Search Results for: Expand Your Spiritual Heart

What Is Your Role In The New Consciousness?

Living Our Deeper Song

Ashe
(“Ah-Shay”)
 The Creative in me honors the Creative in you!

Mother Earth is giving us huge signs that she needs our help. Her inhabitants are discordant and at war with each other and are very self-focused. And that has to change.  

As transformational leaders we have diverse roles to play in preserving the well-being of our planet and her people.

What does that look like for you? What will you help transform? What will you focus on in order to create positive change? 

You may find yourself drawn to preventing climate change, or preserving a certain species, or helping a certain segment of the population, or like me, go within to write insights and observations that reach a lot of people. 

The role of a Transformational Leader in the New Consciousness will vary and it’s up to you to define and expand your participation. 

As a 90-year-old woman in long-term care I had to give some thought to my role as a Transformational Leader in this New Consciousness. Then I realized that I’m doing that by my very existence and my many exchanges with young people on the staff here who have chosen to be in service to help others. I am offering them insights into the holistic metaphysical principles of wholeness and I am reaching several generations. As I engage in individual conversations I organically seed-plant holistic ideas and open new pathways for them to consider. In writing this I realize that I am influencing our future world by my participation with young people of consciousness that are drawn into my orbit. That’s pretty good for an old lady.

Begin to identify your place of server and your impact, the gifts that come with thoughtful exchanges and how you would like to refine your participation, or expand it, or even change directions. Be aware that everything you say and do and are has impact. Raise your sights to focus on the well-being of the planet and humanity as a whole.  What is your role in the New Consciousness?

Deeper Song Affirmation 

I go exploring and expand and deepen my role in the New Consciousness.

Deeper Dong Process

• Give some contemplative thought to what you think the New Consciousness is and how you think the New Consciousness is evolving. 
• Sit down and make a list of how you already have impact in our world. Notice the ripple effect, how what you do continues to move out into the world and influence others. When you  expand the thinking of one person that person will radiate out and touch other lives. 
• Everything we say and do has impact. Become more aware of your role in a New Consciousness.
• Expand your reach. 

===INNER WORK===

Deepen Your Inner Awareness

What Prompts You To Let Go And More On?

What is the catalyst that prompt you to make a major change? Is it a circumstance? Is it a realization? Is it a new idea that calls to you? 

I came across some poems I had written along my long life path and many of hem were a cry for change. A situation had grown too heavy or too cumbersome and I needed to leave it behind. What does it take for you to break away and move forward? How many times has that happened in your life? Where and what new adventures, opportunities and insights did it bring to you? 

We are the only ones who can make ourselves happy, so if change is needed we must recognize it and make that change. Positive change is totally up to us.

That meat we must stay self-aware. It means we must be cognizant of new opportunities and insights. That means we must let go and move forward.

Change is interesting. Change is challenging. Change is scary. Change is necessary. Change is how we expand our world and our participation in it.

First you have to become aware that you need to change. Then you have to explore the possibilities of a new path. Then you chose your new direction and go adventuring.

How do you recognize that it s time for change and what prompts you to let go and move on? 

What Is Your Relationship With Money?

I’m kind of a mess when it comes to handling money. I get excited when I get to learn something new and I take the class. And of course, classes cost money and there is usually a date it will start and…you get the picture. I have been very indulgent with myself when it comes to learning. I have taken native flute and drumming classes and of course I had to buy a native flute and drums. As I say, I’n an enthusiastic and passionate learner who is not good with money.

What is your relationship with money? Are you conservative? Are you reckless? How does your relationship with money drive you choices? Or does it? 

How do you curb your accesses? How do you satisfy your needs and desires in a responsible manner?  Does your relationship with money need to be healed? How wiling are you to do that? 

===SELF-HEALING===

Take Responsibility for Healing Yourself

Self Responsibility And Self-Healing

We have to do the work. We have to take the steps, we have to expand our goals. Our healing process, our wellness achievements are totally up to us. 

Are you doing the work? Are you making the progress you want? Are you experimenting with different forms of self healing? Are the goals and objectives that you set for yourself helping you see progress and make the change you desire? 

What does it take to propel you forward? What does it take to challenge yourself a bit more? 

I have identified some new places in my day to add more walking but I don’t seem to be doing it. Intention is different from doing the work. It’s up to me and my daily choices. Are you challenging yourself enough? Or too much? Are your goals set high enough? Or just right?

Do The Work

I am totally responsible for healing myself. Whatever I choose to do or not do impacts my mind. I need to keep up my work and expand my options. I am using sound healing and Reiki and intention but I’m not being very good about lowering my salt intake. We have to do the work. What do you need to do to keep yourself healthy and are you doing it?

How Do You Renew Yourself?

How do you know when you need replenishing? Do you wait until you end up like a puddle in the corner, depleted and out of energy? Or are you aware of the gradual depletion of your energy and stamina and address it the minute you become aware of it? 

Do you know what your body needs  to sustain and maintain itself? Or do you let yourself gradually get worn down by your life and daily responsibilities until you find yourself totally out of energy?

Establish a pattern of routine replenishment. Perhaps meditate when you first get home from work to make a clear break before moving into “me” time. Replenishment may be in the form of an early morning walk that deepens your connection with nature. Replenishment should be a part of your daily life whatever form it takes. How do you renew yourself and do you do it often enough?

Sit In Nature

When was the last time you sat in your backyard in the dark listening to the sounds of nature and watching the moon rise? When was the last time you pause to turn your face to the sun and allow your body to replenish and restore?Or listen to the wind move through the branches or have an acorn drop at your feet?  Or watch raindrops run down the window? Or listen toto the wind howl while you sat snug and warm inside?

Listen to the sounds and flow of nature and absorb their messages. Noticed the changes of the season. Enjoy the gradual blooming flowers, the sound of raindrops on the pavement beneath your feet. Or watch a butterfly move gently from flower to flower. Or listen to a bird song.  

What are the sights and sounds and gifts of nature that bring you peace and contentment and joy? 

===OUTER  WORK===

Explore New Potential and Possibilities

Understand The Steps Of Aging

I don’t know what I was thinking. The problem was I wasn’t thinking about how to care for myself in my really old age. Suddenly it was upon me and I was not prepared financially or emotionally. 

Before I moved I was, in fact, paying for a form of assisted-living – someone to do laundry and clean and take out the trash. But I actually gave no thought to what was to happen to me next, what kind of care I might need as I got even older. I simply never thought about it.

I realize that there are many features here at Evergreen that have been important to me as part of having access to long-term care. I thought long-term meant dying and since I thought I was merely aging, I certainly was not aware that I could use as much help as I have been offered and accepted.

“Long-term care involves a variety of services designed to meet a person’s health or personal care needs during a short or long period of time. These services help people live as independently and safely as possible when they can no longer perform everyday activities on their own.”

Here’s what I have experienced.              

• 24-hour nursing supervision including medication management.
• Access to doctors on a regular basis.
• Monitoring of blood pressure and oxygen several times a day
• Professional wound care
• X-rays and blood tests brought to you.
• Physical therapy for recovery and genera strengthening.
• Dietitian for special diets (’m the only vegetarian here and I have being accommodated)
• A Social Worker advocate to guide your way.
• Social activities to build community and provide mental stimulation.
• Care partner (CNA, Med Aid) to help you dress and shower and get you in and out of bed if you need it.
• Daily laundry service
• Daily room cleaning
• Hair cuts, dentist, eye doctor and podiatrist all brought to you.
• Outside appointments are arranged and wheelchair transportation and Care Partner accompaniment is provided.

All of these are things that were unexpected for me and greatly appreciated. I was not even aware that I would need this much care.

In my case here in the US, I give them all of my social security except for $52 a month. In retune I am total cared for.

Keep an eye on what you need in your advanced years and do the research and if needed, get on a waiting list. Be prepared to scale down your possessions and give away a lot of stuff you provable still care about.

If you have a family member who will need this kind of living situation begin to talk to them early about what it would be like with long-term care as the next step so they can mentally and emotionally and financial prepare to make a move when the time comes. Don’t let it sneak up on them – or you – because it’s rather unnerving when it does.

I had allowed myself to get very isolated before I moved but now I am around kind and caring people from many generations and my heart has expanded and my knowledge and skills have been called upon and appreciated as I share what I have learned with up-coming generations.

If you are nearing a time in which you may need this next major step or you have a parent or relative or friend who will ned it in the next few years, help them do the research and become aware of the possibilities for their next living situation. Both of you will be glad to have the information and understand the options.  

Practice Using Your Body

Brian Clark presented an interesting idea in his Further newsletter, the idea of practicing using your body rather than the concept of working out. I am definitely practicing when I consciously stand up straight and remind my body to be more efficient. As I do my Qigong I focus not just on doing the form correctly, but on experiencing the flow of energy it creates how it makes me feel, and how it deepens my awareness.

There are many times that you can focus your attention on consciously using your body correctly – as you stand, or move your whole body, or just your arms and legs while sitting. Stretch and flex and move. All of these are about listening to your body and making it your partner – a partner that enjoys taking a few deep breaths to relieve tension, a partner tat  enjoys standing up straight and walking mindfully. Think of your body as a co-creator and engage it with thoughtful, mindful compassion and movement. 

