space

Void Unknown

The void in space speaks to me,

It beckons me to step in.

Seduced by mysterious offerings,

I fall, I stumble in a vast darkness.

Clinging to what I knew, 

Certainty and security crack in illusion. 

Reflections observed persist empty,

In this void unknown.

Inward, I veer to center,

There I meet the light within.

Now, on a grand adventure, 

With the best of what’s left to stand! 

This story is still unwritten.

My heart does want to grow.

Out of the void, I emerge

To explore the great unknown.

By: Antoinette Buckner

These times continue to be illuminating. Our need for space and the realization of when space has become too much and needs to be contained is the dance of life I suppose. SheCircle continues to be a space where women connect deeply and is sustainable even virtually. These are the notes and reading from today.

"Cocoons are super effective strategies for positive transformation. As a chronic optimist, I can't help but imagine that current circumstances bear some resemblance to a metamorphic process. Whatever your perspective on it, it seems that our species is taking a moment--and it really is just a moment in the grand scale of things-- to shift patterns. Our habits, our standard mode of operating, our usual ways of doing things, are suspended, not unlike the caterpillars who pause from their leaf-munching ways, suspend themselves upside down in a silken sack, and hang out for a bit. And, truth be told, the old forms do not survive the process. I cannot speak for caterpillars' first hand experience as such, but putting ourselves in their place for the moment, we must admit to some terror as the liquification process commences. What assurance have any of us that it's going to work out well? At first blush, turning into goo does not sound like a promising path at all. And yet we do have cakes and butterflies as reference points on the bright side that all may turn out better than it might seem while we are melting down. If your mood permits a thought reframe, consider this one. You have undergone many biological transformations, from single cell, to embryo, to infant, child, teen, to adult. You have shed many habits and grown not only physically, but mentally and spiritually over your lifetime. Though some of your metamorphoses have been more intimidating than others, you have shown up and renewed yourself. And however much you may feel wrapped up and your style cramped right now, this is the perfect place to commit to your new self preparing to take flight."

By Gil Hedley

Toward The Space Age

by Mary Oliver

We must begin to catch hold of everything

around us, for nobody knows what we

may need. We have to carry along

the air, even; and the weight we once

thought a burden turns out to form

the pulse of our life and the compass for our brain.

Colors balance our fears, and existence

begins to clog unless our thoughts

can occur unwatched and let a fountain of essential silliness

out through our dreams.

And oh I hope we can still arrange

for the wind to blow, and occasionally

some kind of shock to occur, like rain,

and stray adventures no one cares about --

harmless love, immoderate guffaws on corners,

families crawling around the front room growling,

being bears in the piano cave

Ana's Notes on California Poppies

California Poppy

During this time, I want to focus a bit on plants and herbs that support the nervous and immune systems

Firstly, California poppy is not directly the related to the poppy plant that opium is derived from, though the alkaloids (or compounds) are similar in structure.

Because of this, it can be an effective- but actually pretty gentle-medicine for stress and anxiety. Herbs in this category are called “nervines” aka herbs that support the nervous system

It can also help support insomnia and pain -this of course, would be an accumulative effect- meaning it builds up in your system over time supporting these things.

The more chronic the issue, the longer it might take to have noticeable effects. But just because you don’t notice the effects consciously doesn’t mean that it’s not shifting things on a subtle level- slowly balancing things out.

This kind of shift actually has more long lasting benefits. We’re used to immediate results…

The interactions California poppy seems to have in the brain is on the serotonin and gaba receptors, which help mitigate the firing between the neurons which can cause insomnia and the perception of pain.

One thing to note- those who are on antidepressants  such as SSRIs  or opiodes should be careful  as it can have a high potential of interactions with those medications.

That being said, California Poppy is considered a very safe plant. So safe that people give it to infants. Of course, that’s something you should look at and make the decision on your own- it’s not something that I’m advising here.

You can buy California poppy in capsule and tincture form- tincture is an extract in either alcohol or glycerin.

If you happen to have some growing in your yard, you can also make an infusion with hot water from it. Keep in mind that it is the state flower in California and it’s technically illegal to pick this plant.  If you decide to pick some, BE RESPECTFUL

I would start with a lower dose and pay attention to how you feel. If you do start with a higher dose, be aware that she may cause you to take an involuntary nap :)

From Esther Perel

"Love rests on two pillars: surrender and autonomy. Our need for togetherness exists alongside our need for separateness. One does not exist without the other. With too much distance, there can be no connection. But too much merging eradicates the separateness of two distinct individuals. Then there is nothing more to transcend, no bridge to walk on, no one to visit on the other side, no other internal world to enter. When people become fused — when two become one — connection can no longer happen. There is no one to connect with. Thus separateness is a precondition for connection: this is the essential paradox of intimacy and sex."

From Hafiz

Don't surrender your loneliness

So quickly.

Let it cut more deep.

Let it ferment and season you

As few human

Or even divine ingredients can.

Something missing in my heart tonight

Has made my eyes so soft,

My voice

So tender,

My need of God

Absolutely

Clear.