A World Of Kindness

Traveling is indeed an opportunity for adventure! It is  my personal vision to spread a positive attitude peppered with kindness everywhere I go! I hear many people speak of the terrible world our planet has become…of the prejudices, biases, acts of terror and  assault. I know today’s world does contain this side to it. I also know there is another aspect of the world I know, and when I am traveling I get to not only experience the other side but I also have a choice of what I want to contribute!

When I am in my familiar setting of the place I call “home” I observe how people treat me and how I, in turn, treat others; however, when off on a traveling adventure I notice even more the behaviors of others and myself. It has become crystal clear to me that I teach people how to treat me, and it is my perceptions that create what I “SEE” in the world. 

On a daily basis I have a choice to focus on the positive…or to focus on the negative. When traveling I see fellow travelers as the composite of the creation of the story I want to experience. I can open my heart in a compassionate way to fellow drivers, people at the gas stations and stores, fellow foodies in restaurants, as well as all the workers who make up places I go in my travels. The other choice I have is to go through the world as an egotistical, controlling, rude traveler..believing all is about me and my current agenda. I have also in my life been this person. However, over the years awakenings have gently and not so gently rocked me into the belief that what I give out I receive back. Some call this karma. Some call it what goes around, comes around. Even some call it fate. There are people who believe that opening mouth and inserting foot, not pausing before pushing the send button on an email or a post on social media…is their right. And…of course it probably is! However, what we give out will return to us …maybe not in the same time frame…but eventually we will receive the kindness or the  rudeness that we have given out. 

I practice intentional living. Each day before I enter the world, before I pick up the phone, before I send an email or post a comment, before I leave my current lodging, I set the intention I wish to send out. This day I am making the intention to give kindness wherever I go…NO MATTER WHAT. I am hoping it will catch on. What a concept! Part of this idea is to check in with myself before inflicting any of my stuff on anyone else! If I make this choice daily during the times I may feel fearful, angry, frustrated, confused, etc. I can reach into my cosmic bag of tools and do something to either eliminate or decrease the feeling . Why would I do that?????? Only I would do that because my intention is to send out kindness. It is easier to be kind when I am not a bundle of some negative emotion. I am not perfect at this plan. I sometimes forget but know I get to start my day over once I remember I am not practicing my intentions! 

A few days ago I met a friend for a couple of days in Northern Florida. While we were together in different places  the opportunity arose to give kindness to several people….waiters, hostesses, clerks in stores. This friend and I both set intentions. We did not discuss what we were doing. We simply both freely gave the gift of kindness to others who crossed our paths. It takes practice to do this. It takes making a choice. I have noticed the more I practice setting positive intentions, the more prosperity…the more loving smiles and actions…the more at peace I have become. Does this mean everyone will exude kindness to me? No it does not. It does mean that if one of those fearful, angry people exudes meanness and disrespect, I still have a choice to respond with kindness and tolerance . 

On this day as I prepare to walk on the beach I am going to intentionally pay attention for opportunities to be just a little kinder, just a little more loving, and to practice walking a mile in someone else’s moccasins because it is not all about me and whatever plan or agenda I have for this day. We are in this world together, and I know I cannot change the world, but I can do my part as a traveler and fellow human being to be kinder. I love the vision of peaceful traveling !

 

 

A New Adventure

For about four months I have been residing in a great little town, making connections left and right, creating new friendships while continuing to maintain connections with my  tribe of support.

Having survived the most bizarre election year of my life and since cold weather is quickly approaching, my wanderlust and I passionately agree that it is time for a new adventure! So off I have begun… headed south before going west.

Did I even consider I was starting this journey during the astrological event known as Mercury Retrograde? Oh for my linear readers…a brief description: Mercury Retrograde happens four times a year . Mercury does not actually move backwards. When it retrogrades it is in a resting stage. So, while Mercury takes her nap the activities the planet  appears to dictate over (formal contracts and agreements, communications, computer efficiency, TRAVEL, etc.) tend to go into a scrambled mania. Now please know I am not an astrologer but I am basing what I am telling you on what I have read, but more on my own personal experiences! Believing in astrological events is not even necessary…just look at your own experiences.

I have also heard that when Mercury is retrograding we are given the opportunity to re-visit prior lessons and areas in our lives that are still needing tweaking and a bit more inner work. FYI this retrograde is from December 19, 2016-January 8, 2017. Perhaps you, too, have become aware of some areas in your own life that could stand to be tweaked.

