Running with the Feminine Energies

It was the first weekend is some time when the weather gave us clear skies,  the low pressure moving off with the advent of the Super moon,  Wesak (Buddha's birthday), and the ushering in of the Feminine in balance with the Masculine.   Being outdoors, when I work in an office all week,  is a treasured gift;  and I grabbed some before my Saturday clients with a nice out and back out Park,  then again later at Hugh Birch where a lazy loop under the full up sun,  gave me another chance to move it out.   Basking by the intercoastal,  stretching on the wall,  I soaked up those solar rays and listened to the powerful lyrics of songs as they reverberated in my head....meditating on the inter-union of feminine/masculine coming into balance....

Sunday,  I found myself up on the Griffin loop, cutting back to Angler's Ave and walking the last bit down 29th.   It was good to know that those of us dealing with stiffness in our heads/necks/upper backs etc and 'clearing' and shaking loose the karmic imprints of the past....last night a dream about Dad,  who 'disappears' on me mid-way through a work visit....as I woke I thought...yes....as I release the 'obligations' of taking on negative masculine forces,  one trauma still working through- the strange abandonment of the powerful, protective male as I needed 'him' the most.   The perceived helplessness comes out in those first miles-  the internal fight with myself over how or why I still do this, the discomfort from aches and pains,  the repetition of practice facing the Purpose of what I do....the loneliness,  the lack of exernal mirror....the pain of promises broken....

It was mid-run,  as I came into the long Ravenswood stretch,  blessedly quiet on a Sunday morning, that I found my stride and confidence.  As the rhythm ramped up into an easy gait,  I felt as strong as the mythic messengers cruising down the mountaintops,  light on the trails,  carrying my own Good Message of Awakening to my deep Soul....keeping watch,  protecting the Dream,  nurturing the hopes that feed my motivation to go out there, again and again ...and try,

The balance point that these auspicious times offer are as tumultuous and energetic as any,  and as subtle.  You will not wake up with printed instructions,  or be able to download the new body you crave.   But if you are patient,  you will likely notice what I also see;  the shift, the release, the long progression through the tangles and knots of garden-like growth asking for our attention,  our care, our acknowledgement- our love.   I give myself the Love of Adventure today - for after all, each run, each day is NEW.   And those who resonate to their deepest selves ring Truth into the NEW matrix of change,  bringing YOUR sacred feminine into the drumbeat of your dance with your sacred masculine. 

Spring Run

After what seemed like a long stretch of rainy, stormy, unsettled weather,  Persephone emerged from hiding and unfurled Her beautiful May morning,  complete with warm-enough sunshine and a cool breeze with the occasional blustery gusts.   The air felt fresh and new as I headed out the door,  lifting my spirits into the low throttle of excitement I always feel just to get out and run.

Despite the loss of long run days the past several weeks, crazy busy schedule,  and most of all the pressing in of the Great Changes underway,  my body craves movement and solitude within Mother Nature's embrace.  Somewhere on the link between Stirling and Griffin, I found that 'sweet spot' where the rhythm of my gait with its gentle percussive beats on the bottoms of my feet seems to massage through the kinks, aches and pains accumulated from the prior day...the soft loosening of stiff joints,  muscles expanding/contracting into the perfect paradigm of motion.   With lower endurance,  this doesn't last long...and I put plenty of walk breaks in today.   But Nature is full of Her usual lessons:  and if we look past the preconceived barriers of separation,  it will come to us,  that we are just another particle of Her,  breathing in the tumultuous Spring, breathing out the inner aspirations of our living being. 

Life is so interpenetrating we hardly notice how we take for granted the sheer existence of all this abundant beauty!  Ourselves and our bodies;  our world and its many magnificent manifestations!  Our deep psyches,  which push our realities out upon the canvas of possibility!  I watch people sleep-walking through their experiences with sad or mad faces, full of resentments,  stuck in the boxes of their internalized limits....just asking for the reminder that Life is BIGGER than anything we imagine, even in our wildest dreams....

This month,  the Forces conspire to put us in the path of so many powerful events and experiences...all we need to do is pay attention!  Synchronicity will be particularly strong, so watch as the World places that which will open you to a wider, deeper future....Move into it, and take with you whatever you feel,  sense, believe- for She will move you through it all,  dancing, laughing and shaking you loose from everything which holds you back. 

Catching Myself

The blog has patiently waited while I got a year older,  visited with the fam in DC,  and navigated some busy weeks with both Broward County work and the private practice.   All things have infinite items attached on their respective "to do" list.  As for running,  it's been a struggle to once again find my base and build back my endurance.   Plane rides,  several 3-4 days off stretches and sleep disturbances are all it takes to blow me back from my prior level.

