Tool for the Journey #39 - What if?

           "There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
- R. Buckminster Fuller

         

            When I was 16 years old, R. Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller introduced me to the star tetrahedron, the importance of the pyramid as a structure and the concept of sacred geometry. He spoke of many things which seemed fantastical and extremely complex to my young mind. He spoke of ideas no one had ever spoken to me about because I was just a kid. Looking back now, I think he spoke to me about these things because I was a kid...because maybe I still had enough elasticity in my brain to allow for the possibilities and the 'what if'? I didn't understand all (or even most) of the things he said, but somewhere inside I felt they would one day be important. I believe he knew, despite my outward appearance of an awkward teenager, I was a caterpillar which would one day become a butterfly. Bucky gave me many gifts which I would not truly comprehend until decades later. His most profound gift however was one simple question: What if?

      Bucky taught me not to cling too tightly to things perceived as 'truth' because what if new information reveals those truths are no longer the whole truth? He said in the end it may not be that we were wrong, but rather that our understanding was incomplete. Some truths have durability (ie: 1+1 always equals 2) but as our perspective broadens we may, if we are open, discover additional facets of what we once perceived as the whole truth. If we cling too tightly to something as absolute truth then we leave no room for discovery and 'what if?'

         Over forty years ago Bucky planted seeds of insight, wisdom and knowledge; only in the past year have those seeds finally sprouted. So, what changed, you may ask? What was the trigger? The best way to answer is to tell you about the Lodgepole Pine. The seeds of the Lodgepole Pine are locked tight inside the cones, and the cones *(also tied to sacred geometry) can't open unless they're exposed to extremely high temperatures like the temperatures a forest fire provides. “Serotiny” is a scientific term for an ecological adaptation exhibited by some seed plants, in which seed release occurs in response to an environmental trigger rather than spontaneously at seed maturation.  For the Lodgepole Pine, the trigger is heat. For me the trigger, the ‘heat’, was the death of someone deeply important to me.

      The forest fire of my grief decimated my inner landscape; rendering it unrecognizable. Before Scott's passing I considered myself an open-minded person overall. That being said, even healthy forests (open-minded people) contain dead trees (old belief systems) and decaying plant matter (dogmas). When a fire turns them to ashes, nutrients return to the soil instead of remaining captive in old vegetation creating the possibility of new growth. Slowly, as the months passed, I began to see, among the ashes and charred branches, my own new growth. I experienced increased awareness and a surprising level of dynamic receptivity to new ideas and I began exploring topics I'd never considered before.

  "Ninety-nine percent of who you are is invisible and untouchable."- R. Buckminster Fuller

      I'm not a phoenix risen from the ashes, but rather a tiny bit of determined leafy-green; a sprouted pine-cone seedling born out of the heat of those flames, pushing my way through the charred rubble towards the light. And somehow I sense Bucky nearby cheering me on!

      On November 7, 2017 I began meditating daily. Little did I know that meditation would lead me down an unknown road towards insights and wonder which I had heretofore never imagined, let alone experienced. I cannot tell you if these insights came from deep within me or from outside of me, but I don't supposed it really matters. What does matter is these gifts are being given and are the nutrients being returned to the soil (of me).

      One day in my meditation I said, "Make me an instrument." and this is what I heard in reply:  "We are making you an instrument, but remember an instrument cannot play itself. Thus, you must allow the wind, vibration and energy of Spirit to flow through you to make your own unique music. Each instrument is unique and has its own voice. Allow Spirit to play with and through you. We are not separate. We are neighboring strings on The Grand Guitar. When we are in tune then together we make lovely music."

Here are other gifts also given to me in my meditation:

* A rainbow doesn't hate any of its colors because the combination is what makes it beautiful.

* You are a hatchling. You know the coziness inside of the shell but one day you realize it is time to break open the shell and discover the Larger Reality.

* Your brain is a receiver of Consciousness not the creator of it.

* Everything you need to know is hardwired into your DNA. You are not learning, you are remembering.

* Infinity is where Consciousness resides.

* Question: What is an over-soul? 

   Reply: Take an egg. What is the over-soul of the egg? The chicken. The chicken knows more than the egg but contained inside the egg is another chicken 'becoming'. So, the egg in its DNA already knows what the chicken knows. You are both chicken and egg.

* The Tide meets the Shore (you) and with each lap of the tide (energy) information is imprinted on the Shore. It is then up to the Shore to do or not do something with that information. The Tide imprints constantly - whether the Shore knows it or not. The treasures of the Deep are ever at your disposal. Awareness is all that is required.

