Co-Creative Mentoring LLC Sheryl Harrell, MAA.B.S., EFT Cert.
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What's the Best Thing That Happened Today?

7/31/2021

 
A dynamic of consciousness, "discovery" is one of the essential driving forces of living entities.
                                                                              Jonathan Edwards

Can you feel how the energy has shifted since the Summer

Solstice? The sun is rising later and setting earlier. The Great

Mandala is turning.  This weekend, on August 1st, marks the

mid-point between Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox.


And, summer's not nearly over! There's so much happening in

the garden...my sunflowers are beginning to bloom! We're

harvesting garlic and zucchini, tomatoes and lots of flowers! Our

garden is full and lush with beauty and the first bounty--the time

of year for the first harvest.


My memories of summer are often vivid because it's a season

blessed with bright colors, with fresh scents, vibrant flowers,

brilliant sunlight. And, lots of heat!  I grew up playing on my

grandparents' farms in southeast Georgia where everyday

brought a new experience, a new discovery. At my

grandmother's side, I learned (by osmosis) how to tend to

flowers and how to connect to the Earth.  I was carefree, felt

compelled to play, to relax, and experience all life's joys during

the sunlit hours.

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Summer is at its core a season of light, and by opening

ourselves and our spaces to this light, we honor all the joy

associated with the season. Opening windows and doors,

arranging bright-colored blooms in vases (my favorite), and

turning our faces toward the sun become a celebration.


Life has been pretty rough lately. This year has taken a bite out

of a lot of people’s energy, and you might well be one of them.

And, mid-summer is offering you an opportunity to get in some

much-needed nurturing and spiritual positivity.


What happens when the path has rough patches or the bind

weed gets out of control in my garden?


I've learned over the years that when I'm more connected to the

Earth, and in tune with her cycles of planting, growing and

harvesting, I'm more aware of what each season has to offer.

This part of summer is the time when the first fruits (and flowers

and veggies) of our labors are harvested. This is the time to

celebrate the harvests and to acknowledge all the hard work

that went into those accomplishments.


You may not be harvesting from a garden, but that energy is still

present. Remember the dreams you envisioned in January, the

seeds you planted at the Spring Equinox, your emerging design

at Summer Solstice? You have your own personal harvests–

your inner garden that you've planted, nurtured, grown, and

worked hard to bring to fruition in your life so far this year.


This is the time of year when we remember and appreciate our

hopes and embrace our fears about our own personal harvests.

We hope the seeds we planted in our lives last spring will

continue to grow & flourish this year. And yet, like anyone who

has ever planted a garden, you may have fears that a storm, or

a swarm of grasshoppers, or bind weed will ravage your crops

before you can harvest them. You may have fears rising up

about your ability to accomplish all you’ve worked hard for.


And, here we are...discovering what we envisioned is coming to

life in all its beauty! And, the intentions we set for the year

continue to emerge, to evolve. 



The Gifts of Mid-summer:


Mid-summer is an important time to pause and acknowledge all

the beauty you have in your life. And all the hard work it's taken

to get here. Like you, at the New Year I imagined what I hoped

for in my life this year; I set intentions. I did the same with my

gardens as I poured over seed catalogues and imagined all the

amazing colors, shapes, and scents that would fill my garden in

the summer.


What are the gifts that come with connecting to the natural

world? to the summer season?  Both growing a garden and

growing the blessings you’re co-creating in your life require

energy, attention, and intention--and curiosity. A sense of

wonder. A wondering mind, is open, curious and ready to learn,

grow and expand!


As you deepen your spiritual journey toward remembering your

Wholeness, you discover that life’s deeper meaning begins to

emerge. Soulful moments appear that touch you deeply, often

times they are hard to explain. Seeking and questioning become

familiar friends that lead to new discoveries, insight and healing.

It is powerful and transformative time.

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Quietening the Thinking Mind:


Staying curious and open sounds easier than it may be. Our

brain is used to thinking logically, interpreting rationally, and

sifting out what is not already known to be true which closes the

door to your remembering your Wholeness! When we quieten

the thinking mind and cultivate the observing mind, the worlds

discovered within are rich with metaphor, symbolism, and

wisdom. When explored with wonder and curiosity, our

consciousness expands! This leads us on a fantastic voyage

where discovery happens, problems are solved, new ideas are

inspired, and the miraculous becomes reality!


Over time, with patience and intention, you can put the ‘thinking

mind’ on the shelf for a bit and by utilizing your observing mind

you explore with wonder and curiosity ~ open to the unusual

and allow for anything to be possible! This creates an opening

where you begin to see, sense, or feel these new spaces within!



As this year's Co-Creative Mandala theme--a pathway to

Oneness--unfolds, we're reminded that focusing on each Co-

Creative Mandala helps shift our attention to the best in us, not

the worst; to our strengths, not our weaknesses; to possibility

thinking, not problem thinking. Each month offers the

opportunity for expanding our curiosity and capacity to discover

our individual and collective destiny.


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What's the Best Thing That Happened Today?