Yesterday was my first 'Sunday run'-  I'd like to call it long,  it was 'longer'  than my usual weekday runs, yes,  but modest enough;  an out to the west on the long, mostly empty Park stretch, loop to the north and the Emerald Hills road.   The ability to sustain persistent running is eluding me right now.  I put walk breaks after a few miles,  then again in the middle of the loop.  At the end,  I walk the last mile or so,  not sure if it's actually my legs or core breath (or both)  which causes the pause.   Aging tries to convince me this is typical and natural.  To slow down,  to walk when one ran,  to begin limiting the dreams and ambitions compared to youth seems part of the age-script.  And yet the Soul of Me feels as passionate about all things within my vested interests as ever!  Is there an end to art,  music,  the poetry of the written word,  the Life of Plants and Nature,  the process of healing?  The magic of love?  Does the run end when I walk in the door or does my body still feel the pit-pat rhythm of footfalls long after I stop?   Are the power of dreams limited to my sleep life?  Or like today,  with the image of the small organ modified with full keyboard pedals etc,  does the Metaphors projected in us and through us live on in the world in ways we cannot imagine?

I'd like to think I am catching myself on a long road where a part of me ran on ahead.   The rocks I stumble over may not impact her,  she has hurdled them and more,  and she looks back over her shoulder to tell me to keep going,  keep running, keep dreaming!   I want to stop sometimes.  I have the same desire as babies,  to drop off into sweet unconsciousness and forget the imprint of the world, soaking up, instead the beautiful vibe of pure becoming.   But once the day is born,  the run begins.  And with it the hope that I'll see her up ahead, closer and closer,  until She is Me. 

Easter Sunday long run, beach loop

I wasn't planning on a a beach loop today,  in fact, as I thought about my options last night,  I was rather missing my big Griffin loop, the one that picks up the extra blocks and takes me by the old training route I used to run when a 12-er was normal.   I've felt extra fatigued of late, the fall-out of more intensity in every area, especially work, and inner changes...but nonetheless,  a call seemed to come as I stepped out the door; to put everything aside and come to the ocean.

I took the entire Sheridan stretch in one fell swoop.   The music was set to a good groove, and the winds came at me at a steady but manageable rate, giving me the extra resistance which got me focused....down past the morning traffic,  through the lights, the tracks, the early walkers, bladers, bikers, runners doing just as I was,  making their way to- or from- the beach.  At random moments, the rhythm of the run seemed to take on a life of its own.  Other times,  I felt tired again,  willing my feet to follow themselves and trying to shake out the core blockages to let the energy flow....

As I came up to the broadwalk at North Park, signs were posted for Easter sunrise service...a quaint reminder, as a Jew of what today means for many,  another opportunity for us pagans to use whatever Light is available to amplify our own efforts.   For me,   TIBET, world peace....world transformation....world healing,  to hone my 'channel' for same.   I stood at the rail and watched a small circle of what must be Christians preparing for what must be a baptism;  you can just see them in the photo.  I watched as they huddled in prayer and the surf came crashing around their feet.   The sun was a bright glow just above the palms and the sudden shift into fresh, beautiful Florida earth came onto me,  the essence of Mother Gaia's riches,  the intrinsic magnificence of Her soul.

Heading back,  I found my back routes and with the wind at my back, settled nicely into my groove,  lifted above the chatter of practical demands floating around in my head.   My legs were tired after yesterday's run,  so with the last remaining blocks I took it nice and easy,  feeling happy as always to be unencumbered,  unbothered,  unbound.  It is human nature to seek the means to get into, through and beyond the concepts of ourselves, unless you are someone who needs those boundaries,  then they belong to you.   But on rare occasions such as this, with so much metaphysical energy available,  ride the tail of transcendence into the riches of your own internal mind.   Find the tracks which seek to take you on pilgrimages to the altar within.   You might find the treasure you always sought, all along,  there in the dark places, waiting for  you.  

Endurance

The beach called to me as I woke up to get ready for my Sunday long run.  It has been a while since I did a real one,  not a substitute, and last week I took a rest day altogether.  A while too since I wrote here, so long runs are key to fueling blog posts, apparently!   The warmish night had given way to a cool early morning, with the sun just climbing from the horizon and the humidity low.  The sky was free of clouds and the crystal quality of the light just pulled me east.  I was packing light, thinking an out and back would be just right.  I wasn't keen on passing a few nostalgic points, but pushed on,  feeling the weight of my sleep slipping off the longer I went,  catching my first pit stop at the Publix.   Took the final 2 over passes and hit the beach ready to soak up the morning sun.....

The water lay like a magic carpet of light;  I was caught full on in the shards of brilliance and got my breath while the league of tourists and exercise rats crossed by.   Felt somehow lifted off the calendar, as it becomes increasingly hard to tell, just what season we are in.

