SPRING – The Force of Life Prevails

The Force of Life – plant emerging through minuscule slit in an aluminum can

     For many people, a picture that speaks 1000 words is enough. 

     For others I share the story that led to me finding this spring plant as a message of the FORCE of life and power of rebirth and connecting with the light.

     Yesterday morning I had the pleasure of driving in the foothills west of Loveland Colorado. Following a winding narrow dirt road, I drove slowly admiring the beautiful scenery around me. Layers of maroon-colored sandstone were covered by sage and bright young grass. The beauty of springtime in the Rockies entered my eyes and saturated my mind, body and emotions.  While driving, I also ate a crisp, tart, Fuji apple. Thoroughly savoring the taste and texture of the apple, I wasn’t mindful of thorough chewing. Some apple got caught in my esophagus and I noticed some slight pain behind my sternum. Thinking to push it down, I chewed and swallowed the remainder of a gluten-free poppy seed cookie.  Yikes – more pain and pressure. That painful knot in my chest got worse. I drank some water. Bad choice! Now the apple, cookie and water were all backed up.  I pulled over to the side of the road, gagging up the water cookie mixture. I got out of the car, walked around, practiced slow deep breathing, and frantically tapped myself on the chest and envisioned those chunks of apples getting out of my chest and into my stomach. With time eventually the gagging and pain all resolved, and the apple got to its rightful place in my stomach.  

     As I walked around this small patch of ground by the edge of the road, I saw this flower emerging from the surface of a smashed can. I paused for a moment in AWE of this mystery and miracle. Not seeing a visible hole in the surface of the can, I was concerned that any further growth would be stunted. Leaping into action, I attempted to open a hole and extricate the small plant. Unsuccessful at this rescue attempt, I,  ended up cutting off the top of the plant and leaving small stem and the roots on the ground.

     I paused feeling slightly guilty at having decapitated the plant in my rescue attempt,  yet also amazed at the force of life. A small seed survived winter’s freeze, to emerge in a glimmer of light towards the sky.  The opening in that aluminum clan was less than a millimeter wide and less than a half a centimeter long.  As I got back in the car, I wanted to share a vision of this FORCE and miracle with others.

I went back and recreated the image.  I picked another small plant and poked its stem through the slit in the can. (I actually had to open the slit in the can to get the stem in.)  And then took the picture that you see above.

     In April three years ago, in the process of rebuilding my health, I made a  FIERCE commitment to living and to practicing self-love. This small plant reminded me of that FIERCE commitment to life.  The plant is an inspiring reminder of  emergence… of an earth filled with new beginnings.

How is the miracle of life showing up in your life?

The Force of Life?

The Fierceness of life?

With love and gratitude for all that is

Dr Sharon

Sisterhood of Strong Women

      

Found under public domain.photographer Beverly Joubert

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.

I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair

weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here.

I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

"The Invitation" by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

 

Many years ago at a time when my life was unraveling, a traveling sister, Venilla told me a story that sustained and inspired me. Today I share that story with you.

          "A very special tree is found growing around the world. This tree is not found in forests.  It is not surrounded by many other trees. This tree grows alone. Its silhouette stands strongly against the horizon. Despite a lack of surrounding close kin, this tree shows remarkable resilience and strength. Strong and independent, it survives draught, hurricanes, extremes of climate.  It provides shelter, food, shade, refuge for animals. It cleans the air and returns life sustaining oxygen.

What is the secret to the survival and strength of this tree? Its ROOTS...Under the ground out of sight, this tree has  a massive extensive connection with other trees. This strength of connection provides tremendous strength and ability to survive and THRIVE.

There is a global sisterhood of women like this tree. Strong and independent they have lived through their share of storms. Also at a root level, they are connected with other sisters around the world. If you find yourself anywhere in the world in their presence. Ask and they will share ... housing, food, child care. Whatever they have will be offered generously."

          Over the last ten years I have learned to value kindness over competence. I have learned to ask. I have learned to receive. I have been grateful for the support generously shared by my sisters.  

 Today – in a embodiment of gratitude -  pause and reflect..

How have you been supported by or able to support a sister?



100 Conscious Humans: The Wave Creating Global Peace and Joy

<><><><><><><><><><>

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/a17_h_148_22727.html

This morning I was asked to participate in a global prayer -
 to support the planet and all life:

Let us engage our connection with the critical mass of humans that embody
the responses and awareness to achieve

peace and joy for all forms of life on this planet.

Please join me in few moments of shared communication and commitment:

The teacher (Dr Mattulich - info below) who invited me to share this prayer believes in using all of our senses as we focus our intentions. (VATSK)

Vision - image and color

Aroma - smells, odors, direct communication from outside world to center of our brain

Taste - yummy flavor, sensation on tongue

Sound - songs, music, harmonies

Kinesthetic - touch, movement, proprioception

She provided the following meditation that I find very powerful and would like to share. Not being particularly "visionary," I really appreciated the addition of extra-senses to engage and focus more of my personal manifesting system.

After getting centered and calm in your axis - that part of your core alignment with heaven and earth - Focus your attention on that collection of energy located in my lower belly. (Also named the Dan Tian.)

VISION: From that space you can open a space in your second skin filling it with the image of the earth. Starting with the continent of Africa...the cradle of humanity... knowing that all life on all continents is connected with this prayer.  The earth's poles are white; with blue oceans and green and tan land. The earth is revolving receiving light and nourishing particles from the solar winds.

AROMA:  Clean, refreshing smell of ocean salt on the breeze

TASTE: Sweet whole milk - nourishing flavor for humans and other mammals

SOUND: The ocean waves.. kissing the sands, rocks and trees of lands around the world

KINESTHETIC: The sensation of connection - between your body and the earth with infinite global movement flowing in the form of the Torus.