See The Overview

I am blessed, or cursed, by being able to see the overview. I see it as a gift because it helps me become aware of and focused on the over-arching thrust of a particular idea or circumstance. For instance, I’ve been aware of the need to conserve to save the planet for over 40 years. But I can understand how someone who is simply working to survive does not have that in their consciousness. 

I am on an active search both physically and spiritually to find how to live my role as a Light Bearer and help change the overarching energy of the planet. I cannot get stuck in details while I search for meaning. It is a broad search, an extensive search, a thoughtful search and I’m staying flexible and open to explore and consider and act.

Are you buried in details? Or can you look at your days and see the over arching pattern that guides your steps? 

What Do You Need To Bring Forward?

As I look for ways to strengthen my body, I look back over the varied forms of exercise that I have learned over the years. When I lived in New York I had no car for 13 years so walking everywhere was a major form of exercise. I did a lot of yoga in New York City in the 80s. There are a whole lot of those poses that I can no longer do but I’m going to look closely at the ones I can do or try todo. I’m doing a modified version of some Qigong moves to accommodate my body.

Understand what you need and create a version of it that you can and will do in order to get the benefits. Be flexible. Be creative and don’t give up. 

===DEEPEN YOUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE===

Self-Healing Spiritual Practice and Deepening Awareness of Our Cosmic Oneness

The Soul Star

At night I do a Qigong move that I learned from Daisy Lee called Showering Qi combined with some Qigong moves I learned from David Wang to balance the energy of my body. Recently I have added a conscious connection to my Soul Star and the energy is very powerful. I move my hands up my chakras and send energy through my palms. I experience the crown chakra as being 12-18 inches above the top of my head. I raise my hands to experience it and then I raise both hands above my head and with my fingers reaching upwards I open myself up to the energy of my Soul Star. It sometimes takes a second or two for my imagination to travel there but I then get a download in the form of a huge centering yawn as I feel the energy of the Soul Star coming down to fill my body. 

Our Soul Star is always present. It is in your consciousness and you simply go within to connect and deepen your experience of your interconnection with your Soul Star.

Cultivate Stillness

I really like the phrase “cultivate stillness” and I stopped to think how I would do that. Stillness is to be totally present, aware of everything around you. You immerse yourself in the energy and sensations and experience it moving through you as you immerse yourself in that experience. You maintain an inner stillness when you work. You maintain an inner stillness when you walk. You maintain inner stillness when you are in an active exchange with others. 

Take a moment and immerse yourself in centered stillness. Allow yourself to sink deep within and sinply be. Be present. Be aware. Open your heart and feel and experience your presence as a strand in the Web of Life – connected and whole.

Be fully present in whatever you do. Shut out the world around you and focus your entire being on whatever it is you have chosen to do. That way there is no distraction, nothing to pull you off task. It’s a little like meditation when you shut out the world and go deep within and are fully present. 

I have a pretty active meditation practice that includes my drums, my native flute my kalimba, rattles and singing bowl.  But what if I just turned to look out my window and was simply present in nature –  focusing on the clouds, the trees – simply being present in the natural flow of things. I would have a different experience. How do you cultivate stillness? 

===RELEVANT AGING ===

(How to Stay Fulfilled No Mater What Your Age) 

Keep Your Mind Active

This idea is not going to appeal to everyone but it  may resonate with those who are actually curious and those who enjoy the company of  their own mind.

I listen my suite-mate watch hours of 20-year-old game shows and westerns and simply sit in her room with  the blinds on her window shut. As I move down the hall I see people sitting in their recliners doing nothing. There are activities for those who want them but I’m looking at how we spend our leisure time. Even some young people I know spend their entire weekend simply watching television. 

This is not about being busy or not busy, it is about how we nurture and replenish ourselves. What is a nurturing activity for you and is there another version of it that might be more beneficial? Perhaps you go sit in the yard and listen to the crickets or sit out at night and watch the moon rise. Or call a friend. Have you ever taken a nap in a hammock on a warm summer day? 

If you are tired, take a nap, or exercise or whatever you feel you need in the moment. Don’t just sit and do nothing. 

Keep your mind active and nimble.  Stop and turn your time into nurturing activities that replenish and refresh and restore you in body, mind and spirit. What will those activities be? 

For me, writing is invigorating and spiritually satisfying. My meditative practice is eclectic. I turn to the plants on my Altar Of Spiritual Expansion with gratitude for that inner and outer connection with the nature. I immerse myself in the conversations and exchanges with the staff around me. Those are enriching exchanges. 

I meditate, I play my drums and my flute. I watch too much news, I am always writing in order to figure things out. I do research online to understand a concept. Writing is a great way to explore.

I have friends in their 60s with whom I speak regularly on Zoom who are active and interesting and living their lives with imagination and enthusiasm. Our conversations expand us all. 

What do you do to keep your mind active, to experience yourself as a person who is actively contributing to our world? 

=== DEEPER SONG  PHILOSOPHIES ===

Healing Kitchen: Let Food Be Thy Medicine

A potent, transformative – and FREE – documentary series explores the world’s most promising medicinal plant-based foods… And how they can be used to heal the mind, body, and spirit from today’s most prevalent diseases.

It’s called Healing Kitchen: Let Food Be Thy Medicine

Click here to watch this sneak peek video!

Episodes air: Sep 12 – Sep 21, 2023,Replay Weekend: Sep 23 & 24, 2023 

===DEEPER SONG DISCOVERIES===

Resources to Explore

How Do Old Rocks Stay Relevant?

My friend and I were walking across Central Park in the 80s when she turned to me and said, “We are rocks. Others depend on us.” I thought about that and the I asked, “Who do rocks depend on?” And she answered, “Other rocks.” Fifty years later I’m wondering how old rocks manage as they age. For me, it looks like the rocks I depend on are younger but I can still give back. Even as I receive help as I age, I have insights and wisdom and awareness that strengthens and supports them on their journey. That’s a good exchange. So even though I’m an old rock I still have strength and insights to share. I guess old rocks just get more polished with age…

Exploration

I can’t take the class on The Shift Network but I will read his book. It will be my first audio book.  In his class introduction we found our Soul Note.

The Alchemy of Voice: Transform and Enrich Your Life Through the Power of Your Voice Audible Audiobook – Unabridged FREE

===BROADEN YOUR HORIZON – EXPAND YOUR VIEW===

Raise Your Sights and Your Expectations 

Fall Equinox September 23, 2023

The Fall Equinox and the first day of autumn arrive on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at 02:50 A.M. EDT in the Northern Hemisphere. 

It is not just a change of seasons, it is a change of energy and focus, an opportunity to repurpose your intentions for the next quarter. 

In the northern hemisphere it is the time to harvest. It’s a great time for evaluating the crops we have produced. The seeds we have planted. And evaluate how well we cared for those choices.

I have a file on my computer in which I journal and I have begun to record my intentions for a season so I can find them to see how I did.

What I am harvesting is a strong sense of the unfolding of a new role for me in the world. It is still evolving and I cannot exactly describe it but it has to do with raising my consciousness and my focus on planetary unity and well-being. The form is still writing about my thoughts and insights and discoveries along that path but the details are very much in the unfolding stage. 

How do you feel at Fall Equinox? Do you feel energized or depleted? Do you feel challenged or defeated? Take time to contemplate and journal how you are feeling about your work so far this year and list any ideas and suggestions that you would like to incorporate in the next season’s planning. 

I want and need to work harder on my physical strengthening and I think I’m going to look at that as going to football training camp to get in shape – maybe. I know how I want to train, I just have to get more persistent and consistent about it. So that’s one crop that I could have nurtured more this past year.

Ask for my “work,” the form is the same but the focus is now on defining our role as Light Beaners in the world. And that’s definitely a work in progress. 

My spiritual practice has been enhanced by the plants on my Altar of Spiritual Expansion that helps me to move more in line with the rhythms of nature. I do want to establish my version of a Qigong practice for physical reasons. 

What do I wish I had planted more of this year? I have added some sound healing and intention work and a little Qigong to my spiritual purchase but I want to go deeper and expand what I do. 

Are you satisfied with what you are harvesting? What do you want to plat more of or les of. What new varieties do you want to expplore? Give some thought to that. 

For me yoga pops up. I’m not even sure what poses I could come close to doing again but I know a lot of them and I will go exploring. I want to get outside more and will do so as the weather changes. My plan is to take my flute and a small drum and my kalimba piano out with me and sit and sing to the koi fish.  I wonder how fish hear.  

Look what you were harvesting right now and see what you will do differently when you plant next spring. What will you plant more? What will you plant less of? What needs more fertilizer or pruning? Spend some time observing and journaling where you are this fall and make some notes on what and how to change some of it for next year. 

===OUR EVOLVING FUTURE===

Support and Encouragement for our Unfolding Role in the Future

Can You Imagine It?

We use our imagination to bring things into being. We think about it, we savor it in our mind. We expect it to happen and it does. Imagination is very powerful in the creation of our life.

I’m working on a new vision for the planet. One in which everyone is kind and loving to everyone else and there is not only peaceful coexistence throughout the planet but we are also united and aligned with caring for our planet. And she responds accordingly.

