Mojo Monday ~ Coming Home to Yourself

Art by Michelle Fairchild

The spiritual life is about becoming more at home in your own skin.

~ Parker J. Palmer

As our Cosmic Cowgirl tribe of writers dives deeper in contemplating and wondering about topics like identity, perspective, vision and so on, I find greater clarity.  My latest article in Cosmic Cowgirls Magazine is called We Are Stardust.  It expresses my thoughts on the topic of Identity.   Here is an excerpt from the article:

Can you wrap your mind around the reality that both you and I are literally made of  stardust?  How does an identity of being made of stars feel when you try it on?  Do you stand a little taller?  Does it blow your mind, just a little, or maybe a lot?  Does it make you want to swagger or maybe just stare up at the night sky and say “Why hello there my friend, I had no idea we were related?”

In next months article about Perspective I share my suspicion that the one perspective at the core of them all is the one we have of ourselves.  What I know is that there is a theme, a thread of connection, in my writing.  I feel a calling to shine a light and offer up ideas and tools on how we can heal our wounds and really learn to be a guest in our own hearts, and truly love ourselves.  I also believe as the quote at the end of this posts suggests "Each time you remember the Truth of who you are, you bring more light into the world."

This weeks Mojo Monday is about Coming Home to Yourself.  It is about as the opening quote by Parker J. Palmer states "...becoming more at home in your own skin."

Today I share with you an excerpt from Mark Nepo's book entitled The Book of Awakening Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have.  Mark even includes several grounding practices at the end.

"Anything that removes what grows between our hearts and the day is spiritual.  It might be the look of a loved one stirring their coffee as morning light surprises their groggy eyes.  It might be the realization while watching a robin build its nest that you are only a temporary being in this world.  It might be a fall on ice that reminds you of the humility of your limitations.

As Parker Palmer suggests, the aim of all spiritual paths, no matter their origin or the rigors of their practice, it to help us live more fully in the lives we are given.  In this way, whatever comes from a moment's grace that joins us to our lives and to each other -- this is spiritual.  For example, I was having coffee the other day in a cafe and suddenly, from the rain of noise around me, there arose a word of truth in the exposed voice of a stranger whose face I couldn't even see.

I don't know her context or her story or whom she was revealing herself to. I didn't even turn around to see her face, because in that moment, there was a perfect beauty in our staying anonymous.  I only felt, simply and deeply, that without her ever knowing, her moment of pointed and unexpected truth made me more at home in my own skin.

The life of spirit is everywhere: in dust waiting for light, in music waiting to be heard, in the sensations of the day waiting to be felt.  Being spiritual is much more useful and immediate than the books about books would have us think.

• Center yourself, and as you breathe, realize that your spirit fills your life the way your ones and blood fill your hand. 
• As you breathe, realize that your life fits the world the way your warm and living hand fits a glove.
• As you breathe, feel your spirit fill your skin and feel your skin fit the world."

We Are Stardust

Today in Cosmic Cowgirls Magazine
is my latest article called 

We Are Stardust

Can you wrap your mind around the reality
that both you and I are literally made of stardust? 

How does an identity of being made of stars feel when you try it on? 

Do you stand a little taller? 

Does it blow your mind, just a little, or maybe a lot? 

Does it make you want to swagger or maybe
just stare up at the night sky and say
“Why hello there my friend, I had no idea we were related?”

(p.s. ~ the Symphony of Science video at the end is quite moving)

Mojo Monday ~ Celebrating Mamas

This evening I found in my daughter's backpacks little books and bracelets they had made for me for Mother's Day at school in their first grade class.  The little books had prompts throughout for them to answer questions about me.  I giggled and felt my heart melt as I read through both of them.  How lucky for me that I have twins and get two I thought.  It was also quite eye opening to know how much they observe and know about me.  Aubrey shared that I like to paint and go with the cowgirls. That last comment about "go with the cowgirls" made me laugh out loud.  Maya also wrote that I like to paint and draw.  Both got it right when they stated in their own way that I don't like to clean up their messes, and that I do like it when they don't whine.   It was sweet to read the things they like me to do for them, as Maya likes it when I read and play with her and Aubrey likes it when I clean up for her and when I brush her hair.  Their ending remarks were about why I was special and Aubrey shared it is because I help her and Maya wrote it is because I love her.  It just makes your heart melt to be a mama sometimes.  

Being a mama can also keep you on your toes and keep your schedule extra full, if you let it.  This last weekend happened to be a very full one. It began with me taking Friday off to run a bunch of errands, get the yard in shape and do a few other chores.  On the agenda this weekend was my daughters 7th birthday, Mother's Day and then my hubby's birthday following up close on this next Tuesday.  My twin daughters Aubrey and Maya had requested that in lieu of birthday cakes they wanted pumpkin pies and I had hoped to get those made Friday too.  In the end my list ran too long and my husband saved the day and made the pies.