Just in the past 2 1/2 weeks I have experienced allowing myself to release fears and to feel the freedom my spirit so craves on a daily basis 24/7! I kid you not…I always crave freedom of the greatest magnitude constantly. Ever so often I allow my inner Spirit to start jumping off invisible cliffs never knowing if I will land or who I will be when my feet touch the ground again!  It seems in the past two years I have been jumping off a lot more proverbial cliffs, going deeper into capturing new and exhilarating freedoms. I am feeling very free at the moment. I will share with you though right before I make the decision to jump I have this sense of fear overtake me. It happens every single time!

In addition to my feeling fear, and this happens every single time also….I begin observing many people around me jumping into their own fears. The difference between those people and me is I feel the fear and jump off the cliff anyway. Very often I observe many others, but not all, feel their fears and go ballistic. I used to live life that way or I would not recognize it so intensely! Many people are living a life of fear …afraid of health challenges, afraid of losing all their money, afraid of losing their relationships, afraid of not being in control, and it goes on and on.  Why? I have come to believe it is because many believe if they do not constantly work to manage and control their future, the bottom will drop out and their worst scenario of something horrible is going to happen will come true! The result of this type of thinking is FEAR coupled with anger, resentment, egomania, insecurities, and acting out child like behaviors.

Back to my new adventurous journey….so only two days into this current adventure plans have had to be modified. I do not have fears around changing my plans but my peaceful spirit does not really like to witness  the initiation of the fear-anger behaviors I observe in others; and I feel just a bit squirrely.  Once I take some needed cleansing breaths, I remember those acting out of their fears in anger cannot really hurt me unless I give them permission to hurt me. I remember I am a Dragon-Warrioress in this lifetime and I take back my Personal Power as soon as I make the decision to do so!. I remember I can breathe fire which represents my Passion of Freedom! I also can make the choice to be compassionate with those in fear-anger instead of wanting to slap them! I can choose to walk a mile in their moccasins. More often than I used to I can pause and breathe….WHEN I REMEMBER!

The best news of all for me is I have gathered a tribe of like minded warriors and warrioresses who also are Passionate Fire Breathing Dragons! We support each other as we each continue to jump off proverbial cliffs, live out our passions, search out deeper inner freedoms and experience incredible lives! I may travel solo but my tribe who all live within my heart and soul travel with me in our parallel worlds! It just doesn’t get better than this, does it?????

Remembering Ancient Teachings

“As I began awakening this day listening to Sister Wind speaking gently as she flows across the skies, through the brittle branches of barren trees, I feel her energy cleansing the pain of Mother Earth who has for all time held all Creations in Sacred grounding and nurturing. Mother Earth feels the anger , fear, and confusion of her inhabitants and beckons the Sister Wind to join her in alliance as they and the other elementals embrace each of us, beseeching us to release our pain, to come together in Unity as the One that we are. When we remember the ancient teachings and return to them all answers will again sing in our hearts. We will honor all water, all land, all air, all Creations and once again Walk In Balance!” (Messages From the Canyon, December 18, 2016, Jennye Zeugner Johnson)

The elders and ancestors who walked this land before us left a legacy, one that too many have forgotten. Greed,  fear, anger, confusion, arrogant egotism seems to have been traded for ancient wisdom of past sages and warriors!

I believe it is not too late. In every country of our world today there is turmoil, social injustices, abuse  of power, crimes against ethnicities/ genders/ religions/ beliefs. Political leaders and demagogues are continuing to use illusions of power and money to keep those of us from remembering …..remembering we have the answers! The answers lie within our own hearts and spirits.

More than ever we each need to embrace our fellow brothers and sisters, stand up for each other in unifying peace and love, and refuse to be manipulated and deceived! Together we can accomplish what we could never do alone.

It is important to feel our feelings, to acknowledge our anger over the abuses and discriminations present in the world. However, once we have vented and owned our emotions, the next positive step is to bond together in peaceful actions . We must protect  our planet and each other.

Make a daily intention and commitment when you witness another being attacked in any manner: verbally, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, or physically that you will raise your voice in protection and defend what is rightfully due each and every Creation!! We can and will be the change and the Co-Creators of the world our ancestors intended.

Awaken and remember the truth…that we are the people we have waited for. We can and will return to the ways of the Indigenous, the Elders, and our Ancestors. Bond with each other and remember….. as we stand beside each other in a Human Shield of Love, Peace,and Dignity for Humanity!!!

 

 

Transformational Opportunities

I crawled out of the womb and was  born into this world with a desire for peace and kindness. For many years I stated I did not see color or race…which you know was not really a factual statement. Of course I saw it….I did not understand prejudice or bias toward any race, color, creed, religious beliefs, gender, handicapping conditions or any other aspect in any culture. As a matter of fact ,even as a child I abhorred the mistreatment of anyone, spending quite a few nights crying myself to sleep over the unfair treatment of others that I witnessed in my community, my public school, and even among a few blood relatives. I wanted all of us to experience love and understanding for each other. 

