Month: February 2021

The Energy of the Cut

With Spring in the Air, it’s time to get busy with the garden cleanup. Grabbing my secateurs I begin with the pruning. But as stems fall around me I suddenly find myself questioning –

• Is this the right time?
• Am I cutting in the right place?
• Am I doing it right?

As I tend to garden more from instinct than with knowledge I hesitate. But not for long as what I lack in know-how I make up for in faith. Faith in my ability to know what to do and when to do it. As well, faith in Nature’s resilience. So with this trust, I carry on. 

What does this teach me about the ‘Energy of the Cut’?

With each cut I make I am altering its’ growth direction. Now no longer following the same route energy pulls back, regroups, before it resumes. Stronger because of the prune. Heathier because of my decision.

When we make the decision to cut something away, we do the same. And just like the plant, regroup. No longer going outwards we have more energy ready for redirection, for future growth.

For example-

• Cutting back on spending means we spend less and save more.

• By ‘cutting out’ friends/situations which don’t serve us we make the conscious choice to redirect making healthier/productive choices.

• Being told to “Cut it out!” tells us to ‘STOP’. Which changes energy flow.

• We can ‘cut away’ confusion by choosing improved communication and gain clarity with more information.

The ‘Energy of the Cut’ is decision-based. With each cut, the stem shortens. But if I hesitate, pull back, the cut is incomplete. I end up wounding the plant with my uncertainty. My action needs to be concise. Not hesitant. Otherwise, it confuses energy flow. Part of you going forward while part goes inward. Just as cutting halfway weakens the plant, so the same with us.

Nature teaches we can enhance growth with conscious choice. Think about where your energy is going. Are your actions and decisions serving you or do you just carry on? Is it time to grab those secateurs? As the ‘Energy of the Cut” instructs – be committed to taking action. Don’t make the cut if still uncertain. As with the plant, this directs your future.

Oh… and one last word. Another lesson from Nature – often the hardest cut – ends up being the best.

Staying Out of the Murky River

Recently I lost my Mom. Slipping downwards, the part of me which learns from life, watches the process of grief. The tearing strands of loss. Sorrow comes in many forms and I know I am not alone in my sadness.

For all of humanity is caught in the swift flowing current of pandemic, climate change, political unrest and financial shifting. With nothing to grab hold we falter. Swept along the rapids of everyday struggle we battle. Drowning in the intensity of uncertainty adrenaline surges as survival modes click in. As a result, everything feels so much more intense. Now, not only do I feel my fear but all entangled in this undertow of change.

Perhaps, what used to annoy us, now rises anger. Worry struggles now full blown anxiety. Mood dips now go deeper and feel more isolating. As we fall into the separateness of lockdown, loneliness bites. Where we used to care we now ask “Why? What is the point?”

What I have found useful is to hold onto the image of the Murky River. The river of human experience which we all share.

Doing so helps me to find  my way to its banks. As I step away away from the collective whole I find my footing. Where although still grieving, feels ‘easier’. For I am no longer trying to regain my balance laden with the grief of others. Not wanting the rapids of emotional magnification to drag me back down I stay watchful. As I know the power of The Murky River.

Awareness is key.

How do we stay out of the Murky River –

• Recognise we are all struggling.

• Notice how you feed your feelings? Are your thoughts in the correct proportion or exaggerated as the Murky River of emotional distress magnifies?

• Again. Awareness is key. Just through the realisation that the collective whole adds to intensity, brings with it a more manageable perspective. 

• This shift in perspective puts us on the bank. No longer drowning by the scramble of others we see clearer what our feelings are trying to tell us.

Remember feelings are the barometer of life. For they tell us what is going on. Adding everyone else’s feelings to our own fogs the glass, making it difficult to read. By staying out of the Murky River with feet firmly on its bank we can better manage. Embracing the positive change that this time demands.