I have to really get my imagination going to be able to visualize everyone loving everyone else and everyone being very thoughtful about how they tread the planet surface. 

Visualize it into existence. What are you focusing on? What do you think is possible? What do you expect to happen? Examine all of the things that you are focusing on to manifest – positive or negative, so when you change your thinking you really do change your life. Raise your vision and your expectation and imagine our new world into being. 

===HOW TO BE A STRONG CONTRIBUTING MEMBER OF THE CIRCLE OF LIGHT BEARERS===

Expand Your Role in the Rapidly Evolving Universe

Honor Your Path

I would not change any of the choices I made in my life because they’re all part of who I am today. Whether my choice was a lesson or whether it opened up a new path I’m glad I took it. But most of all I’m excited about what is opening up for me now at 90. All of this thinking and doing I have done in my life brought me to this point of greater exploration, deeper insights and a more meaningful role in the unfolding of the universe. I feel like I am ripening, ready to stand tall as a mature energy to add to the awareness of those who come in contact with me. Of course I have new paths to explore. Of course I have more gifts to expand. But I am at the point where I am a strong contributor to the path that I am on. And that makes me feel valuable and useful and meaningful. 

How are you enriching your life? What skills and insights are you developing that will ripen as you age? We can’t predict our future impact, but we can consciously develop and expand and cultivate our gifts so that we as we mature we produce a full harvest. 

===REFLECTIONS OF A DEEPER SONG PODCAST===

The Magical Power Of Affirmation

Listen to my
Reflections of a Deeper Song Podcast on
Apple / Spotify / Googleand the
Deeper Song Website

==== DEEPER SONG EXPLORATION ===

If you have a topic that you would like to see explored in this newsletter please email me at caralumen@gmail.com. Past issues of this newsletter are found at Insights Of A Deeper Song. Past Podcasts are found at Deeper Song Podcasts

===CARA’S CORNER===

What Do I Want/Need To Change?

I am touched by the ways that I have been asked to participate here at Evergreen, using the gifts I have developed over the years.  That has made me feel useful, and valued. My learning experiences are going two ways, one as I interact with members of the staff here who are from much younger generations and the other as I  move into my imagination to see how we are to become active Light Bearers on the plant today.

There are some patterns I need to expand and establish in order to do the work to reach those goals. I would like to have a loose plan to follow so I don’t go wandering off in the wrong direction and so that I can actually achieve something specific in the coming months. I need to raise my gaze and my expectations. What do you want/need to change an how will you do that?

===SING A DEEPER SONG ===

Embracing change 

I sit here looking over my harvest to see what I need to change – what to plant more of and less of and what new crops to try.

I sit here looking over my harvest to see what I need to change – what to plant more of and less of and what new crops to try. I look over my seed catalog of life for new ideas and unusual combinations.

I sit here looking over my harvest to see what I need to change – what to plant more of and less of and what new crops to try.  I look over my seed catalog of life for new ideas and unusual combinations. I dream my life into being.

– Cara Lumen, September 2023

We create our future with every thought we think, every action we take.  Move forward mindfully as you sing your Deeper Song.

Namaste,

Cara

Come Sing a Deeper Song  

I help Transformational Leaders
deepen our relationship with the Unseen World
and expand our role in the New Consciousness

Cara Lumen, explorer, spiritual philosopher, teacher, guide, leads us on a journey of self-awareness, spiritual expansion and impactful service. She helps us believe in our value, trust in our gifts, express our passion in a unique manner and build something meaningful around our wisdom and expertise. She helps us sing a deeper song.

Live in the nowhere that you came from, 

even though you have an address here  – Rumi

Please forward this newsletter to a friend and suggest they
Join the Deeper Song Community

Past Issues of this newsletter are being curated on my site on a page called Insights.

Our Global Deeper Song Community

Our Deeper Song Community extends throughout the planet  Welcome new Deeper Song Explorers. I’d love to hear of your experiences –  caralumen@gmail.com or let’s discuss on the Deeper Song Explorers!

Subscribe  to this weekly Deeper Song Newsletter at www.deepersong.com

My Books

What Is Your Role As A Transformational Leader?

Living Our Deeper Song

Ashe
(“Ah-Shay”)
 The Creative in me honors the Creative in you!

My mission statement is “I help Transformational Leaders deepen our relationship with the Unseen World and expand our role in the New Consciousness.” I reaffirm that every day. And then one day I realized I didn’t know what the New Consciousness looks like or feels like or even exactly how to get there. It’s a lofty idea and it’s sort of floating out there and it needs some physical plane support in order to implement.

For me, the New Consciousness is about focusing on the well-being of the whole – the whole planet, the whole of humanity, the whole universe. It is about identifying myself more as a strand of light in the Web of Life than as an individual human on the planet. So the first step is to keep my sights and thoughts and focus on what it means to be a strand in the Web of Life. Am I doing a good job? How can I make my strand stronger? When will I do that? 

Imagination creates our reality so if I turn my focus on visualizing peaceful cohabitation on the planet, that would make a difference. If I see the climate of the planet as being balanced, what would that look like? Can I put aside the visions of what is happening to create a vision of what could be when and if everything is balanced again in nature. 

My work is pretty much on the inner plane. If I were younger that participation might take some form of activism, perhaps writing articles to motivate and educate and inspire others to take positive action. Oh, I’m doing that now. What is your role in the New Consciousness?

Deeper Song Affirmation 

I give contemplative thought to my role in the New Consciousness and expand my expectations for myself.

Deeper Dong Process

• Look closely at your life and notice where and how you are already participating in the unfolding of the New Consciousness. 
• Identify and explore possible new places and roles for you to expand your impact. 
• Get to work.

===INNER WORK===

Deepen Your Inner Awareness

Is It Time To Shed Your Old Skin?

A snake sheds its skin two to four times per year in order to grow. Young snakes that are actively growing may shed their skin every two weeks. Older snakes might only shed their skin twice each year.

It made me stop to think about what layers it is time for me to shed either because I’m at a turning point or they are no longer useful. 

I can begin with habits I no longer find useful. I’m trying to develop new ones that help strengthen my body as it shifts and changes. I’ve actually tried on several new skins in the form of Qigong and Tai Chi. We can shed one skin to make more room for us to grow a new one.

I am already beginning to grow a new skin in my newsletter as I search to define our expanding role in the universe.

On a personal level I am bursting through my skin of spirituality in order to take it to a new level of exploration, experimentation and insights. 

It’s rather interesting to think of being able to simply shed an old pattern and grow a new one that fits you better and gives you room to grow. 

What patterns do you need to shed in your life and what will you grow in the open space that it provides? 

 Are You Dreaming Big Enough Dreams?

Is it time to go exploring, to open new doors and wander down new paths and try on what calls to us? 

I don’t think I have any dreams going on right now, particularly ones that show me how to have more impact at this late stage in my life. I could change that. I will change that because we should have big dreams at every stage of our life.

My main big dream is about being a Light Bearer. What does that look like? What does that mean I do at this point in time to save the planet and to save humanity? You know, small stuff.

I was not aware I’m having impact in my long-term care facility. I recently recorded a video that was shown to open a fundraiser and I made the videographer cry when I recorded it.

It feels meaningful to have a goal – not the plan – a purpose. It makes me feel relevant and it focuses my actions and my thoughts. 

A big dream may take a little longer to manifest but it adds depth to the meaning of your life. Are you dreaming big enough dreams?

===SELF-HEALING===

Take Responsibility for Healing Yourself

True Movement Comes From Within Yourself 

Nudges are unexpected gifts from the universe but the manifestation comes from within yourself. You have to listen. You have to observe. And you have to act. 

The listening part of getting nudges from the universe is interesting. When you sit quietly and go within, you can have a lively conversation with your Higher Self, a discussion, if you will, about the potential of certain choices. It’s good to talk things over with your Inner Self. 

And I think it’s fun when the Universe bops me on the head with an idea or a circumstance that opens doors for me to create new experiences and adventures. I had no idea moving into long-term care would be so rewarding.

And then there are the internal nudges that suggest you look in a new direction or explore a different path. We must stay open to the potential that change offers.

But true movement only comes from within yourself. When you make a decision. When you take an action. When you release a belief or expectation.  Trust your inner guidance and have a good ride. 

===OUTER  WORK===

Explore New Potential and Possibilities

Move On

Don’t stay in places where you don’t want to be. Find your place.

– Chris Brogan

It’s important to know when to quit. It’s important to know when to move on. Every time we break the ties with the stagnant position we are clinging to, we soar. New ideas dance in our heads, new opportunities appear on our doorstep, because we have decided to move forward. To make change. To be changed. 

What are you settling on? What are you settling for? 

Change can be very dramatic and it can also be very slow. Change can sneak up on you until one day you look up and you are no longer in a place you want to be. You are no longer using the skills you love to use, you are no longer working with the people that inspire and motivate you. What do you do in those circumstances?  

Do you have the courage to cut yourself free? Can you identify new venues where you can fully express your gifts and talents?

One of the major roles in our life is to fulfill our potential. Are you encouraging situations that use your creativity and imagination and your spiritual expression? If not, do you have the courage to move on?

