How to Talk to the Wild

I wonder about the world, about my life, about those around me. The other day at the naturopath, she told me that she had someone come to her that could barely make it 3 blocks, and would get there and have a 15 minute appointment and would be wiped out. She couldn't even eat solid food.

I can't help but thank my lucky stars. I felt such compassion for this woman I don't even know and expressed my wildness by sending an internal prayer her way. I didn't need to see her or even know her, I could still speak to her.

There is so much happening in the world, so much that we could be afraid of, and so much we could be thankful for and so many ways to be present in the world. I remember sitting with Susan Weed, many years ago now, learning the wise woman ways. She taught us how to talk to plants. The concept seemed so foreign to me. But really, it was all about noticing and being aware and deeply listening.

We all gathered after class, and sat in the field surrounded by all the wild ones, and there she talked of how dandelions grew close to your house because they were so good for you. She talked of how the roots were great for your liver as a tea and how the leaves were wonderful in a salad containing many vitamins. They wanted to be close to you because they could help. They were there in service to you. And dedicated to their path. They were pure love for your health. To me, they are also a thing of beauty and I wonder why we don't think so. I call them my urban sunflowers filled with the joy of being with me right there in my yard always reminding me of their goodness. I get to see her everyday and am reminded that she is here for me. Her relentless ways, are always present. She is really so loveable.

Then she talked of Golden Seal, a plant you only need when you are really sick. This beautiful wild beauty is a natural antibiotic and you may only need to take it 2ce in your life. It grows far away and you have to go and find it in order to pick it to use. It's interesting to think about listening without words. Did you know, that if you feel like you might need Golden Seal, and you build your house around a big field of it, that within a few years it will die and it will all be gone?  I find that amazing. We don't need it in the same way and the universe is innate in this path. Such wisdom all around us when we stop to listen. It talks to us, just by where it grows.

I wonder about what I need close to me. I pick a Wild Woman Mystery Card and ask. I choose the card Wild Woman Power. At first I am surprised. But then I begin to see. It begins with "You are realizing or have realized your place in the world . . . Take a stand with yourself and acknowledge your power, not power over another but power within."

I think about my Urban Sunflowers and the infinite wisdom of nature. I think about how it knows to be itself no matter what. I think about how precious Golden Seal, will not compromise for us, even if we try to make it do so. Even if we exert an external power over it by building a house in it's field. It's not that it was inaccessible before, but we don't need it all the time, so it grows away from people. I think about how it will not loose its power to become something we think we want it to be. She will remain who she is.

As I listen and get to know my wild side, I see how we communicate all the time, we just are not always accustomed to thinking we are.

Sitting there with Susan Weed, many many years ago, I remember my excitement. Really she was teaching us to listen and with that, we could know so much.

As I sit here with my Wild Woman Power card, I can feel the power of listening bubbling inside. I can feel the stirring of knowing myself making it's way to the top. I can hear the teachings of long ago making their roots for me to move from. And, I remember, how it feels to allow what is right in front of me to be seen, heard and loved.

As that's all we all really want isn't it?  To be seen, heard and loved . . .

To find out more about Wild Woman readings with me and the Wild Woman Mystery Cards, go here.

                                                                                     

www.wildwomanenchanted.com                                                Copyright Elizabeth MacLeod 2011


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How to Giggle in your Discomfort

Time and time again, we struggle through something that just takes us to an edge and we can't seem to find a smile if we were paid a million dollars because we get caught in our discomfort!  Life came and shook us up and we suddenly take ourselves so seriously, we forget that at the end of the day, we are still breathing, still eating, still watching TV, still petting the cat and talking to our children.

Life is short. As I grow older, days seem to get shorter too! When I was 12, I remember days sometimes seemed so long and Christmas just seemed like it would never come! Now, a new wisdom has embraced my days. I can sometimes find myself experiencing the 'not so pretty' side of myself when I am running out of time, or I can't get something the way I want it or things just don't seem to be lining up in an easy way. And then, bang... I'm  frustrated or overwhelmed or just  in plain ol' discomfort.

And then yesterday, while fully-whelmed with so much to do I stopped, shook my head and smiled at what was before me. I sat down . . . and noticed my body change it's feeling and I began to giggle...and I thought,  "Why not smile?"  Why take the familiar route of discomfort when there is lots to do? What would happen if I changed my mind?  . . . You know, when you just think you are never going to get through it and never feel calm again!?  And then, instead of your eyebrows turning down, your lips pursing, your body tightening as you watch your thoughts of negativity take over, and your surroundings are slowly becoming very inconvenient, that you turn the corners of your lips up towards the sky and allow the universe to help you through? Do it now. See what happens. What did your body do?

Suddenly, the stress finds a way to slide off my body. My thoughts are unable to hang onto the grid of unhappiness, and my body drops its tension. It is impossible to frown. And I started to laugh at the absurdity!

