The Warrior’s Heart

Seven months ago after hearing about the Soldier’s Heart organization and reading the book, War and the Soul, by Dr. Ed Tick I knew instantly within my body that I needed to participate in the 5 day retreat being organized by my friends.  Bringing Ed, along with co facilitators Kate and Paula to my town fell in sync with my life and passions in perfect timing beyond anything I could have orchestrated consciously.  I immediately got online to register trusting I would find a way to gather the funds and my computer blocked me from doing so.  True to the way I follow the river of my life, I let go and allowed more to be revealed to me in its right timing.  The next morning I awoke knowing how I would get half the money and earned it within the week and figured the rest I had seven months to gather and so went on with my daily life.  Fast forward six months and I had not saved anymore money for the event.  I got online to register and trusted if again I could not get through that in all likelihood I was not meant to attend.  The registration form came up and I filled it out sending with it a note asking if I could waylay the room and board fee if I commuted daily as I live only 20 minutes from the retreat location.  Synchronicity took over from there.

An Invitation

I recently read the book Grace and Grit by Ken Wilbur, an inspiring account of the life and death of his wife, Treya Killiam Wilbur.    On her journey a Buddhists spiritual practice called Tonglen was a healing focus that opened Treya to deeper awareness of  her/our place within the concept of oneness;  a meditation practice of compassionate service with every breath.  In simplest terms it is a breath that takes in all the suffering of the world and sends back love and light through an open channel that does not allow for any “kaka” to attach to your own body. Throughout my life I have dipped into various “religions” to add valuable strands to my personal spiritual tapestry so  I immediately felt a resonance with Treya’s story  as an evolution for myself in the usage of both the Violet Flame and Fire Breaths (see Archives). I began breathing into this new practice allowing it to reveal its livelihood within the context of my own spiritual journey which simply gives me a way to root the offering in a practical way I can relate to.

I must also add that years ago in an Ayahuasca journey which left a profound visual and sensory effect on me, I found myself being the Earth, breathing as she breathes, breathing in all the toxins of the world and breathing out a calm, detached neutrality as a loving pool for us all to be held.  It felt to me at the time and still does that each of her exhales support us in an embryonic ocean of love and nurturing compassion; that the dark and the light are one in the same in a world of polarity;  that separation only exists in our mind’s view of embodiment and that the heart knows oneness.  This experience that is deeply grounded in my senses and soul joined my journey through this new breath and became the foundation of the look and feel of it for my mere personality self to be able to apply as a realistic and useful breathing tool.

So, in the interest of sharing another thread of my weavings, here is the breath that surfaced to the level of consciousness for me, keeping in mind that if you are a beginner in meditation and conscious breathing it is best to have already grounded in your breathing practices both the Fire Breath and the Violet Flame Breath; otherwise, whatever breath you personally use to center, deepen, protect and enliven will be your entrance point.

Inevitability of Change

Change is the nature of life itself; from birth to death our lives are constantly evolving, morphing our bodies, livelihood, geographic residence, relationships, as well as our thoughts, beliefs, philosophies, etc.  To be born into a body defines the journey that insists we acclimate, explore, grow, blossom, age and die; to join a cycle of birth/death/rebirth over and over just like all of nature mirrors to us with and within each season.  Even down to each breath, we inhale life as our cells are oxygenated and enlivened, we exhale carbon dioxide, releasing the toxins and dead cells; the inhale birthing new life in the moment, the exhale, a dying and letting go.
In a world that seems to be on fast forward, where chaos abounds, we are challenged to meet life in its infinite changes no matter how intense  with the ability to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and stand steady, flexible, grounded and clear to respond to the opportunity presented. Meeting external chaos with internal calm comes in choosing presence in each moment with every breath.  Presence allows us to embrace the moment whether it is filled with depression, pain, confusion, resistance, and fear or joy, laughter, freedom,  clarity and love.  As the breath engages us in awareness of our body, thoughts and feelings, we can respond with choice to each experience and move down the good red road of life creating and manifesting our heart’s intent; what appears as a hurdle becomes an opportunity to spread our wings and take a leap of faith, smash the blockade to smithereens, choose another direction or simply walk around or away.  The key is using the breath to give ourselves a gentle  “time out” to create the space within to choose.

The in breath opening, the out breath letting go, releasing, creating more space for the next in breath to draw in more awareness, vitality, clarity, connection and presence.    And so it goes, breath by breath………

Nature Calls

Through the shimmering trees, the raven beckons

Calling me to attention…Drawing me into the light of day

Fire in the sky permeating the solar light within my belly

Warming………………………………………Inspiring

And what is it you are wanting me to know my winged friend?

Must I tumble into the void once again?

Hummingbird’s sonic zoom answers my resistance

Embrace the joy she implores

Free fall into the magic of life

There is only love

All is well  *  All is well  *  All is well

BREATHE

Evolving the Fire

The other day in a session this version of the fire breath came forth from the internal process of the individual on the table.  I love seeing the breath create its own unique presence in an individual’s evolution.  The image of the male fire forming the roots, taking action and forming a protective structure for the feminine river of fire to be channelled is a lovely metaphor to align our consciousness with as we breathe in more balance and union.  So, I am passing on this gift that confirms for me as always that when one takes the time to listen, reflect and stay present on the inner journey, the whole benefits; when one shifts, we all shift and the wheel turns…..

