solstice - the standing still of the sun
Movements continue. Does moving end? Can it stop?
I enjoy this time of year, enjoy the ways of Christmas, appreciate the blending of freneticism with the enforced stillness that is a bi-product of winter weather . The collective energy around shopping, cooking, travelling, socializing is not so apparent for me here in northern N
ew Hampshire. Last week we received nearly 18" of snow with single-digit temperatures (and I'm not speaking metrically here). Then a warm up with a deluge of rain. This week another 6-10" of snow (I better understand the name 'White Mountains') and the diving temp's.
ew Hampshire. Last week we received nearly 18" of snow with single-digit temperatures (and I'm not speaking metrically here). Then a warm up with a deluge of rain. This week another 6-10" of snow (I better understand the name 'White Mountains') and the diving temp's. I must admit I've had my eyes on the calendar hanging in the kitchen, seeing that this Tuesday is the winter solstice, the magical time of year when the relationship between planet Earth and the Sun dramatically shifts. The days while long in darkness hold the promise of more light. Being a woman who migrates towards metaphors and analogies, I notice a parallel between the tipping of the Earth out of the shadow and the path of my life beginning to show forms and shapes where, for the past year or so, it has been somewhat shrouded in mystery.
In the past week, yes, that's right, just one week, I intersected with two opportunities which came to fruition. I interviewed for a position as a clinician with a group private practice based out of New London, NH. I was offered a job with them last Monday and I'm thrilled, ecstatic, pleased, and grateful. The agency is called Counseling Associates of New London (http://www.nlcounselingassociates.com/) and I was impressed with the folks there with whom I met. Secondly, I yielded to my own inner nudgings and the encouragement of some close friends to look into bodywork training. Perhaps I can give this more form over the coming months. For now I can say that for more than a decade I've been drawn to working with my hands, migrated towards better understanding how the body can be accessed as an intrinsic element in working with emotional and mental issues in psychotherapy. I came across a unique training institute based out of southern Vermont and, after meeting with one of the founders/trainers, I decided to do their upcoming 3-month training program (http://www.internationalbodywork.com/ and then click on the Portugal program - yes, that's right, Portugal).
So, by the kindness of my new employer and their willingness to accommodate a 3-month delay in the start of my working, I am headed to southwestern Portugal mid-January for an intensive program in massage and bodywork. I'm not sure how or if I'll be able to bring this into my work as a psychotherapist for some time but I know that my direction as a clinician is towards working more fundamentally with the body-mind-heart dynamic.
The last couple of months have been full of wonderful experiences. Bradford and I travelled to Arizona for Thanksgiving with his relations. I was able to visit Fernie, BC where I once lived and reconnect with dear friends. My best pal, Kirsten, visited for a fe
w days and we day-tripped to the Maine coastline. When Ben went for his scheduled neutering at the end of November, the veterinary technicians let me know, in no uncertain terms, that if I am to care properly for my beloved canine, I am to be getting him groomed regularly as well as ensuring that I am cleaning out his ears of wax and excess hair weekly - while I get an 'A' in exercise and attention, I flunked grooming and skin management. Alas, at the beginning of December Ben met with his new lovely and lively hairdresser who, despite her best intentions of saving some of his locks relieved him of his entire mop-like coat. Finally, Ben has discovered his penchant for socks and underwear. One Friday evening when I was otherwise distracted, he swiftly took hold of the situation to swallow one pair of white tennis socks as well as one pair of underwear. After consulting with fellow dog owners and a few veterinary types, I was told to relax, that the clothing would find its way out... somehow. Alas, after a week of regular bowl movements and normal eating behavior, Ben got up early one morning and regurgitated a big cotton log (one sock and the underwear). Later the same day at the end of a long hike, up came the second sock. Amazing how the dog's body could carry on as if all was usual with a pound of cotton in his stomach.
w days and we day-tripped to the Maine coastline. When Ben went for his scheduled neutering at the end of November, the veterinary technicians let me know, in no uncertain terms, that if I am to care properly for my beloved canine, I am to be getting him groomed regularly as well as ensuring that I am cleaning out his ears of wax and excess hair weekly - while I get an 'A' in exercise and attention, I flunked grooming and skin management. Alas, at the beginning of December Ben met with his new lovely and lively hairdresser who, despite her best intentions of saving some of his locks relieved him of his entire mop-like coat. Finally, Ben has discovered his penchant for socks and underwear. One Friday evening when I was otherwise distracted, he swiftly took hold of the situation to swallow one pair of white tennis socks as well as one pair of underwear. After consulting with fellow dog owners and a few veterinary types, I was told to relax, that the clothing would find its way out... somehow. Alas, after a week of regular bowl movements and normal eating behavior, Ben got up early one morning and regurgitated a big cotton log (one sock and the underwear). Later the same day at the end of a long hike, up came the second sock. Amazing how the dog's body could carry on as if all was usual with a pound of cotton in his stomach.May the holidays find you well. May you gift yourself with the 
all-important opportunities for quiet space; the time of darkness being a potent ally for reflection and stillness. As I currently feel the seas of my life stirring and the figures of my path begin to take shape before me, I am thankful both for the forms that are arising as well as the period of not-knowing that gave it birth. Hibernation. Gestation. Darkness. Uncertainly. Confusion. The Mystery appears to be made up of equal parts dark and light, form and formless, knowing and not-knowing. While the forms are frequently intoxicating and the confusion generally unsettling, Life will have its way and demand that we sit in the stillness or risk spiralling off into madness.
all-important opportunities for quiet space; the time of darkness being a potent ally for reflection and stillness. As I currently feel the seas of my life stirring and the figures of my path begin to take shape before me, I am thankful both for the forms that are arising as well as the period of not-knowing that gave it birth. Hibernation. Gestation. Darkness. Uncertainly. Confusion. The Mystery appears to be made up of equal parts dark and light, form and formless, knowing and not-knowing. While the forms are frequently intoxicating and the confusion generally unsettling, Life will have its way and demand that we sit in the stillness or risk spiralling off into madness.equinox - equal night
