In a Perfect World....

Recently this question was posed to me, "In a perfect world, where you need not worry about making money or supporting yourself, what would you chose to do?" When I heard the question, it reminded me of North Star, and the idea of identifying and embracing what is most important in your life. OK, I'm not avoiding the question, I'll divulge my answer, but first--how do you answer the question: In a perfect world, whereby everything you need is provided for, what would you chose to do?

My answer is two-fold, I would write and I would act generously. Now, I don't know about you all, but my answer begs the question, why wait until everything is provided in order to do my heart's desire? In fact, perhaps the heart's desire is the path to receiving abundantly. And, then, to go even deeper, perhaps we are always absolutely provided for.

I had a friend once who governed her life in the following way--she made a deal with her Creator, agreeing to do her heart's desire under the expectation that all her needs would be met. I have known this friend for over 10 years and her expectations have been granted every time (sometimes in the nick of time, but met none the less). The Inner Constellation Blog is the perfect venue for pursuing my heart's desire--to write (thank you for indulging me). I'm in the stages of developing a Pilot Program which will fulfill the second part of my heart's desire--to act generously.

Remembering the universal law that whatever we give our attention to increases, it make sense that following our hearts' desires will bring increased abundance. Tonight, I wish upon a star and make a promise to follow my heart's desire. I release it now into cyberspace--stay tuned for the IC Pilot Program coming soon!

Invoke Your Muse

I just spent the last half hour enraptured by a Monarch butterfly feeding on my wildflowers. She's still there as I write this, probing and seeking out the juiciest parts of the flowers. As I watched, I got to thinking about a poem I wrote and the lines kept tumbling through my head. Blessings to you on this beautiful summer day, may this poem provide inspiration....


Invoke the Muse
©Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

Lay me down 
in a field of green.

Gossamer wings
flutter near.

Like a honey bee
enter me,
expose sweet nectar center.

Before pulling free
dance with me,
lead and I will follow.

Star of divinity
constellate me,
reveal:
a song,
a poem.
I’ll engrave it all—
Lay
me
down.

Remembering Your Goodness

Happy day, IC friends, I’m currently reading a book entitled, “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.” Perhaps you’ve read it? It was voted one of the ten best books of the year, and so I couldn’t resist (besides the intriguing title). This morning I read a line that stuck. A character by the name of Eben Ramsey wrote a letter reflecting on the time of German occupation, “We clung to books and to our friends; they reminded us that we had another part to us.” I pondered if the “they” were friends, books or both. We’ve all known people who have nurtured and reminded us of our best parts and forgave our not-so-best parts. Books can do a very similar service but in the guise of characters or human insights shared. I got to thinking how I’ve befriended many a book (what can I say, it’s a Saturday and I’m feeling whimsical). As a kid, Harriet the Spy was one of my best loved characters. The curious and intensely honest girl filled notebook after notebook with life’s observations. Uh, wow, does that sound familiar! A similar inspiring favorite was Harry Potter (is there something to the name?). Most recently, I’d vote “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett as a most exquisite read.

My closest befriending of a book was with "Child of God", the story I wrote about Joan of Arc. It was a seven year project involving travel to France, pouring over trial transcripts and then creating a first person account of Joan's life and visions with what she referred to as, “the Voice.” I published "Child of God: The Humble Beginnings of Joan of Arc" in Kindle electronic format. In this day and age, you can befriend a book in a few seconds!

Eben Ramsey’s wise words, “…they reminded us that we had another part to us,” sum up perfectly what great books and good friends do—connects us to a deeper part of ourselves in spite of situations that counter otherwise. OK, TTFN, gotta go write in my notebook!

Everything is Energy

I don't watch a lot of Oprah, but I highly value her generosity and big heart. A friend of mine sent me an email mentioning a topic addressed on her final show: "It's all ENERGY!" Her show topic supports one of the Inner Constellation truths attributed to Albert Einstein: Everything is energy. I did my research and here's what influential Oprah had to say:

“You are responsible for the energy that you create for yourself, and you’re responsible for the energy that you bring to others. Please take responsibility for the energy you bring into this space.” 

Her call to action may sound a bit woo-woo, but I have a simple story to illustrate Oprah's point. I must warn you, if you're a rabbit lover, you may wish to not read on....About four years ago, there was a large forest fire in our area, and since the fire, rabbits have overpopulated our neighborhood. This summer season not only did we have our typical adult rabbits but two babies galloped around, jumping over rocks, chasing each other and eating up our lawn. They were so cute, we didn't mind too much. But then, of course, the flowers started disappearing. So, using the power of my thoughts (energy), whenever I thought of the rabbits taking over the hood, I turned my thoughts to the good and simply envisioned fat, yummy bunnies for anyone needing a dinner. A few days later we found a huge pile of coyote skat in our fenced yard, then, a black cat started visiting. He's been around for about three weeks, looks very healthy and well feed and the flowers are doing great! Now, I'm pretty sure Oprah would think me an irresponsible brute, but this brings us to the next Inner Constellation truth: Energy never dies it just changes form: flowers, to bunnies, to cats, to coyotes, to me, sitting and thinking about what it is I want versus what it is I don't want. And now, for the third IC truth (drum roll please...)--we are all ENERGY! 

