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Posts tagged ‘WildlyFreeWoman’

The Love Ethic – Politics As A Spiritual Journey

“What we don’t engage we cannot transform.”  Marianne Williamson

Less than a week ago we had a national election in the United States.  As I saw it, as women and on behalf of the environment, we  potentially had a lot to lose.  This is why I was so stunned by some women I talked to that had decided not to even vote because it appeared they lacked the passion and motivation to really get involved in making an informed choice.

Some said that their vote wouldn’t count anyway because of our antiquated electoral college system, or even that they lived on the West Coast and it would already be decided before they could even vote.  There wasn’t even a thought about their own community issues and elected officials.  Has “politics” disillusioned us so much that we have become apathetic?

I have to admit that I have been one of those disillusioned ones and have left the arena of politics for others with a stronger stomach.  At the same time I  realize that this is avoidance which results in a lack of change or transformation to the very systems and beliefs that are making us unhappy and imbalanced.  As individuals, as communities, as countries, as a global society.

Many individuals feel that if you are following a spiritual path then politics is something to be avoided.  If Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and many others throughout our time here on Earth had thought that quite a lot of transformation and change would have been completely left undone.  The quote above by Marianne Williamson invites us to ENGAGE with what she calls the “love ethic” in all that we do on behalf of what is important to us.

If we really want a change to happen in our political systems,  a shift in how we steward this planet that shares it’s riches with us, a change to a peace ethic instead of war, or whatever else is vitally important to you, then we really DO need to become engaged and make it a part of our spiritual journey.

In other words “take a stand for another possibility”.  If we do not engage, transformation is truly not possible.  Women in particular have a lot of power to create change in this realm – change that is desperately needed.   This beautiful older woman in the picture above has taken a stand. Her bare feet upon the bark of a tree engaging with her own and nature’s life force on behalf of another possibility.   What is it that you want to take a stand for?  You are never too old…..your actions in whatever unique form DO make a difference!

 

WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview, Reviews and purchase links can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Be The Change, Empowerment, Finding Your Voice

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Friendship Is Seizing The Moment Together!

This picture has now been placed up there on my list of favorites right along with the monks on the roller coaster!  Just having arrived back from a multifaceted trip to the San Francisco Bay area to see two of my 3 sons and celebrate the aliveness and beauty of my two grandchildren I am taken once again with the possibilities that are nested in each moment.

There are many moments that stand out for me on this trip and one of them reflects the C.S. Lewis quote above, as well as the nuns in total abandon saying YES to what they most certainly individually thought of, but may have been afraid to take action on alone.  Have you ever had a moment when you have a thought to do something “out of the box’, look at someone and just know that they are thinking the same thing? What could have been a pretty BIG leap for you alone just turned into an adventure shared by another.

The fact is that you also get double the pleasure, fun, and joy in seizing the moment together…… creating a bond that may be momentary….or may last a lifetime.

Before immersing myself in family during this trip, the ocean called me loud and strong!  Thus the day after I arrived was a day for breathing in salt air, walking at the waters edge, laying in the warm sand, simply being present to the sounds of the waves, and delighting in the spectacular day.  I can still feel the smile on my face as I walked down the so familiar beach at Salmon Creek feeling the exhilarating cold water on my legs. Visual memories flooded in.  There were so many times a Sunday group of women I had gathered together, called Babes In Wetsuits, would ride the top of waves screaming with joy while careening into shore.

Now you must understand that I was born and raised in San Diego and the beach to me was home.  The salt water my bathtub.  Keeping this in mind you will understand this little tale I will now tell you.  While reluctantly walking back along the shore to my car parked high up on the cliff side parking lot I lingered just a little longer in the surf as my feet sunk into the wet sand. Just before me was a woman that caught my attention because of the huge smile she had on her face.  This grown woman…it turns out Teresa from Salt Lake City, Utah…was gazing at the water running over her feet and the waves coming into shore with complete and utter joy.

