Zooming to the Oakland Airport, my boy decided he couldn't return to Seattle without an In & Out burger. There was one right by the Hegenberger turn-off. Considering the time constraints, we decided to take out his meal and find a place to park near the airport so he could eat it. We opted for the Park & Call, and pulled into a handy spot to eat and chat and enjoy the final moments he had in the East Bay before he flew north. I guess we forgot to turn the lights off in the car when we parked it, for when the time came to begin our drive to the terminal the engine did not turn over. The battery had died!
I got out and began to ask everyone in the Park and Ride for jumper cables. No luck. Conner got on his cell to call a taxi when I realized that everyone in the Park and Ride was going to the airport. I flagged down a departing car and, though pressed for time themselves, they ever-so-kindly gave my boy a ride to the Alaskan Airlines terminal. I then called AAA and gave them specific instructions regarding where I was and the make and model of my car. They told me it would be about an hour before a tow truck would show up, so I waited.
As I waited, I remembered something: long ago I had been given a car emergency kit. I'd never used it, but it was in my car somewhere . . .
Somewhere close, it turned out: right under the driver's seat. Now, did it have jumper cables? YES! All I needed now was someone to supply their car engine for the jump start.
Across the lot I saw four college-age kids waiting in their SUV for their airport summons. I scared them to death when I tapped on their window, but they recovered and helped me start my car.
I called AAA to cancel the truck, and they told me that my call had already been cancelled. The tow truck driver had reported that he couldn't find me. AAA was of no help to me. I don't know how long I would have been waiting there if I hadn't remembered the emergency kit and been aided by those wonderful boys.
I wondered two things: Why I didn't remember the emergency kit in the first place, and why AAA, usually so reliable, couldn't find a bright blue car with it's hood up in the tiny Oakland Airport Park and Call lot?
I think the message from the universe was this: Trust in the kindness of strangers, and realize that even though you read about so many bad things happening in the news, those events are really just a blip in the radar. Most people are good and kind and willing to help out if need be, even if it's at a cost to their own plans.
It was a message that I might have missed if I had thought immediately of the emergency kit or if AAA had come to my aid. I'm grateful to the people who helped out, and the circumstances that led to that lesson. I feel so warmed by the kindness I recieved from these strangers, and I will remember this when I lose trust in the benevolence of the universe. All truly is well.
Thank you, one and all!
Love, Kristine
Finding Method in the Madness:
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Page of Pentacles-the original thanksgiving turkey
The page of Pentacles is an interesting card to have pulled so close to the Holidays. The flash of meaning I got immediately is that it speaks of youthful dreams and nostolgic-based future creation.
Here's what I mean by that:
The Pages carry messages for others, they don't themselves know who they will be when they grow up. They are only just coming to understand their own power to create the life they will live. They are apprentices, really, and their creations are youthful ones, full of idealism and promise.
They hold the past in their hands (the disc) as a tool to anticipate and create the future, i.e. they create an idea of life based on the dreams and examples of their parents, the boasts of their peer group, the demands and expectations of the educational system, the heros and mores of their culture, etc.
Their life experiences are limited, fresh and uninformed, and their ideas on how to live are based on what others have told them. They know what to fear, what to love, what to expect, what to hold dear, what is pleasurable, what is right and what is wrong because their elders and teachers have told them these things. They have not yet experimented with these concepts and learned how THEY feel about these issues.
Our past can define our present and influence our future in an unconscious way that might not serve the person we have become; for we are not our past. I think this is one of the most important messages from the universe, that we need to sort out who we are from what we think, what we've been, and what we've done. How do we do that? I believe that if we feel bad, then what we are doing is not the right thing for us. If we feel good, then we are in alignment with who we are. Our emotions tell us who we are and who we are not all the time. Using our emotions a our guide, we can discover our true nature.
A friend of mine spoke of a civics teacher who taught him how to think critically. He had worked very hard on an essay that basically rubber-stamped his parent's beliefs. After laboring over it, he reread it with his newly aquired critical eye and realized with a shock that he really didn't believe anything he had written. His life as a Page was over, no longer was he interested in carrying his parent's messages into the world. It was time for him to move away from his parent's ideas and form his own views in order to live a more authentic life.
Thanksgiving and the winter holidays can be stressful times.
Because of their repetative nature, they allow us to see and feel the split between who we are NOW and who we were then so much more clearly. If the split is percieved as a painful wound seperating you from yourself and your loved ones, the holidays are a miserable affair. If the split is understood as a record of your growth on your journey toward your authentic self, then you will be able to see and celebrate how far you've come. When looked at in this way, the holidays can be a true time of enjoyment.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Kristine
I mys
Here's what I mean by that:
The Pages carry messages for others, they don't themselves know who they will be when they grow up. They are only just coming to understand their own power to create the life they will live. They are apprentices, really, and their creations are youthful ones, full of idealism and promise.
