Greetings from San Francisco, Nayarit, Mexico!!
I'm hoping this blog entry finds you all well and gracefully navigating the changes in inner-landscape that are being required of all of us by Universal and Astrological energetic forces as of late. It has been an intensely active time energetically in the last two months. If it has you reeling slightly, or more than slightly, I encourage you to tap into your deep and intuitive senses of compassion and love. Especially were these two graces are directed inward. It is so important to have compassion for ourselves, and those in our lives, in times of struggle and change. Below I share a poem that I wrote on the topic of love. As you read it and hear words such as love and partner, please read it in its broadest of meanings: To include love and partnership with self, and your Divine support system, as well as your human support system. To include your frienships and mentorships as well as your romantic partnership. Love is so central to our existence and we can sometimes become myopic and single minded in our definitions of love. As we narrow the scope and become more exclusive with our openness to and concepts of love, we unnecessarily limit the connections and support that we can feel from the larger human and spiritual community that is here, attempting to support us, if we would only let that support in. I share this poem and the quality of love and compassion that it requires of us, with a deep sense of gratitude that you are all on this journey with me. With much love and gratitude, Tawa LOVE You see there's this certain vibration I'm really trying to reach To help me open to the flow A thin veil I'm trying to breach It requires an abundance of self-love A relatively new concept for me It leaves no room for compromise Certain things simply no longer comfort me It feels rather demanding Who am I to ask so much? It just won't stop commanding I don't want to use a crutch I'm ready to stand ~strong and bright Nothing broken inside my heart A partner must be compassionate and upright Are you ready to play that part? It really is essential That we both be on the same page A relationship ~ornamental Is the equivalent of a cage The heart is a sacred temple It's also a terrific gauge The messages it sends ~true and simple Letting us know when we've lost our way
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With the arrival of Fall you can always expect some interesting energies to come your way. As we prepare to become more introspective (the Yin feminine energy), we can feel some interesting resistance. As humans, we are more accepting of an outwardly focused existence than we are of deep introspection. Our "inner-space" is an unfamiliar and intimidating place. Uncharted territory. For us to truly feel whole, it is necessary to engage with all of the aspects of our being. We need to become just as familiar with the workings of our heart and our spirit as we are with our outer body. It is just as necessary to know what makes your heart and spirit swell with joy, as it is to know which foods do and don't agree with you.
The way that this autumnal energy has been manifesting in my life, is with an unprovoked and unsolicited serge of poetic elixir that is simply bubbling up from inside of me. A friend who read one of the poems that have emerged commented: "When I first read it, it didn't sound like you. And then I thought, well this must be what's inside of you". The desire to write poetry imposed itself on me. In a very real way, my soul said I need this from you, even if it doesn't make sense to you. What I am starting to discover, as I allow this energy to unfold, is that the poetic me is permitted to express things with a tone that I don't allow myself to use. This is a gift that my inner self is giving me that allows me to actively participate in becoming whole. It is an offering from the Universe. She is inviting me to celebrate and cherish ALL of me. I am being asked to speak with all of my voices. I invite you to do the same. Travel deep into your inner cavern and discover a part of you that has been lost or silenced. Welcome it home; knowing that it is an essential part of your being. It feels more peaceful in this body when we allow ourselves to BE whomever it is that we ARE, complete and un-fragmented. If you need some assistance wading through the inner "clutter". I am offering an hour and a half session for "Deep Energetic House Keeping". We have a belief that some journeys require we travel alone. In my experience, all journeys are more joyful in the company of our loved ones and guides. So much love and gratitude, Tawa The energies of August are energies of COHESION. There is a deep desire to come together, to find like minded travelers and to feel a part of community. DO NOT be discouraged when this appears impossible. It will simply take a little time, as humans have been working in the paradigm of separation for a long time. It is precisely this paradigm that now brings us back to a desire for connection. We have had long enough to understand and realize that our emphasis on separation and self fulfillment, ultimately feels empty. We do not want to be alone. We do not want to come to the end of the day feeling depleted, and not have someone to hold in our arms. It has taken this long for the collective conscience to come to this desire. As more individual energy is being directed toward a longing for connection, that energy builds. It has been building and now it is finally making itself manifest in our material -3D lives. Keep longing for it! Keep the hope alive. That is what will make it happen.
