Love and Transformation

I took care to get enough sleep, eat right last night and hydrate before leaving on this morning's run. Unfortunately I pulled the wrong sox, and the heat began to build in my shoes creating that annoying, burning feeling I know so well...blisters forming. When I hit Anderson park I took one sock off. Amazingly, running in just that shoe felt fabulous. The airy upper mesh allowed my foot to breathe and I felt no pain.

I slid onto the Emerald Hills stretch and into the usual head winds. I'm getting used to it, but it was exhausting none the less. The bright sun was dwarfed by the stream of clouds which kept the winds cool and bracing. My pace, which was busted, began to settle. I found myself listening to odd Indian Bollywood tunes I must have loaded on the ipod from Limewire. Suddenly I was lifted, and drifted down the road without a care.

The love of beauty has always been my path to transformation. My easy link into the physicality of the earth has been my gift, balancing my existential angst, my philosophical search, my moral questions. Beauty and spirituality became a way to understand the natural patterns of life. The run, which gave me unexpected challenges, suddenly opened up into a soft meditation on my feet.

You never know how it will happen. If we allow ourselves the opening, the world will pour into us and continue through us, transforming our deepest dreams and giving others permission to find their own.

hills and drills and the lovely TY park

It makes sense to take mid-week, Wednesday to drill at the park. This morning, I hit the road just as the sun was creasing the horizon; the stiff breeze brought a chill, but somehow I found a spring in my step as I headed to the overpass. Making the bridge a few times warms my legs up...so rounding into the park I am already primed. TY Park is a marvel. The devastation of Wilma is gone; the renovations sport new facilities, plantings that are growing lush out of their adolescence. I hate the presence of other runners on most days, long runs seem best done in the solitude of my own focus. But on drills day, I enjoy the democracy of the long snaking lines of strollers, walkers, runners, 'joggers'....all ages and sizes. I remember when a round of the park, about 2 miles was MAJOR victory- and how long before 2 rounds became my standard run.

Today, I took to the swells of the inner park- running the route I do when I need to find anything but flat. It's tough to train in Florida, and muscles become accustomed to singular activity, not a good thing when facing new challenges. We need to get outside that comfort zone and skip around a bit, find the interesting byways which force a new focus. A new awareness. A greater appreciation. Different accomplishment. Keeping it fresh and new, and another day down. Looking forward to a weekend of strong, long runs and the peace of my inner mind.

Celestial Soul Run

Tom Kenyon, of the Hathors meditations, put out a nice little meditation/teaching on the 23rd Psalm "The Lord is my Shepard I shall not want...." after the world meditation in April in which Light workers continued to 'anchor' the connection from the universal and central galaxy centers. And thank-you for free download...! Loaded onto my ipod, I can now run while meditating on this amazing piece. How was it ancient Hebrews, linked to the Hermetic and Essene elders in the middle east found a voice for a process so arcane, so esoteric that it had to be hid in the desert??

Today, despite trouble sleeping, I was anxious and eager to get outside at 7AM. The weather has been full of winds- buffeting, blustering, badgering. Somehow, today, everything seemed to mellow into a beautiful mix of spring freshness; warm but not too, wind-swept but not ridiculous. Each day this weekend I ran into that stiff wind, which, as in hill training, strengthens like crazy all the muscles of the legs, back, core. You fight for every step making endurance rock solid. Today, the Griffin loop felt almost light and effortless, even as I felt the wind in my face rounding out on Emerald Hills drive.

As the meditation kicked in, I found myself floating on that wheel of energy that sometimes encapsulates my gait, the fluidity of energy steady, strong, the blending of me into wind, atmosphere, sunlight, seamless. I took that stretch until the next right turn with a perfect balance of effort. I wanted it to last forever, sure that it could, if only the world would not intrude.

The resistance of clients, of institutions, of the world to change is what it takes to build strength and endurance. In the face of their denial, my own belief and certainty becomes even more clear. The wind may pick me as an easy mark, thinking I will go down quickly, but surprise when you find me smiling in the face of the adversity that others call despair. I say, where's the message from my Loved One, my soul, who speaks to me through the challenges all around, asking for my attention, compassion, fortitude. I hear the voices of fear calling for reassurance. It will be alright, I know. My own Celestial Soul has held me in its grip a very long time. In the comfort of dark and lonely nights it has never abandoned my cause of My Self. It has tirelessly waited for the alchemy of change, in the crucible of time, to make the difference. It kisses me on the run and says, yes, yes you can do it. Keep moving, keep grooving. The rest is on Us......

Right Effort

All my intentions were there. Out the door by 7AM- the clear, cloudless sky was kissed by an orange ball of sun, just on the rise off the horizon. The overpass taking me to my first right turn off the main drag brought me to my senses. My legs, suddenly awake, protesting. By the time I found my stride on Arthur, heading west, the morning opened like wind filling sails of a ship sliding out of harbor. Early commuters, ignorant of my presence, create constant obstacles to finding peace while I work on inner focus.

