Do you know the expression, “Blue Marble?”   It’s one that has rolled around in my awareness for years.  A quick trip to Wikipedia reveals its history ~ it’s an expression used for a remarkable photograph of our planet Earth taken by the astronauts of the Apollo 17 mission.    More than 30 years later, NASA put a significant update to the original photograph on their site, which can be seen today.

I bring up the “Blue Marble” because it’s linked in my awareness with the recognition that, from space, distinctions or divisions based on humanity’s propensity to create separation are not visible.  Certainly there are differences in landforms.  Clouds, oceans, and continents all are visible.  What is missing are political, economic, social, religious, or even species’ differences.   There is one planet, hanging in the deep velvet of space, and all upon it share in its fate.

The very few inhabitants of our planet who have traveled in space all mention the change in perspective viewing the planet from afar brings.  Many report transformative experiences.  Most return to the planet with a broader view of our inter-relatedness and connection with everyone and everything on the planet.

What we all can benefit from in contemplating the “Blue Marble” is to recognize that “We” the inhabitants, who collectively share a dwelling place on Earth, include expressions of Life more numerous than humans alone.   The planetary perspective speaks to partnership, co-operation, and co-creation by all Life.  Viewing all Life with respect, indeed even reverence, and making choices that honor all Life seems appropriate, given “We” are all here together.  

Consider the choices and energies that comprise a world where everything is shared, every inhabitant is valued and honored, the contributions of each one add to the benefit of all, and the beauty of the whole reflects that of every partner in Life.  These choices and energies are expansive and focus on what honors All That Is.  These choices and energies come from a “We” that includes all who inhabit the precious “Blue Marble” called Home.   Imagine a Home where We All are One.  And so it unfolds.

Walking in the neighborhood the other day, I notice a neighbor tending his beautiful garden of sunflowers.  Several of these golden flowers tower over him, gracefully and gently dipping their heads in the slight breeze, and dropping their seeds upon the ground in early recognition of the coming harvest.   Because sunflowers turn their heads toward the sun as they grow, a garden filled with them seems in dynamic motion throughout the day.  Such is my experience of my neighbor’s lovely setting.

This is not the first time that sunflowers have caught my attention recently.  Their seeds feed the sparrows, finches, robins, and magpies in my yard.  Occasionally some valiant seeds begin to sprout up below the bird feeders, at least until the grass is mowed.   They grow quickly and for a few brief days tower over the surrounding grass.  Perhaps next growing season, they’ll receive a place of their own to grow in, all summer long.

Sunflowers feature a lovely helical arrangement of seeds at their center.  The seeds in sunflower seed heads are actually arranged in Fibonacci spirals to assure optimal packing and distribution of the seeds.  Nature often builds on the ‘golden section,’ modeling the divine within all aspects of Life.

I notice, too, my involvement with a local neighborhood food co-operative, whose logo is reminiscent of a sunflower.  It’s a warm and healing energy to associate with an organization dedicated to bringing healthy food and sustainable practices to our community.

And yesterday, I open the folder containing ideas for blog articles and find a page with a picture and some healing properties about the sunflower.  Indeed, I’ve been attracted by sunflowers recently.  It’s interesting to read that the sunflower helps to align both the first chakra and our individual feminine and masculine energies.  When balanced, these all contribute to a sense of well-being and happiness. 

It appears that I’m surrounded by sunflowers as the last of summer days shorten into autumn.  I sneak a peek into Ted Andrews’ book “Nature-Speak” to see what shamanistic wisdom he shares about sunflowers.  He points out that the way the sunflowers follow the sun during the day is a great reminder for all of us to seek the higher Light in all we do.   

That’s an inspiring message to end this entry upon, as we move toward the Equinox and the shift into autumn’s harvest.  Let us focus on, and appreciate, that which is filled with Light, Healing, and Life ~ for ourselves, our communities, and beyond.   Let us allow the sunny happiness of the sunflower to direct our attention to all the aspects of well-being that are present in our lives right Now.   We’ll find blessings beyond count when we do.

I just returned from hiking for several days in the mountains about four hours away. There’s much peace and tranquility in the mountains this time of year ~ clear crisp air, cool sunny days, and vivid night skies.  Ground squirrels and picas are preparing for winter, and even a red fox one visits one evening, curious to see what humans do as fall quickly approaches.

I love being present in the mountains at any time.  In this moment, at the end of summer, there’s something compelling about the timelessness of the granite peaks towering over aspen groves, the music of the leaves in concert with a light breeze, and the murmur of the nearby creek rolling over ledges on its way to lower elevations.  The nights speak of the coming of colder weather, leaving frost in the north-facing shadows until the sun is high in the sky.  At one point, I find myself desiring to extend my stay and knowing my presence is required again in the community where I live.

