Just arrived back from an adventure to Portland, OR to see a friend who is experiencing chemotherapy.  I'm in awe of his luminous spirit and the grace with which he approaches living.  Another amazing and inspiring friend was with us, and she suggested we all read Stephen Levine's A Year to Live together.  We spent part of two days reading chapters aloud to each other and talking about phrases, ideas, imagery, which captured our hearts and minds.  It was, and continues to be, a joyful celebration of all of our lives, and the beginning of another adventure as we continue to read and engage in virtual dialogues about the book and it's impact on us. 

Considering my life and work in the light of questions which help me think about how authentic my choices and actions are...how aligned with deep, soul-level, truths...this is a gift beyond imagining.  So I invite you to have an adventure of your own.  Peer at your own choices and actions.  How authentic are they?  

With deep gratitude and respect,

Tracie

I've recently been clearing space in my home.  Originally I thought I was doing this so I could have a dedicated place for meditation, contemplation, writing etc...  The more I clear out, though, the more I find that I can b r e a t h e.  And the more I can b r e a t h e the more creative flow happens.  Poems reach deeper, the co-creative process of working with clients expands, my meditations move into more and more numinous spaces.  

During this process I uncovered a bowl full of beautiful, spiral, shells I've collected over many years of visiting the New Jersey coastal beaches.  Each shell is geometrically similar - the same, in fact - yet they are all so very different and each has an inherent beauty that draws me in and leaves me gasping in awe and wonder.  To think that I am related to the beings who created these tiny calcium cathedrals...that the interior structure of my bones reflects the same angles and arches used in the interior spaces of these shells.  

My best response to this feeling is to be grateful.  My next is to acknowledge that I am a resident of the same planet and am responsible for loving and respecting the makers of these shells as much as I love and respect my family and friends. 

With gratitude comes the will to act.  To speak out and actively choose life for these creatures - for all creatures and life forms inhabiting our watery, diverse home. To make this choice consciously each morning when I begin my day.  To think about each choice I make - every action - and be certain that they nourish all life.  To remember that I am just another creature in the web with my own gifts and skills.  I can make these words...but I cannot make the perfect spiral geometry of a shell.

Happy New Year to you all!  On this, the first day of 2009, here's a moment spent creating the intention that this year brings us all peace, prosperity, and the wisdom to seek transformation and act in ways that nourish ourselves, our families, our local and global communities.