soul mate reads like a Utopian fairy tale with a happy ending. But the reality of taking a road trip together and sharing balanced conversation without the aid of technological audio to fill in the airwaves is music to my ears. When we can authentically gaze upon our partner with the viewpoint that we are mirrors for an other’s soul development, we bear witness to As Good as it Gets.

In learning to live on Earth in this way, I am thankful for the infinite spirited blessings of this season. Tis the season to meditate on gratitude and letting go as we embark toward the darkest night of the forthcoming Winter Solstice. And while it is natural to over-indulge during this time, it is also a good time to clean out.

Be Well,

Ari

Dancin’ Again

Dancin’ Again

I know a time . . .
I make’s no sense at all.
May weather this flood . . .
Season through reason and fall.

Fire with fire, n’ head to head . . .
Boilin’ and fumin’, our faces are red.

And here we are . . .
Dancin’ again.

You am I and I are you . . .
One up, one down, one is two.
Assumin’ n’ askin’, through n’ through
Sleepin’ n’ weepin’, n’ smilin’ wit chu.

And here we are . . .
Dancin’ again.

Fire with fire, n’ head to head . . .
Boilin’ and fumin’, our faces are red.

And here we are . . .
Dancin’ again.

Light equals dark
Dark equals light
Yang diming to night
Yin fading from light

And here we are . . .
Dancin’ again