Check Your Boundaries

Boundaries are not set in order to be restrictive, boundaries can be seen as guidelines for where to draw the line – for both expansion and containment. When is too much? When do you need to let go of that is no longer satisfy or rewarding? And what are the guidelines that need to be removed or expanded?

I want to expand the boundaries of my curiosity. I want to expand the boundaries of my physical body. I want to expand the boundaries of the number of people whose lives I touch. 

Sometimes we don’t even know we have unconsciously set boundaries or limitations for some aspects of our life. Look closely to identify the areas where you are stopping yourself from expanding. 

I Hit The Jackpot!

I’ve been looking for how I want to add more movement into my life and I decided upon Qigong. I have taken a lot of classes on The Shift Network and I still have access to those classes so I really hit the jackpot. I am able to start over with my Qigong practice and take it to a deeper level. 

I have taken lots and lots of classes on the Shift Network and could probably spend the next 10 years of my life reviewing those classes and strengthening what I learned as I re-establish and anchor the practices in my life. 

I have to make some adjustments because I can’t stand up straight right now but Qigong is about moving energy and opening meridians and strengthening organs. 

What classes or books are there for you to review and re-establish in your life? Repeat some of them and bring those that resonate now more deeply into your life.

===DEEPEN YOUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE===

Self-Healing Spiritual Practice and Deepening Awareness of Our Cosmic Oneness

Nature And Spiritual Expansion

I built my wall of flowers to separate my shared space in this long-term care facility. It is two white open bookcases each with five shelves that I have filled with green plants in white pots.  It is very serene and soothing.  I built it as an energy of protection. But in editing a previous newsletter, my friend and proof-reader Noralee changed a word and the sentence said, “My entire wall of flowers has gradually filled up with lovely plants that are deepening my connection with nature and symbolizing my ever-deepening and expanding spirituality.” And my energy changed. My personal reason for creating the wall changed. 

I don’t know where you keep plants around you but they are nature that you can keep close at hand.  As I watch these plants grow new leaves or sprout new roots or turn towards the sun, I get to think of and examine my spiritual growth. Am I nurturing it properly? As I watch for new leaves to appear, I think about what new leaves and roots I can grow in my own life.

What can I add to my spiritual practice that would deepen and expand and enrich it? I think it will be in the form of my three-line poems that I learned to do a long time ago. Write a line. Begin the next verse with that same line and add a line. Take those three lines to the third stanza and add another line – like:

My Wall Of Flowers

My wall of flowers is my protection but it is also a reminder of my spiritual growth.

My wall of flowers is my protection but it is also a reminder of my spiritual growth. Each new leaf, each new root reminds me to keep expanding and growing and expressing my inner self.

My wall of flowers is my protection but it is also a reminder of my spiritual growth. Each new leaf, each new root reminds me to keep expanding and growing and expressing my inner self. I nurture my spiritual being as a part of nature. 

– Cara Lumen, August 2023

===TRANSFORMATIONAL VISIONING===

Exist In A State Of Pure Potential

“Potential” means having the capacity to develop something in the future. It is shaped by our belief system of what is possible, the creativity of our imagination, and our deepest desires. 

On one hand, it means that all things are possible. On the other hand, it also means we have to believe it is possible. 

I don’t believe I will be able to walk around the block again, but I can imagine walking the halls and maybe even outside.

I’m going to opt to live in the world of possibilities. I love it when the universe surprises me with its gifts and opportunities. I’m going to practice imagining myself walking well and seeing well. I will use my resources and inner strength to do the work on the physical plane and my spiritual strength to make changes happen. What do you believe is possible for yourself? For the world? See the potential in your imagination and place yourself there.  Exist in a state of pure potential and watch what unfolds. 

===RELEVANT AGING ===

Become An Advocate

Where do people who have no family get help when they get old? More and more people are choosing to not have children so that potential support is not open to them. 

My sister chose to stay in Phoenix after her divorce and when she got dementia, she asked a friend to be her advocate. 

We have social workers here at Evergreen who act as advocates for those with no families.

What are you going to do when you get really old and needs an advocate?

===HOW TO BE A STRONG CONTRIBUTING MEMBER OF THE CIRCLE OF LIGHT BEARERS===

Expand Your Role in the Rapidly Evolving Universe

Get Rid Of What No Longer Serves You 

In order to move on, we periodically have to examine and release beliefs and habits and expectations that no longer serve us. It’s sort of like a spring houseclean where you re-think and re-choose to make room for what is evolving in your life. 

Examine your inner life, and the choices you make to fill your time, and prioritize and make room for those activities that expand your awareness and your spirituality. Get rid of what no longer serves you. 

===BROADEN YOUR HORIZON – EXPAND YOUR VIEW===

Raise Your Sights and Your Expectations 

How Do You Encourage Communication With Your Highest Self?

Sometimes it’s an unexpected circumstance. Sometimes it’s a sudden realization. And sometimes it is simply knowing. How does your Higher Self speak to you and how do you encourage those exchanges?

Many of my nudges come in as phrases or concepts that I turn around and write about in order to figure them out for myself. Then I share them with you. Sometimes it takes a major bop on my head from the physical universe for me to get the message. And sometimes it’s something someone says that resonates and prompts new possibilities for me to consider. Much of my writing could be thought of as reflective journaling as I seek to understand and apply new concepts to my life. 

I don’t specifically sit down with the intention of having a communication with my Higher Self, I exist more in a state of constant readiness to recognize and expand upon phrases and principles and insights that resonate and call to me. How do you encourage communication with your Highest Self?

===OUR EVOLVING FUTURE===

Support and Encouragement for our Unfolding Role in the Future

Raise Your Gaze

As I become more aware of my role as a Light Bearer, I am looking for ways to express that in the world around me. Since I don’t know the specifics of that role, it’s hard to figure out specific actions.  But I keep looking. I keep listening. I keep feeling. And I know that the path and my role in it will make itself known. 

For me, I think the work is energetic and expanding, perhaps writing to give others ideas for action. It’s the over-arching goal that is still evolving for me. 

What is your role as a Light Bearer in this massive global change that is taking place? Expand your role and let’s change the world. 

===REFLECTIONS OF A DEEPER SONG PODCAST===

The Cloak of Empowered Service

Listen to my
Reflections of a Deeper Song Podcast on
Apple / Spotify / Googleand the
Deeper Song Website

==== DEEPER SONG EXPLORATION ===

Past issues of this newsletter are found at Insights Of A Deeper Song. Past Podcasts are found at Deeper Song Podcasts

===REFLECTIONS===

When I left Kansas City for New York City in 1977, my neighbor brought me a copy of this famed poem which has always been present in my travels and sits on my altar today. It is my life:

The Road Not Taken

BY ROBERT FROST

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

===CARA’S CORNER===

 How Others Change You

I was on a Zoom call with a group of friends and was talking about how kind everyone is in this long-term care facility. And they told me that I had changed a lot since moving here and I too seem more kind. I never thought about how being in a different environment can change you in a big way. I had allowed myself to become very isolated in the past few years.

Leaving a stressful job ultimately allows room for you to find your rhythm, to make major changes, to rebalance physically and mentally and emotionally. Starting a relationship or ending one may allow room for major changes and how you respond to the world around you.

Major change happened for me because the Universe nudged me and prodded and guided me to this new place so I would have this experience. My friends say I changed a lot since I moved here. I do know that my heart is more open, I have expanded the places I serve and I feel more useful and valued.

Identify the times that you feel empowered. It may be a time that you are receiving support from someone. It may be a time that you were giving support to someone, or both. Notice the change that happens on the inside and the nourishment that comes with it. 

Notice what you were doing and if you were doing it with anyone else. Do more of that.

===SING A DEEPER SONG ===

My Heart Is Touched 

I have been touched by kindness and gradually I radiate kindness in return.

I have been touched by kindness and gradually I radiate kindness in return. My heart opens. My life opens. My expectations change.

I have been touched by kindness and gradually I radiate kindness in return. My heart opens. My life opens. My expectations change. Being touched by the light of others has expanded the reach of my light. I am glowing with love.

– Cara Lumen, August 2023

We create our future with every thought we think, every action we take.  Move forward mindfully as you sing your Deeper Song.

Namaste,

Cara

Come Sing a Deeper Song  

I help Transformational Leaders
deepen our relationship with the Unseen World
and expand our role in the New Consciousness

Cara Lumen, explorer, spiritual philosopher, teacher, guide, leads us on a journey of self-awareness, spiritual expansion and impactful service. She helps us believe in our value, trust in our gifts, express our passion in a unique manner and build something meaningful around our wisdom and expertise. She helps us sing a deeper song.

Live in the nowhere that you came from, 

even though you have an address here – Rumi

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Past Issues of this newsletter are being curated on my site on a page called Insights.

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What Will You Place On Your Altar of Infinite Potential?

Living Our Deeper Song

Ashe
(“Ah-Shay”)
 The Creative in me honors the Creative in you!

The idea of an Altar of Infinite Potential greatly expanded my thinking.  What kind of ideas and conscious desires will I place on such an altar? How do I work with it? Where will I place it? And how will an Altar of Infinite Potential change my life? 