There is too much on my mind. I make the stop at Anderson, hydrate, and start down the road back east. I'm tired. Not sleeping well, not eating as I need, to sustain mileage, brings nothing but fatigue. But the new tunes on the ipod suddenly fill me with poignancy, and somewhere between heartache and hope the underlying satisfaction of the run settles in.

It's always the right effort when I put myself out there. All my life I have had this uncanny ability to take the risks needed to pull forward. Running for the marathon, or for the thrill of seeking out the early morning is all the same. It places me back into the vessel of empowerment which leads to the unfolding of every dream. And always, along the way, I am kissed by beauty.

Where is Bliss?

The full force of Aries energy has been upon me, up for hours trying to sleep while the range of projects, ideas, visions, realizations keeps coming. The intensity of work, the caseload, and the peripherals goes on and on .... and on. I didn't run today, and it sucked. On the road, after mile 2, 3 I naturally acquire the emptying of anxiety that brings me to a relaxed and natural state. We are hunters- we are runners. There is something ancient in the power of the run. The action of atmosphere shapes the mood while motion takes us up in a long arc of searching....

Where is bliss? In the second before the foot falls, and I am weightless. In the moment before sleep when all my worries are gone. In the love the Universe holds for me whether I know it, or not.

Sustainability

I can see that moving the time I head out in the morning earlier will be to my advantage; the heat has come to south Florida, mixed with the unstable spring pattern of wind, spotty storms, occasional clouds. Today, on a 7ish loop out Arthur and up 58th, I imagined random aspects of the next 5-6 months...ramping up, cresting at a 50+ mpw mark and tapering into October. I keep wondering how the uber-runners find time to log 100+ mpw....are they just so much faster that a 20 miler is the same as my 7? I need to give myself time. I am willing to do whatever it takes to put myself out there to complete 8,9,10 milers during the week even if it means starting out before the dawn. It's good for my head.

Today there were competing threads of personal and transpersonal themes, while I settle out the priorities in my own life and sync back with the ever present impetus from the Big Picture. We will not escape the changes, no matter where we are- I see that now. The time we borrow against the future better be spent strengthening our spiritual connection, and not the petty dogmas of men and institutions, the control freaks. The greater my own level of involvement the more I see the need for freedom in my every action; the ability to direct myself, support myself and manage my many complex areas of 'work'. Keeping vigilance against vampiric souls, redirecting the desperate and unstable, and building my Shield of protection...I can see how critical this is.

I have opened myself like a flower. Now I need to hone myself like a sharpened tool, a chisel, knife, sword. I need to use myself towards the carving of future possibilities and potentials which need me to reveal themselves. We are instruments of change. Not everything that wants to manifest is our highest good. We can discriminate; we choose. Meanwhile, the Spirit chooses us. The motion of my gait runs me. I am cruising down the road, and I feel strong.

The Time is Right

A SPIRITUAL CONSPIRACY
On the surface of the world right now there is
war and violence and things seem dark.
But calmly and quietly, at the same time,
something else is happening underground
An inner revolution is taking place
and certain individuals are being called to a higher light.
It is a silent revolution.
From the inside out. From the ground up.
This is a Global operation.
A Spiritual Conspiracy.
There are sleeper cells in every nation on the planet.
You wont see us on the T.V.
You wont read about us in the newspaper
You wont hear about us on the radio
We dont seek any glory
We dont wear any uniform
We come in all shapes and sizes, colors and styles
Most of us work anonymously
We are quietly working behind the scenes
in every country and culture of the world
Cities big and small, mountains and valleys,
in farms and villages, tribes and remote islands
You could pass by one of us on the street
and not even notice
We go undercover
We remain behind the scenes
It is of no concern to us who takes the final credit
But simply that the work gets done
Occasionally we spot each other in the street
We give a quiet nod and continue on our way
During the day many of us pretend we have normal jobs
But behind the false storefront at night
is where the real work takes a place
Some call us the Conscious Army
We are slowly creating a new world
with the power of our minds and hearts
We follow, with passion and joy
Our orders come from from the Central Spiritual Intelligence
We are dropping soft, secret love bombs when no one is looking
Poems ~ Hugs ~ Music ~ Photography ~ Movies ~ Kind words ~
Smiles ~ Meditation and prayer ~ Dance ~ Social activism ~ Websites
Blogs ~ Random acts of kindness...
We each express ourselves in our own unique ways
with our own unique gifts and talents
Be the change you want to see in the world
That is the motto that fills our hearts
We know it is the only way real transformation takes place
We know that quietly and humbly we have the
power of all the oceans combined
Our work is slow and meticulous
Like the formation of mountains
It is not even visible at first glance
And yet with it entire tectonic plates
shall be moved in the centuries to come
Love is the new religion of the 21st century
You dont have to be a highly educated person
Or have any exceptional knowledge to understand it
It comes from the intelligence of the heart
Embedded in the timeless evolutionary pulse of all human beings
Be the change you want to see in the world
Nobody else can do it for you
We are now recruiting
Perhaps you will join us
Or already have.
All are welcome
The door is open
~ author unknown


From the blast of the Hathors reading, through Passover, the April full moon, Easter, my birthday...and the visiting guru north delivering her medicine pipe ceremony and message from Mello- it is a time of amazing intensity.

