Equal Opportunity

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It seems that in a perfect world we all have an equal opportunity.
Equal opportunities to achieve the things we want to achieve ~ equal opportunities to make our choices and to create our lives exactly the way we desire them to be.
And having equal opportunities shouldn’t we all be successful, well fed, free, and yes, perhaps even rich? At least according to the way we ourselves define things like success, freedom, and riches.

Looking at the world today that certainly doesn’t seem to be the case though...
So, where does it ‘go wrong’? Or is it meant to be this way, and are we looking at the concept of ‘having equal opportunities’ in a non-realistic manner?

Pondering this, the first thing that comes to mind for me are the life lessons ~ or even karma ~ that we choose to bring into our lives. Based on which (karmic) lessons we wish to learn more about during our life experience we set ourselves up with a birthplace, birth time, and family we are going to be born into ~ in other words, we set ourselves up with an astrological natal chart that will enable us to work with exactly things we want to work with, work on, or learn more about...
It is how the process of our personal growth, our soul growth works.

This does mean, however, that each of us is born into a unique set of circumstances as far as culture, religion, family, and place on the globe are concerned.
The only thing that in a sense is the same for all of us is that we set ourselves up ~ the very best way we know how ~ for the best opportunity for our personal, individual, spiritual growth. For the greatest soul growth we can possibly achieve.

Truth is that we would be hard-pressed to venture out and start learning those lessons if there wouldn’t be some instigation to get us moving...
Part of our ‘human condition’ seems to be that we rather stay in one place ~ that place that is comfortable to us because of its familiarity ~ unmoving and unchanging.
And so we put ourselves in situations that require us to make choices, to get moving, to experience life in all of its facets ~ yet especially those facets that will allow our innermost selves to grow. Often the situations we can learn most from ~ the situations that will bring us most spiritual growth ~ are those that we experience as difficult, perhaps even unpleasant.

Getting back to having equal opportunities...
The true equal opportunity is that we all have an equal opportunity to learn our life lessons. The equal opportunity to grow on an innermost level ~ even when we feel we are in a difficult situation that ~ at least on the surface ~ has absolutely nothing to offer to us...
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Fall

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To me, the most dramatic change in the seasons is when Summer turns to Fall. And this doesn’t always happen right on the equinox ~ it usually happens as the weather changes... And suddenly it is time to close the windows that were open all Summer long. The front door, opened every morning from Spring, all through the Summer to let in some fresh, cool air ~ stays closed.
Outside the wind and rain spell it out: Fall has arrived!

And with the cold Fall weather, the rapidly shortening of the days ~ the trees are losing their leaves and are preparing for Winter.

Inside, I have turned the heater back on ~ and it is comfortably purring away...

But what really brings it home to me that the weather indeed has turned, and that Fall is here to stay ~ is to find my cats indoors ~ having hardly any desire at all to go outside. Even the big black cat who usually prefers the freedom of the outdoors is curled up on the couch ~ softly snoring...
Summer most definitely is over.

This doesn’t mean that there aren’t any beautiful days left. Quite the opposite is true! Going out on a beautiful Fall day, the temperatures can be comfortable, warm even. Going out in nature the air is filled with all kinds of scents ~ and the leaves turning their colors are a sight to behold.

Fall ~ traditionally the season of the harvest ~ is also the season of ‘letting go’.
The same way the trees are letting go of their leaves in a final rush of awesome beauty, the dry Summer weather lets go to make place for a colder, more moist environment ~ although there are also places where the opposite happens and the Summer rains disappear in order for the cooler, dryer Fall weather to emerge.
Yet, any way you look at it ~ it is a time to let go of the things that have been going on throughout the Summer. To see the results in one final splash of color ~ and then to release it such that a space is created where something new can come into.
A new idea; a new project ~ or even just a new sense of something that, at least at this point in time cannot quite be defined. A whisper in the back of your mind, as yet too softly to be heard ~ but definitely there...

