Archive
A Poem to Celebrate the coming: “Winter Solstice”
While many say “Jesus is the reason for the season” it was a season long before Jesus hit the scene. As with all of the Church holy days they are mapped onto ancient observations that may go back 100 thousand years or more.
I love the Winter Solstice for many reasons, but mostly for the return of the Sun (or Son if you will). After the three days around Solstice the Sun will rise again and begin the long climb to Summer Solstice.
Rosemary and I celebrate the Solstice as part of our Holidays. Happy Holidays to all, whatever and however you celebrate.
Winter Solstice
They say we are on a spiral journey;
We spin on the Mother,
Spinning around the Father,
Spinning at the edge of the Milky Way,
Wheeling through the fringe of the Verse.
The effects of this swirling seem small:
Summer Solstice spins through Fall
And on to deepening Winter as
Light recedes in lowering sky
And Spirit draws nigh offering Love.
The cycle is grounded in Mother’s core,
Energy following graceful traces of
Magnetic forces, lifting consciousness
Along soft grooves of innocence,
Natural paths for expanding vision.
Spiraling consciousness follows
These graceful lines of attracting energy,
Mapping courses for the transformations
Forever carrying us higher,
But never far away.
Earth bound and sky happy we rise
Ever seeking, always believing
There is more, we are more.
The season reminds the reason
We spiral on, lifting gradually.
We stretch our plastic minds,
Resisting brittle breakage
On our destined way.
Each turn reveals more, creates new
Perspectives, bigger dreams, exposing
Even so, the next turn.
Solstice deep to Solstice high
We spiral from choice to choice
Knowing the journey, seeing
Transformations from new heights
Learning more with every turn.
©2018, Richard W. Bredeson, all rights reserved.
A poem to celebrate this day: Anniversary
Rosemary and I have been married for 34 years now. It was a lovely evening in Maryland that July 22, 1983. It was not a “triple H” day. We chose well.
There are many things over the years that we have chosen well. Certainly sustaining an active partnership through many adventures has been our most significant choice. And all we can really do in this life is keep these good choices flowing, one into the next.
Love sustains the flow, always. And communications sustains the love. Partnership can be a beautiful thing when it is cared for.
My poem today is a bit random; thoughts strung together to celebrate us, our “mature marriage.” Enjoy!
Anniversary
A year, a celebration,
Solar return for a marriage,
Mary M Day, triple H day,
This year, Saturn’s Day.
This year marks 34
In time that is not real,
Only there to maintain schedules,
Hold people together in this dimension.
What is a mature marriage?
What does one look like?
Boring, rote, habitual, well trod paths,
Patterns flowing into patterns of sameness?
No! Refuse this trend, this pattern!
Every day is a new day.
Every year is a new year.
35 is the best year yet!
Invention, creation, adventures,
Plans to move forward,
Visions to propel the movement,
And conversations to keep it all fresh!
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Friday poem: New Day
Happy weekend! I hope you have some fun plans scheduled. Rosemary and I are celebrating our 34th wedding anniversary this Saturday. Yeah, it’s hard for us to believe too!
Yesterday I promised a follow-on poem to “Trends & Patterns” published here. Here it is; make it a new day!
New Day
My teacher of soul says every day is a new day.
We are always at choice to make our way
Into the next moment,
Into any state we can imagine.
The power of mind is the same power that created the Universe.
We have that power in our grasp;
It is enough to move the ego behind, beyond, tucked in safety,
To let soul enter the field.
There is a richness there, fertile ground for happiness.
Plow if, plant it, watch it grow, add water,
Bring warmth of the high sky day,
Breathe with the life all around.
Every day is like this – new.
My teacher of soul says, make it what you will.
It is alright to ignore trends and patterns.
We are always at choice to make our way.
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Update and a Poem: Testimony
I have not posted here in a while but I have been busy! Personally I have been deepening my study and practice of Qigong to become a better teacher. The more I study, the more I realize Qigong is not only my life-long practice for health, happiness and longevity, but also my passion to share this health-giving, life-saving technology from ancient China. And it is so simple, so easy, and FREE!
One of my teachers, Jeff Primack, came to Baltimore in early April for a three-day intensive. It is always great to be with a teacher; and I had a profound experience of energy rising during the closing “breath circle.”
