What Makes A Friend A Friend?
Living Our Deeper Song
Ashe
(“Ah-Shay”)
The Creative in me honors the Creative in you!
I was thinking back over the friends I have had in my lifetime. I aways seemed to have at least one close friend – that person who shares your values, who for the moment is going in a similar direction to yours and someone with whom you shared equally.
Pause a minute and think back – perhaps clear to your school days and feel a smile of remembrance come to your face.
Friends care about each other. They care for each other. And the friendship is never forgotten. You come together for a moment in time for a shared interest in which you both teach and learn from each other.
A friendship develops organically. It may last only as long as a mutual interest or project. But it enriches both of you.
Friendships are never lopsided. Each person receives the gift of being and having a friend. You are each filling a specific need for the other at the same time.
I have no idea where some of my past friends are, or how their lives turned out but they were important allies and support for me at various points in time.
I have been in long-term care for three months and I continue to deepen my friendships among the staff. Part of that comes from my open friendliness and part of that comes as they get to know me and respond. There is the Med Aide who took me outside after she heard I had asked to be taken out the day before. She is the same one who helped me find and fasten fake flowers to my wheelchair. Their willingness to help me with my most mundane tasks is touching.
I’m getting to know people better as we deepen our exchanges.
I am drawn to anther Med Aide because of how well and cheerfully she does her job. Staff comes to me to talk about crystals and meditation and the dreamcatchers in my window. A few are reading my newsletter and looking over my website.
There are a lot of young people 19 and 20 who have already chosen this path of service and it is fascinating to get to know someone so aligned with their gifts so early in their life.
My close friends are all at least 30 years younger than I. I do not relate to people my age, only to the younger people who are still active in their lives.
What kind of a friend am I? I started to write that I was not physically supportive of others at 90 but I am – I am mentally supportive to a lot of people. I think I am entertaining in my uniqueness.
Cultivate your friends. I have Zoom calls with friends in Europe as well as the States. We are interesting, interested women living active lives and supporting and encouraging each other.
Is there an old friend you want to call? Is there a new friend you want to know better? And while you are at it, what kind of a friend are you?
DEEPER SONG AFFIRMATION
I develop new ways to deepen my friendships.
DEEPER SONG PROCESS
- Make contact with an old friend.
- Take steps to cultivate a new friend.
- Be a better friend to yourself.
===INNER WORK===
Deepen Your Inner Awareness
Dismemberment And Today’s World
There is great hope in Sandra Ingerman’s February Transformational News. Just read it….
Fresh Start
Would you like to take a pause in your life and create a clean slate upon which to write the next stage of your life? What would you erase? What would you write that is new? What would you embellish? It could be a relationship, it could be a job, it could be a situation. If you could take a pause and clear out some of your emotional space what would you release?
Go within to a quiet space and picture your life without that element. Without that conflict. Without that obligation. See what your life would be like. When you have decided what you would like to change perhaps go even deeper within and ask your inner self how to make that happen. How are you planning to make that change? How do you release a situation so that you can move on? Play with various scenarios, make some decisions and do the work. Keep exploring and create a fresh start.
Affirmations
An affirmation is a positive statement made as if it has already happened. “All of life comes to me with ease and joy and glory.” “I master this information easily and effortlessly.” “I easily recognize the right direction for my next step.” All of those are affirmations that help us manifest the specifics of our life. Notice the affirmations you are giving yourself almost unconsciously and be certain they are what you want to manifest.
You might be saying things like “I can’t do that”, or “it’s too hard“ or “that will never happen.” Change those affirmations into “I find a solution easily and effortlessly.”
Notice the messages you give yourself and do some course correction today.
===SELF-HEALING===
Take Responsibility for Healing Yourself
The Silence of Change
You cannot see a leaf grow. You cannot hear a bud unfold. You cannot hear the flutter of a butterfly wing. And you cannot hear your own body healing itself and manifesting change.
These are all silent worlds that manifest continuous change. Scientists have learned to look closely at microscopic levels to understand the myriad of detailed interactions that are involved in our body. They can even fix many things when they go wrong.
