Solid and Free, I Choose to Be....

Hi Sweet Ones, I'm getting ready to head out on my mindfulness retreat in a couple days and I had a thought--to wrap up this months Inner Constellation theme of GROWTH with a poem. I took the March IC blessings* and wove them into an offering that I hope will continue your month's growth spurt and bring, above all, solidity and freedom. I will be taking this poem with me on retreat, and it'll serve as an anchor to my practice. All love and care. TTFN (Ta Ta For Now). 

Growth
©2014 Karla Johnston,
InnerConstellation.com

Soaking in sun’s rays envisioning only beauty in my past day—
tendrils of thought sprout, spiral,
seek solid form,
something to entwine,
take hold and
penetrate.

These are seeds I’ve consciously watered:
Love,
Gratitude,
and perhaps most importantly--Self-compassion.

Roots, before tender shoots, must sink in deep;
ground before establishing the slightest wisp of form
or else, in raging winds and times of rain,
are blown asunder.

In the midst of all this creation
roots must also seek hibernation,
when Mother Earth extends
her dark mercy…

Then, when solid and free,
flowering tree
will rise,
reach out sturdy limbs
and soak up Earth’s light,
fully sanctified. 


*IC blessings are gifted to your inbox Monday-Fridays. Sign up by contacting me or finding me on Facebook or Twitter (@ICNorthStar)

Happiest Spring Equinox...EveeER!

I bow my head and kiss the ground---it's spring!

My spring equinox morning started with a blessing, a little blip that entered my mind after smiling at the picture on the left:

"I bow my head and kiss the ground---it's spring!"

This is my mantra as I go about this Spring Equinox day with so much gratitude. I love this time of year. Best of all, I love seeing the earth's little seedlings come alive again. I was reminded today of the importance of ground- actual physical earth-in nourishing and sustaining me. Spring time is a wonderful time of year to recognize and generate the earth's stability. Such nourishment is available for us to resource all year long, but it seems especially to draw our attention in the spring. I got to thinking about my own grounding practices and how I might be able to "step it up," as one of my IC clients put it. Here are grounding practices I do to give me solidity:

• 10 minutes of Stillness Practice every morning - this is my self-care as soon as I wake, focusing simply on breathing evenly and giving my body what it needs (ie meridian tapping, etc.) The simple act of breathing evenly balances the nervous system and brings blood flow to my entire body, my root system so to speak :)
• morning gratitude prayers - I give thanks for all the conditions of my happiness right now: my breath, my family, health, the beauty of the rising sun, the birds waking up, my natural world...the list goes on
• journal and write - after my cerebral prayers I nurture the goodness by giving it form (see my Poetry section of the blog)
• exercise/outside time - I'm a freak, I must get out each day, sweat and feel the elements. It keeps me grounded and flowing.
• drink Ginger Tea (made from the fresh root (ie grounding food), peeled and cut up with a cinnamon stick and simmered in pot of water for about 40 minutes. Lemon juice and honey are added to taste.) I drink this most mornings. Other root grounding foods are potatoes, beets, turnips, carrots and other rhizomes or tuber vegetables.
• 1 hour of afternoon chores - taking care of my nest gives me a solid place to come home to and land. Also, having daily routine is grounding. 
• afternoon stillness or walking meditation - feet on the ground, my only intention is to feel the earth. When my mind wonders, I slip in my little created blips like the above, "I bow my head and kiss the ground--it's spring!"
• evening gratitude prayers - what about this day am I thankful for? How have I arrived at my North Star today? It's a beautiful review of my day and its blessings.

You might look at the above and wonder, "How does she get anything done?" It's like magic, actually. When I Chart my Course from solid ground I'm able to push off shore, keep my North Star in sight and Arrive where I wish to go. From a solid and balanced place, I can manage the storms and clouds that arise, as they are prone to do when it's spring time and the showers come. What's your grounding practice? How can you step it up? 

I'm stepping it up by going to a week long Mindfulness Retreat at the end of March.You all might remember last year's retreat. If not, check out: Become a Chinese Finger Trap for a mind-bending read. Love to you all, and I'll report in after the retreat. Happiest Spring Equinox...EveeER! 

TTFN (Ta Ta For Now)

Impossible Odds, #e\\ no!!

I just finished reading Impossible Odds about the kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and her rescue by Seal Team 6. In 2011 this woman, a humanitarian aid worker, was captured by Somali bandits and held for 3 months before a dramatic rescue took place to bring her home. She's honored in the Freedom Series category of the IC blog for two primary reasons:

• She and the man captured with her had made a vow to each other--to not fall into despair. They both held to this throughout their ordeal and it became the mindset that saved them.
• Jessica and her family continually focused on the love they had for each other and used their memories to generate love and gratitude even in the midst of torturous separation.

Throughout her telling, Jessica continually concentrated her mind toward what she had: a husband and family who loved her, her life in that moment, hope in starting a family, a country that was negotiating for her release, her home and work...the list went on. If you have ever doubted the power of emotions to either make or break us, you should read the book. Two of my favorite quotes were the following:

The torment inside a person's mind can be much worse than anything the physical world can throw at you.

By now my (Jessica's) waking hours were mostly spent firmly in the zone of an inner world. The ace up my sleeve was its invisibility, or they would have surely taken that away from me as well. 

Inner Constellation, baby! We are awesome, powerful generators. Jessica set her sights firmly on the life waiting for her, the love of her family which she knew to be true, in spite of the incredible horrendous outer circumstances. I believe love was her North Star--the love she had for the African people, ie her humanitarian aid work and love for her family. She held it in her sights until it became a reality. If you wish to hear Jessica speak about her dramatic ordeal, check out this interview. She is an amazing angel with an inspiring story of recovery.

Dig In Roots and Sprout Wings

Hi lovelies, it’s been a bit since I wrote a blog article and I find myself thinking of this month’s Inner Constellation Blessing* theme: growth. The season of more light and sprouting things is upon us and I’m taking a jump start!

Two things are my formula for “growth” as I see it—having a foundation, or roots and then using that stable base to push off and grow in the direction I wish to grow.

When I think of foundation and roots, a stable base, I think of the practice of going within and establishing solid ground. In our society, we’re taught very early on to go outside ourselves for answers—seek the professionals, the trappings that will make us happy or enlightened, when truly the seeds of insight are within. Who knows us better than us? No one.   

So, if I were prescribing my personal plant food, it would look something like this: 10-10-24, these numbers are my nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium :)

• 10 minutes of stillness – simply sit still, connect with my heart and breathe evenly
• 10 minutes of self-care – nurture, nurture, nurture. Is there anything interfering with my self-care? Body pains, thoughts, feelings? If so, I tap until my distress is below a 5 on a scale of 1-10. If I’m a happy rooted growing thing, then I simply soak in all the goodness I can generate.
• 24 hours in the day – bring my mind, heart, body back to my roots whenever I stray. Come home, anchor to my breath, breathe evenly, give thanks, and notice all the conditions for my happiness available all the time-24/7

With 10-10-24, I am set to go, I am jump started and wings begin to sprout—watch out! Excuse me, I’ve got to fly….

*If you would like to receive the complimentary IC Blessing Mon-Fri, please contact me.