I was back out on the road this morning with a renewed inner conviction- to give it all my best, my highest, my heart. To pour my emotions into the run, and allow my Spirit to soar in the rhythm of my gait. To honor my soul which inhabits the molecules of my body dancing down the sidewalk....to carry Her lightly with me into all the circles of my Life.

Thanks to the Powers that Be, bodied and disembodied, who are so invested in us, mountains can be moved to join forces on our behalf. Thanks to the loyal friends who recognize where my best efforts are needed and know how to support them. Thanks to the Highest Power within, which keeps prompting me: Be true to myself. Where there's a vision, a light, there is a Way. Stay 'on-time', keep moving.

Last Blast

I dressed like winter heading out in the early dawn, the chill wind less cutting....as if the sun, destined to pour fully into the morning, was determined to take the pain out of the shock....making the first several miles a wonder....that perfect balance of comfort, intensity and motion.

The warmth comes and goes, and the weather all over appears as unpredictable as here. I anticipate a great weekend for longer runs, and the end of bundling or avoiding runs because of cold. I hope my system and sinuses settle down...this all plays havoc on me.

I ran with thoughts of the marathon on my mind, what I remember as the 'beginning of it all' syndrome when I can hardly get my mind around the idea of surviving the 26.2 miles. Good thing I've done it once now, so at least I know it's possible!! It's a HUGE leap, though, with the travel, location and course; everything will be unfamiliar and more stressful. On the other hand I will have a boatload of supporters and plenty of help. So in a way, my dream to do a marathon in my old stomping grounds backyard will soon come true. And while I'm at it, a chance to reconnect with my spiritual family/circle and present my new proposal. I dream, I invent, I'm the idea lady...

Benchmarks are upon me; projects loom. The time is right to settle into a regular routine of miles...my soul craves...to put my physical tensions to right, and anchor in the moment. With time-lines flowing like spaghetti in my head, the comfort of the road is a line of direction. There is very little control we have over the magnitude of changes. And yet, we create the potential for every inch of ground we cover as we progress upon the Path. It is always, ultimately, up to us to 'buy in' to the Power that knocks at the door and invites us on.

Yoga Journal, thanks CeeCee

From an interview with yoga teacher Aadil Palkhivala


Question: What legacy do you hope to leave?

Answer: "My soul doesn't give a hoot about what I leave behind. It only matters what I take with me. I want to take an enhanced connection to my soul and knowledge that I've lived my dharma. I want to know that my life encouraged people to take care of themsselves. People should believe they are spiritual beings living a human life. I want to help those who are serious about the discovery of Self and the true spiritual future of the human race. I want to share Sri Aurobindo's vision of transforming our life into a Divine life. Invite your sould into every thought, word, and action.."


Somewhere out on the road today, between the twin pressures of atmospherics and emotions, I kept scoping out my future; I sensed the lay of lines between various projects and levels of awareness weaving together through the thump-thump of my footsteps. I struggled, and despaired. I also hoped. The flag we unfurl of our interest in the journey of life is something that can be seen a good distance, and through many obstacles. I knew, even as I felt mired in the moment, that great currents were taking me along.

I wish what he wishes. To keep the uncluttered Eye open. To be the conduit. Co-create. It is what we were born with, the mandate to operate out of our own imperatives. The times are only shaping the form.

I run the Human Race.

MCM 2009, marathon #2

Be seeing you soon, Washington DC. Looking forward to putting myself to the test once again for a beautiful and inspiring experience.

Spring in the Air

Maybe we skip to warm weather a little too fast, but the winds of spring are still active, blowing crazy across the flatlands of south Florida. The temps are well into the 70's in the AM, which suddenly causes a whole new set of challenges for ramping up miles. I am up earlier, with the sun, which is not terribly early anymore. It may serve me to start pre-dawn eventually, if I want to take my time and log in some longer loops. I didn't sleep well last night; but that first few steps down the street pulled me up and out of myself as I flung into the awkward rhythm of another run.

I have a chance to register for Marine Corp marathon today. If by dumb luck I get a spot (this race fills immediately) then I need to begin plotting some training, right away. It may seem weird to worry about a race in the Fall. But for me, it will take time to strengthen all the necessary parts which have fallen into fatigue and lower expectations.

It suddenly feels like everything is happening at once: the work scene, other professional interests and projects, family, personal, global- if I had any doubt the energy has increased, time is speeding forward, the present sense has brought me crashing back to reality. There will be no 'escape' from the rev up the vibrational shift is creating. The need to stay mindful of all balls in the air, moving interchangeably, is key. Allowing the interplay of Forces to move through me, and to trust that my deepest intuition is at work will save me from feeling crushed by the pressures. All too often I forget what really works for me. To create, to love, to run and move. To dream deep and send my vision over the wide spaces of heaven and earth and pick up the messages from within...To follow the trails of change in myself and others and encourage the patterns which seek emergence in our world. It works because it is my soul calling. If I heed, the New World awaits us all.