Change is often silent. We have to learn to do the work and watch for the subtle shifts that manifest because of what we are doing.
As I watch my body heal some of the changes are very small and some are fairly dramatic. I keep listening deeply to interpret the subtle messages and positive change it is accomplishing.
A great deal of change is silent. Learn to listen with your whole being.
===OUTER WORK===
Explore New Potential and Possibilities
The Younger Generation
I met a remarkable young woman one night who was on duty from the agency. Her name is Sophia and she is going to be a gynecological surgeon. She is 19. And she has known since she was five that was what she wanted to do. She has a full-time job at KU Medical Center but takes temp assignments when she is bored.
As I get to know these younger people, I am beginning to get a glimpse of how the world will evolve under their guidance.
As old people we have to trust the unfolding, that they are learning what is needed for the well-being of the world today and are stepping forth to make it possible. As a member of the really old generation, I realize that our way is no longer useful. We are probably outdated and out of touch. I wish the older politicians would figure that out.
Be open to experiencing younger people and their unique point of view and let it help expand how you see the world.
Do Something Differently
I’m not suggesting you eat your dessert first but I am suggesting you rearrange how you do what you do. I try to do things differently as I explore a new experience. My spiritual practice is changing because I can’t play my native flute very well anymore because of my arthritic fingers so I’m turning to my drums to expand my spiritual practice. I’ve begun to use more protective energy elements around me in the form of protective shields. And I really like the idea of being at the altar of infinite potentials, so that when we change our energy, we change our lives. I want to explore that more and feel what it creates for me. Maybe you try a new game or read a new book or explore a new podcast. Do something to change your routine and your viewpoint.
Rethink The Premise
I had asked to hang my drums on the wall until Andy from maintenance came and talked to me about it and I realized it was not a good idea. He suggested I move them into a container near my desk. It was a great idea because I realized that if they were closer, I would play them more often. Sometimes we have ideas that are not as practical as they could be and we get to rethink them.
Positioning is super important. I won’t play my drums if they are across the room on the wall but I will play them if they’re right here by my desk so I can turn and look out the window and play a few rhythms. But I hadn’t realized that.
Explore a problem from several angles before you settle on a choice. It could be from the aspect of keeping things together, from splitting them up, where you place them or from simply getting another container. Rethink how you have the things around you and see if you can make them more assessable.
Taking Stock
We must pause periodically in our life and our work to take stock, to see what has changed. To see what we have learned. To see what new choices have opened up and what we have accomplished.
Once we make that evaluation, and gain that overview, we can make new choices based on the progress we’ve made and the new opportunities that have opened up.
It’s easy to get caught up in detail and forget to pause to examine your progress. You don’t have to rethink things every day but you should rethink them frequently because as you take new steps, new insights and avenues open up to be considered.
You may find you don’t want to continue a project. You may find a new way to do it to help make it happen faster. As you move along a project, question your process and progress many times along the path. Make room for experiments and change and growth, deeper understanding and greater insights.
===DEEPEN YOUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE===
Self-Healing Spiritual Practice and Deepening Awareness of Our Cosmic Oneness
I’m Really Into The Frame Drum
One of the earliest forms of drums is the frame drum. The women were denied access to drums so they used their grain sieves as drums. And that was the beginning of the frame drum. I seem to be using my frame drum several times a day. I actually put my cheek on it and feel the vibration go into my body as I drum. And then I let my body talk. I let me talk to me through the drum. It is a new language I am learning.
The frame drum I have is a 16” REMO Fiberskyn – $30 on West Music: Buy Here
There’s a new thumb drum class on The Shift Network but I took one from Christine Stevens a few years ago. Here’s the new class: Rhythms and Myths of the Sacred Frame Drum
===HOW TO BE A STRONG CONTRIBUTING MEMBER OF THE CIRCLE OF LIGHT BEARERS===
Expand Your Role in the Rapidly Evolving Universe
Change With The Times
I watched my physical therapist use his thumbs to rapidly text a message and realized that I can’t do that. I’m from the days of the keyboard and I leaned to type on a big manual typewriter.
