Beyond October's Veil......

The veil is thinning right now and will be until the end of this month…. We are approaching Sahmain, all-hallows eve, or Halloween….Whatever you choose to call it, or whether you even recognize it at all, it is a time of deep archetypal relevance. At this time of year each of us in our own way become increasingly more aware of the passing of time and of our own mortality. In ancient times fall was a time when we prepared for winter. And part of this was spending time around a warm hearth with family. This enabled us to get down to the bones of who we are. Not only to feel deeply, our humanness, but also our vulnerability in a visceral way. That is, we had to keep the fire going to warm our bones, so we didn’t chill in the air that swept under our cabin’s door. However, this ever-present fire was not just a way to keep the house warm. It was indeed the symbolic center of the home too. Fall is a natural time to turn toward the home and tend and attend to this inner fire by keeping it alive, and burning bright with family and friends.  
When I think about mortality; on its heels almost immediately are also thoughts about the sweetness and beauty inherent in life. Life is fleeting and moves us forward like the gust of wind that picks up and displaces the leaves at the driveways end this time of year. My dear partner in crime, Hannuu kitty crossed over this month, on the 15th.  I was in denial right up until the day before.  Because we are human grief is the natural response to loss. And It was no different with my dear fur companion. Grief reminds us that we are not literally immortal, like fall reminds us we are not insusceptible. This sweet girl was a kindred creature, constant companion, and my dearest of friends. Still there is something that fights against feeling grief. It would be easy to think this defense would help us survive the pain of loss, and in a way it does for a time. It keeps us going when we want to fall apart. But we can’t stay there. What helps us survive in the daytime of our lives is going up in our head and intellectualize the pain. It isn’t our fault we compartmentalize and intellectualize because we are so busy. But it keeps us too much in our head, and our hearts get short shrift. I have had so many clients recently that are struggling with being more authentic.
To be more authentic is to set down the contrivances and masks that come with the business and certitude of our lives. At Pacifica my professors talked about the idea of being good enough…and accepting that imperfection as a beautiful part of the authentic self. Indigenous cultures knew this too and both Asian and Native American art celebrated these inherent and inevitable imperfections as an important and necessary part of the whole. The opposite is grinning and bearing it even when you are in great pain. But pretending you are unaffected is really a dead- end street. It weakens us and makes us brittle and rigid.  It is breaks you open enables you to move forward with an open heart, so that can love more deeply. So let your heart break because that won’t kill you….although your ego might tell you so. No, that is what will save you. And what will heal you too… And just like intuition is a muscle you learn to build up by listening deeply, the heart too is a muscle that you build up by feeling fully. You build up the power of the heart by allowing yourself to fee deeply and remember wholly…That is what has the capacity to heal you and ready you for new experiences.
 
If you would like a cup of tea and a short tea leaf reading at the end of your session just mention my newsletter and I am happy to offer you a quick peak from the cup at the end of your session. I am a newbie but learning the art of tasseography.  And who better to share this new exploration with then all of you, my clients! See you sometime next Month! 

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