I begin with the inner work that I want to do. I have begun to do Qigong again because my body needs it and it’s a very centered spiritual practice.

I’m going to increase my work on the physical plane by expanding my intention and my expectation for my edema to heal. I intend for my body to stand up straight and walk easily. I intend for my eyesight to improve. I’m going to expand my work with sound healing by exploring, experimenting and adding to what I know to do now. Restoring my health will go on my Altar of Infinite Potential.

I choose to touch more lives with my writing and my personal interaction. That has been happening organically since I moved to Evergreen Long Term Care.

I choose to develop and expand my spiritual practice to focus on raising the vibration of the planet and expanding my own spiritual exploration to communicate more deeply with the Unseen World. 

Will I make an actual Altar of Infinite Potential? As I look around, I see that I have gradually and organically turned the entire end of my small room into an Altar of Infinite Potential. 

My desk and computer sit right by three very tall windows overlooking the garden that is maintained by volunteer master gardeners. I have created a wall of flowers to nurture and support me in this part of my journey. 

As I organically change this small corner of my room, I can feel the energy change. It is calming and centering and protective. 

On a small table by the wall with the flowers, I have placed a large statue of Quan Yin in royal pose. In front of her I have a brass candle stick holder in the shape of the phoenix, an immortal symbol associated with cycles of regeneration. Rather than a candle I placed on it a miniature planet earth and Quan Yin is now watching over the world. 

My entire wall of flowers has gradually filled up with lovely plants that are deepening my connection with nature and symbolizing my ever-deepening and expanding spirituality. The energy in this small portion of my room has changed noticeably with the addition of the plants and intentions. This whole space is an Altar of Infinite Potential and I am aware of its energy and blessings that help make my own intentions a reality. This noticeable change in energy has already begun to change my life. What will you put on your Altar of Infinite Potential? 

DEEPER SONG AFFIRMATION

I allow my imagination to soar as I create my Altar of Infinite Potential 

DEEPER SONG PROCESS 

• Your Altar of Infinite Potential can be a physical space, a list on a piece of paper, or an image in your imagination.
• Nothing is impossible on this Altar Of Infinite Potential. Let your imagination soar and dream really big dreams.
• Once you have placed the items on your Altar of Infinite Potential perhaps arrange them and bring to the forefront one or two that you want to work on right now to manifest, to bring to life. 
• Create a ceremony of high expectations for the potential that you have chosen. Perhaps journal the signs and circumstances that show up to let you know that you are on the path that you have chosen. 
• Allow time for things to unfold and keep adding to your Altar of Infinite Potential. 

===INNER WORK===

Deepen Your Inner Awareness

Never Stop Dreaming

Our imagination makes things happen, our dreams make things happen, our expectations make things happen. Never stop dreaming and imagining and expecting. 

A friend of mine recently lost her husband and what she will get to do now is to reimagine her life based on standing alone in the world and following her own desires. Not only is this a time for grieving, it is the time for repurposing her life. 

Another friend is moving and this is a time for giving thought to what she wants her new space to feel like and look like.

Another friend is about to retire and is busy exploring and creating her next place of service and source of income. It is important to be aware of when it is time to change your room or your whole space and even your work so that you can make this next portion of your life exactly what you need it to be. 

My friend Chris Brogan rattled my cage a number of years ago when I was my late 70’s.  He asked me what I wanted to do for the next 30 years!  I started thinking and doing. At 90 I am still exploring and listening and growing. 

How do you want to make a difference in the world? How do you want to spend the next 30 years? What do you want to learn? Who do you want to serve? What do you want to accomplish? 

Take some contemplative time to identify the things that make your spirits soar. Was it when you were helping someone? Was it when you were learning something? Was it when you were creating something? Identify what you love to do and figure out how to do more of it. Never stop dreaming. 

How Do You Figure Things Out?

I keep getting a zillion new ideas for topics for this newsletter simply by writing to figure things out. Something I read suggests a new approach, or a new concept, or a new option and I take time to write down what that looks like and feels like and see if is for me to do.

How do you figure things out? Do you simply jump in and start doing it? Do you contemplate before you act? Do you try a portion of it to see how it feels? When offered a new approach or a new idea, how do you explore? How do you choose the parts and pieces that fit your life and begin to work with them? 

Most of my efforts to figure things out end up in this newsletter. It is how I explore the options and see what resonates for me and decide what future action to take. I may not take any action after I have given it more thought and explore the possibilities and that’s a good thing.

How do you figure things out?

===SELF-HEALING===

Take Responsibility for Healing Yourself

Space Cleaning

Two of my friends need space clearing. One because she is moving into a new space and the other because her husband died and she has to reclaim the space as her own. Anytime the energy of a space changes it is very powerful to create your own space clearing ceremony. 

First you want to clear the space of any residual energy. You can do that by clearing with sage or incense or even a flower essence. You can do it by creating a ceremony of intention.

First ask the space to release its past. Talk to the walls and make a gesture of releasing past energy. It could be by smudging, it could be by holding an intention in your palm and blowing it into the corners. Help the space release its past. Notice what you feel, the insights that come into your imagination and do whatever your inner voice tells you to do that releases any negative energy of the past. Notice the energy around the windows and the energy in the corners and ceiling and doorways. Keep working until the energy of your space changes and feels clear to you.

If you are moving to a new property begin by clearing the land to see what kind of messages from the past speak to you. You may feel the need to ask the ancients for permission to move there. You may need to release stuck energy from past events that took place on the land. 

My friend who is moving into an empty space can clear the space before she moves in. The other friend is gradually changing the energy of her home so her main objective is to create one cleared room at a time so she can rest and restore and heal as she begins to clear the other rooms and make the energy totally her own. 

You might decide to use Bach Flower Essences in the space.  As you replace or rearrange furnishings and notice how the flow of the energy changes and continue to clear and rearrange until the energy feels supportive of your new direction that is unfolding. Keep making changes in the space that nurture you. If it is a space that you will be inviting other people into like an office, consider adding a Blessing Bowl to the arrangement that holds your intentions for a positive exchange.

Intention is a major part of clearing a space. Create a ceremony that allows you to release past energy so there is a fresh new welcoming space for you to move into. Bring your positive energy in with consciousness and care.

Recognize Your Gifts

I’ve had occasion recently to look back over some of the small books I wrote 30 years ago and I realize they are very good and I have been a good writer for very long time. Sometimes it is reassuring to go back and notice what you accomplished earlier in life and acknowledge yourself for it and possibly build upon it now.

Writing has been a part of my life since I began contributing to my high school paper. It has taken many forms – poetry, plays, books, commercials, newsletters.

I have always been a fluid communicator – from conversation to public speaking to television spokesperson.

Some gifts are more evident than others. I’m a good organizer. I am a good logical thinker.  I am curious and impulsive.

Take some time to recognize and examine your gifts and look for new ways to express them in your life. Who knows what new doors will open.

===OUTER WORK===

Explore New Potential and Possibilities

How To Transform Negative Beliefs

Negative beliefs creep into our consciousness and we barely notice them. They come in one at a time until we are sitting in a pool of negativity and self-doubt. 

If you want to change your thinking, what do you do? Do you focus on the things that don’t work or do you focus on the things that do work? 

We have a choice here – look for the good – or look for the bad. Whatever you look for, you see more of.  To change your experience, raise your gaze. 

What do you expect? Do you expect the good, the positive, an optimistic outcome? What you look for is what you get. 

Monitor your thoughts and make certain you are focusing on the positive because that is then what you will get.

The Choice To Change

I want to make some changes but I have yet to decide exactly which ones and how to do them. I like the idea that people are dropping out of their complete immersion on the internet in order to pursue deeper, more personal, interactive experiences with others. How do I do that? 

I will begin by expanding and deepening my conversations with others. This primarily means the caring and caregiving staff around me. I have friends I talk with on Zoom on a regular basis and that is very nurturing for me. 

I am not very mobile so I can no longer get in my car and go someplace for a new experience. That’s probably why I rely so heavily on the Internet for those adventures. How do I change my experiential environment in those areas? 

I may hunt for some podcasts that talk with people who are exploring new ways of living on the planet. I have no idea how to find those but when I do, I’ll share them with you. That would be a good place for me to start. I will search for people who are exploring and thinking about how to live differently and more consciously on our planet. Here I go adventuring! 

What Skills Have You Not Been Using? 

As I sat here looking at the Chinese brush painting I did years ago that now hangs above my computer desk, I realized I have not been using my artistic ability in the form of drawing for quite some time. I have some oil paintings I did in a class a long time ago hanging on my wall. I have a notebook full of sketches from my shamanic journeys but I do not have art in my life right now other than in the form of writing.  

Since I’ve been here at Evergreen, I have used many of the communication skills that I have not used for a really long time like giving talks and making a video. It feels good to stretch those muscles again. What skills do you have that you have not been using and how will you put them back into play?

I Am Not A Robot

I went to sign on to a Zoom recording and they gave me that picture test that proves you’re not a robot. But I can no longer see well enough to pass the I’m not a robot test. That means I have to get help with one more thing and that is discouraging. Fortunately, I do have Care Partners to help but it’s a bit discouraging and it’s probably only the beginning of the adjustments I will have to make because of my dry macular degeneration. Do you have a physical challenge that you need to overcome? How creative are you in doing that? 

