Are you afraid of your dark?

The winter solstice is almost here. On this shortest day of the year we traditionally come together to face the darkness and to remind ourselves that the days will get longer, the sun will return. It seems an appropriate time to talk about darkness. Are you afraid of your dark?

Everything in our physical universe comes in balanced pairs. Just as species produce male and female plants and animals so must light always be balanced by an accompanying darkness. It is the perfect time of year to look at ourselves from this perspective. We all spend a great deal of time attempting to embrace the light. We want to find and bring forward all of the good and noble parts of our personalities. What about the less desirable qualities? Do we honour our darkness?

It seems to me that this darkness has its place. We all attempt to shove it down. We may shy away form it . It is there in all of us. This darkness serves to balance the light so that we can be whole. If we only have light we may be blinded, thinking that all of life is perfect. The light can make us complacent. It can also prevent us form seeing the injustice and cruelty in our world and thereby rob us of our desire to correct it. An over-focus on the light can also leave us vulnerable to those who have powerfully embraced the darker side of human nature. Our own dark side comes to the fore when it is time to defend ourselves against an attack. It is one of its most important functions.

So many of the myths that we remember at this time of year speak of epic battles between light and dark. Between good and evil. Perhaps it would serve us better to use this time to see the dark more clearly now that the light doesn’t stand in our way. To look into ourselves and see that in balance the darkness serves us as the light does and brings us to a place of power where both sides are used to forward our growth and express our good character.

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Do I have enough?

I recently made a trip to Tanzania, one of the poorest countries in Africa. I can honestly say that anyone reading this has more than enough. In fact, you may have too much. One can’t help noticing the poverty in a country like Tanzania. What also struck me is the peaceful, gentle, nature of the Tanzanians. They seem happy and content even though they have so little. This is perhaps the greatest lesson that Africa can offer us.

Our social programming tells us that we must have more. We are bombarded with marketing that carries the same message. We have been sold on the idea that we can’t be happy with what we have. There is no rest. There is no satisfaction. As soon as we have the new car we think about how we can move up when we get the next one. If it isn’t cars it might be shoes, houses or even pets. Have you ever stepped back and asked yourself if any of these things really made you happy? If so, how long did that happiness last?

To be truly happy we need to be satisfied. There’s nothing wrong with wanting things, but can our desires rob us of satisfaction and thereby happiness? How long can you remain satisfied until the next best thing comes along? Are you on the “must have it” treadmill?

I invite you to step back and take a look at all the good things in your life. Look at the emotional and spiritual but also look at the material. Evaluate how much it is that you really have. Stuff is great, but, it’s just stuff. Every one of us already has enough to last us a life-time.

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If it's legal it's OK, right?

I was traveling in Tanzania recently. We were at a small regional airport when we saw a couple of tourists led by a hunting guide. They were followed by a porter with several elephant tusks on a cart. There are licensed, private, game reserves there where hunting these beautiful animals is permitted. I was shocked that the Tanzanian government could allow this. But how can one of the poorest countries in the world turn down the money? From the preserve owner’s perspective there is nothing wrong because it is all perfectly legal.

Our obligations to ourselves, our communities, our fellow human beings and the planet, extend beyond law. Acting with good character often requires that we look more deeply and at our actions. We must seek to avoid any harm and hopefully do some good in the world.

These majestic creatures are endangered. The international ban on ivory trade has not prevented elephants from being killed for their tusks.  Killing them only serves greed and ego. Intelligent creatures who may be 70 years old are still being slaughtered. This is not in good character on the part of anyone involved.

Global poverty can be addressed so that these senseless killings can stop. The wealthy West must take a lead in that. Sharing wealth and using limited resources fairly is the only way it can work.  Acting with good character means thinking beyond ourselves. It means working towards a better world. We can create a brighter future for every being living on this planet.

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Is it time to revamp your routine?

I’ve been thinking about a challenging couple of weeks I had this summer. We were starting a renovation and so had to move out of our space for a few months. Moving is always stressful. We had several places that things need to be moved to, both temporarily and permanently. That added some additional stress. The renovation is complete and I’ve settled back in at home.

Settling in to a new space is always the hardest part for me. I can handle the physical demands of the move pretty well but being in a new space is very disorienting. My routines get shaken up. Even my walk to work was completely different, adding its own level of challenge to my day.

