Let's be crystal clear. That is not a joint, doobie, or a blunt in the picture above. I don't even know what those are. That, is a large SAGE stick used for "smudging". Again, for the sake of clarity: "Smudging is an ancient ceremony in which you burn sacred plants, such as sage, to allow the smoke to clear and bless a space."* In other words, whether it's your home, office, studio (yay) or self, smudging is believed to "clear the air" of negative, stagnant energy.
Just wanted to make that really clear, first. And secondly, I was feeling rather stagnant today.
Because of that, today, I had Chai Tea with My Pal at a Very Well Known Coffee Place. My Pal, is a wonderful woman with an amazing soul, huge heart, and enough creativity to reach the Milky Way and beyond. Did I mention that she is also superbly intelligent, a waaaay-talented photographer, a first-rate Mom and wife to her son and husband, a gifted writer, and a true beauty? Yep. She is all that plus the chips AND the dip and cool bowl.
We try to get together often, but it's funny, we always seem to "just know" when the other needs that Free Space: to complain, dream, cry, laugh, and step out of our lives as we know them. Or, specifically, to immediately rise and leave the Shop, go outside, and walk through undeveloped "No Trespassing Zoned for Commercial Property" land to get some air.
It is during those spontaneous journeys that we remind each other to really "see" what's around us. Why, Yes, Virginia, there really are ferns, a tree, and moss growing in the unoccupied retail space next door. And yes, that round, overgrown area does look like a crown (which my Pal dubbed, "Mother Nature's Crown"). And, okay, "WHAT the H** is that chunk-of-something on the pavement that was obviously regurgitated by local wild life!?!?" (I digress. I always do, but there really was something on the pavement...)
It is also in those times that we remind each other of our strengths, and that our dreams are valid, and that falling down (even more than once) and getting back up was, and is, the way of many a Warrior. And we manage to grab each other by the collar, the soul, and the heart strings and set off in opposite directions, but always side by side.
It's a like a cleansing. A detox. A smudging. And a deep reminder that we aren't alone in
All This. That our Pals, and even the people we don't know at the next table in the Very Well Known Coffee Place, are forging their own paths as well. (I can guarantee you theirs was a bit different than ours today. Seriously, if you had seen that thing on the pavement...)
I came home, smudged the house - especially my Creative Space - because I believe it can clear the air, and allow for new thoughts and plans to evolve and be put on paper, or canvas, or keyboard and monitor.
You may not buy into the smudge thing. And that's okay. Sometimes, I question it.
But, I do believe in the power of Friendship, and it's ability to make us See, and Feel
things when we least expect to.
And really need to.
Thanks, Pal.
*(From an article by Bess O'Connor, the Chopra Center website.)