I knew this feeling and was drawn to talk to her for a bit.  Starting the conversation with, “isn’t this all so beautiful?”, I learned very quickly that she was entranced by this watery and sunlit world.  Teresa spoke easily of her love for the ocean and the mountains and wished that she could have both, upon which I said that there are indeed places in the world where there are both in the same location.

Our love for this moment bonded us – complete strangers – into a connection that was wrought of falling totally into the moment together.  I told her of my Babes in Wetsuits group and she laughed.  In fact I said, ‘if I had my bathing suit on I would most likely go right into this water and dive in even though I would freeze my butt off!”  She looked over at me with a brilliant smile on her face and said – “I probably would too!”

We mutually agreed that life is way too short to hold back from stepping through the open door when opportunities are presented.  Although our legs were wet what both of us really wanted to do was dive right in.   In a way we did by communicating that with each other.  With a touch on a shoulder we went our separate ways enriched by the connection made in the salt water of the Pacific ocean.

If Teresa from Salt Lake City, Utah ever reads this post – please know that there is a playmate ready to dive right in.  You are not alone!

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WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview, Reviews and purchase links can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Authenticity, Seizing the Moment, Vital Health & Well Being

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This One Wild And Precious Life – What To Do With It?

“Nature gives her secrets. There is no need to grab, there is no need to kill, there is no need to break the lock. Love nature, and nature gives you her secret. Love is the key.” ~ OSHO

BREATHING as an early morning playmate to help you step into the day!

We always have a part in whatever is happening in our lives.  What an empowering principle to follow…

There is not one moment that is less or more important than another.  They ALL contribute to the fullness of who we are…

Where do you want to live from???

My deep gratitude to all those that distribute pictures and words of wisdom such as these.  So many came my way today that I couldn’t decide on just one to put up for a post.  Do reflect and act from the teachings of each moment.  Be surprised!

“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it……” Dalai Lama XIV

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WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview,Purchase Links, and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Authenticity, Awareness, Vital Health & Well Being

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Arbitrary Moments of Nearly Painful Happiness

“…..This is my true religion; arbitrary moments of nearly painful happiness for a life I feel privileged to lead.  Think of the way you sometimes see a tiny shaft of sunlight burst through a gap between rocks, the way it then expands to illuminate a much larger space – it’s like that.  And it’s like quilting, a thread surfacing and then disappearing into the fabric of ordinary days.  It’s not always visible but it’s what holds everything together.”  From The Art of Mending,by Elizabeth Berg, page 148

I was taken by these few sentences in the novel I just finished reading.  As the summer stretches out before us it gives us time to consider those “arbitrary moments of nearly painful happiness” where we are touched deeply and often irrevocably changed.  These moments are within everything that we do, even those seemingly endless tasks that we set before us.

Isn’t it these experiences that wake us up……. pausing to take a  breath and simply becoming quiet enough to appreciate the moments of pure art, magic and beauty that pour themselves in and through our lives every single day.

What would you miss if you weren’t here?   Transformational coach Cheryl Richardson lists a few of her things below.

…..”I thought about the little things that bring me joy that I’d miss – the things that often go unnamed as important.  Things like a bird’s nest under construction that captures my attention each morning while I enjoy a cup of tea.  The way my cat Poupon covers his eyes with his paw when he naps, making me smile every time, regardless of how many times I see him do it.  Or, trees billowing in my backyard like soft sheets on a clothesline when a strong breeze blows.  And, of course, the beautiful, nuanced moments that occur when I connect with others. ” Cheryl Richardson

Now is the time to pay attention….sometimes they sneak up on you when you are least expecting it!  Embrace….they are woven into the fabric of your life…

WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Awareness, Vital Health & Well Being

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Restoring Your Faith in Humanity

Passion, Power and Purpose by Pamela Turczyn

“Slow down
Open your eyes,
and every living thing will tell you its story.  Dewitt Jones

I had a conversation with a good friend the other day about how many good, loving and compassionate acts of kindness and support were going on every single minute of every day.  We are lead to believe that the negative, ruthless, cruel and violent actions far outweigh the good.

