4/13/2020 0 Comments Living Seasonallyby Melanie-Dawn (Ollenberg) Bessa Imagery of the Earth's seasons and cycles surround us every day, poking and prodding us to pay attention to the messages that each season has to offer. Seasonal Living is about listening to those messages. But with all that's going on in life, it's easy to pass these messages by, and it gets harder and harder to even see why listening to the signs of the seasons and living seasonally is so important. Why should I live seasonally?Each season has it's own unique attributes, purpose, mythos and medicine. When we shift our inner world so that it aligns with the natural world, we open up to a power that is deep, real, and empowering. As a divination arts practitioner, reading the signs and symbols in the world around me has become a very natural part of each day. But I remember when I didn't have this connection - it was a lonely, overwhelming, and confusing time. If we open up to listening to the messages in the seasons and cycles of nature, we will find some real gems to help us cope with our human experiences. Here are a few that come to mind: 1. We are not and never will be, truly alone. When we open up to the life that surrounds us in all things, we see how interconnected we are with it. Like trees sharing a communication system beneath a forest floor, we are not separate from nature but a part of it. Separation is illusion. Personal reflections on living seasonally
Looking for other ways to enjoy the season?Our Members are offering opportunities to tune in, nourish your soul, and keep connected to yourself and the world around you. All within the comfort of your home, while we work through this time of social distancing.
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5. Finding your Strength and Power in your Core, and sending that power down your feet into the earth to anchor it in the web of support that is gaia. With Spring comes the time to reconnect with the feeling of the earth beneath your feet, and the realization that we are not separate from the earth - but an extension of it. The earth is here to support you. Feel your power in your belly, send it down your legs into your feet, like roots into the earth. Sway your hips, feel your center, touch in with your anchor. Breath, walk and dance from that place. While individual Reiki Sessions always have their sacred and unique energy, it is fascinating when there are themes across sessions, and I can't help but think about the impact that our individual healing efforts have on group consciousness. Perhaps individual sessions can give us a glimpse into the collective consciousness, and when we work towards a brighter future for ourselves, we are setting into motion healthy changes on a systemic level. At any rate, I do hope the insights gleamed through others will also support you in your path this Spring.
Many blessings, Melanie 19 years ago was a turning point in my life. I had completed my MA in adult education and had worked several years as a frontline crisis counselor. I was a change maker and was getting burned out fast. I was in a relationship which caused me great internal conflict and I wanted to make changes on many levels but was unsure of my direction. As well, I was having anxiety attacks. Finally, I made a decision to go to Vancouver for a break and a change of scenery. Before I left, I spoke with the man I was with about my anxiety. I was quite shaken and he gave me tobacco wrapped in a red cloth and told me to offer it in a natural place (Tobacco is one of the sacred medicines in many First Nation traditions across North America). He told me I would know the moment. So with tobacco in my pocket I left for Vancouver hoping that I would know the moment. After three days of walking on the beach by the mountains, being with good friends and writing down my thoughts and feelings, I began to come back to myself and all of the anxiety subsided. On the third day, my walk along kitsalano beach was met by the most beautiful sight of a Bald Eagle perched on top of the totem pole outside the Marina museum. I was overcome by emotion and I felt an intense gratitude. I knew this was the moment. I reached for the red bundle in my pocket, which I opened and offered to the earth. I sat and was with the Eagle for a long time. It seemed that nobody even noticed that she was there. I didn’t understand what the significance was of this experience but I knew it was sacred, healing and important. I also felt that somehow life had sent me a message. I had been exposed to Native spiritual teachings through my work at a Native Women’s organization in Toronto and was aware that the Eagle was a powerful symbol as a messenger of the Great Spirit. What that meant for me was not clear except that I felt an urgency to discover more about the Eagle and its message. So I began my search about Eagles, beginning with searching in the new age bookstore for any clues. Pixabay Image
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