I grew up in the 60’s, protested the Vietnam War, rebelled against the establishment…all in the name of creating peace and freedom of spirit! 

My world and yours is not the same world it was. Every country is ravaged with pain, suffering, and conflict. As I have continued to process the election of 2016 in the USA , and surrendered as much judgment as possible, I have arisen out of the dark shadowy ashes. I see myself as a Phoenix fueled with love for all my brothers and sisters. For the past year on a daily basis before I even climbed from my bed, I have visualized and gathered all the love, light, and positive energies available….and sent this culmination of goodness straight into the hearts of every politician, every angry and fearful person , and every Creation regardless of how they live and believe. without inflicting my biases or judgements as much as I possibly can. I truly believe with all my heart and soul Light will uncover the hidden illumination of  all Darkness.

What was once Dark and hidden is now being brought out into the open. Racial-ethnic inequality, degradation of women (and men), tortuous actions against numerous religions, hate crimes assaulting gender identities, and aggressive violent attacks attempting to ignore and destroy basic human rights is no longer hidden! 

Instead of verbalizing the fear and horror of the greedy wealthy, the seemingly gathering of the President-Elect’s team of people that many believe  will bring more harm to our world, I am vowing to practice love and kindness. I believe with my heart and soul we are each being given a transformational opportunity right now….to be kinder to each other, to lift each other up when we observe discrimination-abuse on any level-unkind acts upon humanity and our Mother Earth.

Right now in this moment we each have an opportunity and responsibility to treat our planet and its inhabitants with the deep respect we each want to receive from others. We are being given an opportunity to co-create a New World with a Vision for peace and love, even if we disagree with the way to accomplish that. It has to start with each of us. I am practicing love and kindness, especially to those practicing the opposite. I am not an ostrich with my head buried in the sand. I educate myself on what is going on in the world.                                                                                                                                                 dreamstime_m_770580I see how corporate mogols , the media,  and government officials are trying to distract the common Joe and Jill with meaningless agendas, hoping we do not see what is really occurring in the world on a daily basis. 

Regardless of what is currently happening, I have hope and Faith …that the majority of us will rise above the fears and practice the belief that Together we can do what we could never do alone. Taking positive peaceful action is an option I have always chosen, and will continue to choose. As we encourage each other and affirm we are present for each other, we can change old ideas and regimes , honoring the Divine Feminine and the Sacred Masculine in each of us to grow and prosper! We each and our planet deserves nothing less!!!!!

Sharing Moments With Strangers

    It has been my fortune and pleasure to be able to travel to almost every corner and in between in my country. My footsteps have connected with a variety of cultures, ethnicities, waters, and lands. 

Though I have at times traveled with companions, I cherish the sacred solo journeys I have experienced during my life. Solo treks feed my soul for a multitude of reasons. First, I get to decide where to go, how to get there, and how long to stay. Secondly, I do not have to compassionately compromise with a fellow traveler. Please know I can compromise and have , and probably will again, but the lone wolf in me relishes the freedom solo journeys quench my ever so thirsty need to hit the road for unknown vistas! 

Recently I visited an artsy Virginian town where in an afternoon  discovered a metaphysical book store, a garden-gift shop, and an organic grocery-eatery business. Within the walls of each establishment I enjoyed heartfelt conversations with the shopkeepers. As with all connections I continue to make in my travels, each offered me their slant on the atmosphere of their charming city. None of the three offered any negative comments regarding this quaint and peaceful place. I felt as welcomed as I would had I been if visiting one of my long lost cousins. The Bookstore owner shared how he and his wife were about to take an Autumn trip to the mountains of North Carolina. He and I also had  memorable discussions of Shakespeare, Ancient Egyptian Mystery Schools, and the advantages of living just an hour away from a bigger city. At the garden-gift store I enjoyed warm conversation with the owner about how she came to leave her long tenure of living in Washington, D.C. and her move to this smaller locale. Her story was filled with a mystical adventure colored with her inspirational willingness of listening to the messages delivered by friends and acquaintances , encouraging her to face her fears and move in a new life direction! My stop in the grocery-eatery included a wonderful cup of organic Sumatra coffee , breathing in the  pleasures of  aromatic soaps and lotions, and listening as the cashier described herbal and homeopathic cures for sale from local practitioners. Each of the exchanges between the strangers and myself granted me a sense of warm hospitality and a smile within my heart!

