[Re]creation

[Re]creation

 In this transformational time that we find ourselves in we have the opportunity to slow down and to reflect if we so choose. The social distancing adds even more space to this opportunity especially if you are just with yourself. Technology is a blessing as it can keep up us connected via visual and audio ways with friends and family. Lately I’ve been connecting with a lot of friends since we are all in this current transformational time together and it seems like people have more time to talk. It can also help by keeping others updated with your current situation by displaying your latest ways of staying busy. This can be comforting especially now in this time of isolation. Technology can also be a distraction though from being with our own selves and can keep us from looking inward and facing those parts of our self that arise in uncertain and uncomfortable times. Michael Meade talks about how the Internet keeps us connected on the horizontal plane but leaves us feeling more disconnected on the vertical plane to Soul and Spirit. Lately I have been wandering in nature while taking this opportunity to look inward and think about what truly matters or what is really important in life. It could also be an ideal time to count my blessings. I feel fortunate to be in a situation where finances are not my biggest worry minute to minute (just worked for the past month while not having much overhead) and that I have a temporary roof over head. Maybe I feel a sense of guilt too in regards to privilege and even having the opportunity to think of this as a time for creativity or new beginnings.

 A lot of people are struggling even more now living day to day it seems as this pandemic can come close to home at any time if precautions are not taken. How can I bring forth my gifts and offer them to those in need I wonder? Lately through dreams and nature synchronicities I feel a call to reach out to others through story and offering my time to those who need coaching and guidance during these restless weeks. As I sat back down to edit this musing I was thinking about all of the bird life that has been showing up lately, especially the geese. As I had this thought a Canada goose came into view as it dunked its head over and over in the river. My curiosity overcame me so I looked up what Canada Goose represents in the book ‘Animal Speaks.’ In the author’s description he mentions how they relate to story especially with their feathers being used as pens and how Goose used to be central character in myths and fairytales that captured our imagination.

 How is this initiation going to shake out or shake us up so that we can transform into a new way of being and doing. Where do we as humans fit into Nature as a whole as we are Nature? It seems as though Mother Earth is currently trying to balance herself out after generations of the patriarchy taking & dominating and objectifying while not giving back. Sadly people are dying and many other people are more susceptible to the virus because of health issues. The current government administration (and past to be fair) has not done enough to helping our planet or protecting it for future generations to come. Environmental restrictions have been lifted in favor of financial gain through resource extraction.

 The bible states in Genesis 1:28; “And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” What if in the passage the word, subdue was replaced with commune? Where could our developed society be now? How would the definition of words such as progress and productivity be different than they already are? Maybe embracing and listening to the feminine energy could help redirect our world in a positive direction.

 I just read yesterday the words and wisdom of astrologer Chani Nicholas. She writes notes about the upcoming full moon in Libra and how the planets are interacting with each other. Within her passage she also quotes Richard Tarnas. She states, “2020 made its intentions known from day one. Beginning with an eclipse and a Saturn/Pluto conjunction, the omens signaled a year that would make its mark. Challenging aspects (like a conjunction) between Saturn and Pluto tend to intensify themes of repression, restraint, and the inadequacy of our overarching financial systems. Of these times, in Cosmos and Psyche, Rick Tarnas writes “An atmosphere of gravity and tension tended to accompany these … periods, as did a wide-spread sense of epochal closure: ‘the end of an era’, ‘the end of innocence,’ the destruction of an earlier mode of life that in retrospect may seem to have been marked by widespread indulgence, naivete, denial, and inflation.” The last time these two made a conjunction (1981-84), the identification of AIDS was made. This is era-defining astrology.”

 The last few weeks have been quite unsettling to say the least. I left for the desert to engage with others on a backpacking trip in the beginning of March and returned to society at the end of the month to a different way of being. Culture shock! I quickly/abruptly learned the new societal norms when connecting with others and I had many feelings ranging from sadness, loneliness to awkwardness. All of a sudden my urge to reach out and physically hug friends came to quick halt. Sometimes I default to comic relief as a coping mechanism to deal with the middle world nonsense (our objective society or everyday life). I found myself sitting in a large room surrounded by a few others while being about 9 feet apart. It was quiet as we all re-emerged into the new world at the same time. To break the awkward silence I asked if anyone had ever seen the movie, “The Breakfast Club.” Hah, I heard a laugh. “It was as if we were in detention,” someone else stated the next day.

 After a couple of days of immersion in the new normal I drove a days worth to my sacred spot where our family cabin resides along the river. What a relief! I would describe myself as “Home-free” instead of homeless, I feel as though my home is along a river with a wood stove nearby even though in reality it is the family cabin and not my home. Along the way though I had to fill up gas a couple of times and of course do a grocery shop. Going to the grocery store right now is one of the scariest things one can do. You are surrounded by a lot of people you don’t know in a closed wall area where everyone could be carrying the virus. It is like a game where your bubble of personal space just inflated a little more and you are putting yourself at risk. If others become too close it can pop with high consequences. I navigated the isles ever so carefully while keeping my bigger than normal bubble intact.

Finally I can relax a little bit and settle in to my beloved area. Walking the river I have been seeing familiar/new friends like the Turkey Vultures nesting nearby, Bald Eagle has been showing up lately, Raven has been cawing and I’ve been seeing a cute couple on the river everyday. The male duck has a beautiful green head and strong bright orange legs while his companion has an amazing brownish mohawk. The fish have been jumping in the regular spot as the fishermen have also been wetting the line in the hopes of getting a bite.

I remember this fall walking the river and thinking about the current state of what was going on in the world at the time. Things felt kind of out of control with companies and corporations getting bigger and bigger, greedier and greedier. The stock market seemed like it was going to keep rising along with the cost of real estate. Natural and wild areas were becoming so popular and over run especially after witnessing it first hand this past summer working as a wilderness ranger. I just felt like something had to happen, in an egocentric way I was hoping to somehow afford to change my status from “Home free” to homeowner some day but it just seemed like a stretch. Well, it’s happening… everything is changing and the new normal is being redefined and updated everyday.

 One of the big things on my mind is in regards to recreation. I keep myself healthy by going out to recreate in different ways that I love. Biking, skiing, and backpacking to just name a few allow me to shake of the stresses of life while getting fresh air. In many places it is socially unacceptable to go out and “get after it” in the mountains. Here in Oregon and in many other places public lands are being shutdown and access to those areas is either closed or heavily restricted. It feels like now it is more of a time of re-creation instead of recreation. While not being able to recreate how can I re-create? A time of global re-creation requires individual re-creation. How can I transform individually in order to positively shift the collective transformation? What shift can take place inwardly and outwardly or “As within as without?” I am asking myself these questions. Sometimes just bringing awareness around these questions can create a big shift. It seems now more than ever is a time to dive deep and bring forth our gifts that we have to offer to the world. We are all here on this earth for a reason especially at this time, if we weren’t life would lack meaning and purpose.