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Focus: Far and Wide

I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.
-Dalai Lama

What an ethereal photograph. I can see the edge of darkness descending and light ascending! It is also an illustration of my last two weeks of posting the Twelve Nights of Christmas. I would focus on the theme for the day and look for a picture to match my thoughts. What I ended up writing was just a short recapitulation of my thoughts, but it became an omen of the days to come.

Light moved across uncharted territory and I could see well enough to focus far and wide:

• Dec. 25-RECEPTIVITY. What gifts from the universe have you declined to accept or acknowledge?
• Dec. 26-GENEROSITY. Think of three people and what you can give of yourself to them.
• Dec. 27-HUMILITY. Think about how humility can become a great source of strength and power for you.
• Dec. 28-NOBILITY. Make a list of people from whose noble qualities you can learn.
• Dec. 29-SOLIDITY. For 12 minutes, simply feel your soul's solidity.
• Dec. 30-FLUIDITY. Consider the importance of flow to your well-being and happiness.
• Dec. 31-LUMINOSITY. Look back at your darkest moments of the last year, and remember what qualities in yourself and others lit the way for you.
• Jan. 1-REFLECTIVITY. Let an image from the outer world settle in your mind and write down five thoughts you associate with it. Reflect on it and how you might transform it.
• Jan. 2-EQUANIMITY. Pick a recent event and review it in light of various possible emotions like happiness, anger and fear.
• Jan. 3-FECUNDITY. Celebrate the richness of your imagination. Hold this vision and then plan tomorrow's activities. Keep it alive during the day.
• Jan. 4-SAGACITY. Think of yourself as an elder who has learned from the trials and triumphs of experience. What are some profound lessons?
• Jan. 5-UNITY. What ideas, yearnings, themes or insights have come together for you through the holidays?

Photo: Homepages IUS.edu

January 5- UNITY

Twelve Nights of Christmas: #12, Unity.

What ideas, yearnings, themes or insights have come together for you through the holidays?

We come into this life with all that we need, and all that we need to know.

When we leave this world we take nothing with us, and that is all that we need to know.

We exist in physical form, in the space between those two statements.

Happy New Year to all of you!

Photo:a COWsignal from outer space

January 4-SAGACITY

Twelve Nights of Christmas: # 11, Sagacity.

Think of yourself as an elder who has learned from the trials and triumphs of experience. What are some profound lessons?

Think of myself as an elder? I only have to stand in front of my Prenatal Yoga classes to see myself as an elder. Many of the women are younger than my son!

I don't think profound lessons really exist. It's all about remembering: where we came from, why we're here, and what we're supposed to do.

When we paddle upstream, kicking and screaming and find the answer, it must be profound. Otherwise, we've wasted so much time.

As an elder, I would say, "Go downstream! It's simple, yet a challenge to imbue. You came from Joy, you wanted to experience it in physical form and you will return to Joy."

Imagine a stadium full of people urging you to go upstream and a small chorus inviting you downstream.  Life is the dissonance, your journey is the result of your choices: stadium or chorus? upstream or down?  Measure your success by the degree of happiness in your life. Rejoice to the sounds of your heart and not to the screaming masses.

"Wise Woman" by Gerbug Garmann

January 3- FECUNDITY

Twelve Nights of Christmas: # 10, Fecundity

Celebrate the richness of your imagination. Hold this vision and then plan tomorrow's activities. Keep it alive during the day.

Fecundity, according to the American Heritage Dictionary:

1.The quality or power of producing abundantly; fruitfulness or fertility.

2.Productive or creative power: fecundity of the mind.

If I were Queen of the Universe, we'd all be living happily ever after. I spent the first half of my life as a bleeding heart, and I'm beginning to think that some of us have got to start leading people out of the desert as opposed to organizing water collection and delivery to the drought stricken areas!

The Queen of this universe has the power to write a screenplay for the dawning of each new day. She orders peace, good health, happiness and abundance for her kingdom. Her vision is so powerful that only those who accept those "orders" are able to find their way to her kingdom. Marauding wanderers simply pass on by, unaware.

Matisse poster: EasyArt.it

January 2- EQUANIMITY

Twelve Nights of Christmas: #9, Equanimity

Pick a recent event and review it in light of various possible emotions like happiness, anger and fear.

Well, Christmas should fit the bill quite nicely. It's been woven long enough within our DNA to elicit some deep emotions.

Christmas angers a lot of folks who feel pressured into giving and receiving, decorating and being merry. It's a time when guilt might surface when you're presented with a gift and have none to reciprocate. It might be a time of sadness if you find yourself far from family or more anger if not given the time off to celebrate.

Christmas is redolent with sensual memories that are exaggerated by mass participation. Reminders are everywhere: a six inch artificial tree sits atop a rusted refrigerator in a service station in the high desert.