On the way back to my abode, I savored a brief journey on the Blue Ridge Parkway into the Shenandoah National Park. I had a passing thought that if I drove a few miles perhaps on my way back I would just make it in time for Sunset. Stopping at several pull offs, I shared breathtaking moments with a few fellow travelers in the beauty of Skyline Drive. Just before I encountered the wonderment of that  spectacular sunset I was hoping to find, a pair of young deer crossed in front of me, pausing momentarily to offer their gentle gaze.

As I stood in awe of the orange and pink pastels the Creator Sky-artist designed , a couple of young women stopped and we shared nature’s moment . We all remarked on how timing is everything! 

     Once again I received validation from the Universe that connections and sharing with a stranger or with a familiar face prove I and you are never alone in this world that is not so big….when you travel and explore.

Reflections Offered By Autumn

     It is mid October as I notice how the elements of nature are changing. The mornings have that crisp chill in the air. The green blades of grass are encapsulated with dewy coverings in  a community of cobwebs as my naked feet connect with the Spirit of the Earth. I find myself reminiscing on  Octobers of my youth with memories of hayrides and great journeys in search of the perfect pumpkin accompanied by my father. Each October has offered me new gifts, new opportunities to gather  the Harvest of my Human Experience.

     For me October is the time of year I reflect on the current state of my internal affairs, asking myself to acknowledge my accomplishments, assessing areas of my present life, identifying the flaws and strengths of who I have become. 

     As I place each aspect of myself into the cornucopia of this year’s harvest, I get to decide what could be discarded as spoiled pieces I have thus far been unwilling to release. I question if the rotted scraps of my ego can be salvaged or perhaps re-shaped for the greater good of any or all of my relationships. I honestly assess my integrity or lack of  in my presence in social and professional circles I frequent. I gather those positive qualities that shine from my heart center onto those whose paths I am blessed to cross. 

     When I watch the lessons unfold before me that nature demonstrates, I am privy to so much heart knowledge. In this Autumn season I observe the changes as temperatures  fluctuate from  cool mornings to  warm afternoons . I can see how Autumn is showing me I can adapt to the changes or I can refuse to modify my attitudes and behaviors as changes occur. When I allow myself to flow gently or resist fully  with life situations  presented , I can freely embrace how I have progressed  or experience  the stagnation of my refusal to awaken . Just as the leaves are colorized so beautifully by this season  then fall to the ground in a symbolic letting go of one form to another, can I be willing to flow with my own transformations without trying so vehemently to hold on to those  things and people over which I have absolutely no control? Autumn lessons abound to those paying attention.

     Ah, the passages of the events of this year seem to have opened my heart even more than I remember in prior days. The death of a dear friend, the surrendering of the need to tell a relative how to live their life, the decision to leave a familiar location of friends and memories, the willingness to embrace new adventures in uncharted places, the validation from the Universe that not only is change inevitable but also necessary to crack my soul wide open, and the endless possibilities of seeing that the best is yet to come…all these facets of perspectives of my reflections of this year fit together in the Autumn that is so unlike any other.  Life is good, yes very good.

 

Connections

    Journeying to a new location always feeds my soul! I have been in my current setting for three weeks, and the connections have been cosmically orchestrated, it seems by a mystical alignment , affirming central Virginia chose me to come here!

Though I am not musically gifted I joined a drumming circle that my housemate and I happened upon the first weekend I was here. The members of this group are an assortment of colorful characters who are attempting to encourage and teach me how to play the djembe drum! I love the camaraderie and the rhythmic energies provided by each person and the whole circle! Last weekend two drummers who had just arrived from Rwanda showed up and thrilled us with their talents of African fast paced drumming!

Yesterday I found a wonderful bookstore called Daedalus downtown. This shop  has three floors of out of print books of every category one could imagine! The smell of old books permeates every inch of the place. Books are piled within every nook and cranny on dusty shelves. The creaky steps have to be navigated slowly as one hangs onto to the railing going up and down. The owner, Sandy, is quite the conversationalist in this mystical land of literary finds. I had an inspirational exchange of words also with a guy I met in the Historical Biography section as we discussed Winston  Churchill and the assortment of biographies we each were discovering in Daedalus Bookshop. 

The final connection I will tell you about is the Arura Medicine of Tibet located above a French restaurant in the Pedestrian Mall Downtown. On Sundays there is a 20 minute silent meditation facilitated by a volunteer staff person. One of the Tibetan Medicine Doctors joins in the meditation, and when we are finished, he offers each participant a wonderful hot cup of herbal tea! If there is availability the Doctor will assess and/or treat anyone in need following the meditation time.Otherwise appointments can be made. The price is minimal. The intention of Arura Medicine of Tibet is to encourage the continued “preservation of Tibetan culture” as a new opportunity and approach to options for healthcare in this location.