All I did was raise the corners of my lips!  And that took me to a giggle . . . and I reclaimed that being wild sometimes means taking a different approach to the same ol' same ol.  Sometimes, instead of responding in the usual way and following yourself down into the trenches . . . sometimes... it's really fun and a wee bit wild to take the lead to somewhere new in the landscape of yourself. And sometimes it comes in the tiniest form of turning the corners of your lips up to the sky and finding your self in a little giggle for no apparent reason at a time when you least expect it. I caught myself!

I am amazed by how simple it can be to change your path . . . and how complicated we sometimes make it.

How do you do it? How do you giggle in your discomfort?

1. Notice what you are doing that is making you uncomfortable
2. Name your feeling. (I am sad, overwhelmed, worried or . . . ? )
3. Make a decision to have a different response.
4. Smile. And if you can't, just begin by turning the corners of your lips up to the sky!
5. Let your self follow your body prompts as it shifts gears into a new wild rhythm.
6.  Surrender ...
7. Let your Self giggle!

If you found this little wild tidbit of thought useful, share it with your friends and family.

copyright 2011 Elizabeth MacLeod

A Message from my Mother

"I remember a story my mother told me often of how when I was 5 years old I came in from playing outside and told her I wanted to be a nurse like my friend Lynnie. "You don't have to do what Lynnie does" she said. "When you grow up, I want you to be an individualist." "I don't want to be an individualist." I said. "I want to be a nurse!"

She told me this story often as I traveled through my life and although she is no longer here, her message remains strong.

A couple of nights ago, I guess she felt I needed a little reminder as she came to me in one of those dreams that seem so real you could touch them. She had the same theme . . .

"Put a drop of oil on people's consciousness" my mother said to me in the depths of my deepest dream.  "Do you mean my oils?" I asked.  "Yes" she responded. "Where is their consciousness . . . how do I know where?" I inquired. "Ask them" she said. "Why?" I asked. "So they will be more conscious" my mother replied. "Why is that important?" I asked "So they will be more conscious" she replied.

I experienced that kind of knowing from my inner depths that comes when a truth is being told and I could feel my body smiling with this wisdom I was having the privilege of receiving.

"Why is that important?' I asked her. "Because that's the journey" she replied. "What is?" I asked. "To be more conscious." she said. "Why is that the journey?" I inquired. "Because we need to be aware" "Why?" I asked. "So we know what to do and who we are" she replied. "Why is that important?" I continued. "That's how we make it to where we are going" she replied.

I could feel myself in another space. I knew that I was dreaming, but was completely aware of every move. I remained curious. I remained aware. I continued to inquire, never assuming what would come next.  

"Where are we going?" I questioned. "Beyond where you know." she answered softly. "Can you explain that to me?" I asked, not sure if I really wanted to go there at that moment. "Yes" she replied, "But we're getting off the point."

"And what point is that? I smiled. "Your purpose" she replied. "Oh" I thought to myself. I became more curious. "What's my purpose?" I asked as I titled my head to the side. "To help people know." "Know what" I continued. "Know who they are" she responded.

"You have the power" she replied. I didn't expect that answer. So instead of assuming what she meant, I asked "What power?" "The power to help people transform into their purpose" she said. I sat back. "What is their purpose?" I asked quietly. "To know who they are" she answered back.

To know who we are . . .  That is our quest here on Earth. My mother made sure to keep me on track. It didn't matter if I was 5 or a grown adult, if she was here or not here. It is still the same journey.  I find a certain comfort in that.

Thanks Mom . . .  for the reminder to remain who I am. That is the work. 

I love you. Happy Mother's Day!

                                                                                                         copyright Elizabeth MacLeod 2011

Meet Frustration

Frustration is a wonderful soul so connected to your divine plan. She wants for you, everything you could ever imagine and will not tolerate even the minutest detail that throws you off track. 

She is filled with animosity when she is not listened to and starts to drop things and often finds herself bumping her head. This is troubling to her and sometimes she just wants to cry. But she's a tough nut, determined to stay on her path. 

Her stubborn quality makes it hard for her to change sometimes. She realizes that to really see what's happening, she has to sit down and be still to allow her self to see her self and what is getting in her way.

She throws little tantrums from time to time. It comes from not being heard.  She really likes to be heard as her intention is only in your best interest. She loves you more than you could know and wants the very best for you. It hurts her when you don't listen.

Her value is so under rated. But she doesn't mind. She holds to her commitment to your divine path and will not let up until you get it. She is so persistent that her tenacity will hold you to your self in ways that you could not alone.  She is patient and tireless with her commitment to your heart and will not let you falter. To allow this would be to fail in her job to help you be the best you can be to yourself.  

Some may be surprised at this... but she is best friends with Gentleness and will do anything to serve her best interest too. It's just that sometimes, it's hard to get people to understand that her vision is far beyond the simplicity of the moment. She so wants what is best for you. 

Frustration relaxes when her message is received, and she melts in the sunlight of a new idea or way of doing things. This excites her beyond belief and she bows in reverence of her duty and commitment to you being enchanted with your beautiful and unique path and exquisite self care. Oh, if you could only hear her giggle with delight when you uncover this . . .  you might find yourself giggling in your discomfort with her!

