Tornado Warning – ND #115

Ominous Arrival – ND #115

Tornado Warning

Happy very blustery first day of April. The post I started writing last night began with how we were under a tornado warning. Literally, here in eastern Pennsylvania, my cell phone began blaring a very abrasive sound and the words that popped onto the screen warned that I should immediately retreat to a cellar or basemen, or short of that, take shelter in a place devoid of windows or in the center of the house.

Karl was asleep on the couch, although the noxious noise did rouse him a little (although not enough to get up). The wind was wild and there was a lot of lightning, which felt ominous. (I can’t explain it, but it didn’t feel like a normal thunderstorm.) I was vigilant – monitoring the way the air felt and the way the wind sounded – and had already rehearsed in my head the tenor of voice I’d use to get Karl on his feet in a split second and how we would each scoop up an animal or two to get them into the cellar with us.

For about ten minutes, I kept saying out loud, “That doesn’t sound right.” I’d mute the tv so I could track the storm even better. And yet through it all, I kept hearing my own train of thought telling me there was no way we’d be hit by a tornado.

Guess I was wrong. (This was only a couple miles from our house.) Or maybe my intuition was right to make a plan in my head as to the quickest way to bolt into the cellar – in spite of my skepticism!

A Bouquet of Crocuses from the Spirits of the Land – Photo: L. Weikel

Had a Conversation

I had a little chat with the Spirits of my land today while I performed my EoP Biodiversity Process. It always warms my heart to have a heartfelt conversation with the Spirits of our land. I think it’s because I sense that it still surprises them to actually have a human paying attention to them and speaking to them with specificity, intention, and gratitude.

I’d hoped to have a new moon fire today, but it was far too windy. Maybe tomorrow. Just in case you haven’t yet given yourself permission to sit quietly and contemplate the opportunities you’d like to pursue (or perhaps even more powerfully, the feelings you’d like to bring into your life) over the next month and two plus years, you still have time. Everything doesn’t have to be set in stone by the moment the sun and moon conjunct each other. No, the energies of a new moon begin shortly before the astronomical occurrence and last for a few days afterward.

So I encourage you: get real with yourself. Have a think this weekend. How do you want to feel at the end of this month? What would you love to manifest in your life by June of 2024?

(T+115)

The Bear I Didn’t See – Day 236

The Bear I Didn’t See – Photo: M. N.

The Bear I Didn’t See                    

Is this not an impressive specimen of ursine magnificence?

Yeah, it is. And I am SO jealous. (Perhaps envious is the more accurate adjective?) Either way, I covet an encounter with a bear. To be clear, though, I would like to encounter a bear in a setting where she is happy and good natured, perhaps out for a stroll with her frolicking cubs, and not feeling threatened in any way.

This bear – this actual bear – was seen by my nephew on his way to work this morning. He saw it begin to cross the road as he made his way up the mountain outside of Hartford, and then saw it change its mind and turn back. So he pulled off to the side of the road and waited – his patience rewarded with the opportunity to snap this great photo.

Meager Manifester

Frankly, I’m disappointed in my manifesting abilities. It’s been years that I’ve been hearing about all the meandering bears up here, and I’ve seen so many amazing pieces of photographic evidence of their visitations, only to come up empty-sighted again and again.

The most amazing sighting I managed today was this dragonfly. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not knocking this lovely creature, and I’m truly grateful that it chose to hang out on this day lily right beside my chair. But a bear it is not.

Dragonfly on Day Lily – Photo: L. Weikel

Then again, Dragonfly is all about ‘Illusion.’ So maybe I was being encouraged by the dragonfly to realize that the magnitude of magnificence I’m bestowing upon the prospect of seeing a bear is misplaced. Perhaps experiencing Dragonfly energy is every bit as precious and significant as experiencing Bear energy.

Yeah, sure. I’ll tell myself that. There is no magnitude of amazingness to Mother Earth’s creatures. And I did appreciate the dragonfly pictured here, as well as the neon green one that flitted past us, the brown and tan one that landed on a Jart and blended into the background so perfectly that we couldn’t even see it when I took its photo, and the hawk, blue jays, squirrels, and woodpeckers that also shared the loveliness of this exquisite summer day with us.

