Inspiration

Not a celebration in sight. We should be screaming “help.” What happened to the May Pole? The ribald spring rites of procreation, and consecration of the land? In the power of celebration lies community. In the haunting sounds of shared laughter, we remain connected. In the primitive power of the circle, implicit in chant, song & dance, we reach out to embrace one another. Where have all ‘those flowers’ gone? Long time passing. When will we ever learn? When shall we re-seed May Day once again? Unortunately, we have come to view celebrations only as large, special occasions, costing time, energy and money. But if we hold to the original intent of the word, ‘celebrate,’ from the Latin root meaning, ‘frequent,’ celebrations can be created at a moment’s notice in order to take note of the grandeur in everyday life. The Balinese consecrate small pieces of each and every day as an invitation to ritual Put on your celebration costume, and nurture with the daily bread of beauty and ritual. When complexities and concerns overwhelm, nothing lifts spirit or nourishes soul like a heartfelt celebration, small or big. Perhaps we should categorize them? ‘Petites’ for the garden variety, such as creating a tea ceremony, or taking time to appreciate and grow a friendship. Then we have the large, abundant variety, like Solstice gatherings, full of ritual, Yoga, chanting, drumming, fire, strangers, and other animals. When complexities and concerns overwhelm, nothing lifts spirit or nourishes soul like a heartfelt celebration, small or big. Whenever we choose, we can invite ourself to life’s banquet, a table where Spirit serves ritual. Asana: Eka Pada Sirsasana, One Leg Behind the Head Pose. If you can do this pose, you have big reason to celebrate, and if you can’t, celebrate the fact you are showing……

Gaia is in her glory—as are we who tend her. Eternal female, she appears on her day/Earth Day dressed in a rainbow of silks, flowing chiffons, with a halo of daffodils twined on long curling tresses, and pedicured toes sporting silvery moon-rings. Her Venusian beauty vibrates, giving off rich scents of possibility. After her winter-crone desiccation, she, and we, breathe ‘la vida loca.’ Laying herself out in chartreuse Goddess-green, her bosom pulsing spring, closed portals, open. It is as though she takes a wand and color-wishes the air, pushing branches into laden arms of grace. Her breath/my breath, our cells interchange thought and feeling, cell information. We grow from, into, with, and around one another. When I lie in her arms, my core connected to hers through our umbilical cord, my life flows. When I listen to her Spirit whispering in mine, I do all things wisely. From there, the knowing; earth/air/sea/thee/me, a single cell sailing through time and space. Great Mother, as you hold and nurture us…how do we repay your generosity? How do we honor your gifts? More cement and asphalt into your pores? Ripping last forests out for paper plates? Tossing plastic into your sensuous waters? Heavier pesticides over front lawns and golf courses? Ahhhh yes, we are unbelievable stewards…… terrorists as it were. How can you support our churlish-childish behavior? How …..do you continue to love us? Oh Great Mother, send us your consciousness, give us your Grace. Asana: Any pose, especially a simple pose, where you stand, kneel, lie, with, on, beside Gaia. Take a moment to worship the Green Goddess. Let your Practice be one of conscious connection to feeling her Grace, and thanking her. Tadasana/stand still, Savasana/Corpse Pose, Sirsasana/Headstand, Uttanasana/Standing forward fold, Ustrasana/ Camel…are a few ideas.

Nirvana Spring sun whispers compared to August fire Its timid warmth more cherished As though it can only outline, Tease out fullness And fool’s folly, hope. Surviving another cold sojourn The bone-life, Where Nirvana comes hard April incandescence uncoils us, Small Garters twisting on warm logs Shedding to shape-shift. Asana: Vrksasana, Tree Pose. Stand in Tadasana, bringing R foot up as high as possible inside L thigh, toes point down. Inhale, lifting arms up, balance. If you are touched by ‘Nirvana’ sway into ‘Dancing Tree’ by shifting hips away from R knee, open arms to sides, lift chest higher and feel the whispers of spring light. Do both sides, of course. Health Notes: Vrksana strengthens leg and ankle muscles, increases balance, and offers a place of stillness, even when it ‘dances’.

For those who garden in the North East, spring days are holy, they are also hell…. So much to do all at once, alongside such splendid joy and incomparable relief at winter’s release. My eyes rove over winter-white grass, broken branches, and withered rose cane. Suddenly, the luminescent green throat of the Grackle, the pear forcing inarticulate bud, and daylily heads pushing old mulch aside, give my world new meaning. For those who observe political/social people and events in their magnificent idiocy, it is the same. So much horror and repulsion side by side with extraordinary present/future possibility. Indeed ‘Holy Hell’ is what most of us are working to balance through these illuminating, interesting days. We have come full circle to the old country doctor’s maxim, “What don’t kill you makes you stronger.” I have to assume that those of us who are surviving are growing quite strong. Having interior muscle to find, and re-find our inner equilibrium when the extremes of ‘holy hell’ side-swipe us at every curve is a gift that comes from Practice, many practices, some personal, some universal. Practices can open us to see ourselves and our world-view with different eyes; God’s eyes/Goddess vision. This, as you know, takes constant conscious effort. Without formidable prodding we would not do it. Aaahhh turmoil, grief, confusion, frustration, envy, the great healers. A dear friend told me yesterday that her new Practice was blessing everyone, especially those she struggled against. It consisted of a lot of Practice as she was working both personally and politically. She has found that it is all about her being able to balance her inner core, instead of changing those she disagrees with. Before, she would have been maniacal in her frustrations that others understand her, even that they listen. Now, it is not……

Like maple syrup, the Ojas, or life force, begins running more fiercely with still cold nights but warmer days. Like sap, we are invigorated to be more verb-like, less noun-ish, and with fortune our sap will heat and become sweet. Perhaps it is not so much fortune, but attention and diligence. It takes 40 gallons of sap to boil down for one gallon of pure maple syrup. Appreciate it a bit more? Might we appreciate our efforts put toward creating a higher life force? In snowbound winters we tend to be nouns, we be round beings with books, huddled by a fire. In spring, as warmth loosens cold joints, we dig, we do, we become verb-like. It’s a lovely sensation to feel sap beginning to flow, renewing elasticity, increasing our ability to become more, see wider, respond differently. Becoming ‘verby’ moves us into more active participation with the Universe. God knows we need it if we are to turn our 40 gallons of sap into a single gallon of fabulous taste. Requirements of a ‘good verb’ are: To attend our health, preventing illness as much as possible; to maintain emotional equilibrium no matter the crazies; to choose the appropriate energy to respond to whatever life offers. As our bodies warm and the life force flows, breathe in quiet moments, nurturing the inner life. April is a grand month, and on the first, we are fools if we don’t take our Practice to the next level in some small way. Let us consciously connect our physical ability to stand in perfect balance, and like the Fool of the first card in the Tarot, be willing to stride off cliffs. In other words, fully embrace the risks and excitement in these days. This spring may the sap run strong. It’s not just……

In the ocean of our breath, we meet ourselves, Deep sea divers encountering exotic fish the first time, Gasping in delight. What strange creatures we seem. Filled with fear, Dazzling with courage when the heart breathes, Let go surface safety, plunge down, Into dark waters, glitterings of spring.