Tag Archives: Soul

Surrendering to the Sweetness of What Is – Bitter as it might taste

Posted on by under Consciousness, Energy Medicine, Native American, Original Prose, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Might we look at our experiences of yesteryear as past lives? Aren’t we humans supposed to evolve – in that we venture into and move through common developmental stages in Life? Yet our growth does not always feel graceful and is often not without pain. Yes we are shaped by our past. But we need not be defined by it. Have any of your past selves been good at reacting to what is? It can be such a challenge to sit with the present moment and deal with unwanted and uncomfortable feelings, such as guilt and shame. Do you try to bypass these feelings by exiting with aggression or denial? Tempting as avoidance is, taking an authentic look at our souls with a reflective lens and sitting with that is empowering. Getting out in Nature helps rekindle the fire within. When I noticed the rabbit tracks in the snow the other day, I wondered how far the rabbit hole do I want to go? I can’t help but remember our ancestral connection to the lunar cycle and the ebbs and flows of the tides. Can you feel the crocuses wanting to wake up and show us that Spring is just around the corner to the light of day? A Full Moon on March 16th symbolizes completion and celebration. Are we building a global community in the spirit of honoring one another’s gifts by sharing resources? These politics of living help us move into a New Age and Paradigm more gracefully. In our husbandry, we experience labor pains. It’s how we move with our Mother’s labor pains that matters most.

During this Pisces time of year, we are leaving behind Winter and welcoming Spring. It is a good time of year to let go of the ghosts of yesterday. Our relationships with others give us opportunities to get to know ourselves, in rank and beauty, on a deeper level. Like seasons, relationships come and go. But their energy remains with us until we learn the lessons we need to learn. In that, we experience both literal and figurative deaths, divorces and separations. Sometimes it’s like two planets come together in orbit for a while and then change their trajectory and drift apart. We have relationships with everything – habits, food, drink, substances, our developmental stages in life, a psychological trait, a significant other, the stock exchange, class, a pet, books, etc. When a relationship shows us something we do not want to see, it is easier to have the wool pulled over us and get caught up in the illusion of separation.  But we are not separate.  Even that homeless person on the street, in a mental institution or on death row is part of our being. And they are worthy of a silent blessing. When we remember to have compassion for the triggers and defenses of others, we help them lower their guard to have meaningful exchanges. Seek first to understand, then be understood. Water is a powerful elemental force that builds its momentum gradually. It has a cleansing effect on our consciousness. This is a good time of year to meditate on water. In that process, try to go with the flow rather than swim upstream.

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Into The Deep

Posted on by under Consciousness, Energy Medicine, Native American, Original Prose, Shamanism, Uncategorized

We are Building a foundation of intimacy
by speaking frankly in the language of love unconditionally

Pisces is water under the bridge between
Winter and Spring transition
Permission to grieve yin’s dirge
While awakening to new beginnings
Darkness fades as light rises in intensity . . .

Sister chaos flows into brother order
Leveling the playing field
Holding peaceful prayers and meditations
for graceful transitional equanimity

A sense of freedom arises in
the sweet surrender to the illusion of control

Let your soul power shine on
by coming out of the closet of psychologically defended modesty

When feeling uncomfortably bugged . . .
Try heeding the ear-worm – Love is all you need
Might that unearth a private and victorious conversational metamorphosis within?

Noticing judgments without judging them
and then letting them go without clinging on to fixed ideas

Sitting with what is empowers us to focus on self

Is it the other person that should change
or could you adjust your own internal dialogue?

When abuses arrive – empower yourself by taking refuge

Imagine if we all dive into a killing with kindness mantra?
With recognition and appreciation of divergent perspectives
Energetically clearing space for welcoming like-minded birds of a feather

Whistleblowers are akin to canaries in coal mines . . .
Please heed their call!
Their messages manifest sustainable Life!
Born out of the Dreamtime . . .

A balanced Life diet of resting, eating well and physically exercising
moves emotions around –
Nourishing harmony in our daily walking meditative footsteps
With a minimally processed Carbon Footprint

Got boredom?
Remember to hold an eagle-eye vision of the valley ahead
Setting goals, while paradoxically letting go of outcome
Cleansing inner pollution by holding a clean vision for Mother Earth
The Golden Age is an unfolding process of possibilities . . .

Venturing out in Nature affords a doorstep into a portal of
open-hearted receptive listening . . .
Stoking the embers of sensuous and magical feelings by honoring our
mysterious and primal orientation

See you further down the trails,

Ari

Soul Power

Posted on by under Consciousness, Original Prose, Uncategorized

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

Soulful Amplification

Posted on by under Original Prose, Uncategorized

The shroud of the Empire lurks within and without.
But inner peace still lies waiting beneath the dark n’ stormy surface . . .
Let go of “things and thoughts that get in the way of realizing
your true nature and best self.”

Allowing folks we care about to evoke our better angels
Without demonizing the devil we know.