I headed out once more finding a beautiful rhythm to my stride as i took the overpasses again, and found a new alley just parallel to the main drag which gave me blocks and blocks of privacy even from the houses themselves.  Lost in the motion,  I began to feel the lighted joy of the run, remembering my many beach loops in training,  the meandering neighborhood streets,  the miles criss-crossing my many weeks of busy work, busy prep, busy times.

Endurance is a trait many runners innately possess, or acquire,  and about every runner needs it to commit to the sport.   Endurance is learned once the body has built a strong base, and the quest to increase the capacity to take the pounding of running, to hit the transcendence begins.  I flew several stretches....I walked many too.   It was this wonderful mix of pace which gives me the feeling of internal focus...I was fully adrift in the magic of my dreams. 

My visions seem echoed everywhere.  And the peace I feel is the reflection of synching up the synapse with change, as it flows through me and around me.   It is captured, at times,  like butterflies, gently perched on days not yet hatched.  I follow them....one by one.....by one. 

Spring Equinox 2012

Mello Rye, Priestess of the Sun

The sweet, delicate balance of equinox on the cusp of Spring/Aries energy,  of inner and outer planes,  of spirit and physicalities *yes I just made that word up*,  dropped into my awareness like the fragrant scent of flowers, the growing push of unrealized dreams, hopes and communal aspirations.   Dark forces bleed out their fractious impulses all around the world, while the Light workers funnel the higher vibes into the vortex of change...The balance point is the choice point in every moment, leaning towards- or away from- the transformation, which will happen:  one way or the other.

As a true Aries gal in many ways,  waking up today was like stepping into my true self.  Powerful women face the push-back from the patriarchy in so many ways we tend to take it for granted...we give a little ground here,  we reconcile there, for the sake of 'peace'- we lose battles and ultimately the larger 'war' when we forget to claim our power.  Watch the news any day to see how our very notion of The World is couched in the dark terms of repression/oppression/control/domination ad nauseum, a dialogue created when we 'buy' this sick matrix and fall deep into its beliefs.  

Ancient teachers and healers have always alerted us to the The Mother's higher path, call it what you may.  I have been reminded deeply of Mello Rye lately,  our teacher in the 'Sun Temple' circle, who stood as a conduit, as depicted above, between Mother Earth and the wide Universal Forces 'above'...finding the link, channeling the divine energies to connect, heal, grow, glow....become free.

The transformation during times of intense change is as subtle as it is powerful....and yet every effort is lifted by our conscious connection.   Today I look at how I was guided to lay down burdens I have learned from,  and embrace new challenges in my path.   I release the stagnant scars of disempowerment and remember Who I Really Am.   Radiance.   Luminescence.  Star dust.  Sun Light.  

Today,  find your inner core, the balance point of you.   Seek to coax the essence of your soul out of hiding to infuse your daily spirit with a knowing and ...growing....into the beautiful being you are.  It is not far,  it is HERE.  May Lovely Spring bring you Her promise of all good things cracking open like seeds in the fertility of your dreams. 

Winds of Inspiration

                                                          The goddess of adventure


Mother Nature has flung Her range of weather at us of late,  short stretches of cold,  sweltering summer-like temps, blustery rains;  wait 20 minutes, and it might all happen- as others experience more record-breaking storms, tornadoes, dust storms and drought...the list goes on and on.  Weather is an indicator.  Like symptoms of the body,  Mother Gaia uses weather as her regulator and expression.   Pat Robertson had it almost right about the prayer in the Midwest;  the earth is always in process of manifesting the energy within the matrix of our connections,  us with Her,  with all other life forms, within the cradle of the Cosmos.

So as I walked out the door this morning on the heels of last night's rain, and into the stiff winds,  I decided to head to the park where I knew the weather would chase off most folks.  Sure enough,  as I rounded the path,  I had the luxury of sliding into an easy gait without stress from cars and most anyone else...the solitude I always crave but seldom find.   Diana the Huntress was known for her solitary nature, taking off into the woods and finding the elements of herself apart from the pressures of life.  In recent news,  the view of those who live alone is being redefined as positive, empowering, blasting the old stereotypes of 'loneliness.'

Women, we need our space and time apart from the pressures of men and the world where definitions of who we are and why will continue to pollute our own growth process.  Never before has it been so important to protect and cultivate our power and connections with ourselves and one another.   Before you seek romance, success, material fulfillment,  go on an adventure to find yourself.   Take off into the first interesting path that calls you, where the trees open up into wide skies and stars, and the light is shimmering down to bathe you in luminescence.  Believe you are the incarnation of every huntress who found herself compelled to take off, to run, dance, sing, create, breathe life into the weary world.  When you doubt yourself the most,  that's when the impulse can be strongest.  We can never be done with the quest, and there is no 'final destination'...but the gifts of certainty and inner confidence are the reward.