Nature's Remedy

Wild Rose in water,
I drink from thee
and feel your effect immediately--
like medicine you open a closed part of me.

After finishing a run this weekend, I wrote the above ditty in tribute to the Wild Alpine Rose. I discovered the Wild Rose within weeks of moving to the mountains and continue to make tea from its petals and rosehips. One of my favorite energy techniques is to borrow properties from nature when I need a pick-me-up. In my work with people, I've noticed a tendency to sometimes wall off our hearts, perhaps as a survival instinct, especially in the event of trauma. If I feel this tendency within myself, I purposely look to remedy it by choosing to focus on the opposite--opening. For me, two wonders of the natural world inspire opening--roses and the waxing moon.

If you're lucky enough to have Wild Rose growing in your area, try picking a tight bud and after carefully running under water, place it either in a cup of boiled water for tea or straight into a quart of filtered water, where it will stay fresh for days. Wild Rose has a very pleasing, delicate taste. I wouldn't suggest domestic Roses due to dyes and pesticides. Rosehips are slightly sweeter and hold the seed pods of the Rose when left un-pruned and in its wild state. The fruit is typically scarlet to orange and can be gathered in the fall and added to tea as a natural sweetener.

Moon water is easily harvested using filtered water and preferably a capped, glass container. Old wine bottles work great. I place my water out after sunset and retrieve it in the morning. The moon begins its waxing cycle on July 30. Consider taking advantage of its fullness and voila, drink down the moon!

Jaycee Lee Dugard

If you watched the ABC interview with Jaycee Dugard a few days ago, perhaps like me, you’ve been thinking about this remarkable woman. Specifically, I find myself pondering the North Star she held in sight during her eighteen years of captivity—hope in seeing her mother again. As the interview began, Jaycee touched a delicate silver pinecone necklace that hung around her neck, saying it represented two vivid reminders. Physically, the pinecone was the last object she remembered touching before she was lifted bodily into her captor’s car, and metaphorically, that “there is hope after something tragic.” Her life gives witness to one of my favorite processes—energy changing form or transformation.

Jaycee spoke of another anchor to her North Star of hope, the moon. While in captivity, she looked out her tiny barred window at the moon and thought of the conversations with her mom. They used to debate which stage was most beautiful, full or crescent. Days before she was reunited with her mother, both women recalled looking at the moon and thinking of each another.

Holding onto hope was Jaycee’s mother’s North Star as well. She relentlessly believed in her daughter’s return and upon its arrival eighteen long-years later, embraced her and the two children fathered by her abductor. I was glued to the interview, wondering how on earth they survived such tragedy. Jaycee spoke candidly when she was asked about the shame of what she suffered, “Why not look at it, stare it down.” This brave, brave woman knows the wisdom of not turning away from suffering. I thought of the gift of energy therapy and the physical techniques used to release stored trauma from the body. I wondered what she did to move such energy through and foster healing. About this time, the film crew filmed Jaycee riding a horse, with spine straight and a joyful smile on her face.

Jaycee spoke another clue to surviving her ordeal—remembering her identity. Her abductors blotted out her given name and had called her Alyssa. On August 27, 2009, when two police women followed their intuition and asked an estranged-looking girl her name, she said she could not speak it but could write it down—Jaycee Lee Dugard. At the end of the interview, Jaycee’s clear, arresting blue eyes communicated beyond words the significance of acknowledging her true identity, “...it was like breaking an evil spell.”

We are celestial, boundless, an entire universe. Remember this in darkest night; nay, shine in spite of it! Thank you, Jaycee Lee Dugard, for embodying the ideals of Inner Constellation; you are a shining star.

Open Slightly Your Hearts

“Open Slightly Your Hearts”
© Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

Eve approaches and night wears on.

I crave stillness,

peace and calm,

falling into beloved arms.

Shed the cloaks of this world,

slip between the veils.

Minds let go, souls take flight,

carried bare and vulnerable to the heights.

Eyes closed to outward form,

an entire world is born.

Heaven exposed, boundaries none,

moon eclipses sun.

Your strong hands grasp the stars,

with arms flung wide, you cast them broad.

I stand in awe, showered in sparks,

of first creation.

Glittering seeds cascade to earth,

find loamy soil and nestle in.

