Reflections on Nashville Flood of 2010
According to the Army Corps of Engineer, a flood of this magnitude statistically happens 1 in 1000 years in Nashville.
I am saddened to say that Nashville (and the surrounding counties) has received its share of the natural disasters that seem so widespread these days. This one has struck near and dear to my heart as I see the town I grew up in and currently live in submerged in water.
And I’ve never felt more proud to live here than I do now.
Like any city during a disaster, the people of Nashville have opened their hearts to their neighbors, friends, and strangers. And but for the scores of volunteers, so many more lives would have perished. Once again, the Volunteer State has lived up to its name.
Nashville has always been a city for healing. Situated in a bowl of limestone rock, Nashville is very grounding which provides a great bed, so to speak, for healing. It’s no coincidence that Nashville is a hub for major hospital corporations. Underneath, it also has a very strong and vibrant alternative health and lightworker community that many are not aware of.
Being a sister city of Athens, Greece, Nashville has many parallels, such as the only exact replica of the Parthenon, along with many other architectural similarities throughout the city. It is theorized by many that Nashville will be (or is) a major player in our new world or post-2012 era. This brings me back to the flood.
All natural disasters are a result and for the purpose of bringing our Planet into balance. And all natural disasters cleanse and renew the areas in which they strike. It seems not coincidental that this flood has taken place while the most disastrous oil spill in history is taking place. Earth must maintain a balance if we are to maintain residency here.
A smaller example is that of East Nashville that was hit in 1998 by a tornado. This once-thriving area in the early 1900’s had since been overtaken with crime and poverty. Beautiful Victorian-built homes had fallen prey to decay and neglect. After the tornado came through leaving destruction in its path, the neighborhood spurred by insurance money rebuilt itself to better than ever. It is now considered one of the best neighborhoods to live in in Nashville.
While none of this makes it any easier to see the current devastation of homes, lives, and businesses in shambles, I do know that Nashville will rise from this disaster and be better than ever. It will heal and be healed. And it will be that beacon of light that will help bring our precious planet back into balance.
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Please spread the word, in case folks don’t grasp the severity of what’s going on. Temporary shelters are at capacity, missing people are unaccounted for, many homes are under water, we’re in a water conservation emergency, much of Nashville’s economic base is threatened by flood damage, etc.
Text ‘REDCROSS’ to 90999 to donate $10 to disaster relief.
Our Divine Feminine: How to Navigate in the New World
I think we can all agree on one thing: the world is changing. We can see it on every scale from the microcosm of our own daily life to the macrocosm of our Planet. Even if it appears the stock market and economy are rebounding, our perspectives have changed and our world is still in flux.
So what is at the root of all the changes currently going on? It is more than a failed banking industry, greedy creditors, international wars and conflicts, and an increase in global warming. In fact, these are only symptoms. The underlying cause is an energetic shift from the masculine to the feminine. In other words, it is a critical rebalancing of yin and yang energy.
All energy, including humans, is comprised of yin and yang energy. In other words, all males have yin (feminine) and yang (masculine) energy, as do females. It is our ultimate challenge to balance these two energies within ourselves. Relationships have proven to be the most common way to do this. For example, if we have an overbalance of masculine energy, then we will seek someone with an overbalance of feminine energy to, in essence, complete us, and vice versa. This critical yin yang balance within ourself is a template for our Planet.
For thousands of years, our Planet has become increasingly overbalanced with masculine energy. Masculine energy has served us with increased productivity, leadership, activity, technology, mobility, and other facets that have led to an amazing modernization of our Planet. However, with these advancements have come abuse of power, war, corruption, greed, superiority, and fear. As a result, women have been oppressed and our divine goddess, Mother Earth, has been abused.
In order for our continued survival on Planet Earth, the pendulum must swing the other direction. And it is. It is not coincidental that during this Depression, the only industries that have grown are those dominated by women: teaching and healthcare (particularly nursing). The industries that are falling are those based in masculine energy that got carried away with power and greed. Meanwhile, businesses based in compassion to men, women, animals, and the Earth are thriving. In other words, it is yin-related activities, businesses, and ideas that will work right now.
So it is important to recognize what constitutes feminine energy in order to not only make this shift into our new world easier, but welcomed and enjoyable.
More Being, Less Doing
Masculine energy is very active-oriented, while the feminine is about stillness and receptivity. In my article, Being More | Doing Less, I explain how the active pursuit of what we want no longer works like it used to. Instead, try allowing things to come to you. In other words, instead of beating doors down, notice which ones open easily. This is a personal balance that we must all find within ourselves in order to manifest what we want.