In late April Rosemary and I traveled to Sedona and the Mago Retreat Center for an amazing experience with Teacher of Soul, Katye Anna Clark and about 30 other travelers from all over the country. The retreat was a four-day intensive immersion for “Living from the Heart.” Wow! Another transformational experience of opening the heart to live more fully from the soul. And I had the distinct honor of teaching Qigong every morning of the retreat in the beautiful settings of Mago.
And in mid-May I traveled to Daytona Beach to spend another three-day intensive with Jeff Primack, this time at his National event: QiRevolution. And I met another of my teachers, Dr. Roger Janke who offered profound insights into health and wellness from his 40-year perspective of teaching and practicing Chinese Medicine and Medical Qigong.
It was a magical spring. I am honored and humbled to have experienced profound shifts. I am grateful for my further awakening. And I am motivated for share my insights.
And with that I offer:
Testimony
Health is a personal thing
And it is a choice.
It’s personal because it comes from inside;
And only you can make the choice.
Look to the outside;
Visit the impersonal health-care facility,
The hospital near you, the place
You would go if seriously ill or injured.
Do you see health there?
Oh, there is plenty of care.
Sickness, disease, crippling injures
Are within the realm of care here.
Look rather to the inside
If you are seeking health care.
There is where your health lives;
It is in your heart, your mind, your soul.
Your body is a walking, fluid, pharmacopeia.
Visit is often to find wellness.
Breathe, meditate, seek inside
The magic pill of health, happiness, longevity.
Be the testimony to your free choice.
Breathe the richness all life offers.
Move inward to seek the Light.
Balance in the flow of boundless Love.
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Rosemary’s Exploration
This exploration is all about choice. We can choose our experiences in every moment. This is the way to live a Conscious Life.
You can choose to listen to the guidance from The Divinine Feminine tonight; go here for details and registration:
Who Has a Fun MRI?
I recently had my first MRI done. Everything I had heard about Magnetic Resonance Imaging was a bit daunting. The noise is horrible. You’ll feel claustrophobic. I couldn’t go through with it! You have to lie still for so long.
It was enough to make me wonder if I really wanted to go through with this test.
But I don’t let other people’s experiences define my experience. I decided that I was going to have fun with this procedure.
I went in with a cheerful attitude and a positive frame of mind. I decided that I would meditate during the test so I asked for quiet instrumental music as I put on the headphones. As I was moved into the big machine, the noises started.
I thought about sound and sound frequencies as vibrations and tuned in to the vibrations I was experiencing as the machine whirred around me. I decided to ask the vibrations to clear out anything in me that wasn’t vibrating for my highest good. When the sound shifted to a new frequency, I asked that frequency to also clear out whatever I didn’t need.
I started to feel that there were healing angels with me and that they were working on me as I lay there. Each time the frequency changed I felt a new experience of power and healing and light. I saw different colors and felt myself being lifted.
I felt happy. I had a big smile on my face. I was tripping out!
And then it was over. I was moved out of the machine and the technician removed my headphones. I thanked him and said I had had a great time. He said that not every patient felt that way.
What made the difference? The machine was the same. The test was the same. (I am fine, by the way.) The noise levels were the same. The duration was the same. Why was my experience so different from others’?
I decided to have a different experience.
This is an opportunity that we have in every moment – to decide what kind of experience we are going to have. It is our choice how to respond to the situation in which we find ourselves. We may not be able to change the circumstances but we can decide how we will operate within those circumstances.
An Event happens. We have a knee-jerk Reaction. We hit the Pause Button. And then we choose our Conscious Response.
Event -> Reaction -> Pause -> Conscious Response
Next time you find yourself in a situation, any situation, remember this formula and DECIDE how you will respond. I had a great time getting an MRI. And if I ever have to have another one, I know that it, too, will be fun because I’ve already decided that it will be.
Rosemary’s Inspiration
Here is the video from Rosemary’s latest MoonLetter. We are always at choice!
