Priestess in Blue Jeans

Be the Love (follow Aphrodite's lead)

Happy Valentine's Day!

While this day is best known for flowers, chocolates, and Valentine's cards -- all very yummy -- we can spread the good juju far and wide by being the Love.

You've had those experiences, I'm sure. You know, when someone was incredibly thoughtful, considerate, kind, or loving towards you?

[Read the full post, and a gem about Venus-Aphrodite, the Goddess of Big Love (and Real Worth), at the Feminine Mojo Blog. Since new posts will be posted in Feminine Mojo, consider subscribing to receive the new posts.]

With Big Love,

Jamie

Image Credit: detail from Primavery by Sandro Botticelli

Do you know how powerful your Heart is?

As I write this, the wind is whipping and howling, the rain is falling, as if the wild-heart of Nature is calling to our own wild, authentic hearts -- that part of us that's natural, Divine, and hasn't been tamed or squished into the box of the status quo.

Speaking of our hearts, maybe you've heard this: "Where your heart is, there you will find your treasure."

There is a major shift of consciousness happening, to return us to our hearts. After wandering around in our heads for an age, our beautiful hearts are yearning for reconnection and fuller expression.

Maybe you've heard the questions, or asked them yourself: "Where is your heart?" "Is your heart in it?" or maybe you or someone you know has said, "My heart just isn't in it."

Or we just may feel like something's off, or something's missing. We feel the yearning of the heart.

Returning to heart, living from heart, and putting our hearts on the line takes courage.

Did you know that the root of the word 'courage' - cor, or coeur - means heart?

Read the rest of this article & the full edition of the Mojo-Seazine ...

Love & Mojo,

Jamie

Image Credit: Rhodochrosite is a vibrant pink stone associated with the heart-center.

Pisces Full Moon & the Open Heart

"If you send out goodness from yourself, or if you share that which is happy or good within you, it will all come back to you multiplied ten thousand times. In the kingdom of love there is no competition; there is no possessiveness or control. The more love you give away, the more love you will have."

~ John O'Donahue (Anam Cara)

Wow! The last month has just been wild in the energetic realms, and no doubt some of that 'wild' has found its way into each of our lives.The call to return to our wild hearts.

If we haven't realized it by now, a key 'lesson' of our times is that really learning to 'let go, let be', to trust the flow and unfolding of Life, is the essence of navigating perpetual change. That means reconnecting to inner Wisdom, to intuition.

That's a lot easier to do when we're cultivating an open heart, a strong heart connection. I'm not talking about greeting-card, romance-novel, chick-flick 'little love'. I'm talking about the fill-your-heart, overflowing Big Love. The Love that mystics and sages from many traditions say banishes fear. The cultivated Heart that shines with intuitive knowing, connection, empathy, and compassion.

This is the perfect focus for the Pisces Full Moon: a big, shining full moon, reflecting back the brilliance of the sun, and super-powering connection, psychic capacity, intuition, and compassion. (On the toxic side, if you're spiraling that way, it can be addiction (to numb the sensitivity) and unhealthy (or nonexistent) boundaries.)

As strange as it sounds, cultivating a strong, open, Big Love heart takes practice, even though it's so much who we truly are. We live in a culture whose machines are fueled by (and thus cultivate, very effectively) fear, to which the opened heart is a threat because a cultivated heart, flowing the Big Love, is more powerful than we might imagine.

I remember 5 or 6 years ago, receiving a vision of how the power of the heart field worked, and how it radiated outward from us and affected -- or alchemized -- all around us. I didn't, then, have the words for what that meant. And I was just in the midst of a journey from head to heart (a journey that continues, and which I'll share more about in upcoming posts here or in my Sophia's Children blog). But for now...

With more recent research on consciousness and the power of the heart field and 'emotional intelligence', we know and can articulate a lot more.

The electromagnetic field of the heart, for example, is 5000 times more powerful than that of the brain, according to research by Heartmath. 'Heart intelligence' includes a potent magnetizing or alchemy potential, as my own experience has shown me, and also a powerful intuitive and empathic capacity. We see more easily 'through the eyes of the Divine'. Our inspiration and creativity flow more easily. We're more well. And on, and on.