I, for one, do not believe that.  It is in our conscious acts of extending a smile, a kind word, an unselfish and fearless offering of our time, passion,  and attention that we heal the connections that yearn to come back into the whole of the fabric of the quilt we call life. Through the potential of our “passion, power and purpose” (thank you Pamela Turczyn!) we sweep away the fears that keep us locked in a prison of our own creation.

The link below has captured via images many of these moments.  It served as a meditation the other morning and changed the fabric of my day.  This week remember that you can be the initiator of one of these actions.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/pictures-that-will-restore-your-faith-in-humanity

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WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Be The Change, Courage, Kindness

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Celebrating Natural Beauty

This last Friday I was privileged to watch “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”.   There are many reasons why I found this film delightful, but one of them was that these older actors and actresses were not changed to look younger than their years.  Instead there were lines on faces and bodies that showed age and a life lived.  Each person was a character study in where life had taken them up until the moment that they all found themselves together at the Magnolia Hotel….and by the end of the movie each person had come full circle into acceptance of who they were whether it was by death or by taking a good hard in the face look at life and what they wanted now.

The video below shows Cheryl -Ann Webster and what she is doing to open women and men’s minds to the acceptance of themselves just as they are.  Her Beautiful Women project focuses on what is natural and beautiful in this world versus a socially created image which is unattainable for most people.  She has found that 80% of women, when asked, would change several things about their bodies and appearance if they could and 50% of men.  Are you one of those 80%.  I know that I have been. Cheryl-Ann reminds us that body image is NOT black and white.

Aging, if done gracefully, brings us the wisdom to accept the changes that are inevitable.  It is almost a relief not to feel compelled to mold ourselves into a socially acceptable rendition of what society feels we should look and be like.  The characters in the Marigold Hotel movie are simply being themselves and at times struggling with the fact that they have aged.  Yet in the end, there is a celebration of the natural beauty and wisdom that has been seasoned over the years, and a deeper self acceptance and knowing.

When is it time to accept our bodies and our own natural beauty?  How about now….

WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Acceptance, Authenticity, Self Love

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Feminine Force Transforming Fear Into Love

Several years ago I was privileged to study with many curandera’s high in the hills above Mexico City.  Hardly knowing any Spanish at all I found at the end of 12 days spent there that I was dreaming in the language! This is a testament to the deep healing and opening that occurred as I sat, communed, ate, observed and learned from these very wise people.

I love the face of Grandmother Margarita here as it reminds me of the wisdom, love and passion that women grow into as they age.  Sometimes I don’t quite know how to take steps in this elder life of mine as it seems so different from what came before, but the words below remind me of what is so vitally important for women to remember.  Thank you to Awakening Women Institute for sharing this on Facebook!

Wise words from Grandmother Margarita Núñez García, Curandera and Wisdom Keeper, Mexico (Ingles y Español):

1. The awakening Feminine power corresponds to the heart and affects men and women equally. We are born with two possibilities, love and fear, and this feminine force is urging the transformation of fear into love.

2. Change will occur at the hands of women. For thousands of years (during pre-patriarchal times) woman was considered equal to man, and Earth was never poisoned, then both circumstances changed. The role of women is to honor and value herself and to teach men to love and respect the Earth.

3. Sex is sacred and it is being trivialized.

4. Older people are “like spun gold” for society — at that age it is an ideal time to share experiences and wisdom. According to the Mayan cycles of 13 years, when people turn 52 years of age [note: meaning 4 cycles of 13 years], they “open to universal fatherhood-motherhood,” so any feelings we have of victim-hood should stop and we should say “here I am.”

5. Death does not exist, our consciousness, our spirit, survives the physical body.

6. We are all sacred beings and we should honor ourselves.

7. Our thoughts have the power to create our reality.

8. Joy is an important ingredient in life. Shared with deep respect and prayers for the well being of Grandmothers and Wisdom Keepers of all traditions.

