Kiyowara

Let Peace begin with me

I have been doing fairly intense Lightwork this season. There is a great deal of need in the world right now, and I have been fortunate to have the internal resources to offer my Work up in some important ways.  I feel the stirrings of Peace on the Winter wind, and I wish to foster the growth of the desire for Peace. 

As the song says, Peace begins with me.   To that end, I have decided to start a Peace shawl for myself. This shawl, which I have wanted to knit for sometime, is soft and intended to remind me of my desire to work for greater Peace in the World starting with creating Peace within myself.  I began knitting on the shawl on the Winter Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere to commemorate specific Work in which I assisted designed to support the growing Light in the World of spirit.  The shawl actually has the word Peace knitted into it.  The knitting is going much more quickly than I expected it to; I will likely finish it before the end of January.

With this in mind, I have decided that this journey of Peace shawl knitting will encompass more than one shawl.  The first, as I mentioned, is for me, since Peace must begin within each person individually.  The second will be for a close family member; supporting Peace within the family, whether birth or chosen, is the next logical step.  If I have time before December 21, 2012, I will knit a shawl for a member of my community, outside of my immediate family, who is in need.  This is the reach of support from within a family out into their surrounding community.  Beyond that, if I have time in this year, I will knit a Peace shawl for donation to a charity that can place it with someone in need that I do not know, thus reaching further out into the greater World with Love in mind. 

I do not need for these shawls to all be the same pattern.  In fact, it might even be better if they are all completely different.  Each of them will be knit with Love in mind.  That is the goal here: to foster Love, and with that the Peace which passes beyond the understanding of our every day mind into the heart of the Divine.  

Won't you join me?  Knitted, crochet, felted, woven, sewn, stitched, using whatever technique speaks to your spirit, create something that conveys Love and warmth, seed the Light of Peace in yourself, and then reach out.  It doesn't matter how many pieces you make, nor how quickly, it is the intent that counts.  Peace, begin with me.  Let me share this Light.

Occupy yourself

I have been musing on the Occupy movement these last few weeks. We are rising in response to a society run amok, that has lost touch with the very people its institutions were supposed to serve and protect. Nonetheless, I have been watching the protests with concern because rising up without focus can contribute to violence and chaos rather than combating those divisive forces.

Just now, however, I think I have hit upon something. Change begins within each one of US. We are the only ones that change us. Change yourself first, look into the mirror and really look at yourself, and then you can truly begin to change the world around you. Occupy Yourself. Be present, fully occupying who you are and your right sized place I the world. By doing so, you help others to see that they, too, can do this; this kind of inner beacon shines out and calls others up as well.

Rise up,Occupy Yourself to the fullest. Then, and only then, reach out to help the next being to rise up.

The Curse (or Blessing) of Mercury

I have begun this past week to feel the foreshadowing of Mercury coming into Retrograde.  Having a Virgo birthsign, I feel the pull of this powerful planet's movement through Retrograde more than some people do, hence the reason that I feel the stirrings and weight of this passage about a week before the normal shadowing period begins.  Actual Mercury in Retrograde begins on Friday, December 10, 2010.  By then, I would normally expect to be a drooling idiot.  I hope to change my responses to this event this time.

This has been a year full of so many personal changes for me.  I am waking up, and though it subjectively feels like a slow process I am aware that by objective time it has occurred very quickly.  I am certainly not perfect, and old patterns are pernicious in their attempt to remain in my life. However,  I can feel a place where the "I Am" dwells within me; more and more often I act from this place rather than from a place of fear.  

So, as I felt the first stirrings of Retrograde affect me I started the process of finding new ways to adapt.  I want to be in a place of strength here, to continue to choose my life rather than let it choose me.  I told my spice that I was feeling these astronomical and astrological effects, that I felt a heaviness settle on me along with my usual inability to communicate clearly during these events.  In doing so, I found them willing to be a bit more patient with me as I needed extra time to articulate my feelings.  I have committed to a 25 day consecutive run of yoga (part of another ongoing story), which coincides with this time period as well.  It should be interesting to observe how these proactive measures influence the outcome of this time period.

Perhaps that is the real key here - that I now feel the connection to the Watcher, the One Who Observes, my own God Soul, Spirit Light, that part of me that has a broader view than the more landlocked parts.  I wish for ALL of me to show up.  It has been an interesting thing to note just where, when, and how parts of me become lost along the way, rejected, or hidden.  And so, I will attempt to welcome with compassion this part of me that feels this cosmic pull, the influence of the planetary bodies with which we share this solar system.  This time, then, becomes a period of graceful challenge for me to hold myself with even more compassion, to rise above my perceived difficulties and grow.

If I say something to you and it comes out in complete gibberish, please let me know!  And if you can afford a little extra patience with me as I take the time to articulate what I have to say, I will do my best to offer you the same in your difficult times.