This makes this time of the year a good time to ask yourself two questions:
What are the things in my life I can now let go of?
What new things would I desire to have in my life?
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Organizing and Uncluttering

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What to one person is a nice, comfortable, and cosy space, can seem totally cluttered without any way to move around, to someone else. Just as a space that is clear of any ‘clutter’ is spacious to one person, and can seem devoid of personality to the next person.

It seems clear that the need to surround ourselves with memories, with keepsakes, or just with those things we like is a very personal one...

Whether a space is cluttered or not, often is a matter of organization rather than the actual amount of things in that space. When things are organized, a space may contain a lot of things, yet seem spacious. When things aren’t organized, that same space may be as good as empty, yet still give a cluttered appearance.

The difference between clutter and no clutter is not necessarily found in the amount of things that are surrounding us. The same way working on one project at any one time is not necessarily better than multitasking on several projects al at once. The difference is usually found in the degree of organization of those things.
When things are organized ~ be it our keepsakes, our thoughts, or the number of projects we are working on at the same time ~ most of the time things will move along smoothly...

And like with cleaning, organizing what we surround ourselves with can have an effect on our inner selves as much as it has an effect on the space we are living in.
Putting things in their proper place in our living quarters, organizing what goes where and so on ~ has a tendency to organize our thoughts at the same time. As a result this will allow us to formulate our thoughts coherently ~ be it to ourselves, to to others.

This may seem like a small thing ~ yet it can have an enormous effect on our lives! If we can enhance our ability to state things clearly when we express ourselves, the response we get from those around us will be more to the point. More organized. And perhaps it even is the actual answer we were looking for!

So where would you start?
When things feel cluttered, whether it is in your home or in your mind ~ it is important to realize that you don’t have to organize the whole house all at once. Just organizing a closet ~ which may be something you have been thinking about doing for a while already ~ can do the trick; independent from whether you are working on uncluttering the actual closet or all the thoughts that keep coming to your mind... However, you can also start by taking about 15 or 20 minutes each day to just write out all the thoughts that come up. And with those thoughts safely on paper ~ where they cannot be forgotten ~ that leaves your mind organized and uncluttered...
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Cleaning

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Cleaning is something that has to happen on a regular basis. Whether it is cleaning the dishes that have been sitting on the counter, cleaning the windows, or cleaning the carpet in the living room ~ there is no escaping it! It is one of those things that are part of life ~ and whether you clean them yourself or have someone come in to do it for you, it has to be done.

Still, to some people cleaning the house is very important, while for others it can be way down on their priority list. Sometimes this can have a physical cause like for instance an allergy. In a case like that, keeping things clean helps to keep the allergic reaction at bay. How often and how well we clean can also be something that is related to our upbringing. If that clean space was extremely important to your parents when you were young ~ chances are you will put a higher priority on cleaning than if this wasn’t the case.

Yet there is more to it than that...
Have you ever noticed that when you have cleaned your space, that the energy itself feels lighter? Brighter? Happier even?

Cleaning your space can have a profound effect on how you perceive not only your space, but life in general. To the point that for some people, when they don’t see a way out of a situation ~ can’t come up with any acceptable solution ~ they will start cleaning their space... Because a clean space will allow you to see things ‘cleanly’ and clearly.

It is an interesting effect that can be fine tuned. For instance, if there are things you have difficulty seeing clearly ~ you can start cleaning the windows. What will happen is that somehow while you are doing that, the windows of your mind get cleansed as well... Permitting for a clear view on your thoughts, attitudes etc.
By the same token, cleaning your living space will create a clean space inside of you where new things can get started ~ new ideas, new ventures.
Either way cleaning your space on a mundane level will give you more ‘breathing room’ ~ yes, it all smells fresh and ‘new’, but it also gives you that ‘breathing room’ inside of yourself! And as that happens, it can give you a sense of clarity as to your own energy, your personal boundaries, and even a clear perspective on what is truly important in your life in this point in time.

