It's easy to be an angel if no one or nothing
ruffles your feathers.
Anonymous
Welcome back to our Co-Creative Mandalas blog!
Each month, we share insights, inspiration, and all the ways the cycles of the Great Mandala uplift and support you. We draw upon the metaphors and messages of each season to explore and celebrate our individual and collective journeys toward Freedom.
The Co-Creative Mandalas have a name that represents something about the natural world and the energy in the universe at this current time.
This month's mandala is Equanimity.
Wow - have you noticed how quickly 2023 is just flying by!
As we cross February off the calendar, there is still so much potential toward experiencing and living Freedom that this year holds for us
And I am being inspired every day by our Co-Creative Mandalas members who send me updates on their progress so far.
It warms my heart to see and hear all the ways you're co-creating and aligning with your life purpose.
…and I know that many beings are struggling--close to home and around the planet. More than any time in our lifetime, it is so important to be intentional about our personal development and daily practices.
We're just at the end of the second month of the year. Take a moment to reflect on all that has happened in your life since January 1st.
What were the first two months of 2023, the journey toward Freedom, like for you? What are your struggles? Your triumphs? Insights? I've marveled at how much change is happening in my life, in such a short amount of time. For instance, I've decided to leave a job that I've been doing (and love) for a few years and allow what unfolds next without a clear idea of what that will be. That's huge for me! And, a bit unsettling.
Where did you find Inspiration? Are you already feeling the powerful energy of the year?
I'm seeing a couple of themes emerge in nature and humanity--individually and collectively:
1. Many of us are in a TRANSITION. Moving to a new place, starting a new job, leaving a job, stepping up to a new level in our career, business or purpose, experiencing a transition in relationships… the list goes on.
and/or
2. Many of us are in a TRANSFORMATION - Deep internal shifts, old patterns and stories coming up and healing, deep, buried things being illuminated, profound reflections in our relationship to ourselves and others… the list goes on.
This doesn't surprise me because we are in a period of inner and outer expansion--both globally and seasonally.
Spring is on the horizon--in just 20 days! A big shift is occurring in nature too: All of nature is beginning to wake up.
This is the power of the season. This powerful shift is reflected in the changes and challenges around the globe.
New life is just beginning to stir deep in the dark, but it’s still the stormy, cold winter season. Energetically, we're pulled in two directions: the quiet, introspective winter season (being angels) and the life force that's beginning to grow in the spring season (when our "feathers get ruffled"). This contrast can feel wonky. It can be a wild ride. Our energy is still in introspection mode while simultaneously, we’re asked to leave what is safe and comfortable in order step into something new, something unknown and uncertain. And, exciting--all at once.
This particular part of the Grand Mandala's seasonal cycles serves the purpose to connect us more deeply to our own power, and to the recognition that each of us is an expression of Wholeness.
We need to TRUST that this is the magic of the seasonal energy right now (and the energy of bringing darkness to the Light globally). It is causing things to stir in your life, in your spirit, in your own personal growth journey. And, you're not alone.
This can be an intense time--in nature and in all beings--as the Great Mandala turns. It can feel chaotic, unsettling, uncomfortable.
Learning to be present with the harder parts of the human experience, with our own shadow side, with the unknown and uncertainty, holds some of the biggest access points to personal power, inner connection, transformation and transition.
In the midst of the changes and challenges, we need an anchor, something that will ground us in the present moment. This is the time for creating a portal to Equanimity.
What does Equanimity mean?
Equanimity means being in harmony with yourself and allows you to respond to life from a place of presence, compassion, loving kindness, acceptance, and awareness.
Equanimity comes from balance and detachment. Balance is seeing all sides of a situation (multiple points of view). Detachment is being comfortable with uncertainty, dichotomy, and ambiguity.
The art of Equanimity is a continual letting go...that calm confidence necessary for being the "peace that passes understanding" when no matter what's going on around us, we have the power to lightly hold Equanimity in the middle of it all; to be here now. This is where curiosity, wonder, humility, and lightly holding come into play.
Image found on the Web
I heard the quote at the beginning of this blog post in the early 70s when I lived a very sheltered life at a retreat center. It's stuck with me ever since. That was about the time that I also discovered Ram Das, who became (and continues to be) one of my earliest teachers. In case you don't know his story--he was a Harvard professor and psychiatrist who was fired from his position because of his research into the use of therapeutic psychedelics, then landed in India in search of enlightenment. He told his story and wrote about spiritual wisdom in the book Be Here Now. I read and re-read the book multiple times over the years. The title has become something of a spiritual mantra for many people. The book and the phrase are part of contemporary spirituality. Teachers, including Eckhart Tolle in The Power of Now attest to the continued interest in being in the Now as a spiritual practice.
Whether our practices have their roots in mindfulness, Buddhism, New Age spirituality, Shamanism, Celtic or conventional religious traditions, the phrase "Be Here Now" is often identified as an essential principle of Equanimity.
But what does it really mean to "Be Here Now"?
Patrick Paul Garlinger, author, mystic, and psychic, illuminates the deeper meaning of three parts that make up the phrase in his blog post The Truly Radical Meaning of “Be Here Now”.
In a nutshell: When you’re fully present, you are aware of your responses to what's happening in your life and align with your inner wisdom.
