September 22nd, 2011
I’m at the beach right now, so I am seeing scenes like this and reveling in being near the ocean, which I have loved deeply all my life.
When I was little, I “found God” at the ocean. When I looked out at the horizon, I thought it was so wide an infinite that God must live there. The ocean is still a wonderful place for self-reflection.
Have you noticed the dark streaks in the sand made from iron filings? I’ve always loved their patterns. Have you seen how these streaks are particularly strong above and below and around stones at the water’s edge? When the waves come in and then recede, they leave streaks in various shapes.
That’s what I noticed the day I discovered that the combination of stones, streaks and other natural objects created forms and figures! And even more amazing, they seemed to come alive and speak to me.
That was back in 2000, and since then the Sand Spirit images have spoken to people all over the world, revealing the power of their intuition in moments!
If you haven’t learned about these images, look for them at your local shoreline. Or, just join us for a free webinar where you can be introduced. (Email me at pam@ThroughADifferentLens.com)
You’ll love this magic tool that will help you gain insight on any issue in your work or life.
What do you see in the image below? What does this form or figure say to you?
I look forward to sharing the story and the images with you!
Sand Spirit image #28
Tags: beauty, Being, creative imagination, inner landscape, Nature and the soul, perception, Photography, Sand Spirit Insight Cards
Posted in consciousness, creative imagination, healing, Imagination, inner landscape, nature as mirror, Photography, Sand Spirit Insight Cards, seeing oneself, self-healing, shifting how we see, Tools for seeing ourselves @ 01:33 pm | Permalink | No Comments »
March 14th, 2011
What form or figure do you see in this photograph? Yes, it’s just sand and pieces of seaweed. And no, I did not arrange them. Nature did!
Some people see a flower. Others see a pregnant woman. I always see an archer, whose bow is drawn, the arrow ready to fly. All the answers are RIGHT! What you see is the whole point of the Sand Spirits.
Today this image speaks to me of focused intention. The archer concentrates and narrows her view to the target, asking her body and mind to focus on directing her energy and her arrow in exactly that direction. We can do this.
I’ll give an example taken from a blog I just read by coach and author, Cheryl Richardson. She pointed out that we have a choice of how to react to the tragedy in Japan. She suggests that every time we think of the pain and suffering, we do the following: open your heart and imagine a stream of loving, healing energy flowing out of your heart, all the way to Japan. See the energy flowing all over the country, enveloping everyone and everything.
Now, remember that we are in the midst of great change on the planet, and so pain and suffering will probably persist and even intensify. How will we handle it over time? There are many ways, but the question is, how can we serve others?
We can serve best not by adding to the negative energy, but by forming a positive intention to pray or send love and healing to those who suffer. We can do this by contributing money, by volunteering and by being like the archer, focused on sending our best and highest energy right to the target.
We can continue to feel compassion for all who suffer without being overwhelmed so that our lights are dimmed. Instead we can be disciplined and while we feel compassion we can act as healers of the planet.
Thank you to Sand Spirit #6!
Tags: consciousness, creative imagination, Flying metaphor, managing change, perception, Photography, Sand Spirit Insight Cards
Posted in caring for the earth, consciousness, creative imagination, Guided imagery, healing, Imagination, nature as mirror, Photography, Sand Spirit Insight Cards, shifting how we see, shifting paradigms, Tools for seeing ourselves @ 06:51 pm | Permalink | No Comments »
January 24th, 2011
This is one of my favorite Sand Spirit images! I talked about this one at a recent presentation at the Escape! conference for cancer survivors and advocates. They were an inspiring and humbling group of people who have been through a daunting spectrum of challenges. Not only have they navigated these with incredible grace, but the participants all were accepted at the conference because they chose to give back by creating programs for their communities.
