commitment

Commitment : dedication, devotion, allegiance, loyalty, faithfulness, fidelity. 

Staying committed to ones values during the buffoonery and indulgence of this festive time I find especially tricky. "I will not succumb to senseless behavior!" I continually tell myself. Then I have a babysitter, and thus a few hours of risky freedom, and the practice of focus over folly becomes especially consequential. Take care of Astrid, connect with other humans and commune with nature - those are my essentials these days. But each morning, each moment, it is still a practice to prioritize these vital basics. Patience is therefore my current mantra and has been all through the Autumn. A first for me to stick to one maxim this long - now that's commitment!

May you enjoy a meaningful holiday season.

may your sight be auspicious

Augury is the practice from ancient Roman religion of interpreting omens from the observed flight of birds (aves). When the individual, known as the augur, interpreted these signs, it is referred to as "taking the auspices".

May your future be promising, may your present be rosy.  May today be felicitous.

hibernate

Colder, bleaker days? Give yourself permission to hibernate, hole up, escape, withdraw, retreat, cocoon. 

I have joined the rEVolution, you can too

Thus far, the most intriguing aspect of owning our new electric vehicle (impressive, life-changing, unbelievable, sublime ...) has been the attitudes of others. I am stunned by the onslaught of assumption and assessment from people who have never personally purchased, occupied, tried or even been inside of an electric car. They pronounce their opinions with such authority and passion I am astonished they have NO real first-hand experience.

How quick are we to believe what we hear? Do we confuse reading about or googling something with actually doing it? Why do we enjoy being naysayers? What makes us so threatened by innovation? Do we naturally block transformation? Why, why, why do we resist onward-moving, forward-thinking, revolutionary ideas that preserve our way of life and the planet ???

This being said, there are also equal numbers of fellow humans intrigued, interested, open and excited.

Not the first, nor the last - but another zero emissions ultraist household is here.

darkness begins to encircle us

"Darkness begins to encircle us."
"For our ancestors, autumn preparations were not a conscious political, environmental, and spiritual choice, necessarily ... but rather a necessity of life." -Amanda Blake Soule, The Rhythm of Family

"[Autumn] is the time of year of taking in the gifts of summer's work and warmth and making into something to last us through the long dark winter. This image of carrying light and warmth through the darkness will permeate all of our [days] ahead this fall. Autumn is a time of seeking the light within us, nurturing it, sustaining us through any and all dark times."  -Ms. Lisa, my daughter's Marigold Kindergarten teacher

paraphernalia

Do you have all your halloween affairs in order? Costumes should be comfortable, layer-able, collectible, and preferably either spooky or at least festive fall color scheme; semi-classic.

At our home, Mummy collects costumes throughout the year so that quality and cute can be taken into consideration without the clock ticking. The children use this arsenal for dress-up in all seasons. The true holiday attire (witch hats, cat ears, monster masks...) is then added to the trunk and rack for the duration of October or kept in the living room to prolong the fun and involve visitors, too. The little trick-or-treaters/party-goers can then pick the-day-of what they are feeling as they are already comfortable and accustomed to their guise.

If yours-truly has her heart set on a certain ensemble, I save it for the day of, betting quite predictably they will pick the new arrival. We are also known to run about in varied partial costumes (accessories) the whole week-of as well. What are you being for Halloween? Anything, everything!

All of this beats the stress of hunting and never finding and/or succumbing to purchasing the pure crap many are selling. By October 1, we have finished our Fall foraging.

flower child

Daisy: fresh, energetic, day's eye (the sun), darling.

Perennial; early Summer - early Autumn.

Aster, Marigold, Lily, Violet, Lavender, Sunflower, Bluebell, Daisy, Rose, Zinnia, Magnolia, Azalea, Chrysanthemum, Daphne, Jasmine, Ivy, Marguerite, Wisteria, Camellia ...

Names, decoration, motivation, muse, whim, notion, vision, introspection --- Look to Goddess Mother Nature's creations and you shall find it. When fancying inspiration there is no thing better suited than this natural phenomena. Flowers. Pure perfection. Heaven.

Violet, Aster, Marigold

(The baby has been channeling Daisy lately with her golden face and white hair; not to mention she often has bugs - even bees! - landing on her tresses, mistaking her for flora !!)

the face that launched a 1000 ships

Helen* ~ Bright, shining light.

