On the horizon

Do you ever get the feeling that something is on the horizon? Sometimes it is a message from our spirits, sometimes it is an intuition. Either way, there is a sense that something new is coming. Sometimes it comes as restlessness or anticipation. Sometimes it is a knowing that now is a time to prepare for what comes next.

This picture was taken on Skyline Drive, a road which winds along the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. I have included pictures from the caverns underneath the mountains in my emails before, but not from the top of the ridge. Long before I start packing for the 3 Year Program (usually at the last minute), I can feel the pull of the mountains, and of the power. My senses begin to perk up: something is on the horizon.

I have found that there is a sharpening of the senses that comes with this work. I order to notice it, we have to slow down and pay attention to ourselves. We can't feel which way the wind is blowing when we are always rushing ourselves. This week, I am feeling the pull of the mountains. The wind is bringing in power.

Many of you have heard me say that the most important part of healing work is the personal work we do on our own, so that when we show up to work for someone else, our relationship with power is already strong. I am feeling called to spend more time with that relationship now. Waxing and waning in our practice is natural. We need to pay enough attention to know when it's time to give more attention to our relationship with power.

How do you notice when the work is calling you to something new?

Feeling the flow

I have been thinking a lot about balance. In particular, the balance between going with the flow of the work and maintaining the discipline that keeps us grounded and focused. Both of these energies are required to maintain our effectiveness.

This has come up for me (again) after attending Advanced Shamanic Healing Practice, which I (probably) plan to teach this November. At the FSS, faculty attend each workshop three times as a student in order to teach it. While I have taught the online version multiple times, the in person version is newer to me. And as typically happens when we show up to do the work, the spirits work on us too! So I have circled back around to balance.

Last month I wrote about return. This, to me, is both discipline and flow. The discipline to show up when I might not want to, and the flow to pay attention to what I need and what is being asked of me. Sometimes that leads to rest. Sometimes it leads to depth and intensity. Sometimes it leads to quiet listening, asking for the next step.

Next week is the Spring Equinox. In our circle next week, we will do some work with this idea of balance. I am not sure exactly how yet--I'm still listening. But I have always found that feeling the flow of the seasons in my body has brought me deeper into the work. I hope you can take some time and notice what that is like for you.

Return

I have been thinking a lot about return. I'm sure I'm not alone in getting away from my practice sometimes. I have people ask me with some frequency how they can return to practice when they've been away from it for a period of time.

The answer is both simple and challenging: return. I have gotten many messages over the last several months from my spirits about the basics of our work. Return is often a "back to basics" moment. Begin to sing again. Begin to dance again. Begin to talk to your spirits. Begin to go out in nature without devices, without distraction, and just be.

When we work with compassionate spirits, they remain present for us, waiting for us to return to our practice. Our role in the relationship is to return.