I read an article about how artificial intelligence is replacing white-collar workers and wondered what people were going to do for jobs under those circumstances. Those are not the issues of my generation but they may very well be the issues of yours.
One of the questions I have about artificial intelligence is how does morality and spirituality get built into it and by whom. My friend Thuy knows how to teach this and I’m having fascinating conversations with her about it. It’s not that I’m trying to abandon a roll of responsibility but I am not in a position to make those kinds of changes in the world. Perhaps you are. Perhaps you will. Perhaps you do.
===BROADEN YOUR HORIZON – EXPAND YOUR VIEW===
Raise Your Sights and Your Expectations
Combine Your Gifts and Talents Into A New Offering
I have had several professions in my lifetime and I’m now taking great pleasure combining them into unique offerings. I no longer teach Reiki but I use it in my daily life. I only occasionally write professionally but I use my writing all the time to explore the world in this newsletter and share what I discover. I was a licensed spiritual practitioner in the Center for Spiritual Living and that has permeated my daily philosophy of life as has my immersion in Taoism and Shamanism.
As we add new skills and awareness to our life, we adapt and incorporate them into our offerings.
I have a good friend who’s ready to retire and is changing professions. She is combining Reiki and Shamanism in the astrology sessions she offers. How will you combine your gifts and talents into a new offering?
===OUR EVOLVING FUTURE===
Support and Encouragement for our Unfolding Role in the Future
Banishing Evil From Our World
Why is it that evil is so blatantly on display in our world today? Is it to make us aware of it? Is it to make us take active steps to eliminate it?
There have been other times in history in which evil came to the forefront and was prevalent in society. The world wars come to mind but today we see evil coming out of individuals in national and local arenas. Where is this evil coming from? Why is it manifesting? What are we to do?
As with almost any change we begin with our own self. Are you thinking thoughts of anger or hatred and revenge? Why? Are you making room for different viewpoints and different cultures? Why do you think that your way is the only right way?
Make room for the myriad of spiritual approaches in the world and see us all as light workers for the highest good.
===REFLECTIONS OF A DEEPER SONG PODCAST===
Expanding Awareness
Do You Hold the Beat or Play the Melody?
Listen to my
Reflections of a Deeper Song Podcast on
Apple / Spotify / Googleand the
Deeper Song Website
===CARA’S CORNER===
Next Steps
Each day my body gets better and stronger as I recuperate from my hip replacement surgery. And that means that each day, I get to do a little more and ask a little more of myself. I have to do the work. A great deal of what I feel is joy and excitement over regaining my freedom of movement. I’m not sure I ask as much as I could or should but then I’ve never been one to challenge myself physically.
My body and I are a team working to regain my strength and my stamina. It heals and I give it more opportunity to strengthen. It is definitely a collaborative effort.
What kind of conversations do you have with your body? Are you aware when it sends out signals did it need something different or more? It could ask for a different diet. It could ask for more movement. Pay attention and give your body what it needs.
Because I get so engrossed in my writing and unconsciously lean forward into my computer, I am now resorting to my ladybug timer and set it for 20 minutes. When it goes off, I lean back in my chair and look out the window and take a few deep breaths and change the rhythm of my focused concentration. I could use the timer to remind me to stand up from my desk and stretch my body and move my legs and quiet my mind.
How in tune are you with your body? Do you listen to it throughout your day? Do you respond to its needs effectively? Even stopping your mental focus to turn and gaze out at nature and take some centering breaths will help change the intensity of your focus and let your body restore itself to its natural rhythm.
Your body is there for you but it is a partnership. Do your part through the choices you make.
===SING A DEEPER SONG ===
Ode To My Body
My body has given me a long and interesting life and I am grateful.
My body has given me a long and interesting life and I am grateful. It is older now and needs more care which I thoughtfully and gratefully provide.
My body has given me a long and interesting life and I am grateful. It is older now and needs more care which I thoughtfully and gratefully provide. Keep going body, we have more meaningful life to live.
– Cara Lumen, February, 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 adventurers who are ready to explore the new possibilities in the emerging energy of the Divine Feminine to align their dreams and choices with what is emerging as possible today so that they go beyond their own expectations.
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