It is blustery and snowing this morning. On top of that, there was a power outage for almost four hours. The house became very quiet---no major appliances or forced-air furnace humming, no phone or internet, no coffee pot brewing a warm cup, not even my own or another's voice. Quiet.
When things are this still, the inner voice is more easily heard than on the typical morning. What do you hear? What part of you speaks? And how might this serendipitous solitude reframe the inner dialogue? It is so important, what we say inside....as what we feed inside manifests around us. I want to be very careful about this inner dialogue; redirecting, if it sounds fearful, judging or confused. Hm?
A few weeks back the voices of many diverse and creative women were given space and time during the New Mexico Women Author's Book Festival. Lots of time and lots of space! It was an honor to be among this multitude of voices with Removing My Seed Coat and a brief talk on creating The Heart-centerd Garden. Topics varied widely, and while this made the event interesting, what was most powerful was how each and all spoke from a knowing depth, including the inherent and essential questions in their topic and expertise. With heart and mind entwined, each woman spoke from a place they know well and are skilled at commanding. Witnessing woman after woman stand and speak from their deepest knowing is a healing experience. This could be how we redefine leadership. Some of this leadership is to raise important inquiries to the light of day...for often what we know from the heart center, is that answers come when we risk sharing and listening in equal measure.....and so we keep expressing, fleshing things out as we go.
What seems important to me today is that we find and offer our deep and heartful voices to the public discourse; even as we use our voice to shape our own thinking. We are still figuring some of this out, i.e. how do we take present conditions and find it is really showing us the way to a higher quality of living...and I don't mean more stuff, square footage, etc. What is at hand is more than just finding our next job, home, elected officials, but a way of life that reestablishes the common good. We must not fail at this!
It is messy, this open and often chaotic discourse---no matter whether from the halls of government, the Tea and Coffee Parties, or the Occupy groups. Hearing ALL the voices is essential in reinventing society for a sustainable path forward. This is good; it has value. I hope it stays messy for sometime. Most of these voices have been way too silent for decades....and it is only by speaking from a heart/mind connection that we make progress.
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