So back to the Sand Spirit. When I was diagnosed over 10 years ago, I could see that I’d need some humor and style to make it through surgeries, chemo and whatever treatment or possible complications might follow. This image helped me see how I might summon that humor and style. I see a woman who appears to be wearing a plumed hat, cape and scarves, and who is sauntering along the beach with grace and ease. I think this is partly because she doesn’t take herself too seriously and employs a healthy dose of humor to challenges big and small.
How could this image help you today with your own challenges? Could it be that having some humor and style could help you in practical ways? Just shifting our attitude can make all the difference.
Try writing down three ways that humor and style can help you right now with whatever is on your plate. I look forward to your ideas!
Tags: consciousness, creative imagination, managing change, perception, Photography, Sand Spirit Insight Cards, sense of humor, ups and downs
Posted in consciousness, creative imagination, humor, Imagination, managing change, Photography, Sand Spirit Insight Cards, seeing oneself, shifting how we see, shifting paradigms, Tools for seeing ourselves @ 04:28 am | Permalink | No Comments »
January 1st, 2011
Happy 2011!
How interesting this experiment is becoming. I’m taking the Sand Spirits images in order, putting one up each week and reflecting on how each one might give guidance to our lives. So here we are on the first day of 2011, and up comes Sand Spirit #4, one of my favorites.
For me, this one has always been a guardian angel. She was the first one who really taught me to communicate with these Sand Spirits–back in 2000 when I was newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Shocked by the news on a Friday that I would be having surgery on Monday, I was cleaning my house and getting ready. My new photographs of curious forms I had found on a Baja beach were spread out on the dining room table. Gathering them together to put them away, I stopped when I saw this guardian angel. Maybe I would put this photograph by my bed, I thought. Perhaps she could help me bring in spiritual guidance and give me peace, confidence and comfort.
She did. When I returned to my house the following Monday, my recovery was marred by the alarming news that the lumpectomy had not been enough. Now I would face the decision about further treatment. A single or perhaps a double mastectomy. Chemo. Would I survive it all? Now we had entered the land of mystery, where even the doctors could not give me an answer. I would need guidance now to help me recover and reclaim my best chance for health.
Today–11 years later–I am so grateful to have excellent health and also a strong relationship with the world of spirit. Trying to thrive while being a spiritual being in a body remains a constant adventure. I need daily doses of grounding to stay in my body and respond to its needs, and also inspiration from the spiritual realm. This Sand Spirit guardian angel helps me do both.
So what does the guardian angel say to you today? As you begin whatever challenges, adventures and blessings 2011 will present, what guidance and blessings to you seek? What does the angel say to you about how to maintain contact this year with the realms we cannot see? Is the spiritual realm real to you even though it is invisible? How do you “see in the dark” and experience the invisible? What is its guidance today?
I wish you countless blessings, health, abundance and the fulfillment of your dreams in 2011. May we all experience the kind of peace in the inner world that will create peace in the outer one.
Pam
Tags: creative imagination, inner landscape, inner peace, Nature and the soul, perception, Photography, Sand Spirit Insight Cards
Posted in Guided imagery, Imagination, inner landscape, Photography, Sand Spirit Insight Cards, shifting how we see, Tools for seeing ourselves @ 04:22 pm | Permalink | No Comments »
December 23rd, 2010
Looks like a heart-shaped puddle, right in the middle of mud, doesn’t it? What an odd image to put into a Christmas blog.
That’s what I thought while I was scanning my photo collection looking for just the right burst of light and energy that could represent the true Christ energy. The Christos: a burst of light in the midst of darkness.
Born in a stable. I often think of that. In a town where there was no room in the inn. So His birth was probably dirty, common. According to the story, he was born in the mud. Love was born right in the midst of the mud.
No matter what your faith, all our holy ones have brought light into the lives of the suffering. They have all taught us that even though life is dirty and hard, we can find surprising moment of love right in our path.
So no matter what your faith, do you have room in the inn? Do you have room in your heart and in your world view for love? Not the easy love for all that is beautiful and whole and graceful, but the kind of love that is a surprise. The kind of love you might almost trip over or walk past if you weren’t paying attention.
