Honoring Our Freedom

The Fourth of July, commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the United Kingdom. 

This weekend, millions of American's will again observe our nation's Independence Day. 

Celebrations will include barbecues, parades, U.S. flags, Freedom Runs, patriotic gatherings,  firework displays, eating, drinking and coming together with families and friends. 

Most of us remember the origins of this federal holiday. However today, may we pay tribute to the countless individuals who continue to accept responsibility, make sacrifices, and commit themselves to preserving our present day freedom and independence. 

May we consciously acknowledge them, honor their service and express our gratitude!  

Our personal freedom also comes from taking responsibility and action toward liberating ourselves. In order for us to live unencumbered lives, we must be free of the burdens we have chosen to bear. 

Much like the crusades of our nation, it is essential to identify and emancipate ourselves from self imposed deprivation and oppression. 

What are the "action steps" that could liberate us?  

They are the focus and measures we take to systematically release aspects of ourselves and our lives ~that restrict, control or define us.  

How could we benefit from declaring independence from old ways of thinking, non serving beliefs, and destructive behaviors?

With liberation comes greater awareness, clarity of thought and imagination, connection to inner wisdom and Freedom of Being.

This Independence Day, as you celebrate the holiday in your customary way; take a moment to identify one aspect of your life that you are ready to set free. 

Take a deep breath and make a decision to step forward toward honoring that freedom!

Pathway to our Heart

We travel through the endless 

corridors of our mind,

Until one day, we find a pathway that leads 

to our Heart.

~Toni Carmine Salerno

Our minds can often be like a maze.  So when we enter alone, unarmed or without direction, we can very well be led to that dark rabbit hole Alice found herself in.

When we venture in without intention or focus, it is easy to slip into a downhill flow of dark confusion. And if we think ourselves clever, we sometimes join the committee already assembled ~ to take our place at the helm.

Eagerly, we ride the familiar, mental groove, round and round, while secretly hoping for clarity and new insight! 

What if we could just choose a different fork in the road?

Could it be that simple?

Could we learn to quiet ourselves; to silence the chatter?

Could we release our insanity just by practicing intentional Breathing?

Most solutions in this world are simple.  Simple. . .yet our resistance makes their implementation ~far from easy!

I have learned through my own experience that focusing on my Breath is always the way out!  Shifting my attention to my breathing allows me a reprieve, a step off the old merry go round, and a realignment of sorts. 

Intentionally breathing is as simple (and easy) as making a decision to do it.  Try it!  The next time you become aware of feeling agitated or confused; Stop!  Inhale deeply, exhale, then inhale again.

Try it for three breaths.  Ah... nice...  

For the present moment you've come home to your Heart ~ that center of your being where all of your intentions ~ can manifest.  And so it is. 

"I create easily and effortlessly when I let my thoughts come from the loving space of my heart."  - Louise Hay 

Letting Go is a Process

"I've never felt a pain that didn't bear a blessing."

~ Gene Knudson Hoffman

My sisters & I shared a week together last Fall spreading the ashes of our Mother & Father throughout Arizona and Colorado; specifically at all the favorite places of their life together.

It was a beautiful sojourn beginning at Phoenix Jr College, their home in Scottsdale, the desert where our Mother walked, and ending in Sedona ~ a truly sacred place of vortex, healing energy, and sweet memories of our parents and times shared together there.

Then on to Boulder CO  ~ CU campus where our parents met, fell in love and began their 62 years together. We continued to share Mom & Dad's ashes throughout Colorado; at the Genesee overlook where Mother received Dad's fraternity pin, the river path in Avon and the Walking Mountains Science Center where a stone plaque honors our Mom.  We ate at all our favorite restaurants and even found a lovely book store in Edwards, that welcomed us home. 

There were some tears for each of us, yet being together, honoring our parents in this way, softened the reality of our loss and nurtured the gratitude and love we have for each other.  How very blessed we were to be able to suspend our daily lives in order to focus on the life gifts of our parents.  

Recently, we took the last of Mom's ashes back to her home town of Oregon, Illinois. Growing up, we girls rode the train overnight with Mother, to visit our grandparents, Aunt & Uncle and cousins.  We stayed for weeks during the summer and learned about lightning bugs, the melancholy song of the Whippoorwill, and humidity.

