Rise Up

I'm sitting in a motel room in Sacramento, California, after a lengthy train ride from Denver that was delayed by a workday, essentially, if you want to think of time in those terms. Getting on a train at all, however, releases us of those time boundaries. By the time I stepped off into a warm night that should have been a mid afternoon yesterday, I was hungry and giddy from lack of sleep and being boxed up and wheeled across the western half of the country in a day and a half.

So here I sit, aware it's that time to write my monthly blog entry, and without a theme. So let's go with Easter. Because today is Easter. If you celebrate, I wish you a day filled with blessings that only resurrection can bring. In fact, whether or not you celebrate, I wish you this. Because we need more rising up and more blessings in this time in this world.

The definition of resurrection is "the action or fact of restoring a dead person to life or of being restored to life," or "the revitalization or revival of something." The emphasis here is on bringing back to life.

Some days I feel pretty dead, in the sense of hopelessness about the state of this Ordinary Reality Middle World in current times. Some days I wake up and immediately reach out to my helpers, in particular one who places a comforting shawl around my shoulders to protect me from whatever onslaught occurs when I rise and drink coffee and open the "news."

Some days I rebel in little ways, like refusing to listen to the grating and inane voice of the President of the United States. Some days I choose bigger ways to rebel against a culture of greed, misogyny and prejudice against those who are different- including the Beings with 4 legs, fins or feathers, and the Mother who gives us all a home. On these bigger days, I rise up and go out into this world with a story to tell that someone else isn't able to put into words, or with an extra kindness for someone who has life not so good as I am blessed to have it, even if I am already swamped with tasks, or I just walk down the street or into an appointment smiling and singing. It's pretty contagious!

In fact, I've been thinking a lot about those with a less blessed life than I currently have, and a couple people in my sphere in particular. One is confined most of the time to a wheelchair and experiences chronic pain. All the time. Chronic pain is not really anyone's friend, I suppose, but more a constant companion who can drive a person to despair and anger, just out of sheer continual physical discomfort, which transforms to mental anguish, emotional overwhelm, psychic detachment and spiritual abandon. She is at times at the end of her rope, and a small simple gesture like bringing salad from the hospital cafeteria is a welcomed event- and despite her own pain, she shows such grace in apologizing for a bad mood and thanking me for visiting. She rises up and finds the life inside herself to give back.

Last week I had the honor of presenting a shamanic healing session for a group of caregivers through AARP Wyoming. I stood on stage and went through my explanation of those 5 aspects of health that make up the whole healthy person: physical> mental> emotional> psychic> spiritual, and how one unbalance can create imbalance in another aspect of the whole soulful human health experience. Then we did an exercise. I drummed and sent the audience to find one of three specific healing spaces.

The best part of the evening was hearing those caregivers return 12 minutes later to the Ordinary Reality room at the public library where they all sat- except those brave enough to take one of the yoga mats available and surrender to lying down for the experience. Phrases like "I never allowed myself before," "completely refreshed," "time disappeared" and "floating weightless" told me the exercise had been successful. These hard working care givers, whether professional or family members caring for loved ones, had found a resurrection of sorts.

I concluded by saying, "You can try this at home. Please do."

Feeling like you need some balance, or straight up resurrection? Rise up and give yourself permission!

Please be in touch if I can help.