When we're fearful and anxious, we constrict, and tend to 'be in the head', in the past or future -- anywhere but the present, anywhere but the heart. Oh the chatter, the judgments, the fear-inducing 'what ifs'! The mind is pretty good at that; it's been well-trained and is well-maintained by the Fear Machine that makes us good, if somewhat mindless, consumers and drones.

I'm guessing that we're on the planet for a whole lot more than that. You?

When we relax and bring our awareness to our heart center, breathing into it like a gentle bellows stoking the spark to fire, we can easily begin to feel the difference between the fear-full mind and the powerful heart-center. We begin to get an inkling -- we're remembering something we deeply know but have been conditioned into forgetting -- that Love really is the most powerful force.

Don't take my word for it; try it yourself and see, feel and know. Mmmmmm, the Big Love, the open heart. Perfect practice for this Pisces full moon.

Blessings and Lots of Heart-Full Juju,

Jamie

To explore and dive into Heart, the Mystery, and the gifts of the Feminine, join me for the Autumn season of the new Feminine Mojo Mystery School.

Image Credits: creative-commons Heart from Clker; public-domain full moon rising from NASA.

It's all about the Love

With Monday's new moon in Leo coming right up, we're reminded to reorganize around and touch into the Big Love, one of the big-hearted Leo's qualities. How do we let our big Love-Light shine more fully, so it warms and energizes everything we do?

I've just started reading Paulo Coelho's book, The Witch of Portobello. My partner gave the book to me as a gift, and when I was moved to put it on the top of my reading list this week, I knew it contained messages that are timely. That's so often how it works these days!

In keeping with the upcoming Leo new moon, an excerpt in the book leapt out at me. The wisdom is shared through one of the story's characters, Father Giancarlo Fontana. He was talking about the book's protagonist, and how she had a gift for "possession by the sacred."

"...to a greater or lesser extent, all creative human beings have such experiences, which are known as "possession by the sacred." Suddenly, for a fraction of a second, we feel that our whole life is justified, our sins forgiven, and that love is still the strongest force, one that can transform us forever."

He continues, "But at the same time we feel afraid. Surrendering completely to love, be it human or divine, means giving up everything, including our own well-being or our ability to make decisions. It means loving in the deepest sense of the word. The truth is that we don't want to be saved in the way God has chosen; we want to keep absolute control over our every step, to be fully conscious of our decisions, to be capable of choosing the object of our devotion. It isn't like that with love -- it arrives, moves in, and starts directing everything. Only very strong souls allow themselves to be swept along..." (p. 30-31)

I had to laugh a bit at that; it's been so true for me, recovering 'control freak' that I am. I know that I've yearned deeply for things, desired or wanted something, and of course had my own agenda for what that would look like and when and how it would arrive. Often, more and more, things take shape and unfold in quite a different way!

As Father Fontana says, though, "It isn't like that with love...".  Often, more and more, things take shape and unfold in quite a different way that I might have planned. Such is life in the Via Feminina during times of shapeshift and transformation.

It's a mighty practice to allow ourselves to be swept along by it, or, let Life and Love lead ... to let the Mystery move us.

At least in my experience, Life, Love, and the Mystery have a much more elegant way of unfolding things, so far beyond my expectations, so much more alive and creative. Yet it's a true 'thrill ride' to let go of the reins and trust amidst the uncertainty, to watch the signs, follow the guidance and clues, step by step.

How about you?

I'll explore more musings on the Leo new moon over the next few days - it's a great time to plant Big Love seeds.

Love,

Jamie

Spark your own Big Love - Check out the wisdom and inspiration in the Ivy Sea-Sophialon VIP collection (there's a special going on now).

* Image Credits: NASA public-domain photo of our Sun, and Antonio Canova's Psyche & Eros (The Louvre)

And it's a mighty practice to allow ourselves to be swept along by it, or, let Life and Love lead ... let the Mystery move us.

At least in my experience, Life, Love, and the Mystery have a much more elegant way of unfolding things, so far beyond my expectations. Yet it's a true 'thrill ride' to let go of the reins and trust amidst the uncertainty, to watch the signs, follow the guidance and clues, step by step.

How about you?

I'll explore more musings on the Leo new moon over the next few days - it's a great time to plant Big Love seeds.