They hold the past in their hands (the disc) as a tool to anticipate and create the future, i.e. they create an idea of life based on the dreams and examples of their parents, the boasts of their peer group, the demands and expectations of the educational system, the heros and mores of their culture, etc.
Their life experiences are limited, fresh and uninformed, and their ideas on how to live are based on what others have told them. They know what to fear, what to love, what to expect, what to hold dear, what is pleasurable, what is right and what is wrong because their elders and teachers have told them these things. They have not yet experimented with these concepts and learned how THEY feel about these issues.
Our past can define our present and influence our future in an unconscious way that might not serve the person we have become; for we are not our past. I think this is one of the most important messages from the universe, that we need to sort out who we are from what we think, what we've been, and what we've done. How do we do that? I believe that if we feel bad, then what we are doing is not the right thing for us. If we feel good, then we are in alignment with who we are. Our emotions tell us who we are and who we are not all the time. Using our emotions a our guide, we can discover our true nature.
A friend of mine spoke of a civics teacher who taught him how to think critically. He had worked very hard on an essay that basically rubber-stamped his parent's beliefs. After laboring over it, he reread it with his newly aquired critical eye and realized with a shock that he really didn't believe anything he had written. His life as a Page was over, no longer was he interested in carrying his parent's messages into the world. It was time for him to move away from his parent's ideas and form his own views in order to live a more authentic life.
Thanksgiving and the winter holidays can be stressful times.
Because of their repetative nature, they allow us to see and feel the split between who we are NOW and who we were then so much more clearly. If the split is percieved as a painful wound seperating you from yourself and your loved ones, the holidays are a miserable affair. If the split is understood as a record of your growth on your journey toward your authentic self, then you will be able to see and celebrate how far you've come. When looked at in this way, the holidays can be a true time of enjoyment.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Kristine
I mys
Friday, November 20, 2009
Dog's Day
I've been getting some peculiar messages about dogs. Not really about dogs, but messages with the word "dog" in them. Of course, I immediately think it has something to do with my dog, Pixie, but then again my website, business, and email name is kyote DOG, so I know they apply to me.
The first scrap I recieved at the dog park is this one:
I wondered what this meant. I assume it's my message from the universe for the day. One of the problems I had understanding it was that I couldn't make out the word after "Gifts". I finally decided it was "for", so the message reads "Gifts for the Dogs", but It could be "Gifts IN the Dogs" Naaaah.
I have, lately, been thinking about how much happiness my little dog has brought into my life. She is a gift herself and deserves many gifts in return. She gets her little doggy treats quite often since food is her dearest desire, and she gets a nice warm and loving home as well, so gifted she is, but this explaination didn't resonate. It does say for the dogS, so that means it's not exclusive to one. I decided to just wait a bit and see what else showed up.
First thing this morning on the dog walk I picked up this card:
Back to the dogs again:
On this card is some student's note from a children's book calls "The Heavenly Zoo". The story is part of the Mahabaharata, one of two Classical Sanskrit epics from ancient India. In this story, five brothers begin a journey to the heavens with all but the eldest, Yudistira, falling off along the way to follow their hearts to do something close to their nature (Arjuna, the all-powerful, joins a battle for his country: Sahadeva, the all-wise, joins holy men in study and prayer, etc.). By the time the entrance to heaven is reached, only Yudistira remains with his faithful dog. He is invited to enter, but only if he leaves his dog behind. He refuses to do so because his dog had given his heart to him.
How can having the gift of a dog's heart be a barrier to heaven? What kind of heaven is this that won't allow dogs. This will take some thought.
So: five brothers enter heaven by following their hearts and their natures, and one refuses because he holds the heart of his dog. Does this mean that having the responsiblity of someone's love makes following your own heart impossible? It does make it harder, perhaps, to recognize the pure impulse of your own beating desire when other's wishes and needs must be considered.
Or is that merely an excuse.
Trying another approach, since the dog is a symbol of loyalty, and perhaps in this context means unwavering loyalty, perhaps his dedication to his dog rather than his own heart kept him from fulfilling his true purpose.
In my own life, I realize that it's very difficult for me to really see who I am under the cover of my social obligations, family life, work life, etc., all that I've given my heart to. I know who I want to be, who others want me to be, but not really who I am. I can see how I use love for animals or people as a way to keep the discovery of my true self, my true heart, from my consciousness; or romance as a way to keep from growing, by repeating disfunctional old patterns for the sake of temporal happiness.