More Intuition, Less Mind
We have all had an experience where our intuition told us something that simply did not make rational sense to our mind only to find out later that our intuition was right. Our intuition can know things that our mind simply cannot know. This is actually a product of the right and left brain functions. Intuition comes from our right brain, while logic and rationalization comes from our right brain. Correspondingly, the left side of our body is our feminine side and the right side is our masculine side. In our new world, our intuitive skills increase while are monkey mind will drive us mad trying to make sense of the world. Thinking can be so overrated!
More Creativity, Less Structure
Like intuition, creativity is a product of the right brain. We are all being called to be creative. In being creative, we touch the core essence of our purpose here on Earth. Each one of us has a special gift that can benefit others, whether it is cooking, art, healing, gardening, or singing. Begin tapping into your creativity and you tap into your soul.
More Heart, More Heart, More Heart
As I mentioned above, the businesses that are now thriving are those based in compassion and love for their fellow humans, children, animals, and Mother Earth. In other words, they were started from the heart to make a positive difference in our world. Some businesses that may not have started out that way have evolved into helping others. Why? Just like our species… for survival. For example, more businesses are buying fair trade, donating to charities, recycling, etc.
The time is now for all men and women to embrace our Divine Feminine. Although gender is irrelevant, women have an inherent femininity that makes it easier to tap into the Divine Feminine. While men are being introduced to their femininity perhaps for the first time, it is especially important for women to completely embrace the Divine Feminine and become the goddesses of the new world.
Why You May Be Having a Sudden Urge to Declutter Your Home
If you’ve found yourself voraciously cleaning stuff out of your home lately, you’re not alone. Over the last few months, I have heard this repeatedly from friends and clients. There is an insatiable urge to clear things out of closets, basements, drawers, and in some cases, entire rooms. For many people, this urge is so pronounced and unlike anything ever experienced before. For those of you who are historically packrats, this feeling is very new and perhaps even confusing.
So what is going on? Afterall, it’s not even Spring!
Basically, we (in conjunction with Planet Earth) are going through a major purging. Looking at it in terms of the economic climate, we have all realized that we not only can live with less, but feel better with less. All of the stuff that we accumulated over the last couple of decades just doesn’t feel good anymore. Stuff feels like a big weight. Instead, space makes us feel good. We can breathe again (notice how your breath changes after you clear something out). This is all part of a return of living close and in harmony with the Earth, not in opposition like we as a collective have been doing. In fact, you may have noticed that when you are now drawn to purchase something, it is artisan-made, natural fibers, and/or organic products.
From a spiritual perspective, we have been and will continue to be (perhaps until 2012) on an accelerated course of evolution with this Summer (‘09) being in full force. As we evolve, we become less and less dense as different vibrations cannot co-exist. Matter is the highest form of density. Whereas, energy before it manifests into a physical form is a lighter density, but still some level of density. For example, a kidney stone would be emotional energy like anger that has manifested into a physical form. As we evolve, we purge this density (which could be the subject of numerous blog articles) on the physical, emotional, and mental levels. And, our home, which is an extension and reflection of ourself, needs to as well.
As you clean stuff out of your home, you are assisting in an important and necessary part of your spiritual growth, which is paramount to your physical and emotional well-being. You may even notice some resistance well up along the way. Be conscious and notice what the resistance is.
As you clean out your basement, you are cleaning out your subconscious mind. In other words, you are bringing things from the subconscious to the conscious mind in order to effectively deal with it and, if necessary, get rid of it. Prior to that, things were stuffed down there to avoid dealing with it or even having to see it.
What about closets? This is where we stuff things we don’t want others to see, perhaps including ourselves. As we clean out our closet, we are all “coming out of the closet” in some aspect. In your own unique way, it is allowing you to live more authentically. This again is a letting go or purging of anything dense, such as lies, fronts, and fakes. Even with regards to your clothing closet, perhaps there are clothes that no longer seem to fit who you are anymore.
We are all evolving to our highest vibration and most authentic selves, which is love. So, when you get the urge to purge your home, go with it.
Albert Einstein: A Scientific Genius or Spiritual Master… or Both?
As the first decade of the 21st Century is coming to a close with 2012 just on the horizon, science and spirituality are on a crash course of convergence more so than ever before. As more and more is being discovered in science about other galaxies and planets, the question of “are we alone” will continue to be asked and the answer inevitably leads us to a merger of science and spirituality.
But all of this should be of no surprise. For It was Albert Einstein in the early 1900s who so prophetically tried to explain this to us. Without putting a name or label on it, Einstein was a scientific genius and spiritual master all at the same time. While Einstein has undoubtedly gone down in history as one of the great scientists and inventors, he should also be acknowledged as a spiritual master. As evidence, I share with you the following from Master Einstein:
“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us ‘Universe,’ a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.”
