Ellen F. Franklin, PhD
We are moving into a pivotal transition from late Spring when seeds are planted and nourished, to summer a time of activity, travel, warmth and abundant growth. In TCM this is the season of the Fire Element, which may be experienced as bliss, laughter, expansiveness, flowering, productivity and ease.
The daily reminders of global turmoil, political unrest, and horrific global natural disasters stand as critical examples of why we must strive to embrace the very best of the Fire Element and work to remain clear, open-hearted and engaged, despite the tumult that may surround us. Allow the returning light and warmth to help you find precious moments that delight you. Work to strengthen your resolve to find pleasure in activities that engage your infinite potential so that all your connections mature and grow to their highest potential in the fullness and warmth of the Sun.
Finding moments that bring genuine laughter into our lives is also so very important. What makes you laugh; can you recall a recent experience? How did it make you feel? Did others join with you, was it difficult to stop.
Debra Kaatz writes, “Laughter is contagious and often difficult to stop when it is from the heart. For the Chinese, laugher is the voice of harmony. Shared laughter brings everyone together in pure pleasure and enjoyment by spontaneously opening the joys of the heart.”
Astrologically we are in the sign of Gemini ruled by the planet Mercury the messenger of the gods, trickster and patron of travelers. The trickster archetype is universal— intuitive, clever, fluid and slippery. Think about the story of Hermes birth and his interactions with Apollo or many of the Pueblo culture trickster/clowns. There are also many trickster/shamans that viewed humor as the very best form of medicine.
As patron to traveler’s Mercury is credited with leaving guide posts or herms along the road to aid people in finding their way. Travel as a spiritual practice in which it is the journey not the destination that matters most, was beautifully articulated in a recent article by Rabbi Shefa Gold, The Traveler’s Prayer What You Say Along the Way.
“By reflecting on our journey, we are meant to wake up to both the wonder and magnitude of each and every step, and the amazing miracle of the whole journey in all its glory, absurdity and sweetness… Traveling is a reminder that all of life is an extraordinary adventure. Traveling awakens curiosity and wonder and brings those qualities to every step of life. Being awake in this way is a paradox. With each step, we arrive in the Promised Land and all there is to do is celebrate. Yet we are also always forever on our way there, stumbling, dancing, opening to all it means to be human, remembering that it is the journey that matters.”
May you find many reasons to laugh into the true voice of harmony, as you travel through the portal into summer.
Looking back on the Month of May I realize how much we’ve accomplished. The Energy Psychology Conference at the Tamaya resort here in New Mexico was a true delight. We made many new connections and people were genuinely interested in the efficacy of Acutonics as both a stand-alone therapy and integrated with Energy Psychology Practices. The new one-day class developed for this conference Changing the Narrative: Sound Based Solutions for Clinical Practice was very well received. Many thanks to Sande McDaniel, Lhakpa Ozer, Carla Rolison, and Laurie Blackwood for their help at this very busy conference.
Donna and I have just completed teaching Acutonics Level I & II here in our yurt. We had a great group of students and Carol Cobine and Minuk (Mino) Lee completed their Level I & II Teacher Training. Carol will be teaching in Indiana and Mino will be offering classes in South Korea. It is wonderful to see this work growing and expanding into new communities. Joanie Solaini our senior faculty member from the UK, also joined us taking on the huge task of creating a video and audio archive of Donna and I teaching Level I & II.
Our new students are so committed to continuing their studies with us here in New Mexico that we have added an Acutonics Level III to this year’s schedule. We will offer Level III, October 4 to 7. Depending on interest there is a possibility of an optional clinic day on May 8 with a focus on the treatment of trauma. As, with all classes taught at the Mothership, class size will remain small. If Level III or the optional clinic day are of interest, please be in touch with sande@actutonics.com.
It’s been incredibly cold and windy at the Mothership and we experienced snow and heavy rain while teaching – but we seem to have mastered the art of building a fire in the yurt, which made teaching quite cozy. There is still no sense that Spring will give way to summer. The mountain peaks are still snow-capped, although spring flowers are beginning to appear, pastures are a deep rich green, and the fruit trees seem to have survived the most recent frost.
Despite the cold, and recurring snow, Donna is hard at work changing the growing dome over for summer crops. Currently, we have cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes planted. The fig and Meyer lemon tree are growing rapidly, the herbs and spinach are thriving. In the outside gardens, we have garlic (a fall crop), onions are planted and as I write this Donna is putting in summer and winter squash and beans, corn, greens, lettuce, carrots, daikon radish and bok choy.
We hope that throughout these summer months you find rich opportunities to blossom and flower finding precious moments of joy, love, laugher and warmth in all aspects of your life and wherever your travels may take you.