For those of us living in the northern hemisphere we feel and know - light (as particles and waves), electromagnetic forces, space-time field, entering the earth's axis from above, exiting from the left below, rise as the planet rotates and re-enter from the north pole. (People living in the southern hemispheres imagine the forces of light, life, movement entering the Earth's axis from the south, exiting from the north and circulating down with the planet's rotation to re-enter at the south. Both movements happening simultaneously.)

 Around the world billions of sparkling light particles that are awake and aware moving and connecting to form a planet of peace and joy for all life NOW!

As the year 2012 unfolds let us commit a few minutes five or six times a month to manifest the vision. 
These are the days we can get more results for our investment of time.

January 1, 9, 16, 18, 23, 30

February 7, 14, 16, 21, 29

March 8, 14, 16, 22, 30

April 6, 13, 15, 21, 29

May 5, 12, 14, 20, 28

June 4, 11, 13, 19, 26

July 3, 10, 12, 19, 26

August 1, 9, 11, 17, 24, 31

September 8, 10, 15, 22, 29

Yours in communion, community and freedom creating that light connected world.

drsharon

More of Dr Liana Mattulich's wisdom can be accessed at www.innerkey.com

Enlightenment and Demon Duty

licensed from http://www.cartoonstock.com/

A couple of weeks ago I escaped from clinic to join friend David Ison for a picnic in Eldorado Canyon State Park. It was a GORGEOUS fall day.  The sky showed up as turquoise blue. The aspen tree leaves were just beginning to turn yellow gold against the deep green pine trees. As we sat on a mountainside over looking the canyon,  David told me the story of Buddha's encounter with the demon that was working to distract him from achieving enlightenment.

Buddha was near the end of day 40 of his time under the Bodhi tree. He was poised to achieve enlightenment. Well the demon of darkness couldn't tolerate the idea of a mortal walking on earth full of light and wanted to stop the process. He summoned up his three beautiful daughters...."Dear Buddha... please wake up. Look at what you are missing." The Buddha remained sitting - peaceful eyes closed.

"Hmmm," thought the demon, "That didn't work. Let's try another approach." Next the demon summoned the forces of war and death. The war and death demons yelled and clashed their swords. Untouched, undisturbed the Buddha remained sitting - peaceful eyes closed.  Near him, everywhere an arrow landed near him, a flower sprouted.

Getting desperate the demon was stumped for a moment. "How am I going to stop this process? This guy is getting real close to achieving  embodied enlightenment. Life on earth won't look the same if he is successful. If he achieves this, people everywhere will realize that freedom is also available for them. AH HA. I have it." That tricky demon of darkness then took the form of the demon of duty.

"Dear Buddha... Please stop that sitting under the tree. You have duties to attend to in this world." Uh oh.. our hero Buddha's attention wavered for a millisecond. In that moment the earth goddess took form and placed herself between the demon duty and Buddha and proclaimed. "This is my son. He has done his duty. Leave him in peace." The demon retreated. Buddha was granted his last, necessary minutes to achieve enlightenment and the rest is history.

Well after hearing David's story I was left with several thoughts. The first was that I wished I was done with duty and had forty days to sit in silence under a Bodhi tree. Once I was able to acknowledge that was probably not my path this life time. I moved on to another learning from the story. It reaffirmed the  importance of the earth in helping me balance my outer commitments to duty in the world and  commitment to activities that help me embody more light in my life. It is while in communion with earth and sky, water and sun, dirt, plants, animals I am best able to hold and balance duty and the cultivation of inner light.

So I ask you... what does your balance of duty and enlightenment look like today?

With gratitude... Sharon
(More of David's journey and tools to promote the integration of light and body can be found at his website www.themusicalbody.com)

Cranberries: A Vision that Combines Science and Wisdom

from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

"In order to effectively treat a urinary tract infection with cranberry juice,

you would need to drink 10 gallons of juice in a day.

Therefore the use of cranberry juice has no role in the treatment of urinary tract infections. " 

from lecture to medical students

So my medical school class was informed. The rationale behind the statement was that it would take a tremendous amount of cranberry juice to acidify urine enought to inhibit bacterial growth.

Four years after I listened to that lecture, I read a paragraph in Women's Day magazine. The author summarized a study that showed that cranberries and blueberries have a chemical that keeps bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall.

Hmmm... so maybe if someone had a raging urinary tract infection it wouldn't kill the bacteria...yet here was an explanation of why cranberry juice would prevent an infection... or if someone had a mild infection and a good immune system how cranberry juice would help a person fight an infection.

Science had caught up with Grandma's wisdom.

Since reading that paragraph in Women's day magazine,  I have learned some other things about how cranberry juice helps bladder health. Personally I found four ounces of cranberry juice cocktail - yes that stuff with a bit of cranberry juice mixed with corn syrup and water - very useful at preventing bladder infections when I was working those 40 hour days. (The day - night - day on call "day.") Cranberry juice cocktail,  has also been shown to prevent urinary tract infections in nursing home residents. 

I have also learned that people who know about botanical medicine combine cranberry extract with other plants like uva-ursi or goldenseal, that have anti-infection properties. I learned to respect and collaborate with naturopathic physicians and other health care providers who had more experience in areas that I had not studied. While I was spending days and nights in intensive care units and the emergency rooms learning to care for very ill patients, my naturopathic colleagues were learning which formulations of nutritional and botanical supplements could most effectively be used to promote health.

The story of cranberry juice, has influenced my perspective about health care for the last 20 years.  A scientific explanation proposed for  why something doesn't work, followed later by a change in perspective - measuring something different.  Ah Hah! Science and traditional wisdom agree. Sometimes that agreement requires time and stepping back from assumptions to gain a bigger vision.

Sometimes I think life is also like that...