I’ve been tossing around this idea for longer than I’d care to admit: a series or program or email series on creating sacred space. It starts with creating inner sacred space and then moves out to creating sacred space where you live and/or work.
And rather than wait, I am following the whelming feeling that now is the time to at least put some of this information out into the world. So until the Solstice on next Sunday, December 20, I’ll be posting brief or longer winded things you can do to feel more at home in your body and in any physical space your occupy.
Today, we start with breathing.
So often in the rush of contemporary life, we hold our breathe in or out or our breathe is shallow. There is no depth at all to our breathing… it’s just on the surface. I spent years sitting at a desk job breathing like this – shallow and holding my breathe. And in turn holding holding stress within my body.
How does it feel to take a really deep breathe? One that goes down toward your diaphragm, into your belly.
How does it feel to breath down into your toes?
And that exhale, long and luxurious, departing from the reaches of your being. How does that exhale feel?
The inhale is the first thing our bodies does when it is born into this life. And the exhale is the last thing we do as we exit this life.
Your body holds the memory of that first breathe.
Can you feel it?
Can you feel how deep your very first inhale was?
At those times when you feel rushed or at your wits end or the tightness of the world around you, take a deep breathe. Inhale down into your belly. Let the oxygen mix with your blood. And exhale any little bits that want to be released from your body at this time with the carbon dioxide exiting your body.
Start your day with conscious breathing. Focusing on the inhale and exhale.
Start with just a single breathe. The one right now would be great.
And then move to upping it to 3 breaths, 5 breaths, 10 breaths.
How would it feel to consciously breath for 10 minutes or 20?
Feel the release in your body.
Feel the release in your mind.
Breathe deeply.
Just for now.
Just in this moment.
Just breathe.
November 7, 2014
by suzanne Comments Off on Embracing the Dark : Embrace the Light
During the deep dive into the darkness which is mid-late Autumn, take every opportunity you have to walk in the sunlight.
In Seattle, being so far North, the days become increasingly short and the weather is apt to be overcast and rainy. But there are days, like this one today, that blow your mind away as the sunlight streams in at an angle, leaves are still on the trees, and the sky is the bluest of blue.
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November 5, 2014
by suzanne Comments Off on Embracing the Dark: Chai
Just about every day I have been making a small pot of this chai. It has become so much a part of my Autumn routine (aka ritual) that I brewed a batch sans black tea and brought it to the Calibration Meditation Circle to share on Monday night. It is the exact amount of spice to keep your body warm as we deep-dive into this season’s darkness.
So, I am sharing this recipe again. This time independent of a long blog post.
Enjoy!
Chai Spice Mix (makes about 2 cups) From getcrafty.com, a most awesome website in 2002
3 Tbsp Whole coriander
3 Tbsp Cinnamon stick, broken up into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Tbsp Cardamom pods, whole (best) or seeds can be used
1.5 Tbsp Cloves, whole
1.5 Tbsp Nutmeg, powdered
2 Tbsp Whole Star anise, or seeds can be used
2 Tbsp Allspice whole, 1.5 tbsp if ground
2 Tbsp Whole peppercorns (black or white can be used)
3-4 Tbsp Dried orange peel, 1/2 inch pieces (equals one orange)
2 Tbsp Ginger fresh cut into slivers and dried in the oven
1-3 vanilla bean
Place all spice in a jar and shake up well. Use the vanilla bean whole to flavor the mix. It can be reused and live in the jar for the lifespan of your mix.
If you use fresh orange peel and/or fresh ginger chop up and let dry in slow oven or over night on a cookie sheet before adding to mix.
To prepare, bring to cups of water and 2 T of Chai spice mix to a boil and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and add a teaspoon full of a rich loose black tea of your choosing; cover and let steep 3 minutes. I love Yorkshire Gold though the recipe originally called for Darjeeling. I then strain and add a touch of almond milk. You could also choose to strain and add a cup of your favorite milk and a touch of sweetener if preferred.