Our weekend festivities began with my sister Wendy arriving early on Saturday, as well as my parents, both in their 70's with three of their great-grandchildren ages 5, 4 and 1 in tow.  How they find the energy amazes me.  We let the kids play in the backyard in a sprinkler to stay cool and entertained until it was time to head over to a gymnastic center where our daughters were joined by school friends and they celebrated their 7th birthday very energetically with trampolines, a foam pit, a bounce house, balls and climbing ropes.  The pumpkin pies were eventually set aglow with candles as we all sang the birthday song and amazingly many of the children requested pie instead of the more traditional cupcakes we had also brought along.

Our busy weekend continued into Sunday with the hubby hopping out of bed extra early to make our daughters, my visiting sister and me special vegan crepes.  Nathan surprised me later that morning, after departing on a secret mission, with supplies to add two new raised garden beds to our back yard.  I had been talking about it for quite awhile.  He built them and as we finally mixed the different soils and such together, I commented laughingly that it was also a gift to our family and the mother of all mothers, our planet, Mother Earth.   Gardening always feels to me like a way of nurturing our planet, giving back and being in greater connection with her.  We have a huge yard and we are already so grateful to have a variety fruit trees, including a cherry, pear, plum and pomegranate.  I have tried to grow veggies in smaller containers, but I have never been all that successful at it.   I am excited for us to grow more food on our very own plot of land.

Motherhood can be incredibly exhausting.  So can fatherhood.  Yet the lessons it can teach us, the growth it can inspire and the joys and gifts it bestows upon us are remarkable and life changing.  

What are your experiences with motherhood?  

We all have a mom, though our life experiences with a mom of origin can vary dramatically.  What was your experience like with your birth mom?

Sometimes other people come into our life to mother us, nurture us and love us unconditionally.  Have you felt mothered and nurtured by other people in your life?

If you are a mother consider how that experience shaped and/or continues to shape your life. What are some of the things motherhood taught you about life and yourself?

Consider writing a letter to your mom or about your mom that could be sent or saved or even burned afterwards.  What would you most want to tell her?

Two years ago I helped to plan a party for my mom's 70th birthday.  I created a book for her and a slideshow.  The book also included letters, memories and quotes from family and friends.  Below was a letter I wrote for her and a page I designed to share my thoughts, feeling and memories.  If you were to do something similar for someone or something that mothered and nurtured you what would you write, how would it look and what adjectives might highlight the person, thing or experience?

Lastly come read a beautiful tribute to mothers 

by Shiloh Sophia called A Mama Day Blessing. 

It begins like this:

A Mama Day Blessing

This day we honor and celebrate
the women who have given life to us,
the women who give life to ideas,
the women who died giving life,
the women who wanted to have a child,
but didn’t get to

You can read the rest by visiting her site
Letters from the Red Thread Cafe

Painting by Shiloh Sophia

Mojo Monday ~ Infinite Love

Infinite Love Lyrics

Stay with me
And never let me know
Just to celebrate the notion
Stay with me, don't go
Cause the truth in your eyes
Is the light in the darkness
You are my love.. My Infinite Love

There's no
Other way that we can go
Way that we need be
Here is the prophecy
There's so, much there
More towering
Need discovering
Be empowering
Once you
Keep something in
Keep giving in
Keep winning in with
Infinite Love
Once you
Keep something in
Keep giving in
Keep winning in with

Infinite Love
Is the rain falling into the sea
Infinite Love
Is the miracle showering me (x2)
Infinite Love..
Infinite Love..
Infinite Love..

I say the blind, the blind
I say the blind will see
(Infinite Love..)
Me say now heed the words
And we're gonna split the sea
(Infinite Love..)
What say what
Say what what..
(Infinite Love..)
Light a candle
Me say don’t curse the darkness
Make a wish
Send it to the heartless
Taking it back in time 500 BC
Takin' it to the future Historically

Infinite Love
Is the rain falling into the sea
Infinite Love
Is the miracle showering me (x2)

Mojo Monday ~ How Do You Celebrate Your Birthday?

Mojo Monday was born in May 2010, so we are celebrating her 3rd Birthday this month.  I wanted to share some of the things she has taught me over the course of the past three years.

She taught me that when you have a dream or goal that you need to set aside the time to do the work to reach those dreams and goals.  For example if you want to be a writer you have to write.  Thinking about being a writer or talking about being a writer some day will not move you very far towards your goal.  You have to actually write.

She taught me more about getting my joy from the creating and the journey, not from the responses I get (or don’t get) to what I created or wrote.   There are important lessons to be learned about the importance of internal approval rather than external approval.

She provided wonderful opportunities to meet, interact and get to know better more of the brilliant and creative Cosmic Cowgirls on the Rodeo, where I also post my Mojo Monday discussions.

