Aligning with Grace

Years ago, the book The Untethered Soul , by Michael A. Singer was making the rounds. Everyone I knew in the yoga world was either reading it or quoting it. Yesterday, as I was journaling and reflecting on a manuscript a friend had sent me for review, I had this image of my life and my soul as coming unglued or becoming untethered from its source and its essence.  This past year has been characterized by challenges and difficulties on so many fronts. Personally, the year was punctuated by the loss of several family members and friends, and I reflected on the fragility of life during my Thanksgiving meal prayer. I recalled a year marked by sadness but also by joy. In the end, I chose to focus on the many blessings received throughout the course of the year, thus laying the foundation for even more blessings in the coming year. When we feel untethered it is a reminder that we are simply ungrounded. Events on the political spectrum and our personal lives were just catalysts...

I arise in the early morning, compelled by the sweet urgings of a dream, that enlightens me as to how to begin a magnificent Sunday morning... It is cool, and quiet, and before making my way to the other side of the river, on the day before Labor Day, directed by a dream to visit the yoga teacher I studied with for three years but have not visited in nearly two, I am profoundly inspired by three verses that ford the rivers in my heart, and offer sweet guidance for the day... "I rise to taste the dawn and find that love will shine today." ~ Ken Wilber "There is morning light inside of you, waiting to burst open." ~ Rumi "Arise, and drink your bliss for all that lives is holy." ~ William Blake So I arise, and ride to the other side of the river, knowing that I will receive something I am meant to have today... My teacher and I greet each other warmly. She tells me that she too, was given a dream about me, and I share the incredible details of mine with her.....

Dreams can deliver powerful messages to us, if we have the ears to hear, the eyes to see, and the openness and wisdom to understand... This summer, I have had many powerful and sometimes disturbing dreams. Each and every one of them has arrived, knocking on the doors of my heart, bearing insights I cannot ignore... Some dreams have been frightening, waking me up with a dreadful start. All of them - vivid and lucid - arrived delivering unmistakable messages. I believe that once I gave the intention earlier this summer to no longer depend on others for direction, and trust my intuitions instead, my dreams - taking center stage - manifested incredible power, authority, and wisdom from the Other Side... In one recent and memorable dream, the father of a dear friend of mine, who transitioned a few years back, came to me in a beautiful garden, populated by very happy beings. He gave me a very poignant message and spiritual advice. I was later told that he has visited a number of my friend...