Exercising Freedom as an Act of Resistance

Don’t know if you all have been keeping tabs on the protests in Egypt. This Wednesday, January 25, marked the one year start of the revolution that overthrew the country's president and his corrupt regime. Last year, the protesters marched with the slogan, “Down with, down with, Hosni Mubarek.” This week, they repeated a similar cadence but voiced a different demand, “Down with, down with military governance.”  Hundreds of thousands of marchers descended on Tahrir Square, in Cairo, a surprising majority women, who, just weeks before, had been beaten, violated and shamed by the current government’s army. They were back in an unprecedented display, demanding their voices be heard.  The women of the Middle East are my present metaphor for freedom beyond the physical, beyond what can be desecrated and even destroyed. When I watch the Egyptian people, I recognize their North Stars as "freedom", I see them Chart their Courses through their acts of protest and I acknowledge their Arrivals—all in spite of the atrocities they experience, for there is a more enduring Inner Constellation lighting the way. 

Joan of Arc (January’s Freedom Series Heroine) accessed this Inner Constellation as did all individuals highlighted in the Freedom Series posts. How might we be inspired this week to access a state of inner freedom in spite of outside limitations? Sometimes to protest, as the people of the Middle East so bravely do, is the equivalent of carrying a torch of hope. I think of the sonnet by Emma Lazarus (1849-1887), engraved on the Statue of Liberty:

"Liberty" by uploathe at DeviantArt.com

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles....
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Exercising Freedom by Following One's Inner Compass

AAAARRRRGGGG! It's been almost two weeks since writing a blog article! I apologize, never has it been so long. A loved one had fairly extensive surgery, and I was focused on his comfort. Good news is--tapping came to the rescue once again. My charge is doing fantastic and he attributes his quick recovery to the meridian tapping :) OK, so I bit off a huge bite in my last article, saying the month of January would address "freedom" as a North Star. We discussed my favorite seeker of freedom, Joan of Arc, last article, and this week we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. So, I was thinking, why not highlight these two stellar examples of freedom exercised at its finest.

To me, one definition of living free means to follow one's inner voice. Joan did this par excellent, even when her internal compass went against the authority of her age--the Church. MLK is another such person recently honored for his persistent voice of freedom in the face of social injustice. His internal compass of equal rights for all was perhaps best expressed in his "I have a Dream," speech. Both Joan and MLK maintained their personal visions even when they were not yet reality. For MLK equal rights would be another twenty years in coming after his death, and interestingly, for Joan, the same span of years would pass after her burning before her people were free from English occupation.

For both MLK and Joan, living free was first perfected on the inside. If you were to live free and follow your inner compass what would life look like? My wish for myself and others is inner freedom regardless of circumstances and the exercising of our dreams until they become reality. In the closing words of MLK, "Free at last, free at last, thank God, Almighty, we are free at last!"

Happy Birthday Joan of Arc!

Yesterday, January 6, was Joan of Arc's birthday. She was born exactly 600 years ago in the year 1412. As I slacked on the blog post (sorry yesterday was crazy), the country of France wildly celebrated Joan's birthday anniversary. If you're up for a bit of a history lesson, check out my Joan of Arc website where you can take a journey through images of France and get a feel for her accomplishments. If you wish to read an engaging first-person account of Joan from a mystic's perspective, check out my ebook on Amazon or my website devoted to my Joan writings. This exceptional girl has been a strong influence in my personal and professional Inner Constellation work and here's why:

1) Joan valued personal freedom above all else ('freedom' was her North Star)
2) She identified anything encroaching upon this basic human right and overcame it (i.e. foreign invaders entering her country)

I decided to highlight Joan in this month's Freedom Series and as January unfolds, explore her North Star--that of freedom. Here are some questions I'll be considering, great ones for the new year, 2012:

1) What does it mean to be free both in actuality and symbolically?
2) How do we identify and knock down obstacles to complete freedom?
3) What does it mean to be strongly rooted in the North Star of freedom in spite of opposition?
4) In what ways is Joan's North Star continuing to shine around the globe, especially in places like the Middle East and countries continuing to fight for this most basic of human rights?

Whew, that should keep me busy! I would love to hear your thoughts, especially if you were born, like Joan, in a country fighting to keep the North Star of freedom shining.

"I've been through the desert on a horse with no name...."

Perhaps it's the passage of the Christmas season, but I've spent much time this week thinking about the idea of embodiment. I was flipping through a magazine and found a picture of a beautiful Indian vase. It represented perfectly the metaphor of "vessel." You all might be familiar with the idea of the human body as a vessel for energy. My Inner Constellation practice is based on this belief and that we can control in every way what goes into our vessels. What do I allow to fill me today, who inspires me? I considered first my list of personal heroes, those who have most influenced my development: Joan of Arc, Edgar Cayce, Rumi, Black Madonna, Terese of Lisieux, the list goes on and on...and on and on. I thought of the inspiration that their existences have awarded me, how they continue to fill my vessel; however, as in any energy exchange, I wish to enhance their contributions and make them my own. One of the Inner Constellation ideals is: energy never dies, it only changes form. How do I embody my heroes, those who attained their North Stars?