Names are layered with meaning...
Having grown up with a very particular first 'title' - Astrid - I am ultra sensitive to names and considered designating them to my children an overwhelming task that I would ponder (obsess over) long after the birth certificate was ordered. I found it impossible not to daydream about other variances and still dwell on their first few days of life aiming to uncover what led me to my (our) ultimate decision. I still struggle with accepting their assignments. I am not one to choose the obvious option, either, and I wonder why I didn't go with more crystal clear family choices or blatant 'signs' while bébé was in belly. I fantasize about the monikers fictitous future children would/could have. It can be a preoccupation. My better half is not amused, and reminds me:
There is no right decision, there is no wrong decision, there is only a decision. 

*My grandmother's name was Helen, which served as the inspiration for our second daughter's name.

sacred lotus

Purity, beauty, majesty, grace, fertility, wealth, richness, knowledge, serenity.
Sacred Lotus Flower.

flair

The days are long, but the years are short. 

Lavish in the mundane, perpetual tasks of motherhood by adding your flair. This daily grind is, after all what you likely dreamed of and manifested when hoping and praying for offspring. Execute duties and chores with finesse and distinction!

off you go

Waldorf, Montessori, Country Day,  Public Education ... 

I visit first-hand the schools within a small radius, preferably walking or biking distance, and make a gut-based, heart-led decision. I try my best to commit and reconsider only at proper intervals (moving into lower, middle, upper). I trust my decision, but not dogmatically. 

Waldorf, Montessori & Reggio are the three progressive approaches to early childhood education, which appear to be growing in influence around the world. 

~

All three approaches represent an explicit idealism and turn away from war and violence towards peace and reconstruction. 

~

They are built on coherent visions of how to improve human society by helping children realize their full potential as intelligent, creative whole persons.

~

www.montessoricentrewales.com

Instead of 'teaching' our children 'how the world is' and how to 'succeed' in that world, let's get out of their way and let them shape a new world. 

autumn may call

The Autumn Solstice will be Saturday September 22. It is still Summer. Here in Colorado, though, it has the smoky vibes and chilly nights representative of a true Indian Summer (an Autumn event). 

Rosh Hashanah will begin tomorrow. There are many beginnings, delightful gatherings, endless activities this time of year. ENJOY it all !! But take it easy. Balance party-time with lots of UNSTRUCTURED time. Do NOT fill the spaces. Widen those margins, leave leeway!!

GOALS
Gently ease into an earlier bedtime and hence rising time as Summer wanes.
Dress festively first thing in the morning for smoother transitions throughout the day.

starry slumber

It is night time. The folk of the forest are all asleep, the princess is asleep as well. But one little star keeps watch all night. 

-Sibylle von Olfers

Hello September! Time of transition. Often hectic. Get lots of rest and S L O W down. 

enter into its mystery

Nighttime Pilgrims

Celebrating Bedtime

Nighttime brings with it a gift to know the world from a different perspective. Darkness slows us down, gives us boundaries for our work and play, touches us with the unknown.

Bedtime requires the closing of our eyes and ears and rewards the surrendering of our senses by pouring over us the limitless possibilities of our dreams. Sleep endows us with senses for another way of knowing. In sleep, we may find solutions to problems that startle us in or waking. We may touch and speak with loved ones who have died or who journey far away from us. In sleep we may commune with the spirit-world. We may uncover emotional and relational issues that need our attention. Our dreaming is a bridge that takes us to the center of spiritual illumination.

Seven Times the Sun
-Shea Darian

understated

RESTRAINT
~ unemotional, dispassionate, or moderate behavior, self-control.
~ understatement.

Amazing how well graceful restraint gratifies when we can assuage that insatiable compulsion to REACT.

fields, sky, streams and wonder

"In the name of the flowers and the fields, the stars in the sky, and the streams that flow down to the sea, and the mystery that breathes wonder into all these things, I pronounce you mouse and wife."

-Jill Barkley 
Brambly Hedge, Summer Story 

Serene Sattva

Sattva : is pure aspect and awakening light. Pure essence.
Find it : through harmony, calm and contentment.

Orient Your Course :
It is important to orient yourself daily; anchor in the essence of your identity, refine your connection to spirit at the horizon of each morning, and set sail in sattvic practices. These three masts will be faithful companions along this grand adventure of life. Determine what is supportive, move towards it, and sattva will be a natural byproduct.
-Emma Kate Veader CLICK for more at Kripalu.org*

*Kripalu is my personal favorite Center for Yoga and Health

speak joy

Am I improving upon the silence?

EVERYTHING is energy

If we lost all the dead space inside our atoms, we would each be able to fit into a partial of dust, and the entire human race would fit into the volume of a sugar cube.

Quantum physics says that 99.9999999% (and more) of what is called 'ordinary matter' is empty space. In fact, space (another illusion) is not actually empty but bursting with energy that we can't see. 