To act wisely and kindly in the world, especially in times of difficulty, the first step is to learn to quiet the mind. When our minds are peaceful and hearts are open, then we can expect peace to come through the actions we take. However strong a response is needed, it goes better with a peaceful mind and an open heart.
Jack Kornfield
Around the world, so many souls are joining together in our prayer for Equanimity, for peace. While the news may give more attention to points of conflict and disruption, there is a yearning in our hearts and minds for Equanimity.
If you want to live a life of balance, of Freedom, start now with small steps. Turn off the news for a while, meditate, turn on Mozart, walk through the forest or the mountains. Let go of the latest story--yours and the world's. Listen more deeply.
Equanimity begins with a soft and open heart.
Quiet the mind, the heart will speak.
Anonymous
If you're feeling unsettled, I invite you to consciously practice embracing those ebb moments instead of resisting them. Demonstrate self-compassion instead of self-condemnation simply by sitting with yourself the way you would a friend in need, without trying to fix or convince yourself to feel something different. Oftentimes a few minutes is all it takes to move the energy.
How are you talking to yourself? Be mindful of your internal dialogue. Notice how you deal with self-critical thoughts. The more you practice self-awareness, the easier it will become for you to see and experience Equanimity as you continue your journey toward Freedom.
What would change in your life if you got really good at this practice?
We didn't come into this lifetime to be angels who watch from the sidelines as life unfolds around us.
As an expressions of Wholeness, we are infinite potential and possibility.
The real reason we are here is to remember our Wholeness, discover our unique expression of this, and to bring it to the world--even if our feathers get ruffled.
Does discovering, understanding, and remaining grounded in Equanimity and your true purpose elude you? Then I invite you to co-create with me. Discover how Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT-Tapping) supports you in tuning into your inner guidance system and helps you unlock your greatest gifts so you stay aligned with your deepest purpose.
The Co-Creative Mandala below, "Equanimity", is from a photograph of purple primula aka primrose, which symbolizes balance, focus, and grounding. It brings calmness to all areas of our life. It is associated with the solar plexus, heart, and crown chakras. It reminds us to create and allow space around our worries, so that we can release them and be more present with others and ourselves--even when our feathers are ruffled.
Peace flows from that place in consciousness where Equanimity fills my awareness. Wherever I go, whatever I’m doing, I am a peaceful presence.
Equanimity Practice:
Intention:
Step more deeply into alignment with Equanimity by being a peaceful presence in the world.
The real power of the practice is the intention you place behind it. Start your day with gratitude and by setting the intention that you are dedicating time for self-care, to remembering Equanimity, and awakening to Freedom. This practice is a simple method of helping you access Equanimity. This practice reminds you create space around your worries, let go and Be Here Now.
Equanimity is possible to attain in the presence of stress, chaos, and danger. Like inner peace, Equanimity is a sense of emotional, mental, and spiritual harmony, even as life’s challenges arise. When Equanimity is present, there are strong feelings of serenity, balance, tranquility, and calmness.
Research suggests that people can begin to derive psychological and physiological benefits from the following CPR breath meditation after just a single introductory session.
This Equanimity practice emphasizes a focus on breathing and awareness of one's thoughts.
A simple meditation, “CPR”, is based on the words Calm, Peaceful, and Relaxed and includes these three sentences:
I am calm. I am peaceful. I am relaxed.
Allow yourself plenty of time to complete this practice. You can use this practice throughout the day--anytime your "feathers are ruffled". The most powerful time for this practice is when you're feeling pulled out of your center. Remember, as you co-create this practice, be gentle with yourself as you discover what nurtures and sustains you.
Before you begin the practice:
There are two parts to this practice.
Part 1: Invest time toward moving into stillness.
Light a candle. Take a few deep breaths to ground & center.
When you are ready, invite any subtle colleagues, allies, your guides and helpers to join you in your sacred practice. Wait a moment for that connection and alliance to form.
Next, invest some time for reflecting on the Equanimity mandala.
Let you gaze fall softly on the mandala. Use one or all of the following prompts for connecting your energy to the energy of the mandala:
What message does it have for you? How will you surrender to Equanimity? How will honoring Equanimity support your journey toward Freedom? How will you nurture the mandala of your life? How will you practice self-care and self-compassion by welcoming Equanimity into your awareness?
Part 2: Opening to Equanimity
This is a meaningful time to find the wisdom and clarity of Equanimity. During these unsettled times, the power of Equanimity is particularly potent. Setting the intention to invest your attention toward cultivating Equanimity increases the likelihood that you will Be Here Now in the midst of the changes and challenges all around you.
Think of something or someone that bothers you--an event, a conversation, an interaction, something you're worried about.
With soft eyes, focus on the Equanimity mandala. Using your breath to guide you, repeat these three sentences this way:
On the inhale through your nose say: I am…
On the exhale through your mouth say: …calm.
On the next inhale through your nose say: I am...
On the next exhale through your mouth say: …peaceful.
On the next inhale through your nose say: I am...
On the next exhale through your mouth say: …relaxed.
As you're doing this practice, notice your thoughts and emotions. There's no need to do anything about them--just notice. Repeat this process until you begin to feel more calm, peaceful, and relaxed. This can happen quickly, or it may take a few minutes.
Continue your journey by practicing Equanimity in the present moment wherever you are, whatever the circumstances.
Wishing you peace,
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