Have you ever phoned in to a radio show or podcast? As of today, I have.
The show in question was about Human Design, a self-discovery tool I’d heard about last year listening to Benjamin Bernstein’s wonderful “This Week In Astrology” podcast. After that show, I’d emailed his guest, Hal Bahr, for a copy of my Human Design chart.
That action put me on Hal’s email list and I learned he’d be on a show with Kim Gould. The show date came and went. I’d forgotten it. Oh, well, I thought, it must not have been important for me to hear it.
Second chances wear funny clothes
Yesterday, I heard the original show date had been scrapped due to technical problems, and they’d try again today. Seemed the Universe wasn’t done with me.
I called and voila, I was on air. They were charming and helpful. I took notes, said thank you and that was that.
Short version of what I learned from the hosts: Mars and Venus occupy the same spot in my Human Design, but unsurprisingly, they express it very differently. For my Mars, different = dangerous. By contrast, my Venus maintains a fearless trust in a greater unanimity and an ability to find value in apparent differences.
I trust her to soothe my Mars as I fling myself into my 50 New Things in my 50th Year adventure.
[Awhile back, I announced my intention to celebrate my 50th birthday year by trying 50 new things. This post contributes to my chronicle of some of those new things.]
Photo credit: curtis.kennington
Awhile back, I announced my intention to celebrate my 50th birthday year by trying 50 new things. With this post, I begin a list of these new experiences. Happy birthday to me.
My hometown boasted a major brewery, and yet I never developed a taste for beer. I tried it plain, I tried it specialty, I tried it dark, but even when it was served very, very cold, it just didn’t suit me.
Beer masquerading as champagne
So imagine my surprise when I got home from my birthday party, peeked into the wine-bottle-tall gift bag a friend had left with me and discovered not wine, but Belgian beer. Specifically, Lindeman’s Framboise Lambic.
The packaging brings to mind sparkling wine and some beer-loving friends of mine declared it apt. “Imagine if raspberries, beer and champagne had a baby, they said. “This would be it.”
I set out a few glasses and we poured the reddish and quite foamy framboise. Mercy, me. I have found a beer I enjoy!
The start of a new year symbolizes the opportunity of a fresh start. This year, part of my fresh start will be shifting to a new home.
Thirteen years = time to shed skin
I haven’t moved residence since December 1998, thirteen years ago. And though I’ve been consciously uncluttering for the last few years, moving plans have me questioning every thing. “Does this thing represent the energy I want to bring with me into my future life? Does it fit with who I am becoming?”
Somehow, I doubt I’ll wait another 13 years to ask myself such fundamental questions. Rather, I suspect that the massive shedding of old possessions/perceptions will free me in ways I can’t begin to imagine. It’s both scary, and very exciting.
My birthday wish for this year is to try 50 new things. No doubt this move will give me a head start on that list.
What are you doing for a fresh start this year?
Photo credit: SidPix
Your fingerprints are formed five months before you’re born. No hands carry the same prints as yours. And those same prints will be with you to your last breath.
Richard Unger believes your whorls, loops and arches provide invaluable tools of self discovery. He’s the founder of the International Institute of Hand Analysis and author of Lifeprints: Deciphering Your Life Purpose from Your Fingertips.
At its simplest, your prints place you in one of four life schools, here to learn either:
- Joyful service
- Emotional mastery
- To commit to your ideas
- To feel safe (peaceful) in your body and on the planet
Assigning the life school seems a matter of counting how many prints are arches or loops or whatever. The school provides the context or training ground for your life lesson and highest potential.
As for figuring one’s lesson and purpose, I gather that different fingers carry different ranks. A skilled reader can weigh the results and combine them to craft a full report.
I gave it a whorl
My friend PJ Spur, a gifted teacher/coach/counsellor, is studying the Lifeprints process. Her report on my hands provided lots to think about.
Right off the bat, my school surprised me. I’d guessed Wisdom. I was wrong, yet I can absolutely see the school my prints point to. (Turns out I’m all whorls and loops–only my sense of humor is arch.) The report includes some nice reassurance, too:
You cannot get to your Life Purpose without making Life Lesson errors. Not only can you not stop yourself from making certain types of miscalculations, it is actually in your interest to do so.
I’m still digesting the life purpose the report lays out. If I’d been given this report at age 30, I’d have laughed. Only a fraction of the material would make sense to me. (So I reckon it’s arrived with perfect timing.)
Closing meditations on what my prince prints revealed
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether Mr. Unger’s system is accurate. The advice my report offered for mastering the lesson it spells out is sound. I suspect that if the system had delivered a different lesson, the advice would still be worth taking.
