Defiance to Failure: All but Defiance is one of a series I wrote about training to climb a 5000 foot mountain. A year ago, I took on a challenge: ten training hikes of continually more intensive distance and mileage in preparation for the last hike. Number ten, the highest point in the Columbia Gorge and …
I’ve been on a new journey the last couple of months. As I look back, it is hard in this moment to see all that it’s been about. Many moments which have yet to integrate. Many moments which feel like their own separate strands of experience and exploration. I feel like my life has moved …
This is a story about my trail guides. East of Portland, where I live, beyond the conifer and deciduous forests which bestow their presence on both sides of the Columbia Gorge of Oregon and Washington are the buttes and cliffs and hills adorned simply in grass and wildflower and oak at creek side. No majestic …
I’ve been thinking, as the solar calendar begins again, about lessons of greed. The global energy is confused by the narcissistic tendencies of a few who would love their agenda of greed to keep them wealthy and powerful. This is not a lesson that any with money are corrupt. This is a lesson that those …
Me & Truth & Self-Responsibility describes a situation that easy to get into when a friend recommends a practitioner. Not everyone is for everyone. Making sure this is the form of assistance you need is your responsibility. I made a mistake this past Monday: I let a friend’s recommendation of a health practitioner override the …
Saved by Determination is about the time that I literally slid down a mountain and almost fell off a cliff. There are moments in life which are unforgettable because you witness a family member or friend achieve a milestone. There are other moments which are unforgettable because you yourself achieve a milestone. I’m not sure …
In my church, growing up, we often sang a lovely song with these lyrics: When I’m on my journeyThere is no one there but me. At the time, I was a little puzzled because I didn’t feel alone, yet I sang the song often, and still do, because I like the tune and the rhythm. …
Am I OK alone? Mmmm. I want to answer yes. In in my mind I say yes, while in my heart I ask: What does it mean for me to be alone? Mmmm. That’s a bit tricky. I pause and I observe. I am uncertain. Mmmm. When I feel alone I am uncertain. I am …
Living with Uncertainty makes slogging through the forest more than can be tolerated sometimes. Trees and bushes obscuring the way, blocking the view not only of the path but the intended goal. Not seeing the goal pulls up questions which poke and prod uncomfortably. Am I on the right trail? Am I heading in the …
Limen, from Latin: threshold Liminal. At the threshold. In the space between being and becoming. Moving past what is, not quite to what will be. In the Liminal, there is all and there is nothing. All possibility, no creation, not yet. In the Liminal, there are no rules, standards, or expectations. Absent are requirements, codes, …
The Communion of Remembrance reflects on the nature of community and what brings us together. Remembrance: an act or ritual of mindfulness, done in respect, to remember Communion: intimate, shared spiritual and emotional gathering of mindful individuals When we gather together mindfully, meaning each individual brings awareness to self and to the many gathered, we …
I am Cheryl Marlene! Sometimes the simple shifts in life bring the most profound change. This was the case for me with my name. During divorce, it was the huge task of shifting all my published books into a new name which held me back from a name change. But as time wore on, I …
Life can be so chaotic, pulling in multiple directions at once, pushing to find many places to stand and experience. Between the push and the pull is the point to bring awareness. Instead of blindly reacting to push or to pull, find the place of balance in your heart. In this moment is the opportunity …
Defiance at the Crossroads describes the roadblock I met in wanting to climb a mountain. One word: Construction. After four months of training, hiking, sweating, hurting and learning towards one goal, the journey up Mt. Defiance came to an abrupt halt. Delayed construction at the trail head reversed the Oregon Department of Transportation’s decision to …
She pauses in the stillness of spiritual space between the energetic flow of in and out. Finding that same peace in physical space
Excerpt: My Edges, I am finding, are useful in defining boundaries, for clarity and depth. I am learning to open to the experience of life at the edge.
Abandonment is the energetic response to feeling emotionally and/or physically left. The paradox is that abandonment usually comes because honest energy flow never truly showed up in the relationship and the absence of honesty was never challenged. The feeling of being abandoned is more a result of a string of actions rather than one primary …
Hiking is Heaven! The beginning, somewhat at odds with the rest of the day, is a concrete parking structure, third floor on the left. We all assemble with excited anticipation. A few known to each other but mostly all strangers, newly assembled with the goal of enjoying a hike. For me, I have joined other …
Let go came the guidance. Though standing in the middle of yoga, the words felt more like admonishment. Plus, how? I am in the middle of a posture, trying desperately to hold the form, straining muscle, holding in my tummy. What exactly do I let go while remaining in this form?
When I learned to read at 6 years old, my proud grandparents celebrated my newly acquired skill by giving me my very own red leather Bible. A Christmas gift offered with a reverence and a respect that I had already learned from both of them. They were so delighted with me and their offering brought me into a circle of knowledge and spiritual connection that they had both known their entire lives. I treasured this gift, willingly shared from the depths of their hearts.