Heaven or Hell on Earth: Your Choice for 2012
Some of you may have heard about all the talk around 2012. No, I’m talking about Sarah Palin’s run for the White House. I’m talking about the End of Times. To bring you up to speed, 2012, particularly December 21, 2012, supposedly marks a time of massive transition. What exactly that means is a matter of personal perspective, opinion, and belief. In other words, no one really knows what, if anything, will happen. But one thing is eerily clear: never have so many different sects of people pointed to the same date as being significant as they have 2012.
One of the most notable and in my opinion reliable groups of people is the Mayans. The Mayan calendar ends in 2012. Just ends. As you may know the Mayans have a pretty good reputation. For example, the Mayans were known for advanced writing, mathematics and astronomy. Their Long Count calendar, which was discontinued under Spanish colonization, tracks more than 5,000 years, then resets at year zero. December 21, 2012 marks the end of that calendar.
If I haven’t gotten your attention yet, keep reading…
Today’s astronomers have chimed in and get this: On the winter solstice in 2012, the sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way for the first time in about 26,000 years. This means that whatever energy typically streams to Earth from the center of the Milky Way will be disrupted on December 12, 2012. Is all this a coincidence?
Nostradamus has apparently also put in his two cents. Scholars of Nostradamus have interpreted his documents to point to 2012 as the date of the occurrence of an astrological event of massive proportions. The History Channel (which seems to be more like the Science Channel these days) has a great series on this. You can also check it out on youtube. Meanwhile, bringing it back to the Bible Belt, Christians have increasingly predicted that the Apocalypse is upon us due to the rising conflicts in the Middle East and increased natural disasters as predicted in Revelations. All that is lacking is the rise of the Antichrist.
Books, articles, and blogs are increasingly popping up and will continue to do so as this date nears. Experts in all fields, including ecologists, environmentalists, economists, historians, seers, astronomers, and spiritualists, have different perspectives on how 2012 will play out. But all agree that there will be a fundamental shift that will forever change us. The End of Times doesn’t necessarily have to mean ‘doom’, but life as we know it. And with all ends, there is always a new beginning.
What will your new beginning look like? The year 2012 will mark a time in which we will become the architect of our destiny, unlike ever before. Your perception of whether the events of 2012 are “good” or “bad” will be your reality. If leaving planet Earth upon the Armageddon is your idea of leaving hell for heaven, then that will be your reality. If staying here to experience a higher consciousness with your fellow Brothers and Sisters while living out your dreams is your idea of heaven on Earth, then that will be your reality. It is your choice.
Having a choice in determining your reality is certainly nothing new. We do this every day. If you consider yourself ‘unlucky’ then you are. If you consider yourself ‘lucky’ then you are. One of my favorite quotes is “if you think you can do a thing or think you can’t, then you are right,” by Henry Ford. This is the same principle as the glass half empty or half full. It is all about one’s perception. This principle, however, will be seen on a massive scale. Perhaps you are already catching a glimpse of this as the current recession looms. Some see it as cleaning out an old system based upon greed allowing for newer ideas and innovations to emerge. Others see the current landscape as doom while watching their jobs and investments go down the drain. Many of us are somewhere in the middle…perhaps the glass is one-third or two-thirds full.
As our current way of living continues to fall as I wrote about in November , this clears the way for the ‘new’… new ideas, new ways of thinking, being and living, belief systems, innovations, expanded consciousness, superior technologies and inventions. We are on the cusp of an extraordinary time in history that we have all chosen to witness and take part in. What will be your role?
After the ‘Fall’
This Fall, particularly during the month of October, we have seen much more than just the leaves fall, but the stock market, big industries, and the current political regime. As I hear the black walnuts fall off the walnut tree in my backyard, almost violently, I am reminded just how dramatic the ‘old’ world has been and is falling. Those things that seemed so secure are suddenly crumbling leaving us wondering just what can we rely on.
One of the advantages of living in a seasonal climate is that we get to experience the cycles of life firsthand. Once the leaves have fallen and the plants have deadened, we are left with a massive clearing where only the bare essentials are left and completely exposed. This is where we find those things that are most important to us, which then provide the foundation to grow from in the Spring. The phrase, ‘out with the old, in with the ‘new’, couldn’t be a better description for this process. And the deeper the clearing, the more space available for the new.
So as Fall quickly turns to Winter, begin asking yourself what can I rely on and what is most important to me. Your answer will most likely be the same for both questions and the answer will most likely not be something in the physical form. And this is the quintessential lesson for all of this Fall.
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