“The most important hour is always the present.”
~ Meister Eckhart
In the first chapter of my next book, The Art of Choosing You First, I talk about being fully present in my life, in the ‘Now’ as Meister Eckhart Tolle teaches. When we are truly present, we gift our whole selves to what we are doing, intentionally putting our energy, our integrity, and our attention into it whole-heartedly.
On Valentines night, Darby (my dog), did one of her “somethings out there mom, open the door” dances. I don’t think she knew it was 30 degrees outside but I slipped into hubby’s fuzzy lined slippers and wrapped his jacket around my nightgown clad self. Grabbing the flood light off its charger, out we went to investigate whatever she thought she heard.
If I’d really thought there was “something” out there (the neighbor’s cat, a fox, or heaven forbid, a skunk), I probably would have just told her to go back to bed. For some reason (I later came to understand, was for me), she got me outside in the middle of the freezing cold night, under a cloudless, crystal clear, inky black, starlit sky.
As she set off on her search, racing the fence line and exploring the rock piles and squirrel holes, I followed her with the floodlight just in case, you know, she actually flushed something from hiding. My worst fear was that the wanderer with the skunk scent that wafted across the yard last week was back. I had no desire to catch a dog chasing a skunk while wearing fuzzy slippers two sizes too large for my feet.
After assuring myself, she just needed to make her rounds, I sat down in the lawn chair pulling the big coat tighter around my shoulders and looked up. OMG ran through my thoughts. There was Orion and the Pleiades. I’ve been here for several years now having moved the end of 2019. I have searched the night sky for Orion more times than I could count on both hands, with no luck. Even the night sky app on my phone and I could not locate it in the areas I expected it to be.
You see, at our old place, the Big Dipper and Orion had become my anchors. I knew I could walk out the north side of the house and find them in an arc across the sky from right in front of me to overhead and above the house. Here, it didn’t matter if I walked out north or south, no luck until tonight. There, plain as the nose on my face, his belt grabbing my attention, was Orion. Such a blessing and another gift from this place I am working on calling home. And thanks once again to dear Darby for insisting I get up and go outside, like right now.
It is moments like these that bring me up short, back into me, into the present moment of my now time and place. Perhaps all those other times I searched fruitlessly, I was still clinging to the energy of the past, trying to create what had been where I was now instead of embracing where I am now and being grateful for the past.
I am also reminded of the animal allies that live with and around us that when we pay attention. The ones that make us laugh and share their wisdom with us. This morning I woke up to call of a hawk hunting, no sighting but the voice of her call, rousing me from my morning reverie and into the office to write.
- What draws you out?
- What pulls you from “sleep” and encourages you into your day?
- What part of the past are you clinging to as you dream the future you want?
- Are you looking past the present to find your future?
Give yourself permission to be present, not perfect, to be here not there, and to inhale the beauty that surrounds you in the now as you live from the present into the future.
Remember that today IS the tomorrow you dreamed about yesterday, embrace it.
Listening to the callings that tug on my heart, I am excited to be in the throws of another adventure and conscious of my anchors and allies on this journey.
Happy Trails…
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Vicki Dobbs is a bold and adventurous warrior walking a path of heart to manifest spirituality in everyday lives. She opens existential gateways for individuals to face their challenges and embrace these tests as the great teachers that they are.
Her goal is to see everyone walk in beauty and balance every day of their lives empowered by the voice of their own authentic truth.
Through Wisdom Evolution and Sacred Wisdom Workshops, Vicki creates opportunities for others to make deep personal changes through experiential classes, ceremony, sacred art and story. She endeavors to inspire others to create their lives intentionally. Vicki is an Inspirator of everyday awareness, an Instigator of spontaneous stories and a Connoisseur of Creativity. Gratitude and grace sprinkled with humility and humor are the medicine she brings to the world.
As an Elder, Teacher and Entrepreneur, Spiritual Coach, Ordained Minister and Crafter of Sacred Art and Tools, Vicki perceives life’s journey as an ever-upward spiraling ascension of the human spirit leading her to wisdom, wholeness and authenticity.
Her experience includes being trained in the Harner Method of Shamanic Counseling and the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition of Cross Cultural Shamanism. She is a Graduate Teacher and Mentor with the Lynn Andrews Center For Sacred Arts and Training and has been the Administrator and Writers Guide for Writing Spirit, the School.
Vicki is also an Artist of the Spirit Certified Spiritual and Energetic Life Coach, a Graduate Mentor in the AoS program and a founding member of HeatherAsh Amara’s Warrior Goddess Leadership Team and Facilitator of the Warrior Heart Practice.
Connect with Vicki here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vickildobbsauthor
