Gratitude – A Life-Affirming Act of Hope and Possibility
Adventures in Awareness Issue #18
“A great deal of the chaos in the world occurs because people don’t appreciate themselves.” - Chogyam Trungpa, Buddhist meditation master (28 Feb 1939-4 Apr 1987
Gratitude
A Life-Affirming Act of Hope and Possibility
As American Thanksgiving approaches and in light of recent events in Paris and Beirut, I am in a reflective mood. As I speak with others, I find they are also in this reflective place and contemplating what can be done individually and collectively to alleviate these horrific acts among us.
As I continue to send prayers to those souls directly impacted, my response to the violence is to envision our world as described so eloquently and movingly by the words of John Lennon’s “Imagine”: …Nothing to kill or die for…Imagine no possessions - I wonder if you can - No need for greed or hunger - A brotherhood of man - Imagine all the people - Sharing all the world…You may say I’m a Dreamer - But I’m not the only one.
In the midst of the violence and carnage over this last decade, there are myriad stories of individual and collective acts of bravery, heroism, kindness and compassion that come to light as a result of these events. As odd as this may sound, I found myself being grateful, not for the violence that is happening of course, but that these acts are causing us to examine our human values, our societal and government systems, and how we can close our hearts by focusing on our differences rather than our similarities.
Humanity now has multiple opportunities to join our spirits and our voices to have heart-connected conversations that allow us to resolve our issues without violence or hatred. In my view, this confluence of events are catalysts for change directly related to the “Pressure” theme described for this month (see Energy Soup Report below).
My service mission as a professional coach is to ‘give my clients back to themselves’ by supporting them to rediscover their soul’s Essence and life purpose, and to live from the wisdom of their hearts. I am grateful to have my work, and my soul’s mission merge to create joy in doing my job every day. I rejoice in the knowledge that each of my clients is impacting many, many others within their spheres of influence, creating a ripple effect by living this heart alignment day by day. My hope is that as this happens, those heart-connected conversations will bathe our world in hope and new possibilities, creating peaceful resolutions to conflict, injustice, and inequality.
In the end, what I’m grateful for are hope and possibility, and the knowledge that I can contribute to both every day by being the change I want to see in our world, and catalyzing my clients to make their unique contributions to building a more harmonious world.
CONTINUING THIS ADVENTURE INTO AWARENESS
What are you grateful for?
What are your hopes and visions of possibilities for a more harmonious world?
I invite you to consider these questions and, as you do, notice what new awareness emerges from within you. And please remember to have FUN on that awareness adventure into the question, okay?
Happy exploring!
Amoráh
THE ENERGY SOUP REPORT:
Since we’re all inextricably interconnected to each other, our planet, and our universe, here are some of the energies we’re all swimming in together right now:
New Moon - Nov 11th 9:47 AM [Pacific Time] ~ remember that New Moons are times to go within and examine what we desire to create or bring forth next.
The Power Path ~This is a time for quiet celebration, acceptance of change, and making choices. If you have been ambivalent or in resistance around certain issues that require a choice, this would be a good time to finally make that choice. If you have been afraid to step out of your limited container, and you feel the pressure to do so, now would be a good time to at least make a choice and commitment to doing so. This Full Moon comes with an energy that is inspirational for moving ahead, completing tasks and releasing old attachments. Even if you just take a few minutes and clean out a cabinet or drawer, it will make you feel like there is movement in your life. Being around beauty will give your day a higher centered quality and as we North Americans are getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, a good dose of gratitude will help balance the negativity, pressure and confusion you may have been feeling of late. This is a good time for gathering support around a project or idea whose time has come.
Stephanie Austin, EcoAstology ~ The next full moon, which peaks at 3º Gemini-Sagittarius, shines a bright light on the relationship between our beliefs, dreams, and life. What were we born for? What do we live by? What guides the choices we make each day?…challenges us to manifest from our essence rather than our ego, and to follow our intuition and inner guidance rather than external authority and convention. We are summoned to spiritual maturity, which entails letting go of martyrdom and victim mentality, blame and guilt, addictions and illusions. By making more time and space in our lives to connect with our higher self, we are able to see where we have been in denial, where we have abdicated our power, and how we can instead live with both integrity and vision, pragmatism and faith. As we engage more with nature, meditation, and the wisdom of our heart, we see through the fears and beliefs that block us from embodying our truth.
Madeline Gerwick, Business Astrologer, Polaris Business Guides ~ BWhat’s coming to light at the Full Moon on November 25th are leaders and the public who are weighed down by responsibilities and lack of a clear vision on how to handle them. Structures that have been deteriorating for years are finally dissolving, like an old pier that breaks free after years of decay and floats out to sea.