And although I know it works this way, every time it happens it surprises me! Just as it surprises me how all the things that may not be that important yet need to be done anyway can often be taken care of in one clean sweep ~ as soon as my living space has been swept clean.
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Communication

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I just got a telephone call from half a world away. And just like that I was talking up a storm. Catching up with someone I hadn’t seen for a while. The sound as clear as if he were sitting right next to me. The only thing that is somewhat difficult with a telephone call like that is to account for the time difference between where I am and where he is at.

It is a mode of communication that is considered simple, nowadays. More and more often we get a video stream to accompany the audio ~ allowing body language to be part of the call...
And suddenly we cannot hide quite s much from the other person. Not the fact that we are tired, had a ‘bad hair day’, are busy, or have a number of other things on our minds. Now that we can actually see the other person while we are talking with them on the phone ~ all these things shine through.

It makes me think of days gone by when a quick communication was a telegram. Usually only for emergency messages as the price of a telegram was high ~ and got higher as the number of words increased. Instant communication had a price tag then...
The alternative would be a hand-written letter that would take up to 6 weeks to get to its destination ~ depending on where it was sent from and where its destination was found.

Between then and now technology has evolved at an ever increasing pace.

Answering machines, especially the ones with the two little tapes inside, and fax machines are ‘vintage office furniture’. But even the digital answering machines are outdated and replaced by voice mail.
And come to think of it ~ even the quick telephone call is rapidly being replaced by the text message.

It is an interesting polarity. On one hand the technology now makes it possible to not only talk on the phone but also see each other while we are doing it ~ making a more encompassing communication possible. On the other hand we seem to decline that opportunity, choosing to ‘text’ the other person rather than actually talking to them.

And there is another interesting thing about our modern way of communicating with each other ~ the ‘social networking sites’. Sites where we can post all our interesting, frustrating, and curious things that happen to us over the course of the day. And if we can’t think of anything to post, we can ‘re-post’ quotes, pictures and video’s. So instead of communicating who we are and what we are doing ~ we express that which we wish we would be. Post the things we wish we would have thought of and put into words.

More so than taking our time to enjoy our communication as we did long time ago ~ we now can’t wait to communicate ~ immediately. With everyone. About anything...
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Songs

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Songs can be a wonderful way in which a message from our subconscious can surface in such a way that we can become aware of it. This can happen because you are thinking about something ~ and as you turn on the radio there is something in the song that is playing that unexpectedly gives you a different perspective on it. A new view that can lead you to a new outcome, or a new solution.
Another manner in which a song can be helpful in bringing something into your awareness is through just ‘popping up’ in your head. Suddenly you find yourself humming or singing a couple of lines of a song... It can be a song that you know well, or a song of which you just know the chorus lines ~ whichever it is; out o the blue it is there...

The latter one happens to me every once in a while. And while I am not always certain what the message is right away ~ I have learned to pay attention! Because there is always an answer there, even if I am not certain about the question just yet.

Today the song I found myself humming to myself is John Denver’s ‘Country Roads’. There are only two lines of the song:
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze...

The song is about returning home, about returning to the place where you belong.
The two lines of text I cannot get out of my head indicate to me that nature is old yet in continuous movement. Light footed, almost unnoticed ~ like a breeze...

So there is something about coming home to nature, coming home to the earth that is important to me... My innermost Self feels deeply connected to the earth. Something that is not always obvious in day-to-day life, when things need to get done, and bills need to get paid.
Still it is important to honor that innermost part of Self...

It makes me wonder what set it off?
Was it the quiet meditation this morning, sitting in the tall grass under the old tree, with only the sounds of insects and the occasional bird competing with the song that carried on the breeze? Or is it the view of the mountains as I sit here in a nice and cool space with my laptop, writing?
I probably will never know...