Maybe the gifts I need to give myself is permission to actually BE myself, to interact cleanly and clearly with others as my fullest and most present self. Perhaps I won't do that because I fear the loss of love when my loved ones meet my true face, but maybe that's what one needs to show in order to live more authentically and truly create heaven on earth. Love indeed, has a place and leads the way to heaven, but ultimately the love of the universe in it's broadest and truest sense is the love that's needed. Narrowing our focus to a single object misses the point.
There is more to be gained here in these messages from the universe, and I will be pondering them for a while. If you have any insights to bring to this, please comment.
Love,
Kristine
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Harmony
The other day I ran into Starfire, a wonderful Tai Chi teacher. We hadn't practiced together for a long time, so I asked him what he was working on. He said he was focusing on "yielding" as he practiced the form.
Tai chi is all about balance, black and white, yin and yang, yielding and resisting; so I wondered why the emphasis on yielding. I decided to try it in my own practice and discovered, much to my delight, the lack of balance I had in my own practice. (Oh boy, something new to notice and work on). Unconsiously, I had been emphasising resisting much more than yielding when I did the form.
This stands to reason since I started practicing martial arts in order to "defend" myself more ably and become stronger and more powerful. Even though both Tai Chi and Aikido stress gentleness and flow, throwing people more effortlessly and with less muscle was how I enterpreted those ideas. Many of my teachers also stressed harmony, but their ideas sort of bounced off me without taking root. I couldn't figure out what they meant. Harmony with what? The attacker? The form itself? How could I use the idea of harmony to be stronger and more powerful? And throw people better.
Practicing yielding, I began to understand the idea of harmony. I realized that my body felt softer, more opened, and more available to what was around me. I enjoyed the feeling of peace and depth the practice gave me. Suddenly I was struck by the realization of a simple truth: yielding to what is means totally accepting what is, and when you accept completely what is, you are in harmony with it.
There is no more powerful place to be then in a harmonic relationship with the universe.
When I made my practice about resistence, I was anticipating conflict and preparing myself for it. When I practiced yielding, I noticed that I anticipated nothing and was therefore more able and available to flow with life. As I practiced I also noticed that I felt more and more like an integral part of the natural world.
That's what we all are, of course, but in our attempts to control our environment and those around us we lose touch with those subtle forces that help us feel our connection to it all.
Yielding demands that we trust: ourselves, each other, the world around us, and life itself.
Today's message from the Universe? Yield.
This is a fascinating practice. Try it and see what harmonizes with you, and what you harmonize with.
What beautiful music you will make.
Love, Kristine
Tai chi is all about balance, black and white, yin and yang, yielding and resisting; so I wondered why the emphasis on yielding. I decided to try it in my own practice and discovered, much to my delight, the lack of balance I had in my own practice. (Oh boy, something new to notice and work on). Unconsiously, I had been emphasising resisting much more than yielding when I did the form.
This stands to reason since I started practicing martial arts in order to "defend" myself more ably and become stronger and more powerful. Even though both Tai Chi and Aikido stress gentleness and flow, throwing people more effortlessly and with less muscle was how I enterpreted those ideas. Many of my teachers also stressed harmony, but their ideas sort of bounced off me without taking root. I couldn't figure out what they meant. Harmony with what? The attacker? The form itself? How could I use the idea of harmony to be stronger and more powerful? And throw people better.
Practicing yielding, I began to understand the idea of harmony. I realized that my body felt softer, more opened, and more available to what was around me. I enjoyed the feeling of peace and depth the practice gave me. Suddenly I was struck by the realization of a simple truth: yielding to what is means totally accepting what is, and when you accept completely what is, you are in harmony with it.
There is no more powerful place to be then in a harmonic relationship with the universe.
When I made my practice about resistence, I was anticipating conflict and preparing myself for it. When I practiced yielding, I noticed that I anticipated nothing and was therefore more able and available to flow with life. As I practiced I also noticed that I felt more and more like an integral part of the natural world.
That's what we all are, of course, but in our attempts to control our environment and those around us we lose touch with those subtle forces that help us feel our connection to it all.
Yielding demands that we trust: ourselves, each other, the world around us, and life itself.
Today's message from the Universe? Yield.
This is a fascinating practice. Try it and see what harmonizes with you, and what you harmonize with.
What beautiful music you will make.
Love, Kristine
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Temperance
For some reason, I am reluctant to analize this card. It feels like too much to me, so that is a sure sign that this is a card I need to look at.