* There is The Choir and The Soloist. Every member of The Choir has the potential to be a Soloist *(Soul-O-ist?). There is both individuation and unity. One Voice alone and One Voice together in unison with The Whole.

* If you take a drop of water from The Sea then, for a time, that drop is individuated from The Sea. When you put The Drop back into The Sea then what is the difference between The Drop and The Sea?

* That there is Light is what matters. Lighthouse, flashlight, candle, match, lightning. The Light is more important than what is producing that Light. You are the keeper of your light - SHINE!

* Traction comes only with motion. Keep moving. Infinity is at hand and reminds you it is the journey, not the destination which should be sought. This now-moment is the one that matters.

* You have a vibratory sequence unique to you. We are tuning you so your resonance can reach higher levels of consciousness. We must tune you before we can play you.

* The two oars of a boat work together far better than one alone. Who is rowing the boat? Who are the oars? The trifecta, the trine: The Rower, and both of The Oars...

* You are crafting the kite string to fly with. You are the string, the kite and the person holding the string. You are all at the same time. WE are the wind! 

* You do not need to be wise. You simply need to listen.

* Raindrops and snowflakes are individuated for a time, but ultimately merge again with their Source.

* Spirit resides in a room in your house that many people never go into. Instead make it the most comfortable, lived-in room in the house.

* Undoing is just as important as doing. Untie your knots.

* Mind = doing, Heart = Being. Do less, Be more!
                                **

      These are just a few of the many gifts of insight and wisdom I have received in the past year while sitting in the silence of meditation. Points to ponder which have opened me more with each passing day. They are not the path, but they are pointing me in a direction I believe is worth traveling.

      The fire consumed who I once was. I am now someone else. The forest I was is gone, but through grace new growth is occurring within me, and everywhere there are green shoots rising up. I'm exploring and discovering so much which was unknown to me before the 'fire' (not known, because not looked for). 

      The things Bucky gave me in my youth are finally making sense. I now understand the significance of the star tetrahedron and the pyramid and appreciate the beauty and complexities of sacred geometry and how it ties this Universe together. Things have come full circle. Now when I sit quietly and simply listen, I swear he is with me even still, and he continues to give me gifts, more tools for my journey. And when I find myself doubting this possibility I stop and ask myself: what if?

      This Tool for the Journey is: What if? Take a moment and really let that sink in...what if? What if infinitely more is possible than we ever imagined? What if when we get quiet and listen there are those in the unseen realms who will speak to us, educate us, guide us? 

What if?

      I used to aspire to be the butterfly...now I aspire to be the wind! - Cheryl Page

With love and light,

Cheryl

*

"Not being known doesn't stop the truth from being true." - Richard Bach    

(Information about the image at the top can be found here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flammarion_engraving )

  

Tool for the Journey #38 - Throw your knapsack over the wall

When I was young I collected quotes and sayings. I was inspired by all the little bits of wonder and wisdom I’d discover with each new quote. I was intrigued to read about new ways of looking at things. When I was 16 years old someone gave me a quote which had a significant impact on me and even all these years later I still remember it:

Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one which would not otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man would have dreamed would come his way.

I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets:

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it! Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.”

W.H. Murray
from The Scottish Himalayan Expedition

*

This tool for the journey is one I’ve carried with me. These wise words from W.H. Murray and Johann Wolfgang Goethe made a deep impression, and I've done my best to live by the code of these words...I've tried to be bold. I've taken risks when the stronger impulse was to turn back, to run towards safety.

“Throw your knapsack over the wall!” You might be asking, ‘what does that even mean?’ Well, imagine you’re on a grand adventure, and as you make your way down the road you come to a massive wall. The direction you’re going is blocked by this barrier and it’s a very real impediment to your progress. You’re traveling alone, the wall is far taller than you can easily climb, and there’s no way around it. What do you do? You can give up. You can decide to change your goal, change your dream and your direction, turn back. Or you could decide to commit to getting over that wall.

“…the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.”

You commit yourself when you throw your knapsack over the wall! You hoist your pack, you raise your arms high – feeling both the weight of the pack and the weight of the decision you’re about to make - and you toss it with all of your might up and over the wall! Everything changes as soon as you release the straps and you see your knapsack flying through the air, disappearing out of sight with all of your belongings, all of your security. As soon as you make that ‘commitment’ you KNOW you’re going to find a way over that wall no matter what! And in that moment, as Mr. Murray said: “…then providence moves too.”

