It’s going to be a tough Christmas season for most of us, depending on where you live.  Even if you are used to being alone, like I am, the option to go to a Christmas Eve service, a carolling event or any other get-together may be denied by the powers that be. So how can we find small moments of joy in these tough times?

Breathe

One of the things we can do is dig deep inside, into our true core, our authentic, inner self.  Sit in silence and listen. I often say Breathe (inhale), Open (exhale), Receive (inhale).  And see what comes to you.  (more…)

It seems there is so much fear in the world these days. Sometimes I’m not sure if the fear I am feeling is all mine or part of the collective. I wake in fear each morning. I mentioned this to a friend lately, and she said she does too. So I wonder how many of us do, but are afraid to admit it? Luckily I have many processes to help me, to help me befriend my fear.

The other day I was lying on an acupuncture table, full of needles and pulsing electricity and I remembered a process I had done recently. I decided to revisit the word that had appeared in that process, which was “daredevil.” I went back into that word. Immediately I found myself as a rodeo clown in a ring, staring down a bull. (more…)

I miss everybody.  Do you?  I miss deep connection with loved ones.  Most of my relatives are dead.  I do not look forward to when my friends will follow that path, if I don’t go first.

With my restlessness, the other day, I went for a walk in the woods, to talk to a few of my favorite trees and see what messages I might receive.  It would bring a sense of connection, with nature, (more…)

I came across an interesting concept recently. What if trees are really singing to the world and all we have to do is listen. What if it is not just about the biology and the science, but also relationship and community.  We can tune in using our sense of hearing and open up a new world of exploration and connection.

Maybe trees even talk to us. (more…)

I was standing with my favorite tree one day and suddenly wondered:

Would I feel more connected if I actually used my body to connect with nature.  I know that trees give off oxygen for us to breathe and we give carbon dioxide to them.  I know this reciprocal relationship on an intellectual level.

But what if I opened my senses and consciously breathed with the trees?  So, leaning against the tree, I asked (more…)

Do emotions like sadness ever erupt unexpectedly for you, with no seeming trigger?

For me, the tears and sadness seemed to come out of nowhere.  This disconnection from my brother, my last close relative, hit me in the heart, instead of just my mind. I miss him so much, but there is little I can do about it.

So what do I do with this feeling? I decide to go for a walk to the forest and the waterfall.

Letting Go

The falls are just roaring these days. I feel their power. I am mesmerized by it. The water is a swirl of snow and caramel, or that is what it reminds me of – taffy on snow.  I feel like throwing myself in.  Not because I want to die but because I wonder what it would feel like to just be a drop of water in such an immense (more…)

So how do highways and grief relate to each other?  Mostly as metaphors, I think.

One day when I was driving, all of a sudden I wondered about the consciousness of highways.  If inanimate things have a consciousness, do highways too? So I asked the road where it was going. It said “I’m going where they put me.” Well, what an answer.  Is this a metaphor for our lives at times?  Are we going where “we were put?”

Do we get trapped by the path we are on? Or does something happen that just throws us off one track onto another, like grief? Are we alone and separate on this road?

Just wondering and imagining what a “grief road” might feel like (more…)

Imagine that it is evening, dark outside, and you are a little restless. What to do to ease the loneliness?  You live where there is winter and cold, but it is calm outside, with gently falling snow. Why not go for a walk?

So I did.  And afterwards I wrote this poem, my first ever. I had been trying to write a poem for days, and it did not come to me until I entered a walk in the dark. And found peace as well. Even snow can talk to you and keep you company, if you imagine.

Peaceful Light

I lie here gently, sparkling, peaceful

no wind, just stillness.

I illuminate the night in white, in silence (more…)

Have you ever felt a deep joy and love when connecting with a tree, in nature, or even in the city? Did you have a conversation with it or even feel a difference in your body energy?

A Conversation

I feel very drawn to two pine trees a few blocks from me. I can’t seem to keep myself from visiting them.

So on one visit, I opened and listened.

“We’re beautiful!”

If trees could preen, these two would. It made me smile.

And they are beautiful.  Their profile is wonderful and their leaves seem so soft and flowing.  I feel love and joy when I look at them.  I said, “I feel happy being close to you.”

“You like yourself when you are near us. We like ourselves, so you like yourself.  We can help you.”

So I basked it their presence for awhile. It relieved the loneliness.

On returning to my apartment, I looked up pine trees in a tree medicine book.  The interpretation was that pine trees can help you with (more…)

Have you ever  imagined that you could receive messages from a dying tree?

Messages in Conversation

I was walking in the woods and stopped to look out over the gorge. When I looked back, I was right beside a dead tree and felt called to connect with it. It started a conversation.

I said, “How can you talk to me, you are dead.”

It responded,

“But some of my spirit is still here.  I am still standing.  I serve a purpose in this world too.”

I looked around and saw that there were others in this area. Some had fallen over.

“You have company, some have fallen over.” (more…)