Dear Friends,
Are you prioritizing joy yet? Yes, JOY! For more than 12 years of my life, from the last day of school until September’s sharpened pencil return, I was so unapologetically barefoot that I’d wear a hole in the soles of my feet. No joke. Skateboarding, playing Hide and Seek or tag before scrambling up the redwoods, my bare feet were tools for better grip and traction. Those holes never hurt. When deciding if I could get up and down a steep rock trail above the Fairy Glen on the Isle of Skye in Scotland on our Mystical Isles Retreat last month, I pulled off my trail runners and was grateful to find I still felt safer with just the grip of my bare feet.
From age five up growing up in N. California, among our gang of girlfriends on our tiny block of families above the lagoon, it was a thing of pride to have pads so tough that we could walk across the sizzling summer asphalt or the most sunbaked beach without hot stepping. And yes, I’m barefoot now as I write to you, feeling summer’s approach. You, too? If not, dive in. Source is chatty today. Perhaps you also read the glorious Mutant Message Downunder, where author Marlo Morgan shared that the Māori utilize a much greater amount of grey matter than conventional “modern man” as they receive tremendous information from the soles of their bare feet. Whether or not this has been borne out by scientific study, I can only speak from my own experience; the more intimate I get with the natural world, the more awake, aware, and connected to this precious life I feel. So kick off your shoes. Wiggle your toes, and let’s dance here for a bit.
On my daily walks in and around the world, though my feet are not quite as tough for a hot lava land, I dance barefoot. Summer, just days away, asks me to kick off my shoes, slip off a layer of heat, and lean into the air. It doesn’t take much for the child within to rub the sleep from her eyes. She is forever game to play. And I feel it through the holes in my soul. Invite your inner child now, too. Ready?
Beauty dances before us. This wallflower knows these flowers along today’s trails aren’t forever. They have their seasons. Will I stick to the schedule and kick my squeaky shoes past the bees humming their peace to return to the chores faster? Do you?
More days than not, I still do my best to tickle my nose with every rose I can reach. I balance in their breeze. I may feel shy, so I check to see if anyone is looking. We are alone. The roses wiggle a “come hither.” Now, the challenge: Can my eternal intuition match the blooming imprint on the air? Is hot pink sweet? Are the pale lavender roses heady? Are apricot petals spicy? Are the ruffled candy cane petals all show, and no perfume? Inhaling the sweet, subtle, or intoxicating blooms, each unfurling their unique essence as I did when I was a little girl, I remember that roses always bring a surprise. I adore surprises. I reckon today isn’t the time to guess. How much lovelier is it to simply receive their love note? Oh, to feel it plunge into the land of aha. That. Ooh, this. Wow. Hmm. Mmm. We need more surprises like these.
It makes me wonder: Where did all the fairies who left dew drop “tea” in rosy cups in our childhood backyard go? How many ladybugs enchanted me as they lit on the tiny, blonde hairs of my skinny girl arms? The hermit crabs at the beach dragging shells like camping trailers have their stories, too. Scent and memory of these times swirl better than any sugar, especially after sorting the stained and twisted rags of news I pulled today from the wash of the world. Make a note (especially after traveling in Ireland, where fairy trees are so honored that great stone walls are still built around them and tiny, intricate fairy houses are built to keep protection for each farm and all occupants nearby)—make a note to thank every kind, caretaking, sentient being that comes through the veil to say hello, even from my foggiest or funniest memories. There is so much more to learn, even in the play and reverie of summertime.
The Language of Love that rolls through me with Source Energy always gives thanks to the Pura Vida, the pure life energy of this temple of earth we call home. There is so much here in this field of spectacular intelligence that would happily work with and teach us if we could still ourselves, open our hearts, and listen. “Be like a child.” These sacred words are a clue to not simply sit down and be innocent but to be open to the marvelous connectivity of all of life. Scientists study nature to learn from miraculous biomimicry, but how might we, as spiritual athletes, refine the strength of our inner webs?
While the Old English roses of my many trails may often seem too fussy to caretake in my own garden, along the paths, when I take the time to appreciate the world’s variety, my heart purrs. Wrapped in the smooth, cool petals of each long breath, I can better appreciate my garden in the context of the world. Summer School electives invite. Joyful Life 101. When we allow the heart to be in the beauty of All-That-Is, thorns and all, the chores—even clipping the most rambling of roses, well-loved by locusts and spider mites alike—aren’t so overwhelming. Yet it is as important as the last spring rain. Elemental reminders of seasonal tending and rebalancing rise each day with the sun and the moon.
I would be remiss if I didn’t send belated greetings to all the fathers or kin of fathers out there who celebrated Father’s Day last weekend. Extra hugs to those who live with complicated history with their fathers here or out of reach. May grace reach all as we continue to strive with the understanding that we are all mostly doing the best we can with the tools we have, and if not, it’s up to us to shift toward the balance of peace in every breath.
For those celebrating Juneteenth today, Happy Juneteenth! For those who are still catching up on why this is such an important national holiday in the US, remember:
“You can’t separate peace from freedom,
because no one can be at peace unless (s)he has his freedom.”
– Malcolm X
“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.”
– Desmond Tutu
This TedTalk may also be helpful. I hope that you will join me in continually dancing for peace, freedom, health, and wellbeing of one and all.
This Thursday, June 20, also marks the summer solstice in our part of the world. We are not only celebrating the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, but the regenerative power of the sun, our connection to this sacred earth, and the abundance of connection for beauty, prosperity, and blessings at hand. Though I have long tried to give a monthly easy-to-join dance for our community, because of the uncertainties of home life and my many travels, I am still not quite sure I can squeeze in a Summer Solstice Circle. If so, would you like one?
Join us this Thursday for Violet’s and my Instagram Live chat, As the Crow Flies (12:00 noon PDT), (see below in Coming Events), for more chat about this possibility, or write to us if you’d like to come. It may be fun for my spontaneous friends not already circling elsewhere under the rising, nearly full Strawberry Moon. If so, bring your friends and family. This would be a Dancing Hands Ode to Summertime Freedom and may feel a bit like our old Healthy Peace Circle (now known as Health & Peace), where we can move from spring to summer in our heart and soul.
We’ve released the dates for July’s Quanta Circle and tickets are now on our site, linked below!
Want to hear a snippet of what happened? This:
“Wow! Wow! Wow! I can not find the right words to describe Q3!! When Jane called my name and said, “GO ****, GO”. My hands began to dance. They were moving so fast. I could feel the energy moving through my hand. When the song changed to a slow one, the energy slowed down as well. I was touching, stretching and moving the energy once again. I could SEE the energy. As I moved it was changing shapes. I was able to direct the energy… The sight of Infinitude. I will swim in this and ask for more direction…” ~RF, after the third Quanta Circle
“I felt so much love through Jane’s eyes and felt it too. She loves us all so much. …At the end when giving thanks I put my hands over the core of my body and it was filled with heat from the inside out. A steady amount of fire. I need to remember to get back to the calling of healing myself and others. The heat was showing me it’s still there even though I’ve been too busy to practice. A remembering to use my healing hands… in all areas of my life. Put them up to keep the veils away. Use them in all aspects of my double lives… eventually maybe I won’t live double lives anymore. Perhaps then I will feel more complete and on the right path.” ~JS, after the second Quanta Circle
May this and more inspire your gifts to flourish with only the greatest support and love!
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