I think we have to intentionally make room in our hearts for that kind of love. We have to practice shifting every time we see a person behaving in a way we want to judge. Every time there’s a political decision we can’t stand. Every time a loved one is unkind. This doesn’t mean giving into it; we don’t have to wallow in the mud ourselves. We need to stand for justice. When we “take a side,” though, I think being conscious means being on the lookout for the love contained in this “dirty” situation that might surprise us. Every time we can find it by paying attention, we receive the Light, the true Christos, the Beloved.
So Merry Christmas, and happy Holy Day, whatever yours is. If you don’t have one, try making it today. Make room in the inn. As you walk your path, look for love, and report on the surprises.
Tags: consciousness, perception, Photography, spiritual practice
Posted in consciousness, Photography, shifting how we see, solstice, spiritual practices, Tools for seeing ourselves, winter @ 08:39 pm | Permalink | No Comments »
December 20th, 2010
Sand Spirit Insight Card #3
I look at this Sand Spirit and see a woman with a brilliant head, with energy emanating from it, and a left breast, arm and side that are much more prominent than the right. She tells me she is “leading with her left side.” This would mean she is right-brained and intuitive.
I ask her what message she has for me about myself and my life. (I am thinking, “I’m already right-brained enough! Sometimes I’m not practical enough–so what is it you are advising?”
She responds, “Well, in some sense you’re right brained–when you are deep in the creative process. But when you’re figuring something out, you go right ‘into your head’ and get strategic and logical. That’s fine up to a point, but right now in this changing world, the old strategies aren’t working so well. So you need to pay more attention to what your body feels about various issues, and trust your intuition.”
This kind of shuts me up, since I keep getting this same guidance about these times. It seems to be about expanding our brain power by using more of it. We think our logic “makes sense,” but logic fails to explain much of what is happening in the world. In times of crisis, we use our gut and respond intuitively. That’s what’s called for now, my Sand Spirit says.
What do you think? How could your intuition expand your options and clarify what is going on and show you better options for yourself. And what do you see in this card? I love reading your comments!
Tags: consciousness, creative imagination, inner landscape, managing change, Nature and the soul, perception, Photography, Sand Spirit Insight Cards, transitions
Posted in consciousness, creative imagination, Creativity, creativity and empowerment, Imagination, inner landscape, managing change, nature as mirror, Photography, Sand Spirit Insight Cards, seeing oneself, shifting how we see, Tools for seeing ourselves @ 11:24 pm | Permalink | No Comments »
December 6th, 2010
I’m going to go through the Sand Spirits Insight Cards in order, so you’ll get one per week to think about. This is week #2 and card #2. See how this relates to what’s up for you and add your comment!
First of all, the number 2 is all about relationships. How are your personal and professional partnerships? This number speaks about communication, interdependence and right relationships.
Now, what do you see in this image? I see a figure who looks androgynous, and who is dressed in a robe. S/he has her hands in prayer and light around her head. If I look closely, I see her left eye open and her right eye closed. It appears that she’s standing in water.
I ask her who she is. She says she is a spiritual energy, an archetype who could help me this week.
Tell me what message you have for me about myself and my life, I say. She says I am to keep my left eye open–that is, be sure my right brain is activated. That means using my intuition more than my logic. She says I could find myself “in hot water” in some way, and if that happens, her advice is to focus on what is right, and on my gratitude for all I have and for all that is going well. That will keep me “en-lightened.”
How do I translate this into actions and attitudes I can start right now? Well, technological things are driving me a bit crazy at the moment, so I guess I’m to bypass logic and use my intuition about what to tackle and how. I don’t see any “hot water” yet, but I’ll be on the lookout and be ready to focus on the positive. And I’ll pay special attention to nourishing and strengthening partnerships on every level.