     I learned many moons ago that when I am open to new experiences, cultures, and people , the Universe provides unique and positive opportunities! Releasing any apprehensions of unfamiliar situations and being willing to try new things continues to enable me to create new friendships, ideas, and assimilations of the customs and beliefs of those who would have been only strangers passing by me  on the street. Truly life is magical!!!

(jaguarwind.wordpress.com)

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Listening

I know I have always had  an inner voice that speaks to me. For many years I would hear the inner messages and doubt them. There were times I believed my brilliant mind could somehow come up with answers that would solve inner conflicts. Today I find humor in that illusion.

For the past three years I have tried to leave my hometown. I would travel temporarily and return home, wishing I was somewhere else. Each time I would think I just need to leave,but something else would present itself that would keep me there. Sometimes it was a wonderful yoga teacher, a political activist group, a great hiking location, wonderful art galleries…the list went on and on.

I cannot tell you a specific event occurred that was the push to leave except I  amped up my inner listening when in a period of six weeks I repeatedly heard in various conversations with strangers and friends the name of a certain city. I thought hmmmm…what is this about? The Universe had my attention. I knew nothing much about the city that kept coming up except it was a location from a TV series I used to watch in the 1960’s. As so often in my mystical life, amazing turns of events propelled me to take action. I re-located, at least for the temporary time to this city. Really,I know all situations, places,people, jobs, challenges, or joys are temporary!

There have been times in my life that I have moved, made decisions, entered various new beginnings that it took months even years for me to see I truly was being led to said decision. Call it destiny, fate, or as my linear thinking friends call it “coincidence”, I have ended up exactly in the right place at the right time! This move and decision to come to the city where I am has been validated in an explosion of a multitude of confirmations in just 10 days! Actually the first three days confirmed it was one of the best decisions of my life!

Reflecting on this experience I began thinking how so many do not listen to their inner messages. Often I observe people struggling to meet their challenges and conflicts, wanting to change yet staying stuck in their proverbial ruts. If we each have inner guidance that comes to us in the forms of messages delivered to our brains, why do we not listen? Why do we continue to stay in situations that are not affording us happiness? Is it because we are afraid to make a change? Is it out of guilt and obligation that we do not follow our hearts’ desires? Is it because we are so sure we will make a mistake that we cannot live with? Is it because we place more value on listening more to the opinions of others that contradict our own inner guidance?

Based on my own experiences, I can 100% tell you that I would rather take the risk to listen to my gut and trust my inner instincts than to always wonder what could I have experienced if I had only listened not only to my inner voice but also to the messages of my body for they both work together in a holistic way offering truth.

What is the worst thing that can happen if you LISTEN?

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Freedom Calling Me

NC SceneI know I must have Gypsy Blood somewhere in my lineage! I just cannot stay put in one place, and the older I get, the more freedom my Spirit screams it must have!

I  put  all that would not fit in my car in storage , headed about 5 1/2  hours away to hang out in a new town for a few months, then am planning a short excursion to sunny Florida for Christmas before heading back to my Happy Soul Location in New Mexico!

I will be able to see current friends, make new ones, experience new adventures, offer healing services, and write the novel that is really writing itself! The existence of social media and electronic mail allows me to take friends and family with me .

Feeling the Winds of Freedom blowing me onward and encouraging me to once again take a risk, while allowing  the fears and apprehensions to be present in my gut,  I still continue to follow the constant wanderlust of my Nomad-Heart all  wrapped around the desire to avoid what feels like imprisonment of a routine life.

For many living day to day with the resistance to change because of internal fears is common place. Fears of making a mistake, of running out of money, a belief in lack, the  need of a stable home, safe relationships , familiar environments, or any other self imposed beliefs create walls that often prevent people from jumping off the Proverbial Cliffs of Risk-Taking.

Long ago I made a commitment to my Creator that I would be willing to go anywhere I was needed to be of Service. With this focus I have been inspired by connecting and conversing with a variety of people and animals in my travels. Just today I met a young woman who was a clerk in a store. She  is about to embark on her journey to enter Divinity School. We had a sweet conversation about forgiveness and the need to offer compassion instead of hate and fear to those inflicting their pain and suffering on others. Opening our hearts to as many people as possible by listening without judgment to the stories shared is an honor and privilege.

Connecting my Spirit to the various lands my feet and tires meet along the way as my inner Gypsy marches on does not seem courageous or strange. It is my passion and my soul’s yearning .