Avenya
Welcome to your monthly Earth News!
Dear Friends,
We hope this letter finds you well. This month, take a trip to the ocean with April in "Ocean Dreams" and visit "The Inner Mountain" with Lief.
As major events happen in our lives and around the world, remember - we will come out on the other side of it with more love in our hearts and more connection to and compassion for one another.
We would like to pose some questions for you to think about this month:
How is connection and disconnection showing up in your life?
How can you experience more heart/soul connection with people in your life?
How can you experience more heart/soul connection with the earth?
We would love to hear your experiences & comments - hit the button at bottom of this email to share your comments with us.
From our hearts to yours,
Andrej, Lief, April, Barbara & Melanie
September 2021
Ocean Dreams
by April Phillips
In the midst of a hot, dry summer, I yearn for water and dream of being near it, of being immersed in it, of touching cool water with my fingertips and toes…wild waters caressing my skin, and cold ocean waves wrapping around my ankles…
I went to the beach in San Francisco by the Sutro Baths on a day when the weather was so perfect, which, if you know San Francisco, this is hit or miss when going to the beach! But this day was 80°F, sunny and beautiful! I stood with my feet in the ocean, bathing in the refreshing winds while the ocean expanded my heart with every thrilling wave that washed ashore.
Ocean whispers in my heart of possibilities, her waves speak to me of the importance of movement. My senses fully aware of the danger and power of the ocean, as it draws back from the shore, pulling me closer to it. And yet it is also healing me…helping me to let go, reminding me to let my tears and my joy flow equally, cleansing and strengthening the parts of me that need it.
As I watch the entrancing patterns of foam upon the surface of the ocean, it reflects some kind of inner order within me, a feeling that everything will be okay and I feel the perfection of all life. These heart-soothing rhythmic mysteries bring me into a state of gratitude and reverence for the beauty of life.
Water blessings 💦
The Inner Mountain
by Lief Hollowell
It’s hard to find meaning in this empty space I often find myself trapped in, one I am so often unwilling to face and deal with. It’s like a mountain I need to climb in the distance, but I keep putting off the work, unwilling to deal with the task. I find that my life withers away though, if I don't attend to that mountain within. Somehow I have to close my eyes and find stillness and clarity amongst the fog in front of me. To find the courage to step into the dark shades amongst the trees. It’s a long way up the mountain into the unknown, as I sort out spaces that are unruly, that make me drift into the sunset of the day as I fall asleep at the wheel. That’s the hardest part, staying alert for the journey and finding the desire to continue the inner search, to recognize where I am on my path, and to address what is happening.
That is where meaning lies, in facing the parts of the journey that are toughest to travel through, in dealing with ourselves in a way that is true, that requires us to get our shovel so we can start to see what we are really made of. That is where true meaning will be found, lost in the mundane, in the moments that feel distant and devoid of purpose, that leave our minds searching for something or somewhere else we can be instead of facing and dealing with ourselves as we are now. With all of that we skip over the depth of life that is available in that journey we need to take within, to take care of that which eludes our attention, that which we find ourselves avoiding because we are unsure of what to do about it.
It’s in the moment that the subtleness of our inner world will begin to speaks to us, in ways that perhaps are unpleasant, in ways that reflect the very issue inside we need to address. That issue is that mountain we need to climb, the journey we need to take, a journey that has answers to that far cry that sends us running away. It’s a journey that does not always have to make sense, every bit and piece we discover offers a small key to something more, an answer that can carry us out of the darkness and forward into the light. A journey that if taken with courage and trust can pull us out of the mundane, and put us on the delicate tight rope walk of life we are meant to take. It's that very process that keeps us honest and humble, because you will know if you have fallen down, as something inside of you will send a signal that needs to be addressed. A signal that keeps you from living life in a way that is true and fulfilling. That is what life is after-all, a tightrope, a place within we know we need to go if we are going to feel engaged and free. So, right now, trapped in the mundane, this place of meaningless existence, I get my shovel in an effort to discover what is hidden in the fog below. That is the only way I can make sense of what is there, because hidden in that space is its own meaning and purpose, one that eludes us if we ignore the empty spaces within.
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See you next month!