Translated from the Spanish, by Grace Alvarez Sesma.

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WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.NaturalWealthJournal.com
www.WildlyFreeWoman.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Be The Change, Empowerment, Feminine Presence

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Arise, Sisters!

Yesterday I attended a rally to protest what is being called “The War On Women” here in Austin, Texas. (with many men and government officials present as well!) Today I received an e-mail about this experience which is reproduced below.   In addition, I was reminded again about how powerful the media can be to undermine women and girls in the way we perceive ourselves by a video called Miss Representation which I have posted on this blog before.

All of this points to the absolute necessity for women to become active on behalf of themselves and all other women and girls on this planet.  Without our direct individual and group participation in countering this backward slide into the “dark ages” for women’s rights and basic human needs we will become complicit instead of empowered.

E-mail regarding the “War On Women” rally:

Yesterday there was a rally at the capitol to protest the War on Women.   It was a far smaller turnout than I had anticipated.  As speaker after speaker said, the gains of the past 40 years are being pushed down the drain by a very active radical right.  Little by little, our rights are being eroded, from the loss of equal pay in Wisconsin (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/18/scott-walker-equal-pay-repeal_n_1434886.html)  to the intrusion of vaginal probe ultrasounds being required prior to abortion (Texas).  Each of us needs to decide what our comfort level is regarding these changes, and regarding our own actions in response.  If these changes cause you concern, you might want to contribute to Annie’s List, a Texas organization dedicated to getting women elected who share the same concerns.  http://annieslist.com/Default.aspx

And a video that shows how the media is undermining women.  Let us all think about what kind of action we can take to shift this very negative long term trend that is greatly effecting our young women and girls world wide!

WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Be The Change, Empowerment, Finding Your Voice

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We Are The Sum Of The Choices We Make

Never give up, never give up, never give up sings Gypsy Soul singer Cilette Swann.  We are truly the sum of the choices we make in life.  The song you will listen to below invites us to wake up from our slumber and ask these questions:

Do I give enough?

Do I love enough?

Do I trust enough?

Do I risk enough?

Did I ever give up on anyone?

Questions to not only ask ourselves frequently, but vibrantly, passionately,  and mindfully live in order to be able to say YES! to all but the last question!!

Addendum: “Did I allow myself to receive enough” for all of you women out there that have given until you had nothing left to live your life with….

WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net

www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Authenticity, Empowerment, Self Love

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Make A Way For Yourself

Photo by Marisue Mullins

Listen.

Make a way for yourself inside yourself. Stop looking in the other way of looking.

~ Rumi

Sometimes we are enveloped in darkness and shadows and can’t see clearly enough to find our way back on the path.  A woman often thinks that once she gets older (and wiser presumably!) that her path will be well lit always.  That may not be the case however.

Yesterday Austin had powerful and passionate weather.  I had my first taste of hail the size of – well no, not golfballs, but about half that size anyway.  My patio was filled with these white orbs from the sky.  One minute I was engrossed in a book that I was reading and the next thing I know thunder rocks the house.  Soon following that the hail started and it was the most amazing thing as the temperatures here have been in the high 70’s and up through the 80’s.  How is it possible to have hail with such warm temperatures?  I know there is a scientific explanation for all of this, but sometimes we just have to admit that it just is and marvel at the diversity of it all!

After this great storm (in which tornadoes touched down in other parts of Texas!) it was like it never even happened.  The sun was uncovered and light came streaming in.  The picture above represents one single stream of light amidst the gloaming after the storm shining on the Buddha statue.  Notice the shadows as well.

These are the areas that are not clear to us as we walk along our unique paths.  What possibilities lay in the shadows and in the storms of life??  Arising from the inside.  Listen.

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

WEBSITE:
www.ResonanceWithLife.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Awareness, Divine Inspiration

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