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October 22, 2014
by suzanne Comments Off on Hunkering Down
Fall has felt late this year in Seattle. Just a couple of days ago, I was hit with the smell of decomposing leaves while walking to my office. This is one of my favorite smells. One that I forget about year after year until it hits me on that perfect fall day.
And I’ve been thinking maybe it feels late as I am a year out from the last day of working my previous day job, my year-iversary was October 16. Maybe it’s global warming (it was 72 degrees F on Sunday) or the distinct difference of the landscape from that of the desert or, maybe, it’s just having the space to recognize the current season.
Whatever the reason, I am so grateful to be rooting back into my natural seasonal rhythms as well as recognizing my personal rituals.
Last week I began hunkering down for the autumnal season. My form of hunkering down is, apparently, making and mixing granola and chai from scratch. This also entailed spice shopping at World Spice with a friend from out of town and gathering the fixings, specifically the right kind of oatmeal for granola. I love shopping for food and spices and herbs. Farmer’s markets, hidden gems, ethnic markets, specialty groceries, each of them hit some bliss spot in my brain.
Both of these recipes have been with me for some time. They are ones that I made on a regular basis, whose bounty and recipes were given as gifts during that gift-giving season, long before the craziness of shifting from my day job began.
Making them feels like coming home — very root chakra, the first chakra at the base of the spine. The place from which our energetic roots sprout down into the Earth to anchor us in this time and space.
This fits perfectly with my current metaphorical obsession with planting bulbs and the roots that sprout and grow deep down into the Earth during Autumn and Winter in order to spring forth those first signs of new life in March and April at my home in the Northern Hemisphere. This obsession was spurned by my dear friend and grad school compatriot, Christina Bechstein, and images from her wedding a month ago. Her gift to guests was a bowl full of bulbs with the signs “Take one” and “What do you want to grow?”.
I was so inspired by this that for the in-person Calibration Meditation + Healing circle earlier this month, I gifted bulbs tied with a ribbon and a note that said “What will you grow?”.
What idea, project, work of art, product, business, or way of being do you want to plant the bulb for right now?
What foundation needs to be planted now in order for what you want to birth into the world to bloom in Spring?
Guided Meditation
I speak more of this idea of planting your bulbs in this guided meditation for the Scorpio New Moon (0 degrees) tomorrow at 1:56pm PT. The solar eclipse occurs from 12:38pm – 4:52pm PT.
Scorpio New Moon Ritual
And I would love for you to join me in the New Moon Ritual mentioned in the voice memo above. In addition to reflecting on those things you wish to bring to fruition this New Moon cycle, hold a larger project in your mind’s eye. Once you have it in mind, quite literally plant bulbs with the metaphorical image of planting your dreams so that their foundation can grow during the dark time. Hold onto the image of your bulb’s roots growing throughout the Autumn and Winter while you plan your next steps, charting your course to Spring.
It would be remiss of me if I didn’t include direct mention of Scorpio, our underworld water sign, as we take this plunge into the darkness, the under-belly of the year.
“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad
There are lots of great resources on the New Moon and Solar Eclipse which I have included below the recipes.
Wishing you a warm and cozy end of October… love + light, s
Recipes
Granola Recipe
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
4 cups organic thick oatmeal
a smattering of sesame seeds, flax seeds, pepitos, sliced almonds, and sunflower seeds
2 handfuls of dried cherries, blueberries, or other dried fruit
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk oil and honey together in large bowl. Add oatmeal, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. Stir until dry ingredients are coated with oil/honey mixture. Cover a jellyroll pan with aluminum foil. Spread mixture into pan. Bake 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in dried fruit once out of the oven.
