Tree Rattle

I heard the Trees rattle this morning. I've never heard that before. The wind had picked up again, causing the branches to knock against each other. Of course, that happens whenever the wind blows, but the long deep freeze we are having is unusual.

The completely frozen branches sounded like dried coral in a wind chime. I suppose this kind of thing happens further North all the time, but for me it is something new. My culture invites me to worry about whether the trees can survive this cold, but I remember that the trees have old wisdom. They have been living on this planet through all sorts of weather for a long time. How they get through this will be a manifestation of that wisdom.

Then it occurs to me that Humans have been living on this planet for a long time, too. We have survived through all different types of weather as well. We learned how to get through. I wonder where in me this ancient wisdom is lurking.

Today, I will be paying attention to ways in which my ancient wisdom might be showing itself and effecting what I do in response to this remarkable cold as I listen to the Trees rattle.

Snowflake

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a single Snowflake falling. I tuned my head to get a better look, but it was lost in the white background. It got me thinking about how that single flake was unlike any other flake that had been or will be.

This reminds me about the miraculous uniqueness of every part of this amazing Creation I get to be a part of, and the importance of me valuing and enacting my own uniqueness.

Today, I will be remembering Snowflake as she inspires me to be more fully who I am.

Crow's Call

It was still cold this morning, but the wind had died down. Fine snow flakes floated down like dust. I realized Crow had been calling. I hadn't been listening. I was caught up in my thoughts about the cold.

This reminds how powerful my thoughts can be. Rather than noticing what is happening around me, I was living in worry about the cold.

Crow finally got a response from family in the East. Today, I will pay attention to the power of my thoughts and notice when they are distracting me from Crow's call.

Dangerous Cold

The air temperature this morning was one degree. The record for today is negative three. With the wind chill, it feels like negative twenty. My culture uses words like brutal and dangerous to describe this kind of cold. I am invited to consider the cold as a threat to me personally.

But the cold is not about me. It is not dangerous, it just is. I can make choices in relation to the cold that will put me in danger, but that is about my choices, not the cold itself. The cold that is difficult for me, just like the warmth that is difficult for some other creatures, it just what that: Cold. What I choose to do in it is what determines it's effect on me.

Today, I will be paying attention to the choices I make and their effects, and declining invitations that suggest that the weather is responsible for my mistakes. 

Mouse and Snow

This kind of snow is perfect for Mouse. The crust on the first Snow covered by the light fluffy stuff we got two days ago means she can tunnel from place to place more easily. While she is under the snow it is harder for Coyote and Owl to find her.

But she has to run on top of the Snow sometimes. When she does, the Snow does not serve her anymore. When she is on top of the Snow, Coyote and Owl have the advantage. Mouse's dark brown fur against the bright white snow makes her very easy to see, and her tracks connect and expose her tunnels.

This gets me thinking about the balance of Love. For Mouse, Owl, and Coyote, Snow is a help and a problem at the same time. No one gets all of the advantage, nor does anyone get all of the struggle. Love gives each opportunities and risks. What Mouse and Owl and Coyote choose to do with what they are given is up to them.

Today, I will be on the lookout for the opportunities that Love gives me, and paying attention to the choices I have that, like Snow for Mouse, are perfect for me.

Christmas Starts Today

I woke up this morning and realized that I have had Christmas backwards all these years. Up, till now it has been about preparations, and planning for the big day. Family comes together and the staging is set. When the day arrives, we share gift and stories and a great deal of joy, and then it is over. Along with it's end leaves the invitation to be a bit kinder to each other, more patient and more forgiving.

But what are we celebrating?

Jesus didn't show up to say that everything was awesome. Even if I take up the Christian story of Jesus, the big boss doesn't send in a supervisor because things are going well. The supervisor shows up when there is a problem. And the supervisor's arrival doesn't signal the end of the work, but the beginning.

Today, I am taking up a new vision of Christmas, where Christmas marks he beginning of something, not the culmination of months of preparation. To me, the message Jesus brought was about the true nature of Love and that it is our human responsibility to care for one another. Rather than the end, Christmas day will be the start of another opportunity to live more fully in the message of Love and caring, sacrifice and commitment. Today, I pledge to take up this message. I will Love more, care more, and work harder not to be distracted by fear and judgment and doubt.

Love

To say that hate is the opposite of love is to say that the Moon is the opposite of the Sun. Like the solar system, hate and anger and joy and hunger and happiness all live within the context of Love, just like the planets live within the influence of the Sun. Each planet manifests it's relationship to the Sun in different ways, but each is still a planet of the Sun.

Fear and laughter, hate and joy, pain and ecstasy are all part of Love. What I choose to manifest is up to me. The power in that choice is profound. Today, I will take responsibility for the how I choose to manifest Love in my life. I will be aware of the power I wield, and the effects of the choices I make.