It really got me thinking about routine and how easy it is for us to get stuck in a rut. As difficult as this transition period was, the challenge allowed me to integrate life in a brand new way. It was an opportunity to clean house. I looked at some things that may not support the bigger picture of my life.

From how my clothes are stored to the way I get back and forth from home to office; even having my car stored a long walk way from where I live created shifts in my everyday lifestyle. All of these things shifted the way that I move through the world. I reevaluated things when we moved back home. The old habits were broken and that the fragile new routine disappeared too. The move back was another opportunity to revamp my routine and my experience of day to day life. I’ve moved into a life that more closely reflects who I really am.

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Coping with Change

We all know that managing change is a necessary thing in our lives. The pace of change is accelerating. We all need ways to deal with our ever shifting world.

There are many ways to deal with change. For the spiritual person, change is a road-sign on the path. Spiritual traditions around the world have always challenged their members to embrace change. We must face the changes in our lives with grace. Impermanence is part of our journey. Why would we have chosen to come into physical existence unless we needed that lesson? We are here to learn to deal with impermanence, in all its forms, including our mortality.

We are faced with another kind of challenge as we progress spiritually in our modern lives. We must take care not use our need to cope with change as another way to numb ourselves to life. It is easy for us to allow ourselves to become distracted by the next best thing, by the news about escalating political and environmental crises, by the very speed of the shifts that we are going through.

To deal with any unbalancing experience, spirit asks us to slow down. Sit in the midst of the chaos. Allow the winds of change to blow as we observe quietly form the centre of the storm. There is nothing essentially different about the changes that are happening now. They are just happening faster than they have before. We are the first generation to see things spinning this fast. It is important to embrace the lessons these shifts bring. Engage spiritually and find your place in the calm at the centre of the global shifts so that you can clearly see the path you are meant to take in our changing world.

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Am I too Serious?

Am I too serious? This is a questions that you may often ask yourself.  It’s one that many of my clients ask me.  It is important to find balance our in order to have happy, fulfilled lives.

For many of us, taking life, and ourselves, too seriously can be a real problem. Focusing on what’s ahead of us or solving problems can rob us of the joy in simply experiencing our lives in the moment.

We all need periods of hard work, serious thought, relaxation and play. Each of these kinds of activities fulfill and enrich our lives. Our basic natures often lead us more in one direction or another. That is the way we are constructed and it is good to embrace our core by expressing it. It is important to recognize when our default behaviours are working against us.

I tend to over-think things and take everything in life very seriously. My readings often challenge me to do rather than think, to allow life to flow, or to embrace joy. My clients who naturally flow through life are sometimes challenged when hard work, or careful thinking, are needed. It is important to recognize when it’s time to push out of your comfort zone.

Here's an exercise try to figure out your default way of moving through life. Are you a thinker or a doer? Do you flow joyfully or rush from one thing to the next like the wind? Do you hunker down and work hard or plan for the most efficient result? Next time you’re struggling with a problem try the opposite approach. You may be amazed at the results you get. Embrace who you are, but, develop flexibility.  Being able to shift style when you need to will support your own happiness and growth.

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How Important is Health?

In the Ifa philosophy, learning, wisdom and knowledge is most important. They are our chosen destiny. The second most important area is health.

Certainly without health it is impossible to fulfill our destiny. So why wouldn’t it come first?  Many of us choose health challenges as part of our learning and growth. The process of becoming ill and then recovering, or not, can be part of our destiny path.

Maintaining glowing health is a priority unless we need the experience of illness. Let’s assume that we are relatively healthy and that any health crisis we face is meant to be resolved. Achieving and maintaining optimum physical health is based on common sense. Eating well  includes large quantities of vegetables and fruit, whole grains, and healthy protein sources.

Each Guardian Energy implies a certain approach to diet, exercise and ideal weight. For some, spicy food may be a perfect way to keep the body cleansed and functioning well. For others, these foods cause digestive upset and other issues. When you face a health crisis, review your Life Path and Guardian Energy. Deal with the issue appropriately for your matrix.

We can only deal with emotional or spiritual issues once our bodies have been taken care of. Physical health comes first. Once we are in reasonable physical shape then we can start to deal with emotional and spiritual matters.

Spiritual health and emotional well-being support our growth while keeping us in balance. Dealing with our issues, in a way that is appropriate to our matrix, is the key to emotional health. It also requires us to connect more deeply with spirit. Keeping spirit and body in balance is a big part of the job. Too much of either will throw us off course.

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