I love this time of year. The colors are so gorgeous as Fall comes into full bloom as Mother Nature prepares for the changing of the seasons. I'm so glad to be able to revel in the Beauty within me and all around me. I can't help but wonder what is going on in all of Mother Nature's creation as all these changes take place. What are the plants and animals and all the people experiencing? One of my major statements is it's always an unfolding adventure in Faith no matter what is happening. The last few months have been an uncomfortable ride for me in many respects and yet I am able and willing to give thanks for the incomparable sweetness and generosity of friends and new acquaintances. I don't know how people make it without friends to love and help them. We are moving toward the season where suicides increase exponentially because the contrast between what people are feeling and what society is celebrating is such a massive contrast. I have said to people countless times it takes such massive Courage to look at our lives and know we need to make changes. One aspect of this change is to know that we don't do well in isolation. We are social being meant for community! We are moving toward one of our biggest celebrations of community as we move toward Thanksgiving and then to Christmas. Before we get there, though, we just celebrated a truly beautiful celebration of Fall Equinox, one of my favorite days of the year where Mother Nature is celebrating equal night and equal day in our seasonal expressions of Life, Birth, Death and Regeneration. This cycle is a comical reminder that the only constant is change!!!! We cannot get locked into any place and expect to be healthy and happy. It doesn't work that way. We must acknowledge the dark, the Light and all expressions in between. There are blessings in every moment as we acknowledge the feelings, the lessons and the blessings!

As we move farther into these contemplative times it is exponentially important to give thanks for all the blessings and the lessons. The blessings obviously bring great Joy most of the time and the lessons are our opportunity to go deeper into spiritual Awareness knowing we are being called up higher. I know full well how not easy that is!!! J I've been on the rise and ride of a Lifetime lately and it hasn't been fun and yet I know full well it is serving as my lesson to continue in Faith and to reach out for help and to know that all things are meant to work together for Good. I also know it is a huge lesson in Compassion for my Self and others. We're all on quite a train ride and we are here to help each other and learn from each other. We must squarely face our fears and know that fear is not our Identity. Peace is our Identity and as we cultivate and honor that Truth we more and more easily move through any trials and tribulations and move out from under the rocks and see the gorgeous sky above us and the colors and Beauty within us and all around us. It's quite a Journey and that's what we're here for every moment!!!

One of the spiritual adventures that means the most to me as I move forward in my Life is to continue building and expressing Compassion for all that is going on within me and all around me. I have said countless times I wonder what is going on in someone's Life that they would ever say and do the things they're saying and doing. It's mind boggling to consider all the hatefulness and violence. I can certainly tell when I am off center, when I'm edgy and reactive at the littlest thing. I know that I'm overloaded and I know the Power of contemplative deep breathing and stopping and just listening and tuning in again to the Solution and leaving the under the rock feeling of the so called problem!!! I am learning again and again the Power of reaching out and being vulnerable and knowing that my vulnerability will be met with Generosity, Understanding and Compassion!!!! It's quite the surprising ride and rise to continue that Faith filled adventure that brings so much relief, connectivity and Joy for the Journey. I treasure that Knowing. It is what powers my Will and Faith to continue moving onward, upward and forward in Life!!!!

Saying all this reminds me yet again of two of my favorite scientists who were so far ahead of the curve that they were ridiculed and scorned by their contemporaries and yet they had the Courage to keep on going because they knew they were correct. Dr. Barbara McClintock is the scientist who discovered the reason for genetic variability in families and she was the first recipient of two Nobel prizes in two different fields in the same year. It took her 30 years to prove her theory but she did it!!! More recently I've read a story about Stuart Hameroff and his theory about microtubules being the seat of consciousness. He too is scorned by his detractors but is now very close to being proven correct for his understanding. These are just two examples of what I love about the Courage it takes to stand up to criticism and keep on going. I love it. It's the very nature of progress!!! Where would be without such Brilliance and Courage????

Another finding that I absolutely love is the power of laughter to heal us. I know numerous stories of people who have cured themselves of cancer through the power of laughter. Laughter boosts our immune system and boosts our endorphins, our feel good hormones. We are understanding more and more all the time about how intricately our body, mind, emotions and Spirit are linked. That reminds me of another scientist, Dr. Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology, and his focus on how we create health rather than our focus on what causes illness. He talked about the power of optimism and our positive emotions and how they help us build resilience. This focus on the positive also has HUGE spiritual and social implications as well. When we live from a Spirit of our connectedness with all of Life we see and feel and act differently than when we feel separate and isolated from our very Nature and from each other!!! This fits in perfectly with a talk I just had with one of my very dearest friends. We were laughing and teasing each other in ways that show how much we love and respect and trust each other. There is no greater Joy than that for me. I could do that all day long it's so invigorating and uplifting and so much fun, the true Joy of Life for me. I'm very grateful to be loved and trusted by so many people. It's a HUGE blessing and very needed and appreciated now and always. I never underestimate the Power of being loved!!!!!!!!!!

As you go forward more and more into this unfolding contemplative season I hope you take the opportunity to build your sense of community and to build your sense of Self Love, Peace, Understanding and Connection. All of that is certainly the Joy of Life. It's how we bring Peace into the world and needless to say with all that is going on in the world Peace and Understanding are certainly needed. They both are our very Nature so they are only a thought and feeling and action away. As we live centered in the present moment more and more we will bring more and more Peace and Understanding into the world. Joy to the world as all go forward in Love, Peace and Understanding!!! Yahoo!!!