An angel with red wings pours water from one goblet into another. She stands with one foot on the land and one in the water. In the background a path over the foohills and into the mountains leads to a shinning crown. Three yellow lillies grow on her left, one bud and two in full flower.
The red wings are interesting. Red is the color of passion, and passion and angels just don't seem to go together. Passion and temperance don't seem to go together either, so perhaps the red wings indicate that passion is what lifts and motivates us out of our everyday cares and woes and into more inspirational and inspiring activities. That idea feels pretty good.
The feet placed both on land and in the water indicate the willingness to be rooted in "reality" (i.e. accept what is) and at the same time the willingness to accept change and flow in one's life and to be guided by one's emotional nature.
The water being poured from one cup to another tell us that despite our perspective on any subject, there is no duality, no good or bad, victim or vicimizer; all is truly one if we have the wisdom to let go of our ridgid constructs and let life flow.
Lillies symbolize purity, chastity, and innocence. Yellow lilies represent the pure joy of the spirit that show us our own beauty and creative importance in this world of ours. The flowers are our current blessings, and the bud indicates the growth of more in our lives if we cultivate our ability to appreciate what we have.
The path shows us the way towards enlightenment (the crown representing the crown chakra). Sometimes the path is gentle, sometimes hard and rocky, but, as O Sensei said , "There are many roads to the top of Mt. Fuji, but the summit is always love."
Temperance, the title of the card, reminds me of the old Greek adage, "Everything in moderation". It reminds us to take things slow, be patient, and allow life to show us the way. Don't try to force anything, even spiritual growth. Trust yourself, trust life, and all will be well with you.
Well, that wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I guess the lesson is to trust what's in front of me, begin the enquiry, be patient, and new understandings will emerge easily and naturally. This is just the message from the universe that I need. I hope you benefit from it too.
Love, Kristine
An angel with red wings pours water from one goblet into another. She stands with one foot on the land and one in the water. In the background a path over the foohills and into the mountains leads to a shinning crown. Three yellow lillies grow on her left, one bud and two in full flower.
The red wings are interesting. Red is the color of passion, and passion and angels just don't seem to go together. Passion and temperance don't seem to go together either, so perhaps the red wings indicate that passion is what lifts and motivates us out of our everyday cares and woes and into more inspirational and inspiring activities. That idea feels pretty good.
The feet placed both on land and in the water indicate the willingness to be rooted in "reality" (i.e. accept what is) and at the same time the willingness to accept change and flow in one's life and to be guided by one's emotional nature.
The water being poured from one cup to another tell us that despite our perspective on any subject, there is no duality, no good or bad, victim or vicimizer; all is truly one if we have the wisdom to let go of our ridgid constructs and let life flow.
Lillies symbolize purity, chastity, and innocence. Yellow lilies represent the pure joy of the spirit that show us our own beauty and creative importance in this world of ours. The flowers are our current blessings, and the bud indicates the growth of more in our lives if we cultivate our ability to appreciate what we have.
The path shows us the way towards enlightenment (the crown representing the crown chakra). Sometimes the path is gentle, sometimes hard and rocky, but, as O Sensei said , "There are many roads to the top of Mt. Fuji, but the summit is always love."
Temperance, the title of the card, reminds me of the old Greek adage, "Everything in moderation". It reminds us to take things slow, be patient, and allow life to show us the way. Don't try to force anything, even spiritual growth. Trust yourself, trust life, and all will be well with you.
Well, that wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I guess the lesson is to trust what's in front of me, begin the enquiry, be patient, and new understandings will emerge easily and naturally. This is just the message from the universe that I need. I hope you benefit from it too.
Love, Kristine
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
And I thought no one loved me . . .
I have had a dirth of messages from the universe lately.
And no wonder.
I've been feeling overwhelmed and distinctly out of sync in my life. Abraham-Hicks says that we attract what we're vibrating, and I've not been vibrating at my happiness peak. Far from it, so how can I expect a sweet word from the universe when sweet is not how I've been feeling?
I decided to change my tune.
I started to deliberately look for, listen for, and feel for things that made me feel good. I'd wake up in the morning and think of all the good things in my life and the fun and interesting things I had to look forward to in the day to come. I'd take time to meditate when I'd get anxious to put myself in a more receptive and happier frame of mind. It sounds like a lot, but it really wasn't too hard to do. I just started to really care about how I felt.
This morning on my walk I wondered if I'd get a reward for good behaviour, you know, a little "atta girl" to show me I was on the right path. I looked out on the empty school parking lot (Vetern's Day Holiday) and saw one tiny piece of paper. I thought it probably was a reciept of some kind, or some kleenex. I leaned down and picked it up, and this is what I found:
And no wonder.