Giving ourselves permission to receive energizes us to give.
Accepting love from others opens up energetic connections.
Feeding our hearts for Celestine soul amplification . . .

Co-creating space-time to reset our internal gauges to
Shift our attitudinal gears.
Revealing pleasantly surprising changes in latitude . . .

We are all dealt a deck of cards.
It’s what we do with the deck that makes it magical.

As adults, we have the opportunity and challenge –
To look at our outer world through . . .
The wonderful eyes of a child again –
With a mindful position of curiosity and empathy.

Fixed ideas are roadblocks to novelty . . .
Surrendering to universal flow is true freedom . . .

Making friends with our whimsical and intuitive selves . . .
Balancing our heads and our hearts in one rhythmical drum beat . . .

Taking a leap of faith requires the courage to
Let go of our systemic control issues . . .

Set a daily ritual of harmonic intention.
Create an organic psychic energy field of solitude.
When feeling introverted in extroverted situations
To feel security within our private selves . . .

Cumulative effect of “conscientiousness of our gifts”
Empowers us to be good stewards.
Breathe in blue skies (life) and breathe out gray skies (death).
And indulge in your daydreams for a short spell . . .
Return to ground control by picturing yourself as a
Wise Old Tree with strong roots growing deeps within Gaia . . .

Classroom Mothership Earth is our teacher and we are Her students here to learn.
What a pain in the Yin . . .

Slavery was justified as good business, while making us sick!
With food production chain, we are still enslaved with dirty planetary maladies.
Justifying the unjustifiable by parroting a “business as usual” mantra

Feed your soul a daily portion of self-care . . .
Feng Shui your home and work space.

Now that is good business practice.

Spirited Seasonal Blessings

Posted on by under Consciousness, Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

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

Posted on by under Consciousness, Uncategorized

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

Posted on by under Consciousness, Uncategorized

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

Standing On The Doorstep of Infinity

Posted on by under Original Poetry, Uncategorized

We stand at the doorstep of Infinity . . .
Massive change is coming our way

A Full-Moon on Sunday . . .
Trailed by a Comet in its waning wake

Giddy-Up toward the darkest hour on the Winter Solstice . . .
Coaxing back the Light in the dark of the Night

Releasing egoic entanglements with form . . .
Spirited energies realigning who we are

Rising tides of oceanic waves flooding our sea of consciousness . . .
Slumbering sheeple waking up from napping while under the influence of conditioning

I’m sitting at the dock of the bay in my meditation space . . .
Theta state in my green lantern heart space

Feeling waters of empathy bubbling up wells of Love . . .
Illuminating my soul

O darkness of yin . . .
Light a moonshadow o’er my inner landscape

I’m checking out energetic pulsations of neurotransmitters traveling through my bodily pathways . . .
Portals to consciousness are they

Reflections Of An Experience With A Spirit Messenger

Posted on by under Original Poetry, Uncategorized

A part of me died when you crossed
O’er the other side of the veils . . .

In this spirited door-step between space and time,
The curtain between realms are thinning now . . .

I remember a part of my soul that had gone to sleep for a spell.
And then I saw a deer in the woods–
Remembering when I woke up in that moment to new adventures.

Today, I walk in awakening moccasins . . .
On a Universal street in Divine Light of brotherly and sisterly Love.

Tomorrow my footprints . . .
Run with the wind . . .

Into a timeless place called Infinity . . .

Where past, present and future . . .
Coalesce into an eternal moment

Distracted Workin’ Man

Posted on by under Original Songs, Uncategorized

Distracted Workin’ Man

Workin’ man, dreams of screamin’ fans
Sweats n’ chugs and buys your rugs
Have no fear, in the atmosphere
Buyin’ my way up there, climbin’ dem stairs

Got a mortgage, kids n’ a wife
But someone else mister, seems to own my life
Got us distracted, n’ fightin’ too
WASPs n’ Catholics, Muslims n’ Jews

Goals n’ objectives are good for fun
But he’s got a gun and I’m on the run
Auctioned off my soul to the highest bidder
Cuz I wuz a consumer whore last Winter

Got a mortgage, kids n’ a wife
But someone else mister, seems to own my life
Got us distracted, n’ fightin’ too
WASPs n’ Catholics, Muslims n’ Jews

Our troops, now we’re told are protectin’ our Freedom
But it’s the Liberty of the Stock Exchange
N’ Phat Cats pullin’ our strings
As the stoned statue Lady rings

Got a mortgage, kids n’ a wife
But someone else mister, seems to own my life
Got us distracted, n’ fightin’ too
WASPs n’ Catholics, Muslims n’ Jews

Now I’m a pig fed by the dole
Distracted from my authentic soul
A bull’s eye on the coveted target
Formatted by a compulsive overeating super-sized market

Got a mortgage, kids n’ a wife
But someone else mister, seems to own my life
Got us distracted, n’ fightin’ too
WASPs n’ Catholics, Muslims n’ Jews