We stayed at a bed & breakfast and took Mom for one last time to the places of our favorite memories;  Lowden State Park, with the statue of Chief Blackhawk and White Pines Park where the river flows over the road and they serve family style breakfast in the lodge on Sundays.  

Spending time with our Uncle and Cousins made for a bittersweet visit; fanning the joy of our memories and at the same time, allowing our grief to breathe renewed. . .

For me, completing the "LeSue Ash Tour" brought new understanding and acceptance of the cycle of Life. By honoring and letting go of the physical elements of my parents, 

I was freed to embrace a new and everlasting bond.  

For that blessing, I am truly Grateful.

LOVE - Our Planetary Connection!

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 11th, 2014.  It also happens to be my 60th birthday; a great day for a double Celebration of Life!

This past month, the Mothers of two of my dearest friends have made their transitions.  My own Mother left this life abruptly ~almost two and a half years ago.  And although I am a Mother myself, it is my Mother who I long for, honor and cherish this weekend!

 
This Mother's Day, 

I choose to honor the gift of Life! 

I acknowledge the great contribution all Mother's make to our world. 

I celebrate Mother Earth herself ~ abundantly, unconditionally expressing herself,  as Love. 

Peace...like a river ~ unharnessed flowing freely, ever ready to seek the path of least resistance.  As a rock along its bank, I hold true to the steady trials and the confrontation of the independent, non-biased power of its will.

Lapping along the edge, remaining constantly suspended, I acknowledge my flexibility, my willingness to ride in tandem in the direction of its choosing.

Peace. . . the absence of struggle ~ the silent sound, vibrating, expressing, celebrating the now moment.

I am at home in nature; in the rumblings of an impending storm, the symphony song of birds chirping, winged bug buzzing, water rushing.

Observe the demonstration of our invisible conductor's rhythm ~ commanding obedience ~ while praising each instrument, effortlessly blending, uniting into one heart. . . Mother Earth.

Hell in the Hallway

Mother Earth is changing. 

 Tax season is nearing an end.

Daylight savings is upon us. 

Winter is on its way out and Spring playfully, 

almost cautiously, flirts for our attention.

It tis the season for letting the old go and embracing the new.

May we be kind and loving with ourselves and others 

as we do the same. 
 

If you want to change, you have to be willing to be uncomfortable.

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; 

but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see 

the one which has been opened for us."
 

These words from Helen Keller soften the reality, that feeling of being 

stuck or what I call  "Hell in the Hallway!"
 

 I have a sign above my office door that reads:  

"Life begins at the end of your Comfort Zone!"  

Upon reading this message, most experience a hint of amusement 

and at the same time, an inkling of inner discomfort.

Needing to be comfortable is one of the strongest driving energies that keep us from making changes, taking risks or actually experiencing and manifesting what we want in Life.  

It's quite subtle really. We stay where we are, in the familiar, having the same experiences over and over again.  Some of us convince ourselves that it's not so bad ~ that our health, our relationships, our daily activities and even our contribution ~ are good enough. We are accustomed to this plateau in our life; it feels safe. It can also be an empty and boring existence if we hold tight to this position for years. Denying ourselves growth and change ~ smothers our very spirit and squeezes out the passion of our dreams.

 Letting go of "needing to be comfortable" frees us up immediately for new experiences.  When we allow ourselves to feel vulnerable, to lower our "shield of familiar", we liberate our courage and enthusiasm for Life and welcome new possibilities!

In the past, I broke out of my comfort zone kicking and screaming- sure that I would drown or be lost.  Then after treading water uncontrollably, (again letting go) I would come up for air to find new information there waiting for me. 

A new identity, a new consciousness with a whole new set of beliefs and understanding, would present itself.   Over the years as I've learned to stop judging myself and the process, making changes in my life have become easier, more enjoyable and definitely more rewarding.

Yet standing in that middle space, that place between "letting go" and "embracing the new" can feel like oblivion, even Hell.  No longer aligning with the old, and not yet recognizing the new.

"When you choose to create harmony, cooperation,

 sharing, and reverence for Life, 

you activate all the parts of your personality that prevent 

you from creating those things 

so that you can recognize them and heal them, 

one by one, choice by choice, decision by decision, 

as they arise."    

~Gary Zukav

 So, when you choose to let go of someone or something 

that no longer serves your highest good,  it's helpful to remember; 

When one door closes, another door. . . will open.  

Yet sometimes, 

it's Hell in the Hallway!