===DEEPEN YOUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE===

Self-Healing Spiritual Practice and Deepening Awareness of Our Cosmic Oneness

Immerse Yourself In Nature

I am going to go outside more. We have a lovely garden maintained by volunteer master gardeners and a waterfall and a koi fish pond. The spreading trees offer nurturing shade.

So far I’ve only gone out there with a Care Partner who stays with me. I now have a portable call button and I’m going to go outside and sit by myself in nature and have a meaningful conversation with a tree..… 

How will you spend more time in the shelter of nature?

Set An Intention For Each Room

As two of my friends are making major moves, I remembered that 30 years ago I wrote a book called Bless This House that was a description of what I did for my first house blessing as a practitioner in the Center for Spiritual Living. 

One of the steps is to set an intention for each room of the house and I realized that although I’ve had my holistic recharging station going in my room since I moved in and a dream catcher on the entry door and dream catchers and crystals and stained glass on the window at the opposite end of the room, I have not formally set an intention for this room.  

Now that I have constructed my flowers wall and made my work corner particularly safe and nurturing, I realize that I should expand my expectations and intentions for the entire space. 

I have a roommate and I keep putting up and energetically reinforcing my Transformative Shield.

For instance, the qualities of the space I sleep in could be
“healing, restoration and insights.” For my computer area it could be “insights, wisdom and expanded role”.

In facing my wall of flowers my intention could be “centered growth and any awareness of my room in the web of life”. 

I don’t have a separate space for meditation. In my case it’s about sitting in my chair by the window and simply turning in a different direction – but that simple act of facing a different direction can change my intention and my experience.

Be aware of the intention you set for each room and reminder yourself of those intentions each time you enter the space. It will help you keep the energy clear, focused and positive.

====RELEVANT AGING ====

The Phases of Our Journey

Our lives are a series of phases and what we do with each one of them weaves the fabric of our life. Our childhood becomes how we see our world.  Our adolescence is how we respond or react to our surroundings, our young adulthood is full of decisions, choices that direct our path. Our middle years are the reaping of our talents.  Our senior years give us time to see how else we can contribute to future generation.

The Senior Viewpoint

I am someone who has put off the idea of aging so it has been slow to overtake me.  Suddenly the reality check says it’s here.  So what am I going to do about it? What am I going to do with this particular phase of my journey? What is it that I want to do now?  A friend recently mentioned that if she could earn more for speaking, she’d speak twice a month and spend the rest of the time writing.  I now have more time to write. 

What am I to do with this phase of my life?

Each phase of your life is a great opportunity to rethink what you want to do and how you want to do it. It is a time to examine what you have achieved and what you still want to accomplish.  

===DEEPER SONG DISCOVERIES===

Resources to Explore

Speak From Your Heart

I was asked to participate in a video promotion for Evergreen Long-Term Care Facility. When Shauna asked me to do it, I knew immediately what I would say. As I shared it with her, she wiped tears from her eyes.

Speak from your heart and touch lives.

===HOW TO BE A STRONG CONTRIBUTING MEMBER OF THE CIRCLE OF LIGHT BEARERS===

Expand Your Role in the Rapidly Evolving Universe

An Individual Harp

I have not written about being an Individual Harp in the Circle of Light Beings for quite a while, but I have a small harp on my altar that I have placed in a circle of seated meditating figures. It reminds me that I must sing my song clearly and at the same time harmonize with the work of others. 

There are times when we are the solo instrument and times we are part of the orchestra. Both places of service are important, valuable, and rewarding. 

My individual song continues to change and I get better at being an individual harp. Periodically I might find someone with whom to play a duet or form a small group in order to create something new and vital. 

What kind of music are you playing on your individual harp? 

===BROADEN YOUR HORIZON – EXPAND YOUR VIEW===

Raise Your Sights and Your Expectations 

Be Choosy

Are you good at saying no? How do you set boundaries for yourself that allow you to structure your day and your time and your thoughts and your work in a manner that supports you and advances your goals? Are you one of these people who allows yourself to get pulled hither and yon as people express their needs to you?

Our first responsibility is to ourselves. We must care for our bodies and our imagination, our spiritual life and our souls.

Disengage. Stay balanced in how you spend your time and energy and resources. If you find yourself needing to change, do what is necessary to bring yourself back into alignment – not too much of one thing or another so that you create a balanced life and express all the facets of who you are. 

Life is about choices. Are you aware of your needs? How discriminating in your choices? How choosy do you need to be? 

Cutting Cords

They are like tentacles reaching out to keep us from progressing and it is hard to get them to let go. 

What emotion or physical ties do you need to release in order to move forward? 

Perhaps it’s hard to let go of a grown son or daughter who is struggling and yet it is their path to walk. Let go. 

Or your job has become less and less satisfying but you seem unable to let go and move forward.

Or a relationship has moved into negativity so gradually that you have learned to tolerate it. You need to cut the cord and free yourself to fulfill your own calling.

Look for the gifts and talents that have been lying dormant that need nurturing. Look for the dreams that have been put aside.

What cords do you need to cut out to fulfill your destiny. Snip.  Snip.

===OUR EVOLVING FUTURE===

Support and Encouragement for our Unfolding Role in the Future

Generations Of The Future

We sat in the sun with a cool breeze moving the tall reeds in the garden, a black dragonfly was exploring nearby and a tree waved its dark wine leaves in the summer air. We talked and I touched a life. The Care Partner who accompanied me on my trip to the orthopedic shoe provider wants to be a nurse working with children. We were waiting for the van that takes me back-and-forth in my wheelchair and we talked – or at least I talked and she asked questions. I shared some of the facets of my holistic background and in retrospect I know that I opened some doors for her.  And I realized part of my current role is to expand the awareness of some of these kind people working into the health care field. I told her about sound healing and intention and reiki and shamanism and expanded her awareness of the holistic forms that helping others can take. I do not know which, if any of those ideas will call to her but she was interested and I opened a few doors for her to look through.  It took about 40 minutes for the transport van to arrive and I realized the Universe had arranged our time together.  

Begin to notice the lives you affect in small ways by your example, your actions, or the ideas you express. We are both educators and guides for future generations. Do your job well. 

How To Have Your Mac Read Text To You

I’m on a Mac and this new tool is going to be a life-changing technique I need to know how to use as my eyes change. If you have a Mac you might want to subscribe to the Mac-Most feed. 

“You can easily have your Mac read selected text out loud. You can select the voice and speed. With some more work you can add a keyboard shortcut or have it export the audio into a file to use later.” 

Click Here To Watch

===REFLECTIONS OF A DEEPER SONG PODCAST===

Join the Circle of Light Beings

Curiosity Alone is Transformative

Listen to my
Reflections of a Deeper Song Podcast on
Apple / Spotify / Googleand the
Deeper Song Website

==== DEEPER SONG EXPLORATION ===

Past issues of this newsletter are found at Insights Of A Deeper Song. Past Podcasts are found at Deeper Song Podcasts

===CARA’S CORNER===

The Importance Of A Good Connection

I could not get online. I could not get my email. I could not talk with my friends on Zoom. I could not take a class. I could not listen to music. I could not shop online.  I could not share this newsletter. Three different staff members tried to troubleshoot the cause of the disconnect but could not fix it. It was not until a friend hooked me up with a different internet provider that everything worked again. 

And I begin to think about the importance of connection. I want to creating a reliable connection – with people, with ideas, with the world.

Increasing our level of connection may not be as easy as changing internet providers but I wondered exactly how we would set out to do that. 

“Be more present” comes to mind. “Be open to change, be flexible, be aware of what is possible.”

How well do I listen in a conversation? It was a huge shock for me recently when I was told that I was not a good listener. Since then I have been working on keeping my mouth closed and my mind open. 

How do I deepen my experience of the universe? How do I deepen my experience of the inner world? I will take more shamanic journeys. I may practice doing some automatic writing. I’m already good at capturing the thoughts I have into writing. I will expand and deepen that skill. 

I’m going to start listening more deeply, to become more aware of the signs and signals offered at the time by their posture, their words and the tone of their voice.  I will become more observant of the signs and signals that are coming in as well as the signs and signals my responses are putting out. 

I will take time to listen and explore and build a relationship because I understand the importance of a good connection.

===SING A DEEPER SONG ===

The Connection

I have to stay steady, and silent, connected and open within in order to make the connection. 

I have to stay steady, and silent, connected and open within in order to make the connection. I must open my mind and my heart to receive.

I have to stay steady, and silent, connected and open within in order to make the connection. I must open my mind and my heart and my senses to receive. Then I will know how to feel and respond and connect. 

– Cara Lumen, August 2023

We create our future with every thought we think, every action we take.  Move forward mindfully as you sing your Deeper Song.

Namaste,

Cara

Come Sing a Deeper Song  

I help Transformational Leaders
deepen our relationship with the Unseen World
and expand our role in the New Consciousness

Cara Lumen, explorer, spiritual philosopher, teacher, guide, leads us on a journey of self-awareness, spiritual expansion and impactful service. She helps us believe in our value, trust in our gifts, express our passion in a unique manner and build something meaningful around our wisdom and expertise. She helps us sing a deeper song.