Speaking of “choice” have you registered for Rosemary’s FREE webinar tonight? Learn how to stay grounded in these uncertain times. She teaches tools for Conscious Living! DETAILS and REGISTRATION
My “two minute” video: Choose Confidence in Every Moment
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Choose to Live Your Richest Life
Choose to Live Your Richest Life
Have you ever gotten so tired of the way things are going that you say to yourself, ‘Enough!’? Maybe it is your finances or your exercise regimen or your weight or what you eat or a job that doesn’t satisfy you or a relationship that doesn’t serve your highest good. Have you reached a point where you have had enough and you’re ready to choose a different path?
Sometimes things have to get really terrible before we make that choice. You have to ‘hit bottom’ before you start to pull yourself up. Or maybe the Universe has to hit you on the head with a 2 by 4 to get your attention.
I am trying to learn my lessons before it reaches that point. I confess that I don’t always shift in time to avoid the 2 by 4, though. My goal is to help you learn to make the shift BEFORE that 2 by 4 hits you.
Many of my clients come to me because they feel ready to shift but don’t know what their next step is. This is the perfect time to start working on yourself and your personal growth. Others, though, come only after they’ve been knocked down and can’t figure out how to get themselves picked up. That’s okay, too, as we do figure out what to do next.
But don’t you want to avoid the drama? Avoid the ‘I must do something’ scenario and be proactive about making choices in your life?
The first step is to realize that you are always at choice. Even when it feels as if you can’t do anything to make a change, you are deciding (choosing) to stay the way things are.
There is a big difference between feeling that things are horrible, that they must change and knowing what to do to make that change. This is where it is important to ask for help.
Even if you don’t get help from a professional, for whatever reason, at least talk to a trusted advisor or friend. You don’t have to navigate big shifts alone!
Sometimes it is important to find someone to see what you cannot see, to help you find possibilities that, when you are stuck in the quicksand of a messy situation, are difficult to sort out. This is where seeking help is so important. Someone outside of the quicksand can see what is hidden from you and steer you in the direction of what you want instead of what you feel is holding you stuck.
A client of mine recently told me that she was driving along and suddenly realized that that day was the ‘ideal day’ that she had written as her homework from one of our early appointments. She was living that day and loving it! And was thrilled at the difference between when she started the process and where she is today.
You can have the same experience. Stop doing what you’ve been doing that keeps you stuck where you are uncomfortable, in any area of your life. Ask for help. Seek your ideal day. Choose a different path. One step at a time, one behavior at a time, one action at a time.
Your Richest Life awaits you!
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Find Something to Celebrate
There is always something you can celebrate, even if you don’t feel like celebrating. Seek it. Be on the lookout for something to celebrate all day long.
When you are looking for a celebration it is difficult to stay depressed or angry or sad. Of course, you can CHOOSE to say to yourself or to others, ‘My life is so bad that there is nothing to celebrate.’ Or you can choose to say or think, ‘I wish she would stop being so cheerful. HER life might have something to celebrate but mine doesn’t.’ And then you can list all the reasons why there is nothing to celebrate.
Well, let me clue you in. No one’s life is so perfect that they are not dealing with some issue in their life. It might be minor at the moment but it was and will be huge at some point.
Everyone loses someone they love at some point in life – a grandparent, a pet, a friend. Some choose to focus on the loss while others choose to concentrate on a celebration of the life that was shared, for a long time or a short time but always a valuable time.
Which kind of person are you? What do you choose to focus on when you experience a loss? Can you find something to celebrate?
I’ve been to funerals that were all about the loss and I’ve been to funerals that were huge celebrations of the person who has died. The second kind is more healing for those who attend.
This is not to deny the grief that arises when we lose someone we love. That grief is real and should be honored in whatever way is healing for the individual.
BUT, and this is a big but, you are always at choice about where you focus your attention, your thoughts, your energy.
Do you celebrate when things are going well for you or do you keep looking for the thing that is not going well and focus on that? Do you have some ‘magical thinking’ about the if/only’s in your life? What are you waiting for that when X happens you will be happy?
Start celebrating something, anything in your life today and watch what happens. Start setting your radar detector to seek that which you can celebrate and notice what starts showing up on your radar screen. The energy that you use for the search attracts that which you are searching for. Search for things to celebrate and you’ll find things to celebrate.
So how are you going to spend today? Choosing to focus on what’s not working or choosing to focus on what you can celebrate?
