Don't Trust Your Instincts

What!?”

I got “Don’t trust Your Instincts,”from  #Marie Forleo and it tweaked my brain.

We hear, “Trust our intuition. Trust your gut. Listen to your higher calling,” and then we hear, “Don’t trust your instincts?” How crazy is that?

But I see, she’s right. We aren’t wild animals in need of fight or flight, at least not most of the time--and stay out of dark alleys.

We’re afraid of ridicule, of rejection, of doing it wrong and thus being embarrassed. We won’t begin the work that will make our heart’s sing for we have a gatekeeper telling us that we don’t have what it takes. We’ll fail. We’ll lose our money. We’ll become bankrupt. We’ll be embarrassed.  

Those are the sort of “Don’t trust your instincts,” I’m talking about. Those instincts are into survival mode. Look at it this way, we won’t die of embarrassment, and we won’t get ostracized and left in the Sahara without food or water, where lions will probably finish us off.  Your instincts are there to keep you alive, and they can be tenacious.

 “The more important your project is to your soul’s evolution, the more you will resent it.”—Steven Pressfield

 Old resistance, fear, procrastination, at play here.

 “The need to feel safe, valuable and loved has focused our attention outward toward what is external.”—Gary Zukau

This external focus has caused us to study, to learn, to look to the stars, the plants, and animals and downward into the sea.  It has worked for so long we no longer think about it. 

Now, according to Zukau, we need to use our lives, homes, and friendships for a greater goal—toward spiritual growth.

You have probably wondered as have I how we as a society can build gigantic machines that built other gigantic machines (watch road builders shipbuilders, bridge builders, dam builders, skyscraper builders at work), but we can’t solve poverty, crime, the need for people to alter their state with drugs, and eliminate brutality.

Brene’ Brown says we cannot be without suffering until all of us are without suffering. 

A bigger, smarter computer won’t fix us. Neither will a better car, refrigerator, etc. Might be fun though.

We know how to feed (sort of) ourselves and shelter ourselves (most of us), but we don’t know how to raise our consciousness to become more spiritually aware, to give up the need to be right in the face of opposing ideologies, and to allow people their own path. 

We are so polarized that we can hardly have a discussion with someone who has opposite views than we do without becoming irate.

Do they still have debating in school, where each side must take the position of the other?

“If you plan for one year, plant rice.

If you plan for 10 years plant trees.

If you plan for 100 years—educate children.” –Confucius

Many people feel inadequate most of the time, feel embarrassed sometimes, and angry often. 80% hate their jobs. 

What can we do about this?

What if we look at life as more of an adventurous experience, we will then have more excitement.

If we look at life as stress, our brain will pump out cortisol, and our cells will say, “Give me more of that.”

Once I had a little lady mow my lawn. She found me at the dump and wanted a job. She was bipolar but had moments of absolute clarity. Once she told me when I was multitasking to pretend I was washing the Baby Buddha. Which meant, if you are washing the baby Buddha, you would pay attention, and not be thinking of anything else. (Wise woman.)

I have put forth a dichotomy, Number one: Don’t trust your instincts for they are scaredy cats, and Two, trust your intuition for it will point you down the Sacred Path.

So, how do we tell the difference? 

Ask your question:  “Should I marry Ralph?” Or whatever you are questioning.

Does your body fell expansive or contracted?

Expansive is excited, even if some fear is involved.

Contracted is a dread, it feels like pulling eye teeth.

Your body won’t lie. Talk over this situation with a friend who will give you their genuine take on your appearance. Did you light up considering the possibility of marrying Ralph? Or did you look dead?

That should give you an answer.

Many people ask, “What’s the meaning of life?” That indicates that they aren’t having much fun, or they would know the answer. It is to experience being alive. It is to be here at this moment and to raise the consciousness of the planet.

Yes, I know, the planet knows how to take care of itself. Like our bodies know how to heal,  unless it becomes so inundated with toxins that it must have help, like medicines, surgery, diet, supplements, etc. And we don’t want our home, our planet, to become so toxic it can’t heal itself. 

We ought to be like a  physician, taking the Hippocratic Oath, “First Do No Harm.”

And regarding instincts, preserve them, for, in moments of crisis, they can save your life.

What would your life look like if you thought it was easy? 