Live in the nowhere that you came from, 

even though you have an address here – Rumi

Please forward this newsletter to a friend and suggest they
Join the Deeper Song Community

Past Issues of this newsletter are being curated on my site on a page called Insights.

Our Global Deeper Song Community

Our Deeper Song Community extends throughout the planet. Welcome new Deeper Song Explorers. I’d love to hear of your experiences –  caralumen@gmail.com or let’s discuss on the Deeper Song Explorers!

Subscribe to this weekly Deeper Song Newsletter at www.deepersong.com

My Books

How Do We Expand Our Role In The New Consciousness?

Living Our Deeper Song

Ashe
(“Ah-Shay”)
 The Creative in me honors the Creative in you!

At the time of the recent full moon, I could see it move across my big windows. As I watched its steady journey, I pictured it blessing the planet and her inhabitants. I pictured her role in the universe and her place among many planets and stars and I felt minuscule in comparison.  

I saw mankind struggling with wars and prejudices and survival and wondered at its role in the bigger picture, the overarching theme of Universal Energy. Rather than feel small, it made me feel more responsible for making certain that my individual strand in the Web of Light that is our universe is strong and steady. I do that through my intentions and my actions. I try to dwell on the well-being of the entire planet every day and join my heart with other Light Bearers who are holding High Watch for the healing and well-being of our planet and our universe. It helps me not be afraid. It helps me not be caught up in the mundane. It helps me hold a bigger brighter vision for our universe. I am a strand of light and I shine as brightly as I know how.  That’s how we expand our role in the new consciousness – working each day to strengthen and expand our individual strand in the web of life. 

Deeper Song Affirmation

I find creative ways to strengthen my role as an individual strand in the web of life.

Deeper Song Process

• Picture yourself with arms outstretched grasping the hands of others to join our strands in the Web of Life.
• Send energy to those who are struggling.
• Strengthen your individual strand through meditation and study and opening your heart.

===INNER WORK===

Deepen Your Inner Awareness

Willingness

I need a lot of physical help and I have a lot of people helping me. Some of them are more willing than others to go out of their way to make sure it happens. And some are reluctant to be proactive and figure out what they don’t know how to do. Where do you fall on the spectrum?  

===SELF-HEALING===

Take Responsibility for Healing Yourself

Do The Work

Use it or lose it. My suite-mate refuses physical therapy and now has to be lifted in and out of bed and her wheelchair by two people and a machine. In fact, of the 18 people on this particular wing more than half have to be lifted in and out of beds and chairs. It’s a choice we make. Use it or lose it. 

If some of the physical activities you are undertaking become hard, modify them but keep moving. I can no longer do many yoga poses but I still can do some Qigong and Tai Chi.

Find small places to slip in additional physical activity. For instance, they weigh me every day because they’re watching water retention. The pattern is for me to get in my wheelchair and be wheeled down to a big scan, weighed while sitting in my chair and wheeled back to my room. However, I’ve decided to begin to walk partway there with the Med-Aid following behind with my wheelchair for when I get tired. That small adjustment in my regular pattern will help strengthen my body.

Maybe you park your car further away from the entrance to the grocery store. Maybe you add an extra block to the walk you take your dog on every day. Perhaps you add some stretching or Qigong or even simple yoga poses to your morning meditation.

Start with five minutes and establish the movement pattern you want to use to strengthen your body. Then up it to 10 minutes and simply create and adjust until your find the balance you can maintain every day that will help you keep your body strong and flexible. Do the work. Your body needs you. It depends on you. Do the work.

===OUTER WORK===

Explore New Potential and Possibilities

Acknowledge Your Progress

I want to establish a way to see how I’m doing and if I’m going in the direction I want to go and design some framework for what I need to do next. This is a work in progress but here is how I’m going to begin.

The categories I will focus on are Spiritual Expansion, Creativity, Physical Well-being and Increasing my Impact In The World.

Spiritual Expansion

I have begun to experience myself as a strong strand in the Web of Life. I experiment with what that looks like and feels like. I am using intention and my imagination to cultivate a healing energy in my physical space so that whoever comes in is touched by it. I am using my intention and my imagination to heal my own body. I’m using my intention and my imagination to heal and restore balance to the planet. My spiritual practice is fluid, consistent and ever expanding.   

Creativity 

My creativity is founded on my personal learning process. It happens to take the form of this newsletter which gives me an opportunity to examine and explore new ideas and how to apply them. I see this as my major form of learning and applying concepts and changing my own belief systems.

Physical Well-being

I’m working with intention and sound healing to help my body heal as well as trying to actively do physical plane work to help it get strong again. 

Impact In The World

I am concerned about the well-being of humanity but mostly I want to focus on how to raise my own vibration and help others to feel our oneness with Source. I continue to expand my awareness of each of us as vital strands in the web of life and we must each learn to keep our strand strong. I’m not sure how to do that but that’s my focus.

Set Your Goals

Because of my categories my goals have to be broad and extensive and flexible. 

Spiritual Expansion

I don’t know whether to go backwards or forwards in my search for spiritual expansion. There are some philosophers I would like to re-read and probably anchor some of those resonate concepts more firmly in my life. On the other hand, my search is for new ways to experience my/our oneness. I may have to let that one unfold and trust the universe to guide me to those next steps. 

Creativity 

I want to continue to deepen my exploration and share what I discover. And how I apply what I learn. This newsletter gives me opportunities to explore new ideas and how to apply them. I will find creative ways to stay creative. 

Physical Well-being

This one is easy because there are specific concrete things I can do and specific concrete results that I can see when I do them.

The major adjustment in my physical experience is going to be around my eyesight and what adjustments I have to make because of my dry macular degeneration. I’m just staying flexible and hopeful.

Impact In The World

This is an interesting goal for a 90-year-old in long-term care but I have my mind, my imagination, my determination, and my willingness. I am applying sound healing and intention and I meditate eac day and seek guidance for how to expand my role in the world. I am a work in progress. 

Check Your Progress

My first thought was to make a list of what I want to do and then three months down the line see how I’m doing. I seem not to be able to make a very concrete list of objectives in these categories. 

That will work on the physical well-being objectives but the creativity category is like one big unfolding experiment so I need to stay flexible and creative.

I don’t have a new creative project in mind but I’m always open to respond when new ideas and opportunities show up. 

Spiritual Exploration is a fluid path of insights and discovery. Like creating, I really have to explore and see where it takes me, what new doors and what path I choose to take. 

Impact In The World

This is a whole area of fluid exploration… I will try out new concepts and new ways of being and notice how they impact the world for the better. 

Check Your Progress

On one hand this idea is a bust because my original thought was to make a list and check it in three months to see how you’re doing. But now I am going to write a philosophical objective. Spiritual Expansion is a little harder to measure as far as progress is concerned, as is how I can impact the world.

Spiritual Expansion As An Objective

I want to focus on our oneness and our path as humanity as a whole. I want to move my consciousness into a higher level of oneness and express that in my life. You know, something easy… 

I’m going to stay flexible and curious in all four of these areas and listen to my inner guidance and see where it takes me. How do you set objectives and measure progress in those areas of your life? 

Creativity Progress 

I might make a list of what I’m doing currently with a date beside it so I can check back in three months to see what has changed. But this is an area of constant change and exploration so who knows where I’ll end up. 

Physical Well-Being Progress 

What I’m interested in here is what techniques work. I am experimenting with both intention and sound healing and I should probably journal my experiences  and discoveries as I go.

Impact In The World

I may not be able to measure this or even see the results of the work I do but it is an ongoing work in progress and I will use my imagination and my determination to contribute to the well-being of our universe. 

I hope this helps you begin your “Explore Next” list and how you choose to monitor and apply what you learn and experience. Every three months or so I’m gonna do a check-in and look at where I was and write down where I am and get some ideas for where I want to go. Then of course, I simply let my life unfold and go where it takes me. 

How will you set some goals and track your progress so you can make new goals? 

Do You Expect Enough?

“If you are short of something, the shortage is in your own consciousness.” 

– Eileen Caddy, Opening Doors Within 

If your closets are full, your garage is full, your cabinets are full, your house is full, your arms are full, and your life is full, how can you have room for anything else to come into your life?

There is no room. No place for expansion, no room for greater flow. That is why we so often hear the recommendation that to get supply going in your life, clean out your closets, give stuff away, get the flow moving. Make room for bigger and better flow. It’s more than your closets, it’s your awareness. It’s opening up your consciousness.

There is no supply outside of your being. If you want to enjoy the abundance of supply, you must create a flow of giving and receiving. 

Two things will happen when you begin to clear out your life:

1. 1. You will activate the Law of Giving and Receiving, and 
2. 2. You will create a vacuum for Spirit to fill with the abundance of your choosing.

Take out a pen and paper and create a list like this: 

I RELEASE

I ACCEPT

What are some things you can write in your left-hand column that says “I Release?” Begin to make a list. 

Under the right-hand column titled “I Accept” write some of the things that could come in to take the place of these things you have released.

