Conversations with ’strangers’ on a headland by a stormy sea, traditional teaching of pushing through resistance and reciprocation, through to modern books of ‘Breaking the habit of being yourself’. Teachings weave in, out and through them all. Live Love You.
Walking down towards the ocean pool after having chai tea on the Headland and watching the growing swell. Talking with and listening to wonderful humans, talking about the butterfly story and the influence of the butterfly in terms of allowing others to get through their own stuff and at the same time, to provide somewhat of a safe space for them while they go through. Plus in our own lives, knowing that when we meet with resistance, it’s about pushing through and the pushing through gives us the strength to emerge a better version of ourself. Without pushing through, we enable ourselves to stay weaker.
One of the lovely people also shared how she found some clay at one of the Headlands and how lovely it was to work with it. Her daughter was the first one to notice it tucked in the side of the track somewhat exposed by the rain and winds. They wanted to feel like what they were taking was okay. So they took a small amount each. Again, lovely discussion, just straight off about the word reciprocity or reciprocation – giving back to. From this can the recommendation of reading a book (or listening to the audio book) of “Braiding Sweetgrass” as in here are examples of how we can give back to the Earth.
A most important teaching repeated from many Traditional peoples, including here (in what’s now known as Australia) an examples from one of the Uncle’s in Durga Country (Western Sydney).
Uncle showed us a well carved and powerful looking wooden implement that had been made from Casuarina, that’s Sheoak. It was like rounded on one end and pointed on the other. I said, “Oh, it would make a fantastic digging stick, given the heaviness of the end and the point”. And he looked at me in absolute shock and said,
“No, this could never be used on the mother”.
“No because it was intended as a club, and you cannot put a club, and you cannot strike a club into the Earth”.
To know that what we intend when we start something, helps us in staying focused, and carries with it the intention of the original thought – the energy and thought and feeling put in as it is being made. This ‘vibe’ has a resonance and that resonance / vibration has effect.
Reflected again in sharing’s from, Pa’Ris’Ha Taylor, Grandmother Pa’Ris’Ha Cherokee Elder, in terms of basket making. Making and sitting together, when people are sitting around making the baskets and talking the talking flows as the hands are busy. It’s the stories that are woven into the baskets. Or the feeling of what’s in heart and mind of the weaver. All different, unique. Par’Ris’Ha shared with us that hers where somewhat mis-shapen and laughed at by others – however the elder wise one shared quietly how the Dragons were dancing and coming out through Pa’Ris’Ha’s Baskets.
From here as well in Sydney, when we’ve had wonderful workshops, through Susan Moylan Coombs and run by Aunti Karlene Green from the Torres Strait Islands with regard to weaving words of wisdom.
So as we weave, we can listen and chat intentionally, not of a negative.
From the First Peoples here, there is a beautiful practice, one may call it a ceremony, a ritual of one of the stories that goes with painting Ochre (fine wet clay) onto another person face.
Again, it’s reciprocation (each person paints the other) and it’s done in a certain way. I won’t repeat it all here, but it’s done in a way that one of the dots is under the chin, and that dot reminds us, and we speak it back to the person who puts it there for us:
“Only words of kindness and wisdom pass through these lips”
It can be that in community people might be chatting, chatting, and then someone may start speaking bad of someone else and quite subtly, another person will put their finger to their chin. And gently look at the person who may have started speaking that way. This action is a reminder, their only words of kindness and wisdom pass through these lips.
Now listening to Dr. Joe Dispenza’s book, Breaking the habit of being yourself, chapter 7 and 8 this mornings listening taught how to continuously think and feel a certain way sets up the bio-chemistry that we can then get addicted too. Addicted in such a way that we then think a certain way to create the chemicals that are associated with. By following the First People’s reminder of:
‘only words and kindness and ….”
We see now that in reminding a person so they choose to stop going on and on about a negative until it becomes an addiction – helps not only them but all around who no longer need to be drawn into the tone-level of that conversation.
That particular way of being, say, I’m speaking bad of somebody or I’m getting angry about something I’m frustrated or I’m blaming or whatever the lower emotions are, that in my own self I’m feeling that chemistry through my body.
As I bathe my cells, as I bathe my precious cells in that chemistry, they are being ‘informed’ (that is provided with information that influences how they form). Changing what DNA is active in our cells IS influenced by what the cells are ‘floating in’ and that is influenced by our thoughts, feelings and foods!
From studies (can see references in Joes books or Bruce Lipton or the earlier Dr Candice Pert) that when I have a thought, it creates a substance, that substance is translated to one that can actually move through into my bloodstream and affect the different organs that creates different hormones that have influence on the cells. In short, when I think something and feel it, I am creating an internal chemistry that those cells then get addicted to.
So by the First People’s practice of remembering only words of kindness and wisdom through these lips, I can see that that also reminds us in caring deeply for ourselves is to minimise the times when we have a destructive thought created that chemistry bathing ourselves. Less ‘firing’ of the neurons (nerve cells) the less ‘wiring’ them together. This mean the thought/feeling to substance stays at a low level and reduces the likelihood of us becoming addicted to that particular chemistry and thus seeking and magnetising to us, events that allow us to relive that anger, pain, suffering.
In the words of Grandmother, Pa’Ris’Ha,
ask who’s talking,
Is it the body addicted to those chemicals that sending the message to your thoughts?
Now, how do we undo the addiction – how do we quite the hunger of the cell’s receptor sites?
We observe, catch ourself and be gentle on ourself.
So this morning and last night, or this week in particular, I’ve been looking at the final days in teh last year “Organiser” or work diary.
Looking at the past year so many days ticked off, ticked off, ticked off, ticked off, ticked off, and I’m about to start a new diary. “Do I want July 2022 to be a series of mouse wheel successes of completed projects, or is there more?”, and of course there is more, which brings us back around to Uncle Greg Sims and intention and Parisha and “Who’s Talking”.
Now asking “how will the next year be different?” getting this clear and intended before writing anything in the new one.
A big diary. One day to a page. Why so big? I’ve got so much to fit in on each page – really is there that much doingness to do. Do you write what you “Be”?.
“What do I intend?
How does it look, feel, taste?
How do I put that into my work?”
So when you’re doing a project ask: “ I am doing a project is my internal chemistry one of:
“rush, I have to get this done” or “it’s late” etc or is my internal chemistry saying:
“it’s so marvellous to be part of this project”.
Up to us to actively choose to be living the ideal of how we want to see the World. If we want to see, or experience, or hear, about more Kindness – where are we doing this in each of our moments including in our thoughts and feelings?
Know your list of heart fulfilling things and ask:
Am I painting?
What I’m doing/thinking/being right now.
So from here sitting in an enclosing fold of a cave, looking out over the ocean, feeling the fine mist spay with the smell of salt, looking at the Headland that I love so much, a headland that is solid yet dynamic?
Yes in this moment all is handed over to you.
So many tools to assist.
How do we break the habit of being ourselves and create a new one?
And those words “create a new one”, it’s being the pure essence of You without the layer. You as transparent.
That’s when You are, as You are, not as mix of the societal expectations, parental ideas, and influences from the early ages. Seen the gap between You and how you show you’re self to be
Know you are enough, you are unique, you are in progress, your lessons can be your strengths.
As Parisha Taylor has said “Do You I Got Me Covered”
Be truly who you came in to be.
With your unique fingerprint.
Be the beingness you are in every moment.
Geraldene Dalby-Ball
Elaway De’Ye’Ng Li’Ta