Husks fall away,

surrender begins:

flickering,

venturing,

emerging.

Umba Anukliha - “She Runs Through Rain”

There’s a Native American ceremony that typically happens in the summer called Vision Quest, whereby a quester goes out in the elements without tent or modern comforts for four days and prays. The person often holds an intention in mind, not unlike the North Star idea of Inner Constellation. It was at Vision Quest ceremony that I first felt the raw energy of Creator, an elemental characteristic that up until then, I had yet to experience….

Heavy-laden skies seemed to pull in all the power that had gathered beneath them.  A steady rain fell as my three charges and I headed up the mountain towards their individual questing spots. I was assigned to be their “runner” and was responsible for knowing each person’s exact location and ensuring their safety while they visioned. Rain on my bare face and hands felt satisfying beyond words. One of my favorite forms of exercise was trail-running, and ever since I was a kid whenever the skies opened up, it was my goal to get out there and run. My mom used to warn me to listen for thunder and get in if I saw lightning. Now, I was a “runner” at a rainy Vision Quest. My gut felt the significance and my whole body buzzed with expectation. The land secured for the ceremony was deep within the Sierra Nevada range. There were no buildings for protection if the skies lit up, and I was thrilled!

Intentions of the Vision Quest were made clear as soon as all supporters made it back to camp: watch your charges carefully and keep the sacred fire burning. Fire is the heart of any Native American ceremony. It’s tended round-the-clock to ensure it doesn't go out, for that’s the equivalent of pulling the plug on ceremony. The sacred fire heatss the rocks for sweat lodge and receives the prayers of the people. Little did I know we were about to experience some of the worst rain storms ever to hit the Sierras in the summer. Within hours the rain turned torrential and ankle-deep mud rolled down the mountainside and into the fire pit. Supporters worked nonstop for four days to keep the fire burning for questers coming off the hill. All those hours of working the elements of fire and water moved me into what I can only describe as an altered state. "Runners” had taken a vow of silence which added to what constellated inside me. Luckily, singing was permitted, and sing I did—to a dwindling fire, to clouds covering the stars and moon, to myself and others when we were cold and discouraged. Some kind of hope stirred inside that kept my own fire burning for four days and three nights with no sleep and very limited food. I’ve not felt such energy since. I ran on fuel that was not my own. I saw the same raw power in the eyes of the questers who came off the hill and heard it in their voices and visions.

I’ve drawn from the same elemental source since and it hasn't run dry—it seems linked to transformation, that every single thing, no matter how challenging can be transformed and worked with: a gentle mist, constant shower, or a deluge. The vision quest story also highlights “Arrival,” the Inner Constellation idea that every moment holds potential for goodness and reaching one’s destination. Perhaps we don’t need to come in out of the rain or run inside if the sky appears to be falling but can work with the rain life offers and maybe even move through it. Here’s something to consider, maybe the rain is blessing or grace in disguise. We are little seeds showered with the fires of sunshine and also rain, both of which transform us into beautiful creations.

"Like a Bridge Over Troubled Waters..."

Three practices are essential to me when charting my course for the North Star. I think of them as bridges enabling me to cross troubled (sometimes raging!) waters:

1) Body Practice
2) Mind Practice
3) Spirit Practice

Today I'm hankering to look at Spirit Practice. A simple definition of Spirit Practice is stillness: meditation, mantra, breath work, prayer, hypnosis, journaling, EFT, anything that provides a daily dose of peace, quite and contemplation. Spirit Practice is time reserved to connect and align to your North Star. The type of stillness varies according to the individual, but daily practice is most essential. I think of stillness as two parts, a time set a side to process and a time set aside to listen. For many people, creating is a Spirit Practice: writing, painting, dancing, cooking, singing--you get my point. Creating is one supreme example of harnessing life-affirming energy. One of my mom's spirit practices is gardening. She goes out into her flower beds and realigns when life is chaotic around her.

What's your Spirit Practice? Ooooo, I feel an Inner Constellation Challenge coming on: I want to hear about your Spirit Practice. Contact me here with "IC Challenge Spirit Practice" in the message box and you're entered in the monthly drawing for a no-charge Skype session. If you need reminding of the IC Challenge, check out details. Consider experimenting with a daily Spirit Practice and you'll be on your way to reaching your North Star...

"Sail on Silver Girl, Sail on by, your time has come to shine...."