Throughout the system, there’s an emphasis on personal accountability, continuous learning and the willingness to embrace paradox. Pretty sound principles on which to build a life, in my opinion.
For that matter, every one of the life schools hold value. So I ask you, which of the four schools–service, love, wisdom or peace–would you guess your hands reveal for you?
Photo credit: Jennifer Lord Photography
Approximately 50 days from today, I’ll celebrate my 50th birthday. Heck, I plan to celebrate all year long!
I’ll try 50 new things
Mid-century seems prime time for new scenery, new experiences, new friends, new attitudes. I want to stoke the fires of my curiosity, creativity and appreciation. I’d love your company on this journey, and right now, I need your help.
To try 50 new things in one calendar year, that’s almost one a week! I need ideas both big and small.
Help me brainstorm the 50 things! Send me your suggestions, your recipes, your band recommendations, your craft patterns, your resource links, your secret dreams. If you want to join me and share the experience, let me know. I love company.
Please leave a comment/send an email
Share your ideas as comments on this post, or email me through the contact form on my Connect page. Tell your friends. Ask your family members. Poll your coworkers. If it’s legal, I’ll consider it.
Thank you!
Photo credit: wilhei55
If you’ve ever put a part of you “on the shelf,” whether you did it consciously or unknowingly, you may relate to this one.
In my dream, I was a student in a perpetual state of rushing from one thing to the next. As I hurriedly collected my belongings to move to a new place, I discovered my midsection—a large section of my body, from my groin up to the bra band. I had removed it in some earlier rushed moment and thoughtlessly stashed among my stuff.
Now, here it was. Cold and clammy. And of all the things running through my dream self’s mind, from “ewwww,” to “uh-oh, I should have put that on ice to keep it fresh because I’m going to want to reattach it,” to “huh, it’s lighter than I expected it to be,” the most disturbing aspects to my waking self were that:
- I had done it myself and didn’t want anyone to know. (Therefore, I was hesitant to seek help recovering it.)
- I was in a hurry and felt annoyed to be faced with having to make a decision about this.
Unlike the dream about glass walls and turquoise, the meaning of this one eluded me upon waking. Some insightful friends have been helping me out, and here’s my current understanding.
When we give our power away
In addition to some fairly crucial organs and skeletal structures, our lower torsos are home to the second and third chakras, important personal energy centers. Removing them from my body was the same as giving away my creativity and personal power.
I’ll bet you can think of any number of occasions when you’ve done this. At one point, I had a job where I did this all day, every day. Willingly. Looking back, I don’t think the job required it. It was my choice.
Regardless, the dream said it’s time to reintegrate, to become whole, to take back the part of me I treated so carelessly. And yep, it feels scary and inconvenient. And yep, I feel a tad ashamed to have ever separated. But unlike my dream self, I’m confessing publicly.
Seeking hidden treasure
Do you have parts waiting to be rediscovered? Maybe they’re feelings that didn’t feel “safe,” so you’ve stashed them away. Or opinions that were pooh-poohed when you were younger.
How long has it been since you checked in with all that secret stuff? Could be there’s something there that’s ready for your loving acceptance. It’s a beautiful dream, isn’t it?
Photo credit: Alaskan Dude
If you are among the many of us experiencing a heart awakening, you’ve likely been overwhelmed by other people’s anxiety or fear. That’s why boundaries are important. But I don’t want to wall out everyone. I want to stay as open as possible—present and compassionate—without soaking up all the ick that folks are releasing.
So I’ve been asking for help, and this morning, I received it in a dream.
Objectively, the dream made no sense, but there was no question it carried a message. As soon as I woke, I wrote down all the details I could remember.
My turquoise dream
I stood inside…
- A glass-faced building (like a car dealership), looking out through
- Automatic sliding doors (like a grocery store).
- A number of round turquoise balls (like Chinese lanterns)
- Were hanging from the ceiling
What I took from it
- It’s possible to be transparent to the world around you while still being protected. (Me in a glass structure.)
- You can let things in and out as you choose. (The doors.)
- Turquoise gem stones can provide exactly this kind of protection. (The lanterns.)
- Try wearing them on your body, perhaps as earrings. (The ceiling.)
After writing this down, I went to check my gemstone book. Here’s a bit of what it said:
“Turquoise connects physical and spiritual awareness. Develops inner strength and calm. Stabilizes. Heals the emotions and the emotional body. Traditionally used for protection.”
You can bet I’m wearing turquoise earrings today!
If this information benefits you as well, I’m thrilled. Heck, once I catch a glimpse of your turquoise jewelry, I’ll even invite you into my glass house for a cup of tea. Just step on that mat—the door opens automatically.
Photo credit: futureshape