My list begins with:

I release:

• All sense of helplessness
• Notion that my choices are limited
• Worry about my eyesight

In its place I put:

I accept:

• My increasingly satisfying contribution in the world
• Expansion and deepening of my relationships
• An expansion of my role as a Light Bearer
• Increasingly deepening spiritual practice

Are you expecting enough of yourself?

What Gifts Do You Want To Expand And Repurpose? 

First identify a gift that you enjoy and then begin to look for ways to expand how you use it and see if you need to repurpose its focus.

For me, writing is at the core. It holds my creativity, my method of exploration and my sense of contributing to the world. And because of my eyesight I really do have to start getting creative about how I share my writing.

Perhaps you are an outstanding organizer. Perhaps you are a natural leader, a natural nurturer. And perhaps there are gifts you recognized earlier in life that it’s now time to explore and expand and utilize.

Re-visit the dreams you had earlier in life about what you would like to do and see which ones still resonate. Look back over your life and remember the rewarding things you used to do and give some thought to how you could bring that experience into your present life. 

The form of this newsletter works very well for my needs and my desire to write and I even get to write my version of a poem each week. 

My gift of organization is being called upon as a therapist here is forms a new group with the purpose of connecting like-minded residents and expanding our awareness. I gave her a list of  things that I wanted to get out of such a group:

• A feeling of still being relevdvmt
• A sense of still contributing and making a difference
• Personal growth
• Mental Stimulation
• Personal support around aging
• Learning
• Hang out with other intelligent people.

Give thought to the form you want your gift to take. I like my short, focused commentaries. I don’t like to go in depth on one subject. That’s good for me to know. I keep looking for fresh insight rather than expanding on one or two. 

I love to learn and I have many ways I keep doing that. I love to think philosophically and am always doing that. I don’t like long-term projects so I keep mine short so I can complete and move on. 

All of these are simply elements of what I love to do and how I love to do it.

Look closely at your gifts. See how your interests change. And expand and repurpose those that call to you. 

===DEEPEN YOUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE===

Self-Healing Spiritual Practice and Deepening Awareness of Our Cosmic Oneness

How Do You Cultivate Your Soul’s Growth?

I do not even know where to begin to figure this out. What makes your soul grow? Is it your experiences? Is it your thought process? Is it some magical insight that simply appears? 

Experiences expand your soul. Insights expand your soul’s awareness. Interactions with others are always full of lessons and a deepening awareness.

Your mind goes exploring to define ideas and concepts that motivate and inspire and challenge you. Your heart, when you listen, will lead you down new paths of compassion and inclusion. 

List three ideas that can open your heart to new paths and start exploring. Throw open the doors to a deeper soul experience. 

===DEEPER SONG DISCOVERIES===

Resources to Explore

The Acacia Tree

We were talking about communicating to plants and this story was told to me by the Nurse Manager here who is from Kenya.

Giraffes in Kenya love to eat the leaves of the Acacia tree. But when the giraffes start to overeat and threaten the well-being of the entire group of trees, one tree and one tree only sends out an odor that makes the giraffes leave! 

So how does the tree decide when it’s time to do that and how to do that and know that it is the only tree to do that? I have no idea. But the lesson is the power of one tree (person) to rescue an entire grove (humanity).

Do not underestimate the far-reaching effects of your individual participation in the world. 

===HOW TO BE A STRONG CONTRIBUTING MEMBER OF THE CIRCLE OF LIGHT BEARERS===

Expand Your Role in the Rapidly Evolving Universe

Set Aside Time To Go Exploring

How do you grow? How do you spend your options? Do you go exploring? Do you find new things that interest you and check them out? Do you talk to people with new ideas and see which ones you like? Do you go exploring? 

I have done a modest deep dive into Sound Healing to see how I want to bring it into my life. I have begun to actively design and put a sound healing practice into place.

I would like to add visualization of new possibilities to my spiritual practice.  I have begun to talk to the few plants that I have around me and we are beginning to engage in a conversation. I have a strong need for some self-healing on the edema on my legs and I will create and establish a combination of sound and visualization and affirmations to facilitate their healing. 

I keep on the lookout for what I am to explore next. Whether it is to deep dive into something that I have already considered or move on to find and explore something new, I will let my intuition guide me as well as the vision I hold for what I want to unfold next. Set aside time to go exploring and see where it leads you.

How Far Reaching Is Your Impact?

I am deeply touched by what I was able to share this week in an unexpected circumstance. There are a lot of people in training to become certified nursing assistant (CNAs) and part of their class is to interview a resident.  I have experience and enjoyed several of those interviews but one I gave this week touched my heart deeply. The young woman is from Iran, a country torn apart as males subjugate women who are refusing to have their lives lessened in anyway. She spoke of the relief she felt upon leaving that country and she also spoke of the trauma her five-year-old daughter was having from having lived in that experience. 

And then my important share dawned on me. I told her about sound healing and how it helps with trauma. I told her about David Gibson’s book and suggested she look up his practitioner list and see who’s around here and go have a sound healing session. I may have helped to change the course of a child’s life and perhaps even her mother’s. All because I stay curious and go exploring and share what I discover. Talk about one strand in the Web of Life affecting another strand. I did that in an unexpected way. 

David Gibson has a list of Sound Healers in his Sound Healing Centre  site and I strongly recommend his remarkable book Empower Your Life With Sound Healing, The Complete Guide to Sound Healing.

===BROADEN YOUR HORIZON – EXPAND YOUR VIEW===

Raise Your Sights and Your Expectations 

Actualize Your Gifts

Are you cultivating all of your gifts? Or are there a few subtle ones that could use your attention? It’s pretty easy to put the obvious gifts to work, I’m a good writer, I’m a good organizer, I’m a good talker. I use those skills and gifts all the time. But what more subtle gifts could I begin to cultivate? I’m curious. I love to learn new things. Until I moved to Evergreen long-term care, I thought I was pretty much a loner. I’m having more interaction here than I have had in years. 

I’m not a particularly good artist but I have a good time doing pencil drawings of my shamanic journeys for my own pleasure. I could do more of that.

I went to the Resident Council meetings to see how I can participate and perhaps be an advocate for other residents. I’m interacting with 18- to 20-year-olds more than I have since I was raising that age group and I’m learning from them as well as sharing some of my thoughts and awareness. 

Curiosity is a major primary gift that I continually cultivate. It takes me on adventures and opens the door to new pathways which I sometimes explore and sometimes don’t. But it always expands my awareness. 

Look back at some of the things you enjoy doing in your life and see what needs to be brought to the forefront and encouraged to be part of your path. How will you put your gifts to work in your life?

===REFLECTIONS OF A DEEPER SONG PODCAST===

Join the Circle of Light Beings

Listen to my
Reflections of a Deeper Song Podcast on
Apple / Spotify / Googleand the
Deeper Song Website

==== DEEPER SONG EXPLORATION ===

Past issues of this newsletter are found at Insights Of A Deeper Song. Past Podcasts are found at Deeper Song Podcasts

===CARA’S CORNER===

Explore New Concepts

The discussion was about what it looks like to be a Light Bearer. I was with a group of on-line friends I call the Rainbow Weavers. I needed their help exploring what being a Light Bearer looks like and how we express that role in life.

My core realization was that I am now focused primarily on feeling and experiencing myself as a strand of light in the web of life. I am to hold my strand in place with strength and determination and flexibility and joy. Holding my place in the Web of Light helps others hold steady in their place in the Web of Light. 

This focus on being part of an overall web keeps me above the conflict and eruptions from humanity today and helps me stay focused on the well-being of the whole. It adds a whole new meaning to the concept of holding High Watch for the Universe. I can do that. 

===SING A DEEPER SONG ===

Song of A Light Bearer 7/21/34  

I am a strong strand in the Web of Life and my steadiness and perseverance and stability contribute to the entire web. 

I am a strong strand in the Web of Life and my steadiness and perseverance and stability contribute to the entire web. I keep my light bright. I keep my light strong. I am aware of my surroundings and support other strands in the web around me. 

I am a strong strand in the Web of Life and my steadiness and perseverance and stability contribute to the entire web. I keep my light bright. I keep my light strong. I am aware of my surroundings and support other strands in the web around me. I am a Light Bearer and I fill my world with light. 

– Cara Lumen, July 2023

We create our future with every thought we think, every action we take.  Move forward mindfully as you sing your Deeper Song.

Namaste,

Cara

Come Sing a Deeper Song  

I help Transformational Leaders
deepen our relationship with the Unseen World
and expand our role in the New Consciousness

Cara Lumen, explorer, spiritual philosopher, teacher, guide, leads us on a journey of self-awareness, spiritual expansion and impactful service. She helps us believe in our value, trust in our gifts, express our passion in a unique manner and build something meaningful around our wisdom and expertise. She helps us sing a deeper song.

Live in the nowhere that you came from, 

even though you have an address here – Rumi

Please forward this newsletter to a friend and suggest they
Join the Deeper Song Community

Past Issues of this newsletter are being curated on my site on a page called Insights.

Our Global Deeper Song Community

Our Deeper Song Community extends throughout the planet. Welcome new Deeper Song Explorers. I’d love to hear of your experiences –  caralumen@gmail.com or let’s discuss on the Deeper Song Explorers!

Subscribe to this weekly Deeper Song Newsletter at www.deepersong.com

My Books