How about for you? What does this Sand Spirit say to you about yourself and your life? How does that advice pertain to this week, and particularly to partnership and relationship?
Tags: centering techniques, creative imagination, Nature and the soul, perception, Photography, Sand Spirit Insight Cards
Posted in consciousness, creative imagination, Guided imagery, Imagination, inner landscape, nature as mirror, Sand Spirit Insight Cards, seeing oneself, shifting how we see, shifting paradigms, Tools for seeing ourselves @ 09:19 pm | Permalink | 2 Comments »
December 3rd, 2010
I haven’t blogged in a long time. Not sure what the block has been about it, but these things happen. So in order to take action, I drew a Sand Spirit Card. Let’s see what it has to say about procrastination and blocks:
What I see in this photograph is a holy-looking figure wearing a robe and holding its hands in prayer. (Is that what you see?) Below it is a smaller figure. I’ll talk to the larger one. Who are you? I ask it.
“I am a representation of your higher self, talking to your ‘lower’ or more materially-oriented self.”
And what do you have to say to my smaller or lower self about procrastination? I ask.
“First, it’s normal. We all are changing all the time, and sometimes during periods of transition we cannot stick to our old routines. So, just forgive yourself and move on when this happens.
Second, when you realize that you’re motivated to begin, or at least dissatisfied with your waiting, just dive in. Beginning is at least half the battle.
Thirdly, have faith that all the prayers you offer about being able to be more of your real self, about contributing to the world and about manifesting more wisdom…all these prayers are heard, and their answers have perhaps been percolating during your hiatus. So consider the possibility that even your procrastination has served a purpose.”
Wow. OK, I answer. I feel relieved, and grateful for this wisdom. Thank you, Sand Spirit.
Now it’s your turn. What do you think about these three comments about procrastination and blocks? Are they true for you? If so, how will you apply them?
And what do you see in this Sand Spirit image? I look forward to a dialogue with you!
Tags: perception, Photography, procrastination, Sand Spirit Insight Cards, transitions
Posted in authenticity, bringing out your gifts, Imagination, Sand Spirit Insight Cards, seeing oneself, shifting how we see, Tools for seeing ourselves @ 04:04 am | Permalink | 3 Comments »
October 11th, 2010
Nature and the Human Soul
I just enjoyed another weekend at our Rocking X Ranch in the Sierra Ancha mountains of Arizona. The time in nature always relaxes my body and mind, and leaves plenty of room for my soul to speak and to listen. My favorite sound is the wind through the Ponderosa pines, that sounds like the ocean. My favorite feeling this time was the cool air that was so refreshing after record-breaking heat in Tucson. And my favorite sights are too many to name. But I liked the way the sun came through this old glass that held my iced tea as I read by the stream.
I finished Bill Plotkin’s big and important book, Nature and the Human Soul. How right he is that our culture (which he calls “patho-adolescent,” is not what makes us true adults. We grow instead, by our immersion in the wild, natural forces that are akin to our souls. Then our task is to harvest what we learn from outer nature and our inner one, and bring it back into the world. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if more of us could do this?
My reading and musing made me feel so fortunate that I have a place to remember who I truly am, and how lovely the universe is that birthed me and this life I love. Experiences like this nourish my passionate desire to bring tools into the world that help us “see the shape of the soul,” “make the invisible visible” and make the “unconscious conscious.”
How do you chase the image, or the shape, or the flavor or sound of your soul? Where do you go to remember the wild, natural part within you? And how do you long to bring that essence into your world?
Tags: Bill Plotkin, consciousness, Essence, inner landscape, living today, Nature and the soul, perception, Photography, Self, soul
Posted in consciousness, inner landscape, nature as mirror, nourishing ourselves, Photography, returning to essence, seeing oneself, self image, shifting how we see, shifting paradigms, Tools for seeing ourselves @ 06:37 pm | Permalink | No Comments »
October 2nd, 2010
I see a funny figure in this Sand Spirit image– a