Celebrate YOU!!! Even if it is not your birthday, celebrate that you woke up this morning. That you can read or hear this message. That the Sun rises in the East every day, even when the clouds keep you from seeing it. Celebrate that you can go to Starbucks and get a ‘hello’ even if you don’t get a cappuccino. Celebrate someone else by contacting them just to say ‘hello.’
Surround yourself with the energy of celebration today and watch how many things you can celebrate tomorrow!
FRIDAY’S POEM FROM RHYTHMS AND CYCLES: Winter Solstice
This past Wednesday Rosemary and I hosted a meeting of our Consciousness Exploration Community for sharing some good food and excellent conversation. Our theme for the evening was sharing something meaningful about the holidays; a story, a song, a poem. So I wrote today’s poem which also fits my “Rhythms and Cycles” theme very well.
I hope you have wonderful memories of your Holiday Celebrations and are making new ones this year. Be sure to share them!
Winter Solstice
They say we are on a spiral journey;
We spin on the Mother,
Spinning around the Father,
Spinning at the edge of a Milky Way
Wheeling along the fringe of reality.
The effects of this circling seem small:
Summer Solstice spins through Fall
And on to deepening Winter.
As light recedes in lowered sky,
Spirit dips so close we feel the Love.
The cycle is grounded deep in Mother’s core,
The energy follows graceful lines of
Magnetic force, lifting consciousness
Along soft grooves of innocence,
Natural paths of vision and expansion.
Spiraling Consciousness follows
These graceful lines of attracting energy,
Mapping courses for the Transformations
That continue to carry us higher,
But never away.
Earth bound and sky grateful, we rise,
Ever seeking, always believing there is more;
We are more.
We stretch our plastic minds beyond,
Resisting brittle breakage on our destined way.
Each turn reveals more, creates new
Perspectives, new vistas pulling up,
Onward to next dreams, exposing
Even then, the next turn, inevitably ahead
Around the bend.
Solstice deep to Solstice high
We spiral from choice to choice
Knowing the journey, seeking
The cycle through consistent course, yet
Rising through transformation with every change.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Keep it Simple – Richard’s Commentary
I was finishing up the week’s laundry just now and found a single tiny gray sock in the dryer. Tristan was reaching out to say “hi” to me! Yes, Tristan and his parents are back in LA after a wonderful weeklong visit with us here on the east coast. But he is still here too, his little fingers wrapped tightly in our heartstrings!
As grandparents it is certainly easy, very simple, to be in love with a three-month old grandson. For the week he was here he was the priority. Our world revolved around him and the to-do lists were forgotten.
What if every week was like this? Why can’t they be?
This is the point of Rosemary’s message – they can be! It is a matter of choice.
Here’s her key point:
Let LOVE drive your to-do list. Focus on what is important to your soul, to your purpose, to your heart. Don’t wait for an emergency to arrive to show you where your priorities lie. Make a conscious choice that you will focus on what really matters and put LOVE at the top of the list.
Last week with Tristan here, love dictated our to-do lists. Today he “dropped his sock” in my life to remind me how well last week flowed. Oh, we got everything done: we had a good time with the visitors, got the Friday MuseLetter out on time, threw a birthday party for our daughter-in-law Friday evening. And our son when leaving for the airport said he checked off everything on his list he wanted to do during the visit!
Yes, it is easy to love a grandchild, to put them first on the list and make choices that are always in their best interest. This approach can be applied to everything in life with a bit of focus.
Can we make our to-do lists while focusing on love? That is not always easy. There are things that we “should” do, even “must” do that are difficult to love. I don’t love taking the garbage and recycling out to the curb every Sunday night. But I do find myself shifting my thoughts to keeping the house clear and smelling good for my family; chore turns to act of love in a small way. Who loves filing their taxes every year? But I do shift my attention to this chore as part of running our shared business, which I do love.
Shift the focus, change the intention, look to the deeper purpose in each task on the to-do list and find a way to love it. This is the heart of Rosemary’s message.
Keep it simple. Choose LOVE. Focus on what really matters and it becomes very simple to choose.
And I would add: find something to love in the chores that must be done.
It is that simple!
Please enjoy!
