"The Big Fat Lie" October 2009 Focus

The energy of October continues to carry forward the autumnal theme of gratitude and celebrating the bounty of the harvest, with the additional focus of moving into a space of willingness to surrender that which has served its purpose. This month features what has rapidly become the most popular holiday in the United States... Halloween. When most think of Halloween, images of kiddies dressed up as goblins and ghouls plundering the neighborhood with pillow cases full of trick-or-treat spoils is what commonly comes to mind. Halloween however, is a celebration rich in tradition. It originally served as occasion to honor those who have passed. It is a time of reflection. A call to remembrance of loved ones no longer with us in body, but ever present in spirit. It is also a time of mindfulness, beckoning us to turn within and bring awareness to what is burdening our souls and is now ready to be let go. We embrace this 'death' graciously knowing that in its release comes the promise of new life and growth. Our October focus is one of celebration and gratitude, tempered by reverence and release. Slip into the spirit of the season and savor the trick-or-treats that await you!

Mind:

- Research what CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farms are in your area. Local Harvest is a wonderful resource that will help you locate a CSA near you. Follow this link:

http://www.localharvest.org

Here you can find a complete listing of CSA's, farmer's markets, farm stands, and u-pick produce sources. Look into what kind of programs your local CSA has available. Many offer affordable options that allow you to be on the receiving end of quality local produce and other sustainably raised goods being delivered right to your front door. Often the packages make economical sense too. Some farms accommodate different income brackets by providing sliding scale fees. Supporting your local CSA is a wonderful way to get the freshest, highest quality, locally grown foods, while putting money back into your community. It's a way for us to be involved and give our area's farmers a much needed leg up. Research your options and see if this is something that makes sense for your family.

If you are not quite ready to take the leap by joining a CSA, investigate the possibility of purchasing some of your food at your local farmer's market, or patronizing a family farm. When we support the local growers in our area we sow the seeds of community while ensuring that the highest quality foods find their way to our table.

Body:

- Continue to introduce whole foods, lessening your reliance on processed goods, as outlined in our autumn seasonal focus. Make sure to enjoy the seasonal fruits and veggies. The delicious fall harvest is not to be missed!

- Move forward with your movement. Look at your fitness over the past month. Are there areas you can improve? How can you increase your fitness in a way that is both fun and rewarding? How can you take steps to carve out this important time for your self-care? Continue to implement the exercise approach that was outlined in our autumn seasonal focus.

- This month, make it your goal to eat one less meal out each week. Stash that cash you would have spent on takeout and instead prepare a home-cooked meal. Once a week for this month of October, make it a priority to connect with your family around the dinner table. If you feel so inspired, make it a communal experience. Get the whole family involved in meal preparation. Experience the way we can bond and find connection through sharing a meal all our loved ones played a part in creating.

- Once this month, prepare a homemade Halloween treat using whole food ingredients. You can prepare anything from popcorn balls and caramel apples, to cupcakes adorned with spooky embellishments and peanut brittle... whatever the kid in you fancies. This would be a great activity to get your children involved in.

Spirit:

- Participate in the, "Lighten Your Load" exercise. Release what you no longer need to carry.

Feel Your Connection to Nature:

- Wake up your latent child-like wonder. Visit a local pumpkin patch and choose a handsome gourd to carve your Jack-o-lantern. While there, enjoy a cup of warm apple cider, take a hayride if you please, bob for apples, or get lost in a corn maze. Bring back those days when nature was your playground. This is a great way for the whole family to get out and spend some quality time together while connecting with the natural world.

- If you feel moved, pay your respects to those who are no longer with us. Volunteer your time at a local cemetery. Pull weeds away from headstones, pick up litter, plant some flowers next to graves that have not had visitors in a while. This is a beautiful way to honor the gift of life by remembering those who have passed.

Lighten Your Load

I designed the following exercise to help us move in harmony with the releasing energy of October. It will awaken our awareness, casting a light on the shadow of what is weighing us down, burdening our paths, and holding us back from moving boldly in the direction of our dreams. Once we understand the source of our limitation, we can let it go. In its surrender, the seeds of the new can find fertile ground to grow and flourish. It may seem a 'death' to relinquish old beliefs, grudges, resentments, and ways of being, but in the letting go, we experience a resurrection of life. In order for the new to enter, we must clear the way. Let's make some room.

Take some time to reflect on the past year. What are you holding onto that is no longer serving a purpose? Are you clinging to the bitterness of an argument with a loved one? Are you bound by the chains of a troubled past? Are you holding yourself back with judgmental thoughts? Is fear preventing you from moving forward in your life? What is weighing heavily on your heart? What burden has become too great to carry? Only you have the power to remove the albatross around your neck that is dragging you down.

We are our prison keepers. Our sense of lack and limitation, fears of inadequacy, and need to blame, bind us under lock and key. We can choose to move through life in this confining way, or we can empower ourselves by surrendering what no longer serves us and find freedom in its release. Which existence will you choose?

Find a shoe box and decorate it with images of the life you want to create for yourself. Open the doorway to your imaginative mind. You can use any medium you like to adorn your box... glitter, stickers, jewels, feathers, images from magazines... whatever speaks to you. Reflect on what is meaningful to you. What vision do you have for your life? What does wholeness look like to you? How would you feel if your dreams became reality? What manifestation are you now birthing into being? Let this be the inspiration for your dream box.

Throughout this month of October, when you are out on your nature walks, gather smooth rocks you come across. On the surface of each rock you find, write in permanent marker one thing that has been weighing you down. The explanation does not need to be elaborate. You can write simple words that convey the burden you are carrying such as, guilt, anger, grief, loss. Or you can be a bit more detailed by writing something such as, resentment toward my lover, fear of success, unhealthy body image. You get the picture.

Every time you list a burden you are carrying, place it in your dream box. Continue to gather together your burdens throughout the month. At the end of October, take your dream box with all the weight of what no longer serves you contained within and head out to a natural space where you can have some privacy. The setting doesn't matter. What is most important is what this natural space represents to you. You could choose the ocean for it's cleansing energy. A mountain top for its majestic vantage point. A wide-open field for its serenity. A stream or creek that can carry your worries away. Select a place that's special to you.

As you carry your dream box, notice its weight. Feel the magnitude of what you have been carrying by holding on to these things that no longer serve you. How could your dreams possibly take flight under the weight of this burden? When you find the right spot, open your box and pick a stone. Read the burden it bears. Allow yourself to connect with the energy of this limitation and the way it has harmed you... one last time... so you can bid it farewell. When you are ready, throw the stone away from you with all your might. Hold the intention that you are casting off this shackle to make room for the new life you are wanting to create. Go through your box until every last stone has been cast. Then turn your back and walk away. You have lightened your load and can now move forward in freedom.

Notice how light your dream box is now that you have let go of what no longer serves you. Keep your box in a place where you will see it often to remind you that the life you dream of is within your reach. It can become a special place to store affirmations, meaningful quotes, the poetry of your heart... all that reinforces the beauty you are breathing into your world.