Tuning into the solar plexus and inner sun imagine those rays of light and fire forming roots that on every exhale travel down the body and out the base of the spine and the bottoms of the feet going through the floor and into the earth…each inhale strengthening, enlivening the roots; each exhale moving the roots deeper into the molten firey core of the earth mother…..like a tree nurtures and feeds itself through its roots, let every in breath draw up the feminine fire within the earth into your body and cells; each out breath allowing the current of that fire to move towards the male fire of your inner sun in your solar plexus.
Each in breath anchors and unites the feminine and masculine fire grounding your passion to create and manifest deep in the cells of the body; each out breath radiates this union from every cell of your being.  The power and light of your own fire in perfect oneness!!

Grounding Feminine Fire

Fire birthing

In my work of late a new breath has been coming to my attention that feels potent for these times to connect us all to the Earth and our bodies in a more grounded way.  The Fire Breath (see Breathing Practices tab) that brings our awareness to the solar plexus and the image of an inner sun works in an active way to maintain a protective shield, bring clarity and to purify our body and energy field of all toxins while also allowing our light to radiate on our Earth walk;  it is our male fire that manifests and supports our proactive intention to give the gift of our passion to each moment.

Now what comes forth to energize and root is our female fire. To fully choose embodiment in every step and open to a trusting, flowing, river-like  journey as well as to be of service to our planetary home, our connection to the Earth must be attended to.  Bringing the fire of the feminine through our body with the breath begins with an awareness of that molten core of fire that lies deep within the Earth Mother.   To visualize this liquid fire allows us to tap into the creative passion of the feminine within all of us irrespective of our physical gender.  This fire grounds us in our bodies, burns off the fears and survival issues in our first chakras and brings an aliveness to each step.  Here’s the Feminine Fire Breath:

Take 3 deep breaths.  Rest your awareness on the bottoms of your feet and the base of your spine and breathe again; the inbreath opening, the outbreath letting go.

Now, visualize the molten, liquid like core of bright red fire in the center of the earth and begin to see root like strands connected to your feet and base of the spine growing towards that pool of fire and rooting deep within it; like a tree those roots become channels for the life force energy of the feminine to nurture and feed our body and energy field with every breath.

Imagine with each inbreath, you are drawing up that liquid fire through your feet and spine, up your legs and lower body (clearing blocked areas along the way) meeting the fire of your inner sun in the solar plexus;  every outbreath strengthens those roots and expands our feminine light and power throughout our body and being and into the world.  With each breath the union of our feminine and masculine fire radiates a deeper oneness of empowerment and alignment to all life on the embodiment journey.

We breathe our power to create and manifest one breath at a time…

PS:  To take this breath further move to the Violet Flame Breath breathing up the red ray  from the earth (delivering the f/m fire) and down the blue ray from the cosmos on the inbreath meeting at the heart and exhaling that union as a violet flame of compassion and energetic aid to all those in need around the world.

Into the Fire

Simone Butler, an insightful astrologer (http://www.astroalchemy.com/blog.php) put out this significant information on her recent blog posting:  “The Sun enters fiery Leo this Thursday, the 22nd. And, Jupiter, Pluto, Saturn, Uranus and Mars line up in a no-nonsense T-square from the 24th through the 31st. This cosmic window of change is a perfect time to use the element of fire to burn up the past and harness your mind’s power to create something new.”  She quotes her teacher, Melinda Allec who said, “The only valid use of the brain is to see beauty and solutions. Everything else belongs in the fire.” Also, in conjunction with Alberto Villoldo‘s teachings, Simone relays that by December 2010 we must have all our skeletons out of the closet by then and know in our bones that fear is an illusion. Ceremony is the path to that goal. Do fire ceremony every time your monkey mind assails you with fear of lack or terror of the unknown. We’re headed into uncharted territory, as our brains rapidly evolve. Time is becoming more fluid, and thoughts and words instantly create reality. Make sure you’re creating something of beauty.

So, in light of these cosmic opportunities I want to remind you of the FIRE BREATH as each one of us can hold our own internal fire ceremony simply with our attention, intention and breath.  It goes like this…

Imagine in your Solar Plexus the image of your inner Sun.  In the center of this sun is a ceremonial fire much like the counsel fires of the indigenous elders; a ceremonial campfire.
On the inhale, fan that fire and imagine dropping into the fire any negative thought forms, emotions, images…anger, hurt, fear, judgments, etc to be released and consumed.
On the exhale, all that is incinerated is transformed into light that radiates out of every pore illuminating your energy field and gifting the world with more light.  You will know when the work is complete when your thoughts and feelings are neutralized.
Bring your awareness to your heart and the feelings of Appreciation and
Gratitude as your last 3 breaths radiate your light.

For those of you reading this who are not familiar with the FIRE BREATH please go to the Breathing Practices tab and scroll down to the complete description of the FIRE BREATH and its USES.  It is a powerful breath that can support and sustain you through these catalytic times.  Like the myth of the Phoenix, we each can rebirth ourselves one breath at a time from the ashes of our past experiences, lessons and patterns to create change within our own bodies and lives.  This in turn contributes in a positive way to transforming our external world and evolving our planet to a healthy, unified, peaceful world where respect, kindness and love prevail.  Namaste:)

Meeting Reaction

Meeting reaction within ourselves and in others is a challenge to say the least.  However, when we become aware of the opportunity to recognize there is a re-acting out of old patterns taking place then we can step back, take a breath and connect with feelings beneath the surface.  This is a potent time to observe and listen to the body to track the origins of reactive behavior and pull them up by their roots.  As I have said many times, our lives and our bodies do not lie and inform us continually of what needs attention, purging, healing, nurturing, boundaries, and so on.  An experience of reaction is like striking a match that ignites a fire within; a fire that can light the way through a dark moment, guide us to clarity, burn up rooted hurts and fears and clear the mind of negative stories.  The key to success is the ability to stay present and awake to the  intent to weed our internal garden;  there we create healthy, rich  ground to support our stance, growth and blossoming.  So, when you find yourself in a reaction of any kind, meet it consciously embracing the opportunity being presented.  Let your witnessing self keenly observe it all and simply breathe opening yourself to more information that the gift of this experience is offering.  Breathe and Be.  Stand in the center of all that fiery energy and let it burn up the old patterns.  In the reaction, use the fire to catalyze change rather than burn yourself or another to a crisp.  If you are fearful of another’s explosive fire then it is time to face the fear of your own fire; if your fire is equally explosive, then its time to look at where your expression is trapped and feelings smoldering.  When a reaction presents itself in whatever form it is a wake up call.  Pay attention and the experience will be as cathartic as your awareness allows.  Open your eyes and heart, stay present and meet all reactions with the breath.  Let the breath give you the space to observe until a response replaces the reaction.  This shift can take one breath or physical space and time to be and breathe until there is a known response or no response necessary at all.  When we transform the way we meet our fire within ourselves or in the mirror of another, we then align in a powerful way with our passion and ability to share the gift of our light in the world.

INHALE:  feed and fuel that inner sun and fire in your solar plexus.    EXHALE:  expand that fire to burn off old patterns, maintain a protective boundary and radiate your light as a gift to all.   [See archived articles on the Fire Breath]

Balance

With the Vernal Equinox comes the prompting to reflect on balance within our lives and bodies.  At the core there is an opportunity to move from separation into union both within and without.  Just as the left and right hemispheres of our brain serve to keep us functioning in balance, the masculine and feminine energies and their respective qualities, when attuned to,  guide us down the road of life grounded in our body and connected to our highest knowing; we create and manifest, intuit and reason, think and feel, protect and open, listen and speak and so on and so on.  The equality that comes with balance allows a presence within us that is then transmitted to the external world we live in.  Like a child’s teeter-totter with the weight on either end matching we can create a level platform to stand on; a horizontal playing field to meet the world.  Here we can breathe and experience an internal equilibrium that transcends to every cell of our being and to every corner of our existence.

Think about the first time you learned how to ride a bicycle.  The task at hand was to find balance in order to stay upright; a hit and miss task for sure but eventually achieving success perhaps even to the ultimate experience of gliding and soaring arms outstretched down the steepest hill with trust and exhilaration.  Such is life inside and out when balance is restored.  And so it begins with each breath, the circle of the inhale and exhale and all this simple action triggers and maintains within our body. . . . and continues with our presence with the waxing and waning of our lives moment to moment.  Like riding that bike or standing in the center of the teeter-totter, once we find our balance it is always there;  the internalized horizontal stance keeps us steady on the vertical inclines or declines.  Meeting the world one breath at a time from a place of internal balance  allows us to stand in harmony with all life.  Begin now. . . Breathe in balance, breathe out imbalance. . .

The Past: Compost for the Present Plantings

All that has come before us has informed our lives in brilliant ways, even when we have to roll around in some pretty messy mud.  As the wheel of life turns us into a new season of beginnings,  all our experiences become fertilizer that enriches  the soil of our being.  From such a foundation we can plant, nurture and blossom the seeds of our present intentions.  As the New Moon comes to its peak on March 15th, we have some time to reflect in this next week or so on the intention we wish to cultivate and commit to so that the fall harvest will be a time of abundance and celebration.  For those of you whose attention has gone to your vegetable and herb gardens now it is a powerful opportunity to deepen your connection to yourself and your community by planting your inner seeds simultaneously.  Throughout the growing months you are then present with the plant medicine in a way that ultimately feeds the collective in more ways than simply food in the belly.  Even without the advantage of an outer garden, we can still align our intentions with the earth and ground our inner intentions by planting a seed in a pot, joining/ starting a community garden on vacant land or a roof top,  supporting our local farmer’s market or simply taking a walk with nature.  With each breath, we can enliven the gift of spring’s new growth and let our awareness support new beginnings both within and without;  remembering:

As above, so below;  As within, so without….one breath at a time in each present moment.