This is a wonderful time to reacquaint yourself with the joys of

summertime by immersing yourself in its pleasures. Wake up

with the sunrise, take a day trip to the beach or to the

mountains, indulge in an ice cream cone, or simply sit quietly.


Use all your senses, including focused listening to help quieten

the thinking mind. The air is filled with beautiful sounds

particular to the season. To begin, find a quiet, solitary spot. For

10 minutes, pay attention to the workings of your mind and allow

it to wander at will. Then turn your attention to observing the

sounds resonating around you and note what you hear, whether

the buzzing of bees, children's laughter, or birdsong--welcome in

all the joyful sounds that come with summer.  


In the spirit of discovery--Ask yourself this playful question:

What's the Best Thing That Happened Today? Listen for your

answer from within; see your answer all around you.



This month's Co-Creative Mandala, "Discovery" from photos of

hollyhocks (symbols of abundance) reminds us to invest the

time to reflect on and soak in the abundant light of summer that

supports remembering your connection to the natural world and

the ways that the outer world is reflected within as Wholeness.


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Discovery, like surprise, favors the
well prepared mind.
                                                          Jerome Bruner    
Discovery Exercise:


In this simple, yet powerful exercise, I invite you to celebrate

"Discovery" and feel supported by your inner and outer

resources.  Honor this powerful time of light and first harvest.


Intention:


We are moving into the mid-point of Summer, it's the beginning

of harvest season. The energy is HIGH at this time of year. It

can be HOT. There are places literally on fire right now from the

summer heat. It's an intense time of year. And it can make you

feel overwhelmed and tired, excited and exhilarated. You can

use the seasonal energy available to your right now to feel

deeply rooted in your life. Feel anchored & strong by investing in

the vibration of "Discovery".


Give yourself plenty of time without interruptions to dive deeply

into this exercise. Meditate, journal, create and bless your

sacred space.


Make this exercise your own. Invest your time and attention

toward your personal growth and well-being.


Don’t rush.

 
As you sit quietly in your space, light a candle that welcomes

the "Discovery" vibration.


In a moment, when you are done reading through the

instructions, write everything that the Co-Creative

Mandala-"Discovery" makes you think of. Write how you feel

when you look at it. Write about what the associated chakras

represent (root, solar plexus, heart, throat, and crown) and how

that might be applicable to your journey toward Oneness this

year.


Close your eyes. Bring your awareness to your breath; just be

with your breath. Take a deep breath in. Breathe out.


Take another deep breath in. Breathe out. Notice the sensations

as you exhale—without judgement.  Feel the body breathing.

Bring your body into stillness.


Open your eyes and bring your attention to the "Discovery"

mandala; allow the mandala energy to fill your heart; be with

whatever is there.


Invest a few minutes toward allowing the "Discovery" vibration

to flow to and through your body.  Imagine that energy bursting

through your crown chakra and extending far into the heavens.


Imagine the "Discovery" vibration flowing through you and down

deep into the earth. Imagine it radiating from your heart and

extending out in front of you and behind you. Imagine the

"Discovery" vibration is a radiant ball that encircles you.


Now, sit with this energy for a few minutes.


What about the "Discovery" mandala captures your attention?


Notice and Wonder--Something in me is feeling...


I wonder what it wants me to know, to discover?


Relax into your body and its quietness. Be with the energy, be

present, listen.


Here's the exercise:

Enjoy this exploration as you think about your heart-felt desires,

what you'd like to discover about yourself as you begin to

manifest your desires. You've likely already been thinking about

your vision for this year and what's manifesting right now. 

Discover the ways that your outer world is a reflection of your

evolution of consciousness and your Wholeness.


Pause and acknowledge all the beauty you're harvesting in your

life. And all the hard work its taken to get here. Your strengths

that support realizing your dreams. The steps you can take to

make sure your dreams are realized.


Get our your journal or pen and paper and reflect on the

following questions:


1. What heart-felt desires are ready to harvest?
What have I

been  working on–dreams I've been chasing, projects I’ve

been building, inner gardens I’ve been cultivating &

growing–that are beginning to show signs of ripeness?



2. Which heart-felt desires need my attention now?


3. What are my strengths, my brilliance that support

fulfilling my desires in the weeks ahead?



4. What is one thing I can do right now to help ensure that

will happen?



All the growth in your garden (literal & metaphoric) … it needs

to be tended. It needs harvested. So make sure you take plenty

of time to rest.



Pause when you can. Indulge in summertime rest – nap in a

hammock, enjoy a cold beverage on your porch, bask in the sun

on a summer afternoon.


Take a moment to soak in the energy of summer and connect

more deeply with yourself and the natural world. This is a

transformative time. Discover all the ways your inner world is

reflected all around you.



The season is passing quickly, so while it remains, revel in the

richness of life and renew yourself in the wonder of the light. 



Wishing you all the miracles of discovery.


Peace and joy to your seeking heart,


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    Author

    Sheryl Harrell, Gardener
    of the Soil and of the
    Soul & Co-Creator of
    Mandalas. Happy you
    found my Blog!

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