She showed me that commitment and applied discipline to a regular practice feels good and can build one’s confidence to say “YES” to other opportunities.

Here’s to you Mojo Monday!

Contemplating birthdays also led me to wonder about how we choose to celebrate our own birthdays.

Do you celebrate your birthday?  Do you make a big deal out of it and throw parties for yourself?  

Or in contrast do you play it down, or (gasp) ignore it?   

Is your birthday a time of reflection for you or is it just another day?  

How does your aging affect you?  Does getting older inspire you to fulfill some kind of bucket list?  

Have you ever had the thought "I'm to old to do ______________."  

Take a few minutes and watch this very inspiring episode of Amy Poehler's Smart Girls that is about a woman named Ellaraino, who is famous for being an inspirational storyteller and public speaker.

In the interview with Poehler, Ellaraino talks about her great-grandmother's incredible journey to freedom after being a slave in America for most of her life. At 86-years-old, she learned how to read and write, despite being told by everyone around her that she shouldn't bother.

“Reading and writing she called her 'freedom,' and she enjoyed that freedom for over 30 years because she lived to be 116," Ellaraino said. “Don’t you let anybody tell you you can’t do what you want to do, when you want to do it."

Amy Poehler offered her own words of wisdom to viewers who may be struggling to achieve their dreams.

“Throughout life, no matter how old you are sometimes you keep telling yourself what you think was supposed to happen in your life is not going to happen," she said. "And that happens in our lives whether we’re 16 or whether we’re 116.”

Mojo Monday ~ Who Are You?

Who Are You?

Next month the theme for Cosmic Cowgirls Magazine will be Identity.  I thought it would be fun to revisit a Mojo Monday post from a couple of years ago that asked the question "Who are you?"

A few years back the fost-adoption agency I work for brought in a presenter for a two-day management training. We did some interesting interactive activities. I wanted to share some of them because I thought they might prove interesting for you to try at home with a family member or a friend. Additionally it can be interesting to try it in a group as well. The process can lead to some interesting discussions and realizations about yourself and those you know or think you know.

The first activity was to start off by pairing off with another person. Before we were given the question we would be asking we were to choose who would ask the question and who would answer. The question was “Who are you?” and one of the persons had to ask this question over and over for a minute, with the other person answering again and again, maybe with a different response, maybe repeating some answers. After the minute the partners then switched and went through the same process for another minute. Then finally they would switch back and forth for one more additional minute.

The next question we asked and went through the same process again was “When you are afraid who do you pretend to be?”

Following these exchanges we then gathered back into a larger circle and we then had to take turns standing behind our question & answer partner and introduce our partner as if we were he or she by stating the following.

Hi my name is: ___________

I am a ____________ person.

In order for me to feel safe I need ________________ from the group.

Later we did another rather fun activity. This one will require you to write down some simple answers and later I can reveal more about what your answers mean.

1) Write down your favorite color. Now list three adjectives for this color.

2) Write down your favorite animal. Now list three adjectives for this animal.

3) Write down the word “Night” and list three adjectives.

4) Write down the word “Water” and list three adjectives.

I will tell you more about what these mean below.  Be sure not to peek

;-)

Another very interesting test to take is the Human Metrics Personality Test

The results will tell you the following:

• Your type formula according to Carl Jung and Isabel Briggs Myers typology along with the strengths of the preferences
• The description of your personality type
• The list of occupations and educational institutions where you can get relevant degree or training, most suitable for your personality type - Jung Career Indicator™

Share your answers to the questions above and if you take the Human Metrics test come back and share your results.

If you take the time to try the “Who are you?” answer and question exchange with a friend or family member share what came up during the exchange.

Scroll down for answers to questions.

Answers to questions:

1) Your favorite color and descriptive words represents how you see yourself.

2) Your favorite animal and the adjectives represents how others see you.

3) The word "Night" represents death and the adjectives describe how you feel about death.

4) The word "Water" represents sex and the adjectives describe your thoughts/feelings about sex.

My results from the questions were as follows:

1) Fav Color - Black: deep, profound, inclusive

2) Fav animal - Lion & Eagle: Lions majestic, strong, confident; Eagle free, adventurous, visionary

3) Night - contemplative, restful, peaceful

4) Water - Source, life-giving, spiritual

My Human Metrics/Meyres Briggs test resulted in INFJ (introvert, intuitive, feeling, judging) which is referred to as the Idealist Counselor.

Mystical Filament of the Heart

This month in Cosmic Cowgirls Magazine 

we have all been contemplating and writing 
about the term Community. 

Come read my latest article called Mystical Filament of the Heart

“…the capacity of the mystical filament of heart that if listened to,
will lead us beyond what we know into the
depth of our common humanity,
into that place where none of us are strangers.”

~ Mark Nepo

Red Thread Love by Michelle Fairchild