Sometimes dream time provides the best answers. Within twenty-four hours of pondering the above questions, I dreamed of riding a horse. We traveled through a ravine between two mountains. It was a simple dream. Yet, I experienced, most viscerally, having traveled a great distance with ease. I woke with the understanding that personal heroes are like "horses," they aid me in the challenges of life and share in the distribution of the burden, but...I hold the reins. I'm the one in the saddle directing my life. I could of course, jump off, swat the horse on the rump and go it alone, but I suspect I wouldn't get as far and would tire easier. There's a line from Dewey Bunnell's song, "Horse With No Name," that might shed even more light:

"After nine days, I let the horse run free
cause the desert had turned to sea."

I believe one of the best ways to honor a life well-lived is not by holding the individual at a haloed arm's length, but to strike out and become the inspired. One of my favorite energy techniques that sustains me daily is to truly engage with my heroes--read their words, visit their lands (Google Images can help:), experience what they experienced, envision them in my space as I sit in stillness, journal, self-administer meridian therapy or move through my day.

Thanks for entertaining my ponderings. I love hearing from you and engaging in Inner Constellation conversation. It's my great joy. OK, off to bed with me. Remember, if a horse happens to visit you in dream-time, don't forget to ask its name. You might be surprised at the response!

Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas!!!

"Oh, if you only knew yourselves! You are souls; you are gods. If ever I feel [that I am] blaspheming, it is when I call you man."

Swami Vivekananda

When I read the above quote this week of Christmas it reminded me of something Jesus said. He had been accused of blasphemy for calling himself, "Son of God." He defended himself with a similar response, "Do your own scriptures not say, 'You are gods?'"

Today I ponder the celebration of a baby who identified himself as child of the Almighty by fully embodying Source Energy in the form of a human body. He emphasized he was not an exception and encouraged others to his god-like standard, saying "greater things shall you do." Do we, like Jesus, understand our potential for holiness? Do we know the great works we are capable of achieving?

Joy, peace, love, hope--these are attributes of the Christmas season. Everyday we can practice incarnating these North Stars through our words and actions. Today, may we be reminded of our precious natures and the powers within to reflect the same in others. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Winter Solstice Challenge

Did ya'll know that from today, December 22, onward we gain 3 minutes of sunlight each day? How awesome is that! Winter Solstice heralds the return of increased light to the land until Summer Solstice, when the cycle reverses itself. When I heard the 3 minute tidbit, I conjured up an Inner Constellation Challenge, and here it is:

Commit to sit for 3 minutes each day from now until Summer Solstice (June 21) while intending two things:

• quieting the mind
• opening the heart

Here's a tip that helps me benefit from 3 minutes of increased light: consider placing your hand on your heart while simply breathing easily but fully. Doing these two things naturally brings focus to the heart-center. I believe you might be surprised with the light that comes in. I want to hear your insights. Send me an email, drop me a line, accept this Inner Constellation Challenge, let there be light!

Rumi, Beloved Son

Today, December 17, is the Urs of Rumi, the anniversary of the death of the Sufi poet, Jelaluddin Rumi. This day is observed by Sufis much as a “feast day” is observed in the Christian tradition. In honor of this mind-blowing poet, I’m highlighting him in the Freedom Series. I got to pondering, what made Rumi free? I come back to his practice of turning toward Creator at every opportunity. The “turn,” or moving meditation done by the dervishes, is said to have originated with Rumi, and is not only metaphoric but physical. Dervish literally means, “doorway,” an ecstatic dance of surrender whereby the one who turns is pulled ever toward the center of the universe, the empty space where human and divine meet. Definitely sounds like an Inner Constellation metaphor to me! Rumi was a matzub, or holy person, who not only arrived at union or presence but expressed the turning toward his North Star most beautifully. Enough jibber-jabber, it’s time for some of my favorite Rumi lines—let the man speak for himself!

• "Stop the words now.
  Open the window in the center of your chest,
  and let the spirits fly in and out."
  
  
• "Let the beauty we love be what we do.
  There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground."
  
  
•  “These pains you feel are messengers.
  Listen to them. Turn them to sweetness.”
  
  
•  “Let the beloved be a hat pulled down firmly on my head.”
  
  
•   “The universe and the light of the stars come through me.
  I am the crescent moon put up
  over the gate of the festival.”
  
  
•  “Listen to the presence inside poems,
  Let them take you where they will.
  Follow those private hints,
  and never leave the premises.”