Love,

Jamie

Spark your own Big Love - Check out the wisdom and inspiration in the Ivy Sea-Sophialon VIP collection (there's a special going on now).

* Image Credits: NASA public-domain photo of our Sun, and Antonio Canova's Psyche & Eros (The Louvre)

Living at the Edge of Uncertainty

 I used to think that there were things that were certain, that I could count on without question. Yet much of my life, it seems, has been more a dance at the edges of uncertainty, as if uncertainty itself wants to be my dance partner.

Several years ago, when every marker of certainty vanished from the landscape of my life, I came across a bit of wisdom from a Native American wise woman, Gitonda, shared by Geo Trevarthen. She said, "On this path, the foundation gets ripped away time and again until the abyss becomes the foundation."

Kind of sounds like what we're seeing around us right about now, doesn't it?

The nature of the abyss is uncertainty, and pure creative potential. And that's often terrifying, just as it can be exciting, depending on how I'm able to see it. That's the choice, time and time again.

Learning to See With Other Eyes

I had a vivid dream at just about that time, several years ago.

In the dream, I was in this lovely little house at the edge of a forest, and sensed that there was a mob heading for the house. I packed up my two cats (I always remember to gather my cats!) and headed out of the house and into the forest. Suddenly, a great stag appeared and guided me through the thickness of the forest into a small clearing. Boulders formed a wall just ahead of me, and I was aware of the mob coming through the forest behind me. Suddenly, an opening appeared in the boulder-wall..a doorway. My two cats immediately leapt through and into the darkness. I hesitated, thinking, "I need a lantern, but I know the beings who live here live in the darkness, and I don't want to hurt their eyes." As quickly as I thought it, one of the beings -- ancient and wise -- said, "You don't need a lantern. You can see with your other eyes." I went through the opening, and it closed behind me.

Seeing with our 'other eyes' is how we navigate the uncertainty; it's how the abyss becomes our foundation, though our indoctrinated minds can't possibly grasp how that's possible.

Our 'other eyes' are part of our deep Feminine nature, which offers us other ways of seeing and hearing: instinct, intuition, clairvoyance (or clairaudience, clairsentience, or claircognizance), and more.

Remembering What We've Forgotten

I've been on a journey of remembering these gifts, remembering my Feminine nature, and remembering how to see with my other eyes (and even remembering what the hell that meant!) for the last ten years. Each time a 'false foundation' has dissolved beneath me, I've become acquainted with another layer of what's been forgotten, another layer of the gifts of the Feminine. And each time, I've felt the terrifying nature of that uncertainty calling me away from my illusions of 'certainty' and 'security', calling me back into that magical dance of pure creative potential.

This initiation is one I know many of you have experienced, particularly these past ten years as we live toward (and in) the great shift that's underway. It's an initiation that is now underway for many more people. Some have called that '2012', yet it seems more a process than some 'end date' (and according to Carl Johan Calleman, an expert in the Mayan calendar, by December 2012 the great shift of consciousness will already have been upon us).

One of the things that's been most helpful to me -- and there have been more than a few that I'm deeply grateful for -- is to remind myself (and be reminded) that uncertainty is grounds for the pure potential of creativity.

And perhaps this is what we fear most -- that we're powerful beyond belief; creators made in the image of the master Creator.

With that pure creative potential -- as we live and dance in this glorious field of creative potential that is Life -- what do we create? Oil spills, environmental catastrophe, psychopathic corporations, dehumanizing work, dysfunctional relationships, and endless anxiety? For Indigenous cultures that say we dream our 'reality' into being, this would be dreaming a nightmare -- a nightmare stemming from the illusion (the lie) that we're separate from all that's sacred.

Or do we dream into being something that reflects the beauty, elegance, magic, and endless loving abundance of Life itself? A dream that honors Sophia-Gaia, who delights in the wellbeing of her children? Dreaming heartful work, sacred relationships, truly conscious and life-honoring businesses? Dreaming a beautiful, elegant, magical, and endlessly loving and abundant dream?

As I asked into these questions, and prayed for guidance, I kept hearing "Be as you truly are, and do from the loving nature of your Heart, and do it with devotion. Reclaim your magic! Dance with the pure potential creativity of uncertainty!"

