“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
— Mark Twain —
Rebecca Solnit recently gave a talk at the Upaya Zen Center where she said, “I see both the hell of authoritarianism trying to strip us of so much that matters, and I see the paradise of an engaged civil society responding to defend each other, defend values and principles, nature, science and truth. . . It is a difficult and scary time, but I believe we were made for this.”
The talk itself was about how in times of disaster people often rise to the occasion to help one another, save what can be saved, and rebuild. Having lived through the Loma Prieta earthquake in Santa Cruz, CA, I think this is true. There was a coming together of community I had never seen there before. The downtown was in rubble and the community helped each other through. And while some things were never able to be rebuilt or replaced, other things came about that in some ways made that community a better place for awhile. I no longer live there and that’s another story, but I take that positive, inspirational memory with me as I go along. I remember people gathering together to help the local bookstore set up in a tent, 532 people attempting to raise spirits by simultaneously playing guitar together to break a world record, a new farmer’s market was created to bring people downtown, and the city rebuilt itself brick by brick. A new art museum was built, stores decided to stay open later to create a vibrant downtown scene after most people’s work hours were over, and people decided they liked creating reasons to come downtown and to share being in community. Nobody wants an earthquake to happen. Things changed in the most horrible way. But that created space for new things to come about and some of that was a lot better.
It also gave people life purpose. I was one of those people. Because I lost my business because of the quake, I qualified for a disaster relief job working for the Downtown Association (and because I also lost my house until we rebuilt, I needed that job and got brave enough to apply). We created the downtown tent shopping district, the guitar event, and the farmer’s market. My job was to create graphic design for the posters and flyers, ads, and other communication materials to help people learn what was going on and make it all happen. And it was a lot of fun to go to work with a sense of purpose and not just to receive a paycheck. It changed my life really because I learned how to use a Mac and Mac software on that job and I have used those skills in every full-time job I’ve had since. And all of those jobs have been to support organizations or small businesses striving to make a positive difference in the world. I got a taste of that and haven’t looked back.
Finding Your Direction in the Times at Hand
If you are one of those people who are mourning the losses of the kind of nation we once held dear, the times call for disaster level activity of many sorts. And if you feel overwhelmed right now, I don’t blame you! I’ve been overwhelmed on and off for weeks. But that’s what happens in a disaster. Some days you’ll be looking for the helpers (thank you, Mr. Rogers for those words of wisdom). Other days you may find yourself being one of the helpers.
One thing I have heard from many people is: “there is SO much happening every day! I don’t know what I can do! And so much requires something I can’t do by myself!” And sometimes I am there myself. But I go back to the earthquake experience. I wasn’t one of the people pulling people out of rubble or helping to clean up the bricks (except in my own house). I didn’t know how to do a lot of what needed to be done. In fact, it seemed overwhelming! But I did know how to do graphic design, I liked to make posters and flyers, etc. and that turned out to be something people needed me to do. Plus, in 1989 I was the only one available who knew how to turn on the Mac Apple donated, and the Downtown Association didn’t have a better way to let people know how they could help the downtown. It seemed like a small thing to me, but it was part of a much larger group effort that made a big difference as time went on—engaging people in the project of rebuilding and supporting the downtown businesses as much as possible while that happened.
The purpose of this blog is to help people learn about flower essences. The one that comes to mind if you feel overwhelmed by how many things need to be done and what you want to do is Wild Oat. A person who needs Wild Oat feels blown about in the breeze by a myriad of choices. The flower essence helps you find your inner compass. It helps clarify what is most important to you. Often that might be what a person would call their “calling” or life purpose. But most often it comes about as the clear realization that you absolutely have to do something about “xyz” right now! It might mean making sure you can keep a roof over your head if social services you were depending on get cut off. It might mean making sure your next door neighbor is alright or that an organization you care about gets funded. It might mean joining a protest. It might mean staying as far away from protests as possible to make sure you can be there for other people in your life. Wild Oat can help you clear out the cobwebs of other people’s expectations so you can hear your own inner inclinations. And then it can help you stay focussed on what you want to accomplish and go forward.
Find Reiki-infused dosage strength Wild Oat dropper bottles and unscented sprays.
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The Energy of Life Purpose Using Wild Oat Flower Essence
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Flower essences are used to assist with mind-body-spirit interactions and individual results may vary. They are extremely dilute which makes them quite safe. But because so little physical substance can be detected in a flower essence solution, these products are presumed to work on an energetic or vibrational level—something that cannot be adequately tested by western scientific methods. Claims made by me, therefore, are based on personal experiences and the evidence of the combined multiple decades of case notes by Dr. Edward Bach as well as Healing Herbs and Flower Essence Services (the companies who make the ingredients I use in my products). This is not, however, accepted medical evidence or substantiated scientific evidence from a modern allopathic point of view. I am not a medical doctor or licensed healthcare practitioner.
Statements made have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information provided on my blog, websites or by this company are not a substitute for a face-to-face consultation with a health care provider, and should not be construed as individual medical or mental health advice. Consulting with a health care provider is a must for anyone taking medications or working with a medical or mental health condition, and highly recommended before using any herbal product. Please consult your doctor or health care provider for any possible contraindications and/or interactions with current medications. I trust you to seek the medical guidance you need to use any of my herbal products healthily at your own risk.