Cosmic*Intelligence*Agency ~ When Full Moons occur in Air signs, the opposing Sun in Fire invites us to initially experience our feelings through the filter of our mind, rather than through our body and emotions. This is particularly the case for this Full Moon in Gemini as Mercury the ruler of Gemini, is opposite the Moon and conjunct the Sun, together with Saturn in Sagittarius. The twin sign of Gemini rules communication, networking, friendships, bridges, travel, crossroads, translation, siblings, business deals and neighbors. However, unlike our body and emotions which cannot distort what we are feeling, our mind, like Hermes, can easily play tricks! In fact, with so many planetary aspects to this Full Moon, we may feel like we are in a hall of magic mirrors, where we get a different reflection back depending on where we look! For example, the opposing Stellium in Sagittarius requests us to tell the truth in our words and actions. However, as Saturn is part of the Stellium, there can be a dogmatic quality to the truth we are seeking, which may be in part be fueled by fear. The fear is mostly of ‘getting it wrong’ and being ‘scapegoated’– whether it be re what we think, what we say or how we say it or don’t say it! The Trine from Mars in Libra to the Full Moon somewhat adds to the vacillation, as well as potentially offering some balance in the mix.
Nov 15-Dec 12 is the “Overtone Moon [Month] of Radiance” according to the Galactic Calendar - its energies are Empower - Command - Radiance, and its Totem Animal is Peacock: “There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time.” ~ Martha Graham, Choreographer
November Theme - “Pressure”
The Power Path - Lena & Jose Stevens: This month we enter the labor that will birth our own transformation and change. And just as in actual childbirth, once the process begins, there is no going back. The pressure we feel is that of being in a container that has grown too small. It is time to face the unknown, our own fears and resistance, and move ourselves to the next level.
The pressure coming from inside is our own higher self, our essence, pushing us to be bigger, to be more, to disengage from the past, to move out of our shell, and to break through the barrier of small and diminished experience into the vast ocean of possibility. The pressure can feel like dissatisfaction, confusion, impatience and irritation. This is our own inner desire and intention for change that is prodding and poking us to get on with it. The path is not yet clear. This month it is enough to work with being ready by allowing what is holding us back to fall apart. The big work will be to allow the fear and anxiety to dissolve and to move into a place of trust. Remember that theme from September?
The pressure coming from the outside is coming from the environment itself, the environment being anything you come into contact with. It could include all the people and all the containers that you have been operating all of your projects, work and life out of. Your environment acts as a mirror and will put pressure on you based on what you said you wanted. There is a saying, be careful what you ask for. This is certainly true for this time frame as your intentions and desires will be magnified and expanded. It is as if everything has grabbed the energy of Jupiter and filled itself with hot air and helium. There is tremendous pressure that has built up that can be used to take the whole planet to the next level of functioning.
Ongoing “Energy Soup”:
Uranus Retrograde - Jul 26-Dec 25 2015 - Stephanie Austin, EcoAstrology - Uranus highlights where we need to break old patterns and make a radical shift; use its retrograde phase to explore alternatives. Where do you need to be more independent and innovative? Where do you need to take a leap of faith? Uranus reminds us that in order for things to change, we have to change.
Saturn-Neptune Squares - Nov 26 2015; Jun 17 2016; and, Sep 10 2016 Stephanie Austin, EcoAstrology - This Saturn–Neptune square is part of a larger synodic cycle of 36 years. Squares mark important turning points; these are waning squares, considered by Dane Rudhyar ‘a crisis in consciousness,’ where we must re-orient ourselves and release forms which no longer support our growth…Saturn–Neptune squares challenge us to manifest from our essence rather than our ego, and to follow our intuition and inner guidance rather than external authority and convention. We are summoned to spiritual maturity, which entails letting go of martyrdom and victim mentality, blame and guilt, addictions and illusions. By making more time and space in our lives to connect with our higher self, we are able to see where we have been in denial, where we have abdicated our power, and how we can instead live with both integrity and vision, pragmatism and faith. As we engage more with nature, meditation, and the wisdom of our heart, we see through the fears and beliefs that block us from embodying our truth…
Some ways to work with this ongoing Saturn-Neptune square:
~Simplify. Less can be more—more time, less hassle.
~Prioritize. A powerful mantra: What is most important in this moment?
~Set realistic goals. Make reminders of what is most important to you.
~Listen to your body. Aches, pains, illness are are messages that we need to make a change.
~Pay attention to your dreams. Both day and night dreams provide valuable pointers.
~Give yourself daily soul time. Meditate, do art, play music, dance, journal, walk, etc.
~Be completely honest. Tell the truth always, with compassion for all concerned.
~“Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty” (Anne Herbert) Be in gratitude. Thankfulness opens the heart and the way for more blessings to come.
~And most importantly: “Practice responding to every emotion or thought of fear, anger, resistance, shame, judgement, excitement, or whatever with one word–“interesting”, asking yourselves; “What am I believing that is making me feel this way, is it true?
Upcoming Events:
ICF Competency Brush-Up Program - 18.0 ICF CCEs [in core competencies] - I designed and love leading this program - next offering begins January 27, 2016
2016 ICF Midwest Conference - Theme: “The Crossroads of Coaching” June 23-25, 2016 in Indianapolis IN
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Interested in becoming a Mentor Coach? There are 2 programs I can suggest with confidence: [1] the inviteCHANGE Mentor Coach Training Program beginning Feb 23 2016 15th and, [2] the International Mentor Coach Training Program: Going Beyond Models, starting Jan 12th.
AMAZING OPPORTUNITY! I’m privileged to support my esteemed friend and talented colleague, Joss Rowlands, in launching a FREE webinar to introduce her new Human Trinity process ‘to live your real life.’ Join her on Wednesday, Nov. 18th - click here to learn more or to register.
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