I love being up in the middle of the night. For 20 years, I’ve done phone sessions most evenings from 9:00pm until 3:00am. It’s a most fulfilling work but because of the hours, I’m seldom available for evening events. I even miss most of the bf’s music gigs.  Even on nights I have free, my body clock has me horizontal from 4:00pm until 9:00pm. This schedule works well for me, as I do magazine work during the day then nap before evening appointments. As far as my circadian rhythm is concerned, my 4:00pm is like your midnight.   But in the midnight hours is when my work is done best. After my day job of publishing Horizons Magazine, I nap and then awaken to do yoga and meditate, preparing my mind for evening appointments. My mental environment softens and I become more right brained. I stop analyzing, I stop calculating, I begin getting into a receptive, receiving mode. My wind up and wind down time is important to me, since my work has me traveling between two very different worlds. My daily world has me rearranging words and dollars and keeping track of it all. My nightly world is one of watchfulness, it has me intuiting and coaxing spirit. It has me being alert and receptive to whatever form guidance might take so I recognize it when I encounter it.    Continue reading →

I got up early Friday to get ready for delivery of the January magazine. I brewed coffee and made it half caffeine to wake me up. I drink it so seldom, it wired me for the entire day! The day began with me feeling lazy so I took my time getting going. Then I felt rushed like I wouldn’t get to everywhere I had to be, but within two hours I was in the flow. Today I was reminded to always be prepared. I was going to drop cds off to a client, so I tossed them all in the car and drove off to run errands. I was glad to have ALL the cds with me because I called to confirm the address on the way and was asked if I had time for a reading as well. Long story short, she had a group of ladies over for lunch and I spent the afternoon doing readings and sold 19 cds. Email me at horizonsmagazine@gmail.com to buy the cd for $20  Since I hadn’t planned on it, I was dressed a little too casual for the “party” with a black sweater, jeans and sneakers but I had a silk scarf in the car and my snazzy black sandals. Presto, chango. It was an unexpectedly fun and productive day. And best of all? My holiday vacation time begins now!

This morning’s soup is what I call my Magical Healing Broth:
Into 16 oz of low sodium chicken broth, drop a thumbsized piece of ginger sliced thin (will remove later), one stalk of lemongrass chopped into one inch pieces (will remove later), 2 keffir lime leaves chopped and a tsp of tamarind paste. Heat to a rolling simmer for 20 minutes, then drain the liquid into another pot to remove all the sticks and grasses.  It’s just the broth you’re making here. After straining you can add veggies and carcass.
Before serving, add:
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 capful rice wine vinegar
1 capful low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp chili garlic sauce

A pinch of sugar if it’s too sour.

Steven Farmer has written a book called Healing Ancestral Karma: Free Yourself from Unhealthy Family Patterns. I freed myself from an unhealthy family pattern by purposely not having children. I was/am too selfish in wanting freedom from restriction and commitment and I knew having kids would be a lifetime of just that. In return, I’ve been blessed with the freedom to have quiet, deep reflection on our family dynamics and come to great understanding of the karmic ties and implications. The week in 2002 after I had a big aha about my brother Jerry who had passed when I was 16, he contacted me after 37 years of me believing he was dead. I believe me coming to an understanding helped free family karma and that’s why Jerry reappeared.  I wrote about it here http://horizonsmagazine.com/blog/?p=1704

47 degrees, I took a predawn walk around the hood this morning, then sat at the firepit to warm up.   We rarely get cold weather here, so I like to get out in it as often as I can.  The cold shocks my system to a new level of awareness: the chill air on my skin, on my lips, against my teeth, into my lungs.  In the cold, I wear my hair down and tucked into my collar for a warm hairshawl.  The sensation of my own hair against my skin is new awareness for me, since at home I wear my hair up. Piling on layers of clothing gives me new awareness of my physical body: where I feel warmth, where I feel a breeze, where I feel free, where I feel restricted.  A tight sleeve makes me feel restricted and limited.  A heavy shoe makes me feel restricted but secure.   Having new sensations creates new thoughts.  Sitting in the cold — just like any other relatively unfamiliar event or behavior — evokes profound meditation for me.  A seeing of myself from an entirely different perspective.  The many looking outward from the one.   Today, I’ve allowed my thoughts to congest my sinuses to justify sleeping all day while my subscious works it all out for me.  I’ll oblige the Universe and do just that.

RELATED: Meditation links

It’s been cold the past week, down into the 40’s at night.  About midnight  I finished final layout on the January issue of Horizons Magazine, so I make a fire in the chimenea and sat to watch it and listen to the night sounds. Fire reminds us that nothing lasts, that time consumes everything. Tonight’s fire was especially evocative as the night before, friends Marc and Traci Dicaprio’s house burned down and the family lost most of their personal belongings as well as a family pet. (Consider a love donation thru PayPal to Sororfla@yahoo.com or at  http://www.gofundme.com/itd64k.)

Fire consumes everything in its path. It strips you to the bone before leaving you in a pile of ash. When we lose our “things,” we lose part of our identity. We can also be freed of the past in a way we couldn’t have achieved otherwise. It’s one reason  a burning bowl ceremony can effect real change in leaving the past in the past. Legend has it that at the end of its life-cycle, the phoenix would build itself a nest of cinnamon twigs that it then ignited; both nest and bird burned fiercely and would be reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix arose. I’m excited to see what arises for my friends now that they literally have a chance for a fresh start from zero. Infinite potential!

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A few months ago I checked out DuckDuckGo, a search engine that doesn’t track.  I don’t care if my search results are tracked.  I figure every keystroke I make is permanently lodged in my computer somewhere for law enforcement or Big Brother to find.  I’m cool wit dat.  When DuckDuckGo didn’t give me better results, I switched back to Google as a search engine.  The only problem was suddenly DuckDuckGo was the “new tab” default search page and I didn’t want that.  This is how to fix it.   Continue reading →

Can you be comfortable not knowing? Not knowing if your job will continue, your relationship will last, your income will be sufficient? Not knowing if help will be there when you need it? I am comfortable not knowing these things because I know I’ve always been miraculously provided for, so I have every expectation and belief it will continue. If I take care of the present moment and don’t waste time projecting or regretting, it all flows in perfect order.

Waking up on a chiily morning, stage one:have a hot drink and turn heater on and get back in bed
Stage two: when I get up to powder my nose, turn on lights as I pass them, open all curtains and blinds, then get back in bed.
Stage three: when I see I’m still in bed and all the lights are on and It’s daylight outside, it feels so weird that I get up

I had a bout of major tinnitus the other day in my right ear.  I thought maybe I’m channeling my father in law. I could hear his hearing aid whistle when we sat close. I’ve found the secret to not letting the ringing in my ears drive me crazy is to surf the sound, overlay a mantra and think of it as a holy companion.