Yet there is a breeze, and it carries a song of change. Changes in the weather as Fall is setting in with the long awaited cooler weather in the forecast.
And perhaps also changes in that deep, innermost connection to the earth...
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Flutes

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When I was young I learned to play the flute. After a number of years I stopped playing. Partly because ‘life happened’ and other things became more important to me; partly because at the time I felt I wanted to express myself through song rather than the flute.
Over the years I have tried several string instruments ~ even took singing classes. But I never quite got into the song thing. Eventually I chose a number of creative ways to express myself ~ writing and creating my line of Mystical Jewelry being two of them...

Yet the flute kept calling me.
In meditation I recognized other life experiences where playing the flute was a means of communication that ~ in that particular environment, in that time ~ allowed me to ‘play a message’ that could be heard over quite a distance...

As I dug up the flutes I had played when I was younger though, I found I had forgotten how to play them ~ I would have to re-learn playing if I really wanted to get back to playing at all...

Then something changed.
I really didn’t notice it at first, until I suddenly came to the realization that my desire to play ‘regular instruments’, creating ‘regular music’ had all but disappeared. At this point in my life I am way more interested in playing instruments that help me connect with the energies around me ~ with the energies of nature. Like frame drums. And flutes.
Instead of singing the words to a song, toning and chanting now have much greater appeal...

The thing that the shamanic drums, the flutes, and the chanting all have in common is that they are musical expressions that seek to connect to the environment. Each in their own way they express a state of being. And that state of being can be cultivated or celebrated through the music ~ or if one so desired, can be changed by changing the rhythm, changing the chant, changing the tune...
This way, a balance is created between people and their environment ~ a balance that can bring comfort and healing to all those who listen to it.

And the Universe works miracles. It has a tendency to fill a need ~ whether we are fully aware of our need or not... I was given the opportunity to find ‘my flute’. A Native Flute, in energy tied to my totem: the Eagle.
It is a flute made to play the wind, and the mountains... It haunting sounds predicting the changes in the weather... And sometimes it shrieks as the breeze competes with my breath...
It is a flute that dances in my hands. It helps me remember different times that have long gone ~ yet its music weaves a new web ~ a new connection to the earth.
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Drums

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Drums are many things. They are the heartbeat, they are communication, the are rhythms. Drums tell stories, they are the combination of the wood that gave the drum its frame and the animal who gave the drum its sound. The maker of the drum being sometimes the master, and other times the slave... And yet, to each their own drum, their own rhythm...

That individual, very personal drum may or may not be and actual drum. It may or may not be a drum that is heard by others ~ although perhaps those sensitive enough to pick up on it will have an inkling as to what type of rhythm that other person’s drum is beating.

It is that quiet, private drum that sometimes only we ourselves can hear that sets the pace to which we live our lives. It is in the beat of our hearts. It follows the rhythms of nature from our innermost perspective. It shows us the way in which we connect with our environment ~ with the world around us.

And as soon as we come to realization, drums move to a different realm entirely. At that point drums are magic; they are power, they are movement, and balance and healing.
They become an energy following an intent.

Ultimately it is the intent that sets the tone for how the drum, and therefore the energy is used. In other words, neither the drum, nor its energy are good or bad ~ they just are. The intention that is put behind it will determine whether the result will be beneficial or not.

There have been war drums, healing drums, trance drums, drums that take you on a journey and on and on. Drums can break an energy ~ much like laughter can break an energy. Or they can build an energy. Drums can set a rhythm, yet they can also alter a rhythm. How and where it is used makes all the difference...

Keeping that in mind, it is no surprise that drums have been important instruments throughout the ages. The tools of shamans and healers ~ of sorcerers and magicians. Because the drum has the power to alter that which is to its new space. This is not only true for situations, perhaps even more so for the people involved in those situations.

With all the things drums are ~ all the things drums can accomplish; that still doesn’t mean that everybody needs to go out and make their own physical drum.
It would be a good idea however, if we would take some time every once in a while to listen to the beat of that intimate drum inside ourselves ~ to let it set the tone and the rhythm for how we live our lives...
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