Launch of the Freedom Series

Happy July 4th! To celebrate the day, I'm jump-starting a project I've been working on called the "Freedom Series." In this category of the blog, people are highlighted who live the Inner Constellation life--knowing they are celestial, boundless and an entire universe. To say it simply--they live free. Their identity is beyond circumstance, place or condition. Folks from the past and present age will be featured. With the uprisings over in the East right now, there are so many I.C. Freedom Series peeps it makes my head spin with possibilities! Did you guys hear about the pistol-packing granny over in India? I just heard her story this morning. Don't get your panties in a bunch, she's not putting slugs into people but into oppressive ideals. Firstly, I'd like to celebrate a woman named Iman al-Obeidi. Perhaps you heard of her? The prose below was written end of March 2011, a few evenings after her story had crossed the boundaries of sea and sand and had entered the consciences of people everywhere:

Faith’s Reality
©Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

Iman al-Obeidi—
“faith” in Arabic, her language.

March, 26, 2011, Iman enters a lively swarm:
journalists, countrymen, government officials.
Faith cries out, demanding her story of rape and captivity be heard—
She is a lawyer, you see, in a land with laws just beginning to change.
Weapons pulled, insults shouted, black coat thrown over Iman’s bruised face,
attempting to silence
what cannot be silenced.

I sit on my couch, in God’s blessed America, heart pounding,
taking in a vile scene Libyan countrymen have witnessed for their life’s eternity.
Seeing this is a first for me, a first: woman silenced, bound and whisked away.
I go to bed in dark eve, voicing “freedom”, over and over,
dreaming it,
setting it
like a jewel in night sky.

I wake and exercise Iman’s reality:
speak tenderly, lovingly.
Is it not the most I can do?
Treat others with decency, dignity.
I am blessed to live in circumstance
where my voice has no reason to fear
forcible silence. 

In the eves since faith’s captivity,
I step off into the night
and hold North Star as my guiding light,
wake and shine—
strengthening Iman’s reality. 

(After over 2 months of forcible "house-arrest", Iman was granted political asylum in the U.S. and flown to safety. I find myself wondering how Iman is spending her first 4th of July in a free country.)

North Star

What's your North Star, that which defines what is most important to you in life? If you don't have a clue, maybe it's weekend and you're chillin', ask yourself the following questions for insight:

1) If you could choose one word to describe your ultimate state, what would it be?
2) If you could transform one thing about yourself instantaneously, what would it be?
3) If you could choose one person dead or alive to emulate, who would it be and why?

North Stars are immovable and many times universal. Unlike goals, which can be set and exceeded, North Stars are ideals in which we continually strive toward. We're happiest when we're congruent with our North Stars. For instance, one of my personal North Stars is, "Only 43% of the world is free--do something meaningful with your freedom!" One of the ways I reach this North Star is to write. If I lose track of my North Star and work too much or clean too much and not set time aside to express my freedom of voice, I become a cranky pants. I'm divided inside, split off and not in alignment. It's like my North Star is clouded over. If I clear a few clouds away (with Meridian Tapping, etc.) and find my North Star again, I start heading in the right direction.

Ok, now comes the Inner Constellation Challenge: I want to hear your answers to the above questions. Anyone who accepts the IC Challenge will be entered in a monthly drawing for a no-charge private Skype session. Contact me using this form and type "IC Challenge North Star" in the message box. You're automatically in the monthly drawing occurring on the last day of every month. At that time, I will contact the lucky winner via email. Best of luck and keep your North Star in sight!

Oh, and one last thing. If you're a star-gazer like me and you wish to locate the North Star in the sky, try this link for a clear description on how to find Polaris, or the North Star. Google Sky Map is an awesome app as well.

"Whoaaaaaaa! I Feel Good..."

What's the old saying? "Bad things happen in threes." When you look at all the crazy events people have analyzed, like car accidents, illnesses, etc., it's pretty jaw-dropping to see the clustering that pops up. I had a clustering week. Before the technological difficulties came a slew of disruptions (more than clusters of 3!) that kept me from doing what I was most looking forward to--writing. Then, finally, two days later (I guess that's better than three!), I finally sat down to post and bammo, "saving not allowed," "file too large," basically cyberspace was on the blitz. Only after everything was up and running again, could I see with some detachment. What the heck was going on?

I came to this conclusion: I didn't have technological difficulties, I had vibration difficulties. I used to scoff at the airy-fairy-hippy-dippy word "vibration," until I committed to paying attention to the possibility that everything is simply energy or frequency and will increase when attention is given to it. Where was my attention over the last few days? Hmm, if I'm honest, my attention was on the blog not working (not on the beautiful new design my webmaster was developing), the new router installed that slows downloading connections (not on the awesome new laptop that prompted the router purchase), and my lack of time on my day off (versus the gobs of time to use at my discretion). So what did I get? More of what I was focusing on. The universe is so attentive and we are powerful creators! Where do we chose to direct our focus? I can hear James Brown trying to get our attention:  

"Whoa! I feel nice, like sugar and spice.
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
So nice, so nice, I got you....

{ sax, two licks to bridge }

Whoa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now
I feel good, I knew that I would
So good, so good, I got you
HEY!!