In spite of being overtaken by an overwhelming bout of fatigue, I found myself enjoying so many juicy, delightful gifts over the weekend. It was one of those times when everything seems to fit together so well, and you can see the individual strings of the weaving start to form a pattern.

On Saturday evening, I visited the home of my local shaman, which in and of itself is a miracle, I never imagined life in rural NH would include a shaman less than a 10 minute drive away. A small group of us gathered for a fire ceremony, complete with a bit of journeying. It was only my second time going on a journey as they say in shamanic practice, but it occurred to me why I am so drawn to it: it is very similar to yogic meditation. A lot of times in the western world, the type of meditation offered in yoga classes comes from a different tradition, say for example the meditative practices of Buddhism. While of course there is no “wrong” way to meditate, and it’s important to choose a meditation technique that works for you, it should be noted that yoga has its own specific guidelines for meditation. I won’t get into it too deeply, but suffice it to say that it is a very active practice where you are meant to direct your attention to a specific object, connect with it, and over time engage in a deeper relationship with it. I find this approach very useful. I’m a very visual person and having a specific place for my mind’s eye to rest helps me keep my focus, and in journeying after our fire ceremony I was lead to such a sweet place. The insight I received was not of words, so I’m having a difficult time trying to explain it, but essentially I touched on some deep inner knowing and reassurance that where I am on my path is true and correct.

On Sunday I had some time to dive into the latest episode of the Dream Freedom Beauty podcast with Bloom Post as the guest. Natalie knocked it out of the park again. These women touched on something so dear and true for me, which is cultivating a daily practice. I loved to hear Bloom emphasize the cumulative benefits of engaging in even a short but consistent daily practice of some sort. I can not stress that point enough, that consistency is key for transformation. The impact of giving yourself the daily gift of focused time and space is subtle but powerful over time. When I first started practicing daily there was a period of acclimation, like my system had to get used to me being available, and once enough time had passed I started to really understand some things about myself and my life I had previously been sort of blind to. I don’t mean to make a claim that I sit down to meditate and the voice of god shouts the meaning of life into my ear every day, but what has happened is I am much more keenly aware of my impact on the world and the world’s impact on me. I’m able to deal with stress better, I’m better able to protect myself from emotions that aren’t my own, and best of all I find I am more available to discern the opportunities presented to me to improve my circumstances. I have my struggles, and life is still pretty fucking tough, but it’s also amazing now that I’m really paying attention.

So here I am, keeping on keeping on, and just letting you know that I am here, dear reader. I’m here to help you if you are seeking. I’m here to teach you yoga or read tarot for you, because that is what spirit is calling me to do, I can’t think of a more wonderful way to serve.