This tool is about the hidden power held within that level of commitment. Not everyone has it in themselves to commit in this ‘no turning back’ sort of way. Most people don’t. There’s no shame in turning back, no disgrace in making a different choice when faced with insurmountable odds. Frankly, it’s what most humans do. But if you can muster whatever it is inside us that gives us the courage to say YES to seemingly impossible challenges then you’ll witness something truly spectacular. You'll be granted access to a deep well of resources you may not have known existed beforehand. In that moment you are both adventurer and also alchemist to your own life!

Here is another quote which impacted me in my youth:

“Ask yourself what you really want. Not what you think is possible in your particular circumstances, but without any restrictions. The answer will tell you who you are.”

       – Werner Erhard

I’ve thought about this often over the course of my life. What do I really want? The only thing I’ve always wanted is to be of service. To somehow do good in the world. To touch hearts and leave the world and the people in it better in some way. This has been a burning desire since I was a child and has definitely impacted the choices and decisions I’ve made. It has driven me to throw my knapsack over the wall time and time again.

Making the commitment to throw one’s knapsack over the wall is a decision replete with uncertainly and yet also exhilaration. There’s the thrill of committing yourself to something you’re passionate about, something larger than yourself, which speaks a foreign language that still somehow reaches the depths of your soul with understanding. Tossing the pack over the wall is a soul-pledge; you do it because you must. You make a pact with Providence even though you have no idea how to get from here to there, and even though you can’t begin to imagine how you’ll ever achieve the desired end result. It’s a prayer, a promise and an act of faith which asserts that even though we may feel alone….somehow we know we’re not. It’s about shooting for the stars even though you don’t have a rocket ship!

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe tells us: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it! Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.”

It’s a bold move to throw your knapsack over the wall. Some might call it stupid; others would likely call us crazy or reckless. And just because we make the bold move, make the commitment, take the risks, this doesn’t mean we’ll be successful. However, regardless of the outcome we’ll undoubtedly learn something about ourselves in the process, and perhaps this is the more important point. By making the commitment we gain access to the genius, magic and power (and the immense love) of the Unseen World. Whether you call them angels, guides, departed loved ones or God - there is ‘help’ available to us if we are bold enough to commit ourselves, with love and intention, to something larger. “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” So says, John Shedd.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – (authorship is debated:  either Mark Twain or H. Jackson Brown)

Within me there has always been an inexorable desire to move towards the unknown; to explore what cannot be seen but absolutely can be felt. By what I can only describe as grace, I've been blessed to experience profound depths and also great heights. I’ve been shown in undeniable, spectacular ways what’s possible out beyond the edges of what is visible. These gifts were bestowed, I believe, because I was willing to trust in the unseen and throw my knapsack over the wall.

I know a blind man who climbed the tallest mountains in the world and a deaf woman who can sing with perfect pitch. I know a man who lost both of his legs and decided to figure out how to build betters ones to replace the legs he lost. It isn’t what happens to us that matters, it’s how we respond to what happens which shapes us, defines our future and can cause good ripples that change the world. My friend, Erik Weihenmayer says: “What’s within you is stronger than what is in your way.” And I, for one, believe he’s right!

Vanquish fear. Conquer doubt. Trounce hesitation. Claim victory over the smaller self who would have you turn back from your dreams. Voltaire wrote: “Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats; life is a desert, but we can transform our corner into a garden.” Find your way down the brave path. Seek like minds. Be grateful. Notice grace. Make of your heart a garden and sing the song you came here to sing. Harness your courage, muster your strength, take risks and when the walls appear – as they always do – raise your arms up and throw your knapsack over the wall with complete trust that those Unseen Forces, filled with immense love, will be right there to help you over the top!

In-Joy,

Cheryl

Tool for the Journey #37 - Playing 'Fetch'...

Sailors and explorers in days-of-old would travel to far-off lands where they would see miraculous things never imagined. They experienced adventures, ate unknown foods, tasted exotic spices, saw new animal species and - for better or worse - their horizons broadened! When they returned home with fantastical tales of the places and things they had seen most people felt their stories were pretty 'far-fetched'. This is where the phrase, far-fetched comes from.

Play FETCH (verb) as in the game we play with our dogs, has the meaning (Old English) to 'grasp something'; to go and bring something back.

A FETCH (noun) in folklore is, among other things, the 'bringer' of something. Your 'fetch' may be an angel or spirit or even a totem animal who brings wisdom and insights.

To FETCH (verb) in archaic times meant: to take a breath or heave a sigh. 

The FETCH (noun) in nautical terms is the maximum length of open water over which the wind can blow unobstructed. 

OK, so you're probably asking yourself, "So what does all this have to do with the price of tea in China?" Bear with me and I'll fetch my point for you.

