Traditional
teachings from Grandmother Pa’Ris’Ha, of pushing through resistance and
reciprocation, through to modern books of ‘Breaking the habit of being
yourself’. Teachings weave in, out and through them all. Live, Love You.
Walking down towards the ocean pool after having chai tea on the Headland and
watching the growing swell. Talking with and listening to wonderful humans,
talking about the butterfly story and the influence of the butterfly in terms
of allowing others to get through their own stuff and at the same time, to
provide somewhat of a safe space for them while they go through. Plus, in our
own lives, knowing that when we meet with resistance, it’s about pushing
through and the pushing through gives us the strength to emerge a better
version of ourself. Without pushing through, we enable ourselves to stay
weaker.
One of the lovely people also shared how she found some clay at one of the
Headlands and how lovely it was to work with it. Her daughter was the first one
to notice it tucked in the side of the track somewhat exposed by the rain and
winds. They wanted to feel like what they were taking was okay. So they took a
small amount each. Again, lovely discussion, just straight off about the word
reciprocity or reciprocation – giving back to. From this can the recommendation
of reading a book (or listening to the audio book) of “Braiding Sweetgrass” as
in here are examples of how we can give back to the Earth.
A most important teaching repeated from many Traditional peoples, including
here (in what’s now known as Australia) an example from one of the Uncles in
Durga Country (Western Sydney).
Uncle showed us a well carved and powerful looking wooden implement that had been made from Casuarina, that’s Sheoak. It was like rounded on one end and pointed on the other. I said, “Oh, it would make a fantastic digging stick, given the heaviness of the end and the point”. And he looked at me in absolute shock and said,
“No, this could never be used on the mother”.
“No
because it was intended as a club, and you cannot put a club, and you cannot
strike a club into the Earth”.
To know that what we intend when we start something, helps us in staying
focused, and carries with it the intention of the original thought – the energy
and thought and feeling put in as it is being made. This ‘vibe’ has a
resonance, and that resonance / vibration has effect.
Reflected again in sharing’s from Grandmother Pa’Ris’Ha, Cherokee Elder, in
terms of basket making. Making and sitting together, when people are sitting
around making the baskets and talking the talking flows as the hands are busy.
It’s the stories that are woven into the baskets. Or the feeling of what’s in
heart and mind of the weaver. All different, unique. Grandmother shared with us
that hers where somewhat mis-sharpen and laughed at by others – however the
elder wise one shared quietly how the Dragons were dancing and coming out
through Grandmother’s Baskets.
From here as well in Sydney, when we’ve had wonderful workshops, through Susan
Moylan Coombs and run by Aunty Karlene Green from the Torres Strait Islands
with regard to weaving words of wisdom.
So as we weave, we can listen and chat intentionally, not of a negative.
From the First Peoples here, there is a beautiful practice, one may call it a
ceremony, a ritual of one of the stories that goes with painting Ochre (fine
wet clay) onto another person face.
Again, it’s reciprocation (each person paints the other) and it’s done in a certain
way. I won’t repeat it all here, but it’s done in a way that one of the dots is
under the chin, and that dot reminds us, and we speak it back to the person who
puts it there for us:
“Only words of kindness and
wisdom pass through these lips”
It can be that in community people might be chatting, chatting, and then
someone may start speaking bad of someone else and quite subtly, another person
will put their finger to their chin. And gently look at the person who may have
started speaking that way. This action is a reminder, their only words of
kindness and wisdom pass through these lips.
Now listening to Dr. Joe Dispenza’s book, Breaking the habit of being yourself,
chapter 7 and 8 this morning’s listening taught how to continuously think and
feel a certain way sets up the bio-chemistry that we can then get addicted too.
Addicted in such a way that we then think a certain way to create the chemicals
that are associated with. By following the First People’s reminder of:
‘only words and kindness and ….”
We see now that in reminding a person, so they choose to stop going on and on
about a negative until it becomes an addiction – helps not only them but all
around who no longer need to be drawn into the tone-level of that
conversation.
That particular way of being, say, I’m speaking bad of somebody or I’m getting
angry about something I’m frustrated or I’m blaming or whatever the lower
emotions are, that in my own self I’m feeling that chemistry through my
body.
As I bathe my cells, as I bathe my precious cells in that chemistry, they are
being ‘informed’ (that is provided with information that influences how they
form). Changing what DNA is active in our cells IS influenced by what the cells
are ‘floating in’ and that is influenced by our thoughts, feelings and foods!
From studies (can see references in Joes books or Bruce Lipton or the earlier
Dr Candice Pert) that when I have a thought, it creates a substance, that
substance is translated to one that can actually move through into my
bloodstream and affect the different organs that creates different hormones
that have influence on the cells. In short, when I think something and feel it,
I am creating an internal chemistry that those cells then get addicted to.
So by the First People’s practice of remembering only words of kindness and
wisdom through these lips, I can see that that also reminds us in caring deeply
for ourselves is to minimize the times when we have a destructive thought
created that chemistry bathing ourselves. Less ‘firing’ of the neurons (nerve
cells) the less ‘wiring’ them together. This mean the thought/feeling to
substance stays at a low level and reduces the likelihood of us becoming
addicted to that particular chemistry and thus seeking and magnetizing to us,
events that allow us to relive that anger, pain, suffering.
In the words of Grandmother, Pa’Ris’Ha,
ask who’s talking,
Is it the body addicted to those chemicals that sending the message to your
thoughts?
Now, how do we undo the addiction – how do we quite the hunger of the cell’s
receptor sites?
We observe, catch ourselves and
be gentle on ourself.
So, this morning and last night, or this week in particular, I’ve been looking
at the final days in the last year “Organizer” or work diary.
Looking at the past year so many days ticked off, ticked off, ticked off, ticked off, ticked off, and I’m about to start a new diary. “Do I want July 2022 to be a series of mouse wheel successes of completed projects, or is there more?”, and of course there is more, which brings us back around to Uncle Greg Sims and intention and Grandmother Pa’Ris’Ha and “Who’s Talking”.
Now asking “how will the next year be different?” getting this clear and intended before writing anything in the new one.
A big diary. One day to a page. Why so big? I’ve got so much to fit in on each page – really is there that much doingness to do. Do you write what you “Be”?
“What
do I intend?
How does it look, feel, taste?
How do I put that into my work?”
So, when you’re doing a project ask: “I am doing a project is my internal
chemistry one of:
“rush, I have to get this done” or “it’s late” etc. or is my internal chemistry
saying:
“it’s so marvelous to be part of this project”.
Up to us to actively choose to be living the ideal of how we want to see the
World. If we want to see, or experience, or hear, about more Kindness – where
are we doing this in each of our moments including in our thoughts and
feelings?
Know your list of heart fulfilling things and ask:
Am I painting?
What I’m doing/thinking/being right now.
So from here sitting in an enclosing fold of a cave, looking out over the
ocean, feeling the fine mist spay with the smell of salt, looking at the
Headland that I love so much, a headland that is solid yet dynamic?
Yes in this moment all is handed over to you.
So many tools to assist.
How do we break the habit of being ourselves and create a new one?
And those words “create a new one”, it’s being the pure essence of You without
the layer. You
as transparent.
That’s when You are, as You are, not as mix of the societal expectations,
parental ideas, and influences from the early ages. Seen the gap between You
and how you show you’re self to be
Know you are enough, you are
unique, you are in progress, your lessons can be your strengths.
As Grandmother Pa’Ris’Ha has said “Do You, I Got Me Covered”
Be truly who you came in to be.
With your unique fingerprint.
Be the beingness you are in every moment.
-Geraldene Dalby-Ball,
Elaway