I've been feeling overwhelmed and distinctly out of sync in my life. Abraham-Hicks says that we attract what we're vibrating, and I've not been vibrating at my happiness peak. Far from it, so how can I expect a sweet word from the universe when sweet is not how I've been feeling?
I decided to change my tune.
I started to deliberately look for, listen for, and feel for things that made me feel good. I'd wake up in the morning and think of all the good things in my life and the fun and interesting things I had to look forward to in the day to come. I'd take time to meditate when I'd get anxious to put myself in a more receptive and happier frame of mind. It sounds like a lot, but it really wasn't too hard to do. I just started to really care about how I felt.
This morning on my walk I wondered if I'd get a reward for good behaviour, you know, a little "atta girl" to show me I was on the right path. I looked out on the empty school parking lot (Vetern's Day Holiday) and saw one tiny piece of paper. I thought it probably was a reciept of some kind, or some kleenex. I leaned down and picked it up, and this is what I found:
Atta Girl!
Love, Kristine
Saturday, November 7, 2009
What's Driving You?
I thought it was ironic and more than a little funny to find this image where I did, because I think of Lisa as my "repair" person. She restores and realigns body and soul, and gives me tools to help the healing continue when I'm on my own.
Picking up this little card near her office sparked some new ideas about "healing". What, exactly, do I think needs being healed in my body, or in my life? This conversation is today's message from the universe.
I asked myself exactly where I would put the X. Would I mark the right, intuitive, side as "damaged" or the left, more linear side? Would I mark the rear of the car, thus blaming the lessons from the past for any present injuries, or the front, giving my feelings of insecurity about the future the black mark?
I thought about that, and realized that, really, none of these areas were the problem. The "problem", if there is one, lies in the present moment.
So I examined the present moment. Was anything really wrong? Not really. If I thought about it long enough, I could see where my intuition is sometimes wrong and gets me into trouble, and I could feel bad about that. Or the linear side of me, with it's insistance on things being a certain way, could compromise my happiness. Or, I could regret a past wrong or worry about a furture event. There were all sorts of thoughts available to me that could make my life miserable for me, but truly, at that moment, at this moment, nothing was and is wrong.
All is well.
My life is only about this present moment. Nothing needs healing. Nothing needs to change. I just need to bring presence to what is as I'm living life. When I do that, I can be more responsive to whatever I'm doing or whoever I'm dealing with. This feels like a much healthier approach than my responses in the past.
Does that mean I no longer need to see Lisa? Not at all. With her help, living in the present moment has become (relatively) easier to do. I'm recognizing the patterning in my thought processes that drag me out of fully living my life and create conditioned responses that do feel wounding. Recognizing this allows me the space to make other choices in my life, to not repeat old patterns, to find new ways of relating to my life and my self that are more empowering.
Most importantly, I'm learning that happiness really is a choice, and I'm learning to be more adept at making happiness my priority.
It is a cliche, I know, but it is true that the present is the present. Let's give it our full attention.
Love,
Kristine
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The Universe Suggests Veterinary Care. Really. No Kidding.
I had noticed some small changes in my pup's behavior. Nothing too bad, just some tiny indications that she wasn't really comfortable.
As I walked her this morning, I kept an eye on her, wondering whether or not to take her to the vet.
As a rule, I'm not crazy about going to doctors, so I was reluctant to take her there. Then I found this:
Some "Caution" tape. I don't usually pick something like this up since there's a lot of construction around where we live so this tape shows up a lot. Still, something told me to pick it up, so I did. I do try my best to follow my impulses. I probably could be more careful . . . but what, really, was this about? I needed clarity!
It's a picture some child made of a little dog.
As I walked her this morning, I kept an eye on her, wondering whether or not to take her to the vet.
As a rule, I'm not crazy about going to doctors, so I was reluctant to take her there. Then I found this:
Then I saw another piece of paper floping around in the wind. It drew my attention, so I paid attention. It was some sort of school medical form. Here it is:
And I'm still puzzeled.
This paper is all about some sort of health and safety regulation requiring a doctors visit. It didn't mean anything to me, I thought, since my kids are too old to need me to take them to the doc's. Why did I need to pick this peice of trash up? I was about ready to dispose of it when I saw this:
It's a picture some child made of a little dog. Ok. I get it. It all fit together. Caution, medical need, little dog picture.
My little dog is going to the vet.
Once again, I want to thank the universe for the guidence I get. When I have a problem, I get answers in this wonderfully bizarre way. Don't you just love this crazy life? I sure do.
Love, Kristine
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