It’s been almost two days since my return.  In looking out the window this morning, I find brilliant blue skies back-lighting the spruces in the front yard. The occasional golden leaf decorates one of the three aspens in the corner. 

I’m reminded of a nature walk through town I took at the first blush of summer, following some old irrigation canals grown thick with grasses and brush that serve as home to a small cluster of colorful tanagers, robins, and finches.  Dragonflies flit across the calm surface of the water in one channel cut off from the active agricultural flow.  A community of prairie dogs lives along the bank of the largest canal and makes noisy comment about my audacity in traversing their neighborhood.

There’s peace and contentment in knowing that I can access Nature’s magic locally, just outside my front door.  The tangle of old irrigation canals lies a quick four blocks north and east of the house.  It’ll be interesting to see how the inhabitants on the banks of the canals have survived the passage of high summer, and what steps they are pursuing in response to ever-lengthening nights of encroaching cold.   I smile to myself as I imagine the antics of prairie dog pups and the stern response of the golden-furred sentries that warn of any human approach.  It appears a return visit to this lovely site is in order.

In every natural setting, there’s plenty of local magic to soothe the soul, uplift the heart, bring peace to the mind, and support the body’s need for movement and exercise.  I’m grateful for the diversity of Nature’s treasures that are available to me, any day, both here and in the mountains.  Some times it takes stepping away from what is present right in front of us to appreciate its gifts even more. 

Intention receives a lot of attention in spiritual and personal growth circles, as it is a key component of the creative process.  My own awareness of intention is honed over the years by examining the experiences sculpted by its use  ~ sometimes conscious and other times less so.

A formal introduction to the quality of intention, through a coaching program almost 15 years ago, provided me a context for seeing its extensive footprint through my life and the lives of others.   I learned a formula for using intention + action to create results that still serves as  a filter through which I examine certain moments in life.  I’m also fortunate more recently to find that when I keep my focus on intention in the present moment, it’s much easier to see its footprint and choose with discernment what actions to take (or not).

One thing the program did not offer insight to is a phenomenon described in this post, which I refer to as ‘intentional blinders.’  When intention is accompanied by rigidity of thought, especially prescriptive thought, it becomes quite possible to blind oneself to the arrival of the intended outcome!    Telling intention exactly how to operate seems to construct barriers to the very experiences we’re intending.  Let me share an example or two.

I’ve written elsewhere (Celebrate the Journey, a free PDF on the website) about desiring a new automobile and finding myself driving down the road surrounded by others driving the vehicle of my choice.  It took my intention of owning this vehicle a long time to manifest.  Because I’d become fixed on a certain make, model, and color of vehicle, I overlooked for some time the availability of the ideal automobile for me, right within my neighborhood.   My firm determination about ‘how’ intention would deliver up my choice blinded me to its more local operation.

The next story about intention comes from a friend, and is also an automotive tale.  My friend purchased a new truck and had a clear picture of the kind of cap to put over the truck bed.  A focused intention yielded an ideal choice, complete with a good warranty.  However, within a short time, a keyed window lock on the cap ceased to function as desired.  My friend created a another intent that this window lock would be fixed, by the dealer, under the warranty, free-of- charge. 

I’ll spare you the long list of actions my friend took to fulfill the intention, and summarize the thwarted efforts as involving 5 dealer visits, with the offer of 3 different replacement locks (none matching the single key used for all the other cap window locks) from 2 different dealers (as the first dealership had ceased operations.)  And then one day I hear from my friend, full of enthusiasm, that a sudden inspiration led him to local locksmith over lunch, and he obtained free service that returned the window lock to functional.   My friend even mentioned that his narrow focus on the dealer and the warranty had precluded the desired result, which ultimately was a no-cost repair.

These two examples demonstrate that fixed beliefs about ‘how’ intentions are fulfilled actually interfere with the natural energetic flow of intention.   Strongly held beliefs act like blinders, keeping a rigid requirement on the nature of the path creating the result, and disallowing the many options and opportunities that exist Now, in the present, to deliver the desire promptly, with fluidity and ease.  

Is this post a call to jettison beliefs?  No.  Rather, it’s a suggestion to examine all the thoughts that surround an intention for evidence of their rigidity, inflexibility, and duality.  These qualities inhibit our natural ability to create with intention by making it difficult to receive the abundance that intention accesses constantly.  

When we open our heart to intention, and allow our intent to come to us, rather than pursuing it or herding it along with inflexibility, we are in the abundant flow of the creative process.   The formula shifts, to intention + presence creating choice, and we have at our fingertips the vast universe of possibilities to fulfill the intent.  This seems to me a compelling motivation for letting go of intentional blinders, and savoring the abundance of Life.