Self-Care: U is for…

       is for unity

Unity as a self-care practice? What’s that supposed to mean? From a spiritual perspective one of the things I’m most interested in is unity consciousness. The understanding that we really are all one, we really are all connected. And that although we experience duality in this physical world lifetime it is, in the bigger scheme of things, illusion.

My guides are always reminding me about folding things back into Wholeness.

So I began a practice a number of years ago that periodically returns to – when I most need it, when I’m feeling most fragmented, when I see more separation than unity and am having a hard time even imagining Wholeness. In other words when I’m needing a dose of self-care.

I play a bit of a game – more like a visioning, an imagining, a thinking meditation. Inspired by J. Ruth Gendler’s charming and insightful book entitled The Book of Qualities. It’s a whimsical characterization of various emotional qualities ranging from courage to complacency, jealousy to anxiety – about 75 different ones. She presents the qualities as characters, offering a brief less-than-a-page description. And with this brief character sketch of the particular quality I’m having some sort of challenge with, I begin my dialog. The purpose of course is to expand the tightness I’m experiencing; to shine a light on shadow aspects and deepen and broaden my understanding; to move more in the direction of folding it all into Wholeness.

I play with this in lots of ways – sometimes it’s strictly in-my-head dialog, sometimes I write. But more often these days I use art. I may do a bit of writing and then paint partially over it – pulling the edges out with a bit of expansion energy. Incorporating, mixing, understanding I am always free to choose a more expanded viewpoint. Sometimes I collage and the energy of mixing images into a new whole is very helpful. Certainly there are times when I feel more successful with this, and other times less, but I almost always feel like I’ve invited myself into a new awareness.

And now because it’s Tuesday and that means the Artsyville Glue-It-Tuesday players are gathering in the salon to unveil this week’s work – consider popping over and see what’s been glued.

I’m double linking today – with Jamie Ridler’s Full Moon Dreamboard linkup as well.  Every new moon she poses a question and then invites folks to create a dreamboard at the full moon.  Her question this month was “What is your intuition telling you about your dreams?”   Go take a look at what folks are dreaming.

Here’s my glued up response:

I think all full moons are special, but this one has a little extra going for it. It’s what I consider to be a blue moon.  The definition of blue moon isn’t as straightforward as you might think.  Some folks define it as two full moons in one calendar month.  And if that’s your definition, this one doesn’t count.  BUT if you define it as two full moons in one astrological month (we’re currently winding up our annual time in Leo), then this is definitely a blue moon.  AND if you use the original definition of blue moon which designates the third full moon in a season with four full moons, well this one counts as our third summer full moon in a year that will have four.  So yes, I’m celebrating this as a Blue Moon. 

August full moons are often called Sturgeon Moon (many of the naming systems are based on Native People’s recognition of natural occurrences during that particular time of the year).  But there are many peoples, many observations, many possibilities, so you don’t have to be committed to calling this the Sturgeon Moon.  I prefer Lightning Moon which is why I’ve included a lightning bolt in my dreamboard.  I feel sparked by inspiration. 

Now what about you?  Any thoughts about unity you’d like to share?  Have a favorite quality that you might want to turn into a character and play with?  Are you celebrating this as blue moon?  Do tell – you know I love to hear.