There is a strong desire amongst humans at this moment in history to make a dramatic change. It may not look like it when you observe others; but remember you are comparing your insides with their outsides. You may not be able to see the shift they are trying to make. Take a risk. Be the one to reach out and bridge the gap. This does not cost you anything. ONLY GOOD can be gained from it. There is DIVINE power in your vulnerability. Nutrition and the Thyroid
As we move into the summer months, and our food choices make a seasonal shift from heavy, cooked foods to lighter, raw foods, it's helpful to know if a food supports or hinders the function of your thyroid. If you have a happy healthy thyroid then you don't really need to think about these things. However, many of us have sub-optimally functioning thyroids even though a blood test might not show it. Also, many of us have a diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction. If you don't know whether you fall into those two categories you can scan this list of symptoms for low functioning thyroid, or hypothyroidism. I am a big fan of eating lots of fresh veggies and fruits, especially in the summer when things are so fresh and there are so many great options. So please don't take this as a suggestion to decrease your consumption of raw and cooked fruits and vegetables in general. However, if you do have symptoms of a low functioning thyroid, there are a couple of things you should watch out for in your daily nutrition. Firstly, several of our favorite fruits and vegetables inhibit the production of thyroid hormone (that is to say they decrease thyroid hormone). And secondly, many believe that the effect is more pronounced when those foods are eaten raw. The first list of foods that inhibit thyroid function is the cruciferous family of vegetables: • Broccoli • Cauliflower • Kale/ Cabbage • Brussels Sprouts • Mustard Greens Other included fruits, vegetables and legumes are: • Radishes • Spinach • Strawberries • Peaches • Soy-Based Foods • Peanuts It is recommended that you decrease the quantity of these foods in your diet and possibly choose to eat them cooked rather than raw. I am by no means saying that you should completely eliminate them from your diet. I believe that moderation (the middle road) is truly healthier and more sustainable. However, use this as an opportunity to build awareness. Your body is your best teacher. So, pay attention to how you feel after consuming certain foods. Check in with how you feel immediately after, several hours after, and the next day. If a particular food is not a good source of nourishment for your body, it will ALWAYS let you know. You just have to be listening! An Energetic Look at the Thyroid The thyroid gland is located on the throat. It wraps around the lower and lateral parts of the laryngeal prominence (Adam's Apple). Energetically speaking this is the area of your 5th Chakra. The fifth chakra is aligned with our ability to express ourselves without fear of ridicule or judgement. To express ourselves authentically. Physically, and symbolically speaking, this is where we create our voice (speak our mind), as well as where we swallow our pride and our humiliations. Or where we silence ourselves or allow others to silence us. Therefore, thyroid issues might indicate that you don't feel empowered to speak your truth in some way or another. This does not have to be dramatic. It could simply be that in some little way you don't feel the freedom to express yourself. As Louise Hays puts it: "Feeling as if you never get to do what you want." Thyroid issues are far more prevalent in women than they are in men. The energetic connection could help explain this disparity. The feminine voice still has not quite found its way into the center, the mainstream, the dominant rhetoric. That is not to say that all men feel free to express themselves, or that they don't fear humiliation when expressing themselves authentically. It simply means that a more masculine discourse and way of being in the world is still more accepted, and that more feminine ways of being or communicating are still seen as "different/ other". Many women and most men have chosen to employ the masculine voice (the central rhetoric) as a means of survival and an attempt to succeed in this cultural structure. This may work well for us for most of a lifetime, or we may be aware of how it can negatively effects us at some point in our lives. The thyroid gland starts to register the energetic discord far sooner than our conscious mind does. Most likely your thyroid has felt depleted and unsupported for a decade or two while your mind might be just beginning to notice that you feel a need to express yourself more authentically and more freely. Or you may not have yet come into that awareness. If you feel that you have thyroid issues, start to ask your thyroid every morning what it needs from you to be healthy. Be still and patient. It will answer! Happy eating, happy living, happy loving!! Much love, Tawa Why do we fall into judgement when all we want to feel is love?
The Judgement Trap: It seems that this year was an up close and personal experiment on understanding the nature of judgement. I have always tended to be a much harsher judge of myself than of others, which might seem less offensive in some ways, but there is a very tricky caveat that happens with self-judgement: If you are in judgement of yourself, you tend to feel more judged by others and, in the end, you also become more judgmental of others. In this hands on experiment called life, I have come to the conclusion that if we are able to release self-judgement completely then our judgement of others with also cease. I find that when I am at peace with myself, I have let go of my false identities, and I feel unconditional love for who I AM (the perfect divine essence that is the true me); the need or desire to judge others, or even make comparisons, magically melts away. If I am sitting in self-love and self-acceptance I no longer depend on others to validate or accept me and therefore no longer take their opinions personally. Wonderfully, when I approve of myself, all I see is approval reflected back to me by others. Therefore, when I am feeling judged or if I am in judgement of another, I know that it is time to look inward to uncover the self-judgement that is waiting to be released. Miraculously, when I release the need to judge myself I am no longer traumatized by (or validated by) the myriad perceptions and opinions of me that abound. Talk about freedom! Moving Into Love: Once we move beyond the judgement trap we are now perfectly poised to start to experience and experiment with LOVE. More specifically unconditional love of SELF, and then of OTHERS. I find that we often censor our love. We monitor and control how much love we let out and allow ourselves to express to others. We do this for many reasons, mostly out of fear of how the other person will respond. We may fear that we love the other person more than they love us. We are also often afraid that they may respond to our love in a way that we had not intended. We may love them as a friend while they love us as a lover. The truth is that it matters not whether others receive, reject or misinterpret our love. We love because the very act of loving opens us to our truest nature. It allows us to live in accordance with our higher selves, as emissaries of love and light for all of humanity. As we shine the light of love upon others, OUR world brightens. WE PERSONALLY benefit from the love that we pour out into the world. What does it mean to love unconditionally? This is when our self love is so deep, so authentic and rich that love starts to ooze from our very being. It seeps out of our cells and touches all who we encounter. We love freely and openly because it feels so good and right and pure. We love with abundance in our heart, as opposed to loving with the need to be loved in return. We discover that our ability to love grows as our self-judgement (and yes, self-loathing) softens. In more positive terms, it could be said that our love of others and our world grow in proportion to our self-love. As the Yoga Sutras explain: We reach for this level of consciousness, INFINITE LOVE, so that we can ultimately run out and heal the world. What this means is that we are here in this human form to learn to love ourselves so completely that we feel inspired to run out and love the world. For to love is to heal and to find healing is to have found love. Often, even when our awareness has grown, we struggle to find tools that will help us move our lives in a new direction in very practical ways. So, as you work to let go of judgement and move into love, here are a few gentle suggestions of how you can start to create enough internal space to allow changes to emerge while practicing self-care. Now What:
With so much love and gratitude, Tawa |
AuthorTawa Ranes has a very curious mind and has always been interested in the nature of consciousness and the workings of the Universe. Since healing has been a big part of her own personal journey, much of her curiosity focuses on understanding how and why healing occurs or fails to take place. Archives
October 2023
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