I've been on a spiritual journey over the past 8 months which was born out of loss. Sometimes a tidal-wave of grief can force us to open ourselves to new knowledge. The prevailing winds bringing these new insights to me recently seems to be 'heavenly'. Four months ago I began to meditate daily, usually twice per day, and with each passing day there is a tidal wave of new insights, perspectives and understanding previously unknown to me. Thankfully, blessedly, these things have replaced or at least altered the deep waters of my grief.

Today in my meditation a metaphor occurred to me. What if Spirit/God/All That Is = the Wind and those of us who are on an active spiritual path = The Fetch. In order for Spirit/God/All That Is to work on us and help us grow and evolve spiritually we need to increase the distance of The Fetch = our openness, our receptivity and our capacity to be 'unobstructed' so we can receive more spiritual insights and awareness. 

The Wind flows across the length of The Fetch and creates first micro-ripples, then ripples, chop and ultimately fully developed waves. *Waves with the highest energy levels will result from a combination of a long fetch and a consistent dominant wind blowing in the same direction. So, in simple terms, the bigger the fetch, the bigger the wave*. Thus, my hypothesis is the more open we are, the more awake and receptive we are to Spiritual Insights, the longer we are as The Fetch, the more capacity we have to receive insights and spiritual inspiration from The Wind and be transformed from Ripples through to Waves.

If I blow on a bowl of soup, the length of The Fetch is only from one side of the bowl to the other. This is me in my smallest state; a state with limited fetch and thus limited (or no) capacity for The Wind to form waves of knowledge within the Sea of Me.

Continuing with the analogy of Waves generated in me by Spirit/God/All That Is. As I grow spiritually I will have peaks and valleys, crests and troughs. I will have times of light and illumination and I will have times of darkness and lack of clarity. Life's storms create waves and this sometimes, though not always, translates to learning by way of painful lessons. However, the longer and wider our Fetch (= the less restricted we are), the more easily the Wind can blow through, create waves of knowledge in us and not cause too much havoc. Storms far out at sea cause far less 'damage' than storms close to shore where there are 'restrictions' to bump up against.

Crest (physics) from Wikipedia. A crest is the point on a wave with the maximum value or upward displacement within a cycle. A crest is a point on the wave where the displacement of the medium is at a maximum. A trough is the opposite of a crest, so the minimum or lowest point in a cycle.

Throughout our lives, and our spiritual development as humans, there will be times when our Fetch will be both long and short and always our waves will have both crest and trough. This is natural and to be expected on the human journey. We just have to learn to 'roll with it' and trust the rhythm of the ripples and waves as they are formed within us.

It's good to remember we are both biological and spiritual beings. We are spirit-beings occupying a physical body - not the other way around. Both elements of us are important, but too often we focus only on the physical element and neglect the spiritual core of who we are. Our spirit occupies the body we were born into, but when our physical life is over our spirit and our consciousness will continue on the Grand Adventure just like those sailors and explorers from days-of-old....no matter how far-fetched that may sound to some. Death is not the end, but merely the next leg of the journey!

*"Our brain is part of the visible, tangible world of the body. Our mind is part of the invisible, transcendent world of thought, feeling, attitude, belief and imagination. The brain is the physical organ most associated with mind and consciousness, but the mind is not confined to the brain." www.sharecare.com

Consciousness is the bridge which connects us to the divine. Consciousness = the port-holes in our sailing ship. We get a choice which window(s) we look out of and the window(s) we choose to look out of will determine what we are able 'see'. Our Fetch is determined by our Higher Consciousness and our willingness to open ourselves up to insights and awareness from The Wind/Spirit.

The alpha and omega of all of this is LOVE! Love is where we came from and it is to LOVE we shall all return. It is LOVE which generates the Wind which, if our Fetch is long enough, will create Waves of Awareness and spiritual growth within us. It is only with LOVE that the imaginary linear lines which seem to separate us can be blurred. There is a phrase: As above, so below. Today it occurs to me: Love above, Love below. Love and gratitude are vital to spiritual growth! A wise soul recently told me: Gratitude is a spiritual light-switch.

I don't know if any of this will make sense, or if any of this matters. I'm sure I've mixed metaphors and perhaps included some logical fallacies. But I hope you'll look through a higher porthole and find meaning in these words. I hope in some way I have been a Fetch for you, bringing something to ponder and meditate on. Remember, the bigger the fetch, the bigger the wave. And the Wind is all around us, all the time. The Wind is the bringer of insights and spiritual gifts. All we need to do is increase our Fetch. There are ripples and there are chops of knowledge and there are waves of knowledge too. We have the capacity within us to choose which we will receive.