                                                                                                   Copyright 2011 Elizabeth MacLeod

Meet Prosperity

Prosperity has huge open arms and loves to bring all with her. She is big in her dreams and loves to sing. She is in love with all that allows her to be free. And she is so inclusive wanting everyone to be a part of her richness and sacred unfolding. 

She takes nothing forgranted, and respects what she has. She loves to water her plants, even the littlest ones. And when she does, she smiles gently while she loves them. 

Prosperity has a big heart, filled with dreams that are realized. And she knows that what she brings to her life is more valuable than she could ever realize. She is heaven on earth and  knows both well. She is in on the secret. She knows how to birth something out of nothing, and nurture its every breath. She is the centre of creation fully realized.

Prosperity is in love with humanity and she holds great faith in what is to come. She has an inner knowing that transports her to levels of understanding beyond what we normally see. 

Her light is very bright.       
                                           

                                                                                            copyright 2011 Elizabeth MacLeod

The Birth of a Wish

It came true. A little thought that happened in the bathtub over 10 years ago. 

I was sitting there with my special candles lit and soft music playing, in the womb of my creativity place... the bath tub! I had settled in for a long soak, with an ambiance that supported my health and shift in my day. It was a place I wrote, drew, read, dreamed, sat and relaxed. 

It was in the womb of my creativity, soaking in the warmth, allowing my emotions to lead the way and my intuition to expand, that I found myself. Every night, I lit special candles, turned on my chosen music, put a bunch of books that might interest me on the rug beside my bath and my journal with my favorite pen and allowed my muscles the reprieve they didn't have during the day. Sliding in to the warm silky water, I felt more myself, more alive, and more creative than any other time. It took years to realize the reason was that this place was my true place, my real place, my dreaming place, my safe place. It was the place where ideas were born, short writings began, my journal grew and I fell in love with the journey. It was where I became acquainted with the spiritual side of my illuminated self, and my mind was allowed to travel to places that I might not allow myself to travel through the day. It was a place where the wild in me splashed with random abandon to what was suppose to be and flowed through me in ways that brought such joy, that I returned to it every single night without exception.

I was in love with this time. It was integral and important to my growth and to my learning. It was a place I learned of self care of the most exquisite kind, a place where journeys in books lit my way, a place where my own writing blossomed into something I never imagined it could be. And it was a place I read. And a place I dreamed. A place where I made wishes with the universe that were possible, because in the womb of myself, everything was possible. My candle lit bath, filled with warm water and surrounded with an ambiance that could transport the most deadened of mind, I became one with my destiny without even knowing. That's how loving and nurturing a womb can be . . . supporting, feeding, delivering, receiving, loving, creating. The wild in its finest moment.

I did all those things . . . and over 10 years ago might have been the time where my soul and I met with the wild untamed spirit of my heart,  dreaming of wishes and possibilities only a dream could see that filled me up. It lit my way into more creating, more idea forming, more pleasure, more relaxation into my truth. It seemed only dream-able.

But that night, something was put into action. It was only a thought in a bathtub to the naked eye. But anyone, whose anyone, would know, if they could peak through the steamy glass window and be allowed to view the magic, something was opening. A possibility was presenting itself, allowing a dream to exist that wasn't present before. And in that moment, a wish was born.

That one night in the bath a meeting was taking place far in the future that would touch my heart, and know my destiny and expand me in a way that was unimaginable. And it all started, when I lit my first candle and slid my foot slinkingly in for my nightly soak . . . 

Such Sweetness in all the Goo

I'm coping with my crazy slinky sinuses as I write...on my 3rd round of homeopathy, as my symptoms came back...and have a stash of antibiotics from the doc singing seductively in my back pocket with a steroid nose inhaler quietly waiting in the wings. Working and thinking, even resting, are a challenging task, and I have no idea at this point what tomorrow or the next day will bring. Just doing my best one little effort at a time!

Although in this moment, I feel optimistic, I am very aware of the feeling of cement shoes on my feet and the compression in my head, as I attempt to get done the things that have to get done.

I'm wondering how my body will find a way to remove the cement shoes and bring lightness to my dear aching head . . .

I am amazed at the complexity of the tiniest of tiny, as my body's immune system rallies, like beacons of light and desire. The wild ones gather, knowing what to do without thought, without directions . . . they just listen, instinct alive, as they carry out their loving purpose and strive to find me new shoes to wear. My health is their desire, fulfilling my wishes, as the heaviness my human self feels at this moment, is making the simplest of daily tasks a monumental feat! 

Waiting for my dinner to reveal itself (it's in the oven), I stare at the floor and admire the Kleenex box my mother hand-painted that usually just sits quietly on display. Through all this, it has been given the great task of taking tender care of this weary body and wee tired soul, striving to find her way back to a clear head. A tenderness flows as I reach to my mother's hand-painted box for a kleenex.  And I see that, even with all this . . .  my heart opens and I smile as I remember her.