But Christmas is, what it is. We get to choose our way to celebrate and with that, the way we want to feel.If it's anything but good, year after year, it has nothing to do with the greeter at Wal-Mart or the decorations that appear the day after Halloween. It's all in the shoes we decide to step into and the place we choose to stand.

Photo: BoopiseDaisy

January 1- REFLECTIVITY

The Twelve Nights of Christmas: #8, Reflectivity

Let an image from the outer world settle in your mind and write down five thoughts you associate with it. Reflect on it and how you might transform it.

When I sat for a few minutes this morning, eyes closed and gazing into my heart center, I saw a shaft of light (as I always do) much like the vertical rays in the photo. I knew then that I wanted to find a photo of light entering a cave for this 8th Night posting.

Here are my five thoughts, aroused by the photograph which I have named "My Heart Center":

1. I am never alone. The solidity of my soul is represented by the rock on the right side of the photograph, Source Energy is the Light that enters from the top and goes right through me.

2. This is my retreat. Cool and clear water trickles through, the air is crisp and clean and I am at peace when I'm here.

3. This is my fortress. This space is physically inaccessible and safe from the energies that do not sustain me.

4. The rays at a forty-five degree angle symbolize interaction. I intend to offer and accept only what is good for all.

5. Where both lights intersect, Love exists. May I always be aware of this.

Photo:straightfinder

December 31- LUMINOSITY

The Twelve Nights of Christmas: #7, Luminosity.

Look back at your darkest moments of the last year, and remember what qualities in yourself and others lit the way for you.

The darkest hours are often the most beautiful, if you open your eyes. Too often they're clamped down tight from pain or fear.

For nearly the entire year, I experienced intermittent pain and stiffness in my hands, shoulders and feet. I never received a "legal diagnosis" and for that I am so grateful. I have no label, no i.d. tag to walk around with in sickness, and in health. As the year ends, the symptoms have subsided.

While I did receive care and sympathy, healing treatments and assistance, one of the greatest gifts that I received was the assumption that the condition was transient. The other was my realization that I could be happy, even while in pain. It was like being in another state, a foreign environment even, but there with my own toothbrush and wearing my favorite Mephisto sandals. I was just visiting. If I had staked a claim, I may still be living there.

Photo: KonaBoy

Wild expectations for the New Year!

"Nobody succeeds beyond his or her wildest expectations unless he or she begins with some wild expectations."
-Ralph Charell

If you remember, last week I wrote about celebrating the twelve days of Christmas and so I've been posting daily "Twelve Nights of Christmas" personal responses. I found out that the list printed in the magazine was a year old but I decided that it would still be a valid exercise and I have not been disappointed. I've used the topic of Generosity in some of my classes this past week and it's even more fitting today, on the cusp of a New Year.

In giving myself the gift of Positive Expectation, I'm throwing out the notion of resolutions and all of the actions that involve the words should, must, and need. Rather than focus on the things I might consider to eradicate or improve, I'm going to first feel myself living happily with everything in place. It's not the same as visualizing or repeating affirmations, this is about experiencing the high of success and accomplishment before it happens. I'm certain that the resulting "to-do" list would be vastly different, even wild.

This sounds good to me:

Do the Energy work first, and then take the inspired action. Because when you take an action to try to correct something that is wrong, all the action does is amplify what is wrong... There's not enough action in the world to compensate for your vibration. (Abraham-Hicks)

Another spin I'm adding: hold every moment as the cusp of a New Year. Thirty-something years ago, I decided to quit smoking and left my half-smoked pack and lighter on the table in the Poi Pounder room at the old Kona Surf Hotel on a New Year's Eve. I haven't had a cigarette since then. Because of that success, I hold off all life changing actions for New Year's Day and miss out on the ensuing 364 days. I want to hold that power in every NOW moment of my life.

2008 looks like the best year ever for me, and I wish the same for you!

Photo: Liesel Elliot

December 30- FLUIDITY

The Twelve Nights of Christmas: #6, Fluidity.

Consider the importance of flow to your well-being and happiness.

This I truly believe:

"Your happiness is the most significant contribution that you could make. In your reaching for happiness, you are opening a vortex which makes you an avenue for the Well-being to flow through you. And anything that is your object of attention under those conditions, benefits by the infusion of your Well-being." -Abraham-Hicks

Which then comes first, getting in line with the flow or feelings of happiness? Taking my cue from yoga, it would be alignment first. There will be many times, even while in the flow, when new choices and directions will present themselves. As long as I choose to go with the flow I'll be able to float along in well-being and happiness.

Maybe it's time for a new Christmas carol: "Let it Flow! Let it Flow! Let it Flow!"

Artwork: Floating by Hillary Riggs

December 29- SOLIDITY

The Twelve Nights of Christmas: #5, Solidity.

For 12 minutes, simply feel your soul's solidity.

I did, and now am filled with gratitude for every minute of my existence. Life is meant to be lived in ascending order. Bring it on!

Original Photo by Jerrie Stafford.