MYSTICAL AWARENESS

AUTUMN REFLECTIONS ON THE WATER

I asked

I begged

I prayed

I was gifted

A glimpse

The Fall Equinox

Equinox literally means “equal night.” Day and night are each 12 hours, and the sun rises in true east and sets in true west. The Sun appears to “stand still” and find balance and strength before continuing. It feels like a pause to me. Like a high wire artist who stops in mid performance to check his footing and his balance and progress before taking another foot off the wire. The Equinox is a time for us to find our balance for as the season changes so does our focus and perception.

I have always loved marking time through the changing of seasons. Only now I like to mark time in small increments, moment by moment, and not in big chunks, or with a vision too far ahead. Though I look at fall as a chance to gather and harvest and store for winter and that means a time of reflection to me. It is not unlike a threshold between what was and what will be.

Fall is a time for gratitude and thanksgiving, and for looking back on lessons learned and preparations for adventures yet to come. For every moment we move forward with changes within us from our experiences and our contemplation. We are changed moment by moment. Do not be afraid of the changes for if nothing within us changes then the past will become our future. Sometimes this reflection will bring sadness with it and we don’t like sadness and sorrow. It is difficult to remember that they are part of the lessons as much as happiness and joy. They are the yin and yang and part of the balance.

So many people will let these days pass by without even acknowledging the Equinox. We have so far removed ourselves from Nature that we just keep scurrying here and there and we don’t allow ourselves this vital opportunity to reflect. You only learn from experience, and only gain wisdom from self-reflection and awareness of the whole story of your journey.

So let us align ourselves with the forces of Nature. Let us take time to sit and watch the leaves turn colors and prepare ourselves for an inward journey. In this quiet time let us gather together our experiences and let our wisdom become a part of who we are and therein find inspiration for the next part of our journey.

Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.– Winston Churchill

Our country is caught up in political turmoil and rhetoric, much of it driven by fear. My wish today is that we find the strength to follow a spiritual path and know that political boundaries are often made by man to further an agenda that is self serving and driven by greed.

Do not be afraid to walk a righteous path that leads ALL of mankind into the Light. For I do not believe we will, any of us, get there alone. It is only in an unselfish desire to reach out and help others that we can walk that path and we cannot walk it in fear.

SYLVIA

May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.

That is an old Irish Blessing and I like it.

The photo is a closeup of the center of a Pink Lady Hellebore and she speaks to me of beauty and purpose. When I touched her the name Sylvia popped into my head and made me smile, so Sylvia she is 🙂

These last four months have been difficult and I’m ashamed to say not without a bit of self pity and self doubt and judgement of who I really am. Sometimes the anxiety and depression have lead me to panic and shake and question who I really am. I’ve gotten so scared I couldn’t think straight. Lessons I thought learned have been shown to only have been introductory, like Life 101 and left me wanting and needing to get more advanced but not sure I have what it takes. Maybe I have reached a time when I need the Waters of Life to be placid more often and not like white water rafting or an old fashioned rollercoaster with dips and turns that make me slightly nauseated.

I am much improved from my Reverse Shoulder Replacement Surgery and learning to use my right shoulder without a rotator cuff (surgeon removed). I still go to therapy twice a week and am gaining more range of motion but not enough to do things I once toolk for granted, like row or use my heavy camera with telephoto for wildlife. Getting back into actively working is coming up Wednesday as I try to substitute teach for the first time since April. It isn’t the physical activity but rather the knowledge that I simply have to do it to make ends meet. It is already proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be and Im only trying to get into a better frame of mind, but will try and face it, and accept the lessons it may bring. Even if I cannot do so with enthusiasm please let me do so with grace and dignity. May I find the courage to live my life with my face turned toward the Truth and my head held high.and may I not be ashamed of the tears that may fall.