The atoms in your body are 99.9999999999999999% empty space and none of them are the ones you were born with ...

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BUT HAVE NEVER BEEN TOLD 
-David Icke

Right Word

Please refrain from idle chatter.

Some are Born to sweet delight. Some are Born to Endless Night.

from

Auguries of Innocence

It is right and should be so;
Man was made for Joy and Woe;
And when this we rightly know
Thro' the World we safely go.

Every Night and every Morn
Some to Misery are Born.
Every Morn and every Night
Some are Born to sweet delight.
Some are Born to sweet delight,
Some are Born to Endless Night.

God Appears and God is Light
To those poor Souls who dwell in Night.

-William Blake

We cannot take on another's issues, nor can we truly walk in another's shoes, and we were never meant to. 

Everyone has a 'budget'

My architect, while building our home 2 years ago, told me "everyone has a budget". It may be $100 or $100,000,000, less or more, but $s aside, everyone has confines they must (better!) work within.

Walk Away

You're not obliged to engage. You are not forced to hold on.

Go Rogue

Be RADICAL. Yes, we would like walk the middle path, but in this extreme culture, 'living a little' has lost its meaning. When mainstream is synonymous with obesity, depression, chronic pain etc. you want to be anything but. Don't let the dominant populous derail you. Revolt. Rebel. Rise!

Be miraculous, enormous, ecstatic. Find your sweet spot; it's most likely incredibly 'abnormal'.

It's easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled.  

ORDER is your mantra

Ask yourself : Will this increase chaos or align me towards order?
Your chosen script, your directive, your health, your freedom, YOUR order ...

The trick of creating chaos and then seizing power under the pretense of putting things back in order is a tried and true method of deception and manipulation. It's the meaning behind the Latin motto: ORDO AB CHAO meaning ORDER OUT OF CHAOS.

Q: Is someone making money off of this/you? A: That's chaos. Order cannot be purchased. Order is the Universe, it is Nature. Order is FREE!!! 

self-evidence

Research is occasionally productive, others' paths can be indicative, 'studies' are irrelevant; self experimentation is the way. Give heed only to those who embody what you desire.

your temple

The last post discussed finding our lithe figure through polishing, but as we know a gleaming frame is no easy feat. And as Marie Kondo has discovered and shared perhaps our environment is instead the place to commence. 

A clean, fluid, bright home built honorably and soundly with beautiful, natural materials will provide endless pleasure and can bestow lifelong health. All the decorating in the world will only mask fundamental flaws.

Probably not what one wants to hear, but consider moving or renovating over decorating. 

To put "lipstick on a pig" is  rhetorical expression, used to convey the message that making superficial or cosmetic changes is a futile attempt to disguise the true nature of a product or person. 

clean is beautiful

First and foremost buff and polish. Enjoy the pampering on your journey towards immaculate and adorn only once spic and span. Trim, neat and airy is always enough. Bright, clear and elegant is on the horizon. Eventually you will shimmer and sparkle. 

take little; go a long way

A minimalist foray : pack extra specially light for your next excursion and enjoy the liberation of less is more. Return home with an enlightened perspective and the natural inclination to shed and evolve.

get over yourself!!

Eat whatever you like and get on with your life.

Be grateful to have food and choices. Be extra grateful if someone is willing to feed you. There is no such thing as a bad food. Stop taking yourself so seriously and for your soul's sake absolutely no dieting. Ever. Period.

Most importantly - Enjoy!!!!!

(That being said, also please be aware and educated on the current dangerous and dismal state of food affairs.)

as for social media

"What other people do is irrelevant." -Victoria Moran

Anahata Chakra

Make every effort to not get swept up in fake holiday frenzy and instead to focus on the meaning and beauty of Valentine's day. As said best by my daughter's teacher Heidi Burke, (who calls Valentine's day the Birds' Wedding Day):

We are now at that half-way moment between the winter solstice and spring equinox.  It is a moment long celebrated in human history with many festivities and rituals. The seeds and roots are quickening beneath the earth and in the Midwest, those who tap the maples for its delicious maple syrup are celebrating the nearing of time for maple sugaring. When there is deep snow cover in the north, we can observe that the warmth of the sap rising from the tree roots actually melts an open ring near the base of the maples! The cardinals begin 'pair feeding', passing sunflower seeds from male to female, female to male, as a prelude to spring mating. It is the season to recognize and spread warmth of heart, something we as humans can offer to the world!  

Turn your back on commercialism and consumerism. For exchanges - natural, reused, or recycled is best. Paint rocks, sew a felt pocket, string a seashell, transform a popsicle stick...