When we're able to do that (and for me it's continued deep practice!), the abyss itself becomes our foundation, we're immersed in and overflowing with the Love that is our truest nature, and we fear not tomorrow.

So I've declared June to be a month of exploration and experimentation in dreaming a new dream, inviting and energizing the deep Feminine, and living and dancing at the edge of uncertainty. With joy and creative devotion. Maybe I'll have so much fun that I'll extend it into July. :)

Want to play? Creative magic loves company, and we're in need of a much better dream.

Blessings on the Way,

Jamie

Image Credits: Fractal by Gilbert Santa Rosa (Creative Commons, Spiral Gallery); Circe, by Wright Barker (c. 1900)

* Reference of Geo Trevarthen from Hillary Webb's book, Traveling Between the Worlds

Energy Practices Support Unfolding Vision

Isn't it a wonderful feeling when we're gifted with a new vision -- an image, energetic imprint, yearning, or idea that really beckons us into co-creation? At such times, it seems that anything is possible.

And then we often experience a co-arising of resistance: that within us which is perfectly comfortable with the status quo and doesn't want to risk that seeming comfort and familiarity.

That part of us certainly doesn't want to court failure and whatever we associate with it. "Eeek," it screams, "Back away, don't go there...besides, it's not such a great idea, anyway."

We might suddenly find ourselves thinking of a myriad of reasons why the vision isn't possible, or why we should wait; we might even experience resistance from those around us with whom we share the vision-seed. Sound familiar? To most of us, it is.

Thankfully, there are a whole variety of energy or spiritual practices that really support us in our ability to move forward into a new cycle of creativity and experience.

I've shared several practices and rituals in previous blog posts here or at Sophia's Children, and will share several in this post that can be particularly helpful in supporting your emerging vision and cultivating a new momentum.

Einstellen & Heilstrom - from the work of Bruno Groening

Bruno Groening was a German healer with an immense natural gift for healing, with many 'miracle healings' attributed to his presence and his teachings. Given the times in which he lived in Germany (1906-1959), his gifts and the attention they drew weren't always appreciated by the authorities!

Mr. Groening emphasized that each person has an innate connection to this healing capacity, and encouraged people to tune into the Divine energy or life force to restore health and harmony, and keep themselves on the path of the soul. The Circle organization was created by those close to him, many of whom experienced profound healing and revelation themselves.

The core of what Mr. Groening taught was that illness and unfortunate circumstances were not a natural state; one had to be ready and willing to release any identification with the illness or circumstance; and that by tuning into the healing stream of Divine energy -- einstellen and heilstrom, in German -- one could receive the energy that helps restore the  natural state of health and harmony. His teachings are very similar to the tenets of many other traditions.

The practice of einstellen -- 'tuning in' -- to the heilstrom or 'healing stream' of life force of Divine energy is a restorative meditation which many experience as healing, calming, centering, and heart-opening. Such Divine Love or Divine energy meditations also help us to allow the Mystery to move through us, as the Choktaw Elder, Sequoyah Trueblood, has said.

Emotional Freedom Technique - EFT

EFT is one of the acupuncture/acupressure-meridian-based energy modalities, in which you work with -- and in this case lightly tap on -- particular meridian points to clear energy blocks and the patterns or traumatic memories that are held in the body (and thus energy field). EFT was founded by Gary Craig in 1993, based on the Thought Field Therapy modality created by Dr. Roger Callahan in 1981.

A wide variety of people -- 'EFT masters' -- have explored, expanded upon, and adapted EFT for an array of applications. Two practitioners whose style I've appreciated, are Carol Look and Dr. Patricia Carrington.

Ms. Look has a conversational approach to EFT that can be both amusing and effective -- good combo! She focuses much of her EFT work on abundance, since it seems to open up the Motherlode of issues that are unhelpfully limiting or problem-causing.

Dr. Carrington is known for her 'Choices Method', including one application that brings forward a recollection of positive experiences and states of mind/energy and anchors them in the body and energy field.

If you're a believer that what you're predominantly thinking, feeling, and ruminating about has an effect on what you experience -- or even if you'd just like to feel more relaxed, centered, intuitive, and resourceful, practices like the ones I've shared here can be powerful and easy to use allies as you live into a new vision and cycle of creative expression and experience.

Blessings from your Vision Priestess,

Jamie