At Home Clarity Retreat - Day 2

This past weekend I attended a Bioneers Conference which set all my molecules spinning.  

They've actually been coming unglued for awhile prompted by different threads that seem to be weaving a new pattern … perhaps a whole new cloth.  Some of the threads:  Samuel Jackson's video, "Wake the F**K Up!" which I know he made just for me, a visit with my granddaughter and all the thoughts about what her world will be like, John Lennon's birthday (he would have been 72), and a Mary Oliver poem that repeats in my head:  "One day you finally knew what you had to do … and began."  And began!

The conference speakers bombarded my senses with urgency and a powerful call:  it's time … do something … wake-up … step-up!

I'm good at beginnings and there were a dozen or more possibilities spinning through my mind as I left the conference.  So I decided I needed a time out … a retreat … a clarity retreat.  I needed a "forty days in the desert" experience … however, I didn't have the time or wherewithal to do 40 days, so I decided to do 40 hours at home in Arroyo Grande … and to keep the wheels of day-to-day life moving, I would spread the 40 hours over 10 days.

To make sure that I stay focused, I eliminated as much external diversion as possible, no reading, movies and, during the designated hours, no internet, telephone, email, Facebook, and so on.  I even eliminated food as a diversion by making a huge pot of rice and vegetables which will be my staple for the 10 days of the retreat.  I also lined my hallway walls with large Post-it sheets and assembled various colors and sizes of small Post-it notes and colored markers.  And, to stay in balance at least somewhat, I'm committing to walk at least two hours a day.  Nothing like walking to allow space for clarity to play.

Each day, I'm drawing a card from the Voyager Tarot deck.  Yesterday … Day 1 … I drew the Two of Worlds which states:  Winter Reflection.  The moon, winter, pond, and night represent rest and reflection.  In this time of physical relaxation and mental contemplation, you crystalize your feelings and plans, as symbolized by the snow -- crystalized water.

I only managed 3 hours yesterday but I deeply explored one of the possibilities that had presented itself.  I like the idea a lot but a major flaw surfaced so I'm not sure whether or not it will survive.

This morning I woke up with a fresh idea that demands my attention as well as some new sheets in the hallway.

The Tarot card for today is the Ace of Wants:  Illumination -- a vision, a revelation, a flash of insight.  The hand means you have touched upon a truth.  You have seen beyond the surface reality.  

That seems like a good beginning for this day of clarity seeking.

About this image:  Follow Your Own Path

The main player in this image is a rooster I met years ago in Boca de Tomatlan, Mexico.  He shows up regularly and I know he's just telling me ... over and over again ... "Wake Up!"

More Info:

If you don't know about Bioneers, check them out … many people call their conference the "all natural anti-depressant."  http://www.bioneers.org/  Their mission is to "inspire a shift to live on Earth in ways that honor the web of life, each other and future generations."

If you missed Samuel Jackson's video, here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og35U0d6WKY