"You don't take baby-steps for the distance they cover, but to put yourself within reach of life's magic. Just like you don't hoist your sails to move the boat, but to put yourself within reach of the wind!" - Mike Dooley

One last thought. We all tend to love our oh-so-linear world. A-Z, 1-100, left to right, but I now suspect the 'truth' isn't linear. Love isn't linear, your arms wrapped around someone you care about is a circle, waves roll in circular motions.Sacred Geometry shows us everywhere in nature we see circles and spirals. I believe the truth we are seeking is ultimately 'found' in circles/spirals rather than in traveling a straight line. Sailing ships tack a course, they cannot sail in a completely straight line. 

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. -T. S. Eliot

The spiral is a sacred symbol which represents our human journey and life as it is unfolding. The spiral symbol can represent the consciousness of nature beginning from its center and expanding outward. Many of the sailors and explorers (or those left behind) 'thought' they were sailing across a linear ocean and at some point would reach the end and drop off into the abyss. What was later discovered is the earth is round/circular, rather than linear/flat. Somewhere there is a message here for us on our voyage.

I am an Sailor who was born out of a storm I didn't see coming. Daily I'm working to expand my Fetch so the Wind can create glorious waves in the Sea of Me.

“A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for.” — John A. Shedd. 

In-Joy and Gratitude,
Cheryl

"The wave is not the water. The water merely told us about the wave moving by."

                                - R. Buckminster Fuller

“We are mirrors mirroring a mirror” 
― Douglas R. Hofstadter, I Am a Strange Loop



*http://www.geography-site.co.uk/pages/physical/coastal/fetch.html

Tool for the Journey #36 - Gratitude for my greatest teacher!

               

 Scott Blair Whitlock - April 28, 1957 - July 7, 2017

Deciding everything is falling into place perfectly as long as you don't get too picky about what you mean by place. Or perfectly. - Brian Andreas

**

It has been said that comparison is the thief of joy. Scott Blair Whitlock never compared himself to anyone…and perhaps this is why his default setting was joy. Scott traveled light in this life both physically and metaphorically. He didn’t let things weigh him down. Levity was what Scott brought to the table more than anything else. He was a human helium balloon, and he had a magnificent capacity to lift up the world around him.

Scott told me once that all he ever wanted to do was connect people and make people happy. He succeeded at both of these aspirations. His vivacity, cheerfulness, sense of humor and silliness all meant everyone wanted to be around him because being near Scott was such a fun, happy place to be. He was one of a kind, he never apologized for exactly who he was and he never once twisted himself into a shape unnatural to him in order to please someone else. What you saw was what you got – and if you were blessed enough to call him your friend, then you were blessed indeed.

Scott was a man’s man, but he respected women. He could hang with the guys, play or watch sports and be 100% male, but he was always a gentleman around the ladies. He embodied good manners (thanks to his amazing parents) and when the going got tough he always stood up and did the right thing, even when ‘the right thing’ wasn’t convenient or popular. He was the guy who would give you the shirt off his back without a moment of hesitation. He was not two-faced, he had integrity and you always knew where you stood with him. He was a true and loyal friend in an age where this has become sadly rare. 

On Friday, July 7, 2017, Scott departed this life, and those of us who loved him have been left with a hole in our collective hearts deeper than the Grand Canyon. In my eulogy for Scott, I described him as a ‘Technicolor, super-sonic, whirling-dervish rainbow’, and this is as close as I can get to being able to describe with mere mortal words, the most magnificent, glorious, big-hearted, exquisite, stunning man I have ever known. On some other planet there may be a word for what Scott was, but we don’t have such a spectacular word in any human language I am aware of.

Scott Whitlock reminded me of everything there is in this world to love. He was my greatest teacher and he taught me many things, but one lesson which stands out in my mind is the importance of malleability. He was flexible and didn’t cling too tightly to anything…he was malleable, fluid and buoyant. When plans changed, he changed with them. He’d smile and say, “Well I guess we’re going this way now.” He met each day of his life with a smile and every life he touched was better for the encounter.

The world will never be the same without his laughter. I was blessed to dangle my feet off the edge of the world with him for the time we had. I am forever better and forever changed because of who he was to me and how he was with me. There are many things I will forget over the course of my life, but the times I spent with Scott Blair Whitlock and the lessons he taught me will not be among them.

Thank you for everything, Scott!
Fare thee well!

xo 

C

I carry you with me into the world, into the smell of rain & the words that dance between people & for me, it will always be this way, walking in the light, remembering being alive together. – Brian Andreas