Love, Fear, and Pine Cones

Hi, 

First off, I have to tell you, last Wednesday, April 17, exactly one month before my book, The Frog’s Song, will be released I received three complimentary copies in the mail. 

Oh Joy! I love the cover, I was afraid I wouldn’t like it, for it was a surprise from my Publishing House. Bless Jaynie, she’s the best. (Regal Publishing—the house that Jaynie built.)  I know that people like to buy Kindle versions, I do too, but this cover’s so pretty you just have to feel it—like silk. And the background is chalkboard black. 

 It’s a small book, only 120  pages, but big enough to have the title printed on the spine. 

(I think we ought to have a blank journal to go along with the printed book, use the same artwork, but put “Journal” instead of the title. I don’t know, though, if I can convince the publishing house to print them.)

Now I’m afraid to open the cover and read what’s inside. Yep, I wrote it, but what if I don’t like it anymore? You know how things are, like the printed page, or houses after they have sat for awhile begin to look frayed. With writing, gremlins sneak in during the night.

The Frog’s Song has croaked his heartfelt best, now there’s no looking back. It’s been ten years in the making—cast of—well, eight, including two dogs and two cats.

https://thefrogssong.com focuses on the book, but I will also keep a blog going there, for if anyone buys the book--they better or I’ll get dumped by my publisher--I want to support my readers, and add content to the site, like maybe outtakes or I’m tempted to write the rest of the story, like the day we left Hawaii.  I thought it was funny, and pertinent to the experience, a little drama, although not so much fun in life, is great for story telling. Alas, it ended up on the cutting room floor.  I’ll tell you if you want to hear it. 

Okay, I’m off the book for now, and since my other site is Travels with Jo, we’ll travel a bit. 

My husband and I spent the weekend in Sisters, Oregon, named after the three mountains, Faith, Hope, and Charity that are a backdrop for the town.  (Thanks for the names Greg). It’s high desert and I noticed a drop in my energy at that altitude, but just breathe deep and enjoy the beautiful town all dressed up in a Western motif. The buildings must be under specifications, for they fit together into an integrated whole. 

The photo below is a mural, I had to go up and touch the quilt blowing in the breeze for it looked as though it came out of the painting. 

The town’s claim to fame is its Quilts. I don’t sew—the machine always gives me trouble--but hubby and I entered the most exquisite fabric store I had ever seen. It made my mouth water--and I’ve been to Mood in Los Angeles—this was better, more fun, more exquisite.  As I said, I don’t sew, but I appreciate art—and there’s an abundance of it in this town. The Quilts there are so perfect it makes you want to throw up. I mean this in the kindest way, the craftmanship (Craftswomanship) is exquisite—just way out of my jurisdiction.

 There will be an outdoor quilt show in Sisters, Oregon on Saturday, July 13.

We stayed at the Ponderosa Inn, a Best Western that is extremely dog-friendly. the dogs must be kept on the leash on the grounds, but beyond their lawn is a Ponderosa forest when the dog and people can run free.

The weather was perfect. the sky clear. a quick view of Broken Top sped past, (a jagged mountain) as hubby was speeding down the highway. It loomed ahead against a sky so blue it looked purple.

A perfect view of the Three Sisters caught my attention between a smear of trees, but there was no stopping place for a photo, and soon they were way behind us. I captured Mt. Washington though. 

 

The forest in front of it was burnt by a devastating forest fire that happened 15 years ago  That wildfire burned 90,000 acres, a holocaust, they called it, “Natures backlash," "An Oregon wake up call,” due to wildfire suppression and overstocked forests.  

Long ago in Native times forest fires used to break out once in a while and it helped the forest, it cleared an area between trees, fertilized the ground, and created homes for wildlife in the dead trees. Lodgepole pine cones come with the scales glued tightly together protecting the precious seeds, and those pine cones are heat sensitive. The glue is a sort of resin or wax that requires heat to melt the wax and open the cones. The pine trees can drop a great number of cones waiting for the next forest fire to open them, after the fire, viola, a lodgepole forest.

Now, however, with the crowding of trees and species-specific forests, fires get out of hand. 

It’s a tough call.

I received the most wonderful comment from a reader, “I hope to give something back and help others like you helped me.” 

That’s how it ought’a be.

I don’t know what I did for that person, but I do hope people find value here. No self-improvement today, though, just talk.

Love you,

Joyce