I still want to see a bear.

(T-875)

Words Have Power – Day Seventy One

Words Have Power

This is going to be a quick post. I don’t know if it’s the frigid weather (we actually have ice forming on the inside of some of our windows) (yea for old houses?) or what, but I am much more tired than usual.

I had a conversation today that highlighted a habit so many of us indulge in without even realizing it: using words in our routine conversations, often completely unaware of what we are “putting out into the Universe,” that can end up having unintended consequences.

I’m surprised I haven’t written about this before. I suppose it’s possible I have, and I’ve just forgotten. But I don’t think that’s the case.

The “Background” Noise We Make All the Time

Anyway, I know this is something that I will write about again and again because it is critically important for all of us to be aware of not only the specific obvious things that we say, but also the background noise that we utter.

For instance, I’ve seen many instances in which someone makes a comment such as, “I’m pissed,” or “I’m pissed off,” when describing how they feel about a situation or person they’re dealing with. Now, obviously, if this is a random statement, it’s rare that anything will come of it. But I have noticed both in observing other people and, sadly, in my own experience, that if you say such a thing (or a close facsimile) often enough, it is not a big surprise when a urinary tract infection or some type of similar physical issue pops up.

I’ve noticed a similar long-term-use effect in the oft-used phrase “such and such is a pain in the ass.” I guarantee you would be astonished by how many people end up experiencing some form of a literal “pain in the ass” when this type of a phrase is used often enough. From hemorrhoids to sciatica, I’ve seen it manifest.

I know. I realize this may sound like some really dumb, anecdotal stuff. And it is anecdotal. I’m not sure how one would go about proving this correlation scientifically. But you know what? Anecdotal evidence is good enough for me to watch what I put out into the world.

The Energy of Thought, Word, and Deed

I first learned about the importance of taking responsibility for the words we utter when I was first being schooled in the energy associated with thoughts, words, and (obviously) deeds. There is an order of magnitude associated with the power our words have on us and our environment. When those words exist in our thoughts alone, they most definitely have power. But once spoken, they have an even greater impact. And it is obvious, of course, that deeds, putting our thoughts and words into action, often have the most profound and most rapid impact.

The error is in thinking that only our deeds have the power to impact our minds, bodies, or circumstances.

The couple of examples I’ve used above are a drop in the bucket of the myriad ways in which I hear people using words (almost always unconsciously) that feels, to me, like they’re playing with fire and laying the groundwork for some serious ramifications. And it isn’t even that they’ll always manifest it in themselves. But speaking it out loud will almost always end up bringing some form of it into your life in some way.

It’s the Everyday Conversations

Which is why we need to take responsibility for the words we choose to use, not only when we’re speaking in front of a crowd or writing something for publication. Indeed, we are often more careful about the words we use in those settings. It’s the every day conversations that have the greatest effect, as these are the conversations we have over and over and over. And these are the situations in which we are most likely to find ourselves using phrases or expressions that we do not intend literally, but, said over and over and over again (unconsciously) can result in an unintended cumulative effect of manifesting in some way in our life.

Indeed, even more insidious than the words we use in our everyday conversations are the words we use when we speak to ourselves. Those repeated thoughts, judgments, and phrases that are only heard between our own ears.

Our bodies are listening. Our minds are listening. Our souls are listening.

Truth be told, I’m only speaking of the effect we might have on ourselves by the words we use in our everyday conversations.

Sticks and Stones?

As hard as it may be to believe, the old adage we were taught as kids, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me,” is definitely not as iron-clad a truism as we might like to think. And again: I’m not even talking about the damage I’ve seen inflicted by others on others.

I’ve been hearing a lot of really dicey use of words and phrases lately by a number of people I care about. I do not want them manifesting the flippant or unconscious comments they make in describing how they feel about what’s going on in their lives.

While I know I sound like a broken record, I’m just trying to call attention to the words we use. Please, pay attention. Try your best to be vigilant and refrain from using phrases such as, “That gave me a heart attack;” “I nearly had a stroke;” “He’s a pain in the ass;” “It’s killing me;” “I feel crazy;” etc., etc.

Listen to yourself. Realize that you are creating with your words, so choose wisely.

Go forth and have a great day.

(T-1040)