Chai Spice Mix (makes about 2 cups)
From getcrafty.com, a most awesome website in 2002
3 Tbsp Whole coriander
3 Tbsp Cinnamon stick, broken up into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Tbsp Cardamom pods, whole (best) or seeds can be used
1.5 Tbsp Cloves, whole
1.5 Tbsp Nutmeg, powdered
2 Tbsp Whole Star anise, or seeds can be used
2 Tbsp Allspice whole, 1.5 tbsp if ground
2 Tbsp Whole peppercorns (black or white can be used)
3-4 Tbsp Dried orange peel, 1/2 inch pieces (equals one orange)
2 Tbsp Ginger fresh cut into slivers and dried in the oven
1-3 vanilla bean
Place all spice in a jar and shake up well. Use the vanilla bean whole to flavor the mix. It can be reused and live in the jar for the lifespan of your mix.
If you use fresh orange peel and/or fresh ginger chop up and let dry in slow oven or over night on a cookie sheet before adding to mix.
To prepare, bring to cups of water and 2 T of Chai spice mix to a boil and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and add a teaspoon full of a rich loose black tea of your choosing; cover and let steep 3 minutes. I love Yorkshire Gold though the recipe originally called for Darjeeling. I then strain and add a touch of almond milk. You could also choose to strain and add a cup of your favorite milk and a touch of sweetener if preferred.
Those eight weeks away in the desert were a wonderful way to reset and reboot after nine months of recovering from burn-out. The desert sky was like a salve for my soul… the immense beauty in every sunrise and sunset, witnessing the night sky full of stars, planets, the milky way, and the phases of the moon. It was beyond measure.
Returning to the city, it has taken me a full two weeks to really feel as though I am back in my skin. That time, however, allowed the space to establish and re-establish ritual as we head into the darker, colder season.
A week ago, I realized that I was devoted to the idea of yoga but not to the actual practice of yoga. This week, I changed this relationship by being devoted to the practice, by scheduling time, by signing up and committing to the ritual of yoga for the next two months. This is also known as #octoberyogapact because, apparently, I find accountability online.
By only being devoted to the idea rather than to the practice, just the thought of yoga was draining. And I wasn’t just thinking about doing it, I was talking about it to… how I was going to go to class and get a monthly pass. It was starting to become an energetic block. It felt heavy even though the practice always feels light. My choices were to let go of the idea of yoga or to fully commit to the practice. I chose to commit.
What are you devoted to the idea of but not necessarily the practice?
Would you rather let go of the idea or commit to the work behind the idea?
Building community is something else I have talked about being devoted to in the past year. The entrepreneurial life in reality means spending a lot of time by one’s self. My love of community was highlighted by working for seven weeks in the desert where we didn’t just work together but ate, socialized, even showered (a la shower trailers) together. So being home with just Pope and the puppy has been a bit sad without all those other people around.
To that end, two in-person experiences will be occurring monthly at the office. The first happened last night — the inaugural Calibration Meditation + Healing Circle held on the first Monday of each month at 5:30pm. The focus is a guided meditation to ground in Earth and Akashic energies and learn a bit about energy medicine and the astrological energies we face in the coming month.
The second monthly in-person experience is the Entanglement Collective, a mastermind/support group for entrepreneurs working within the new economy. This group meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 9:30am. If you’d like to be included on the invite for this, please respond to this email.
My mind was trying to push back all of these things but the timing for it all just feels too right-on. Which of course brings us to the over-arching energies that we are all feeling. Mercury went retrograde on Saturday, October 4, and goes direct on October 25. This is a great time to pause, reassess your current course, and plot a different direction.
Early tomorrow morning is the Full Moon at 15 degrees Aries at 2:50am PDT / 5:50am EDT / 9:50am GMT. The Full Lunar Ecplise occurs shortly thereafter at 3:27am PDT / 6:27am EDT / 10:27am GMT. Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac, the sign of Spring. It is fresh, bright, bold, and brash. It is also about personal freedom. Eclipses are all about openings and closings, beginnings and endings. And just like any type of concentrated event or time lapse, personal evolution is accelerated.
In what areas of your life have you forsaken your own goals and dreams for those of others, both personally and professionally? In terms of relationships, what is the full moon highlighting for you? Where have you let the needs of others eclipse your own personal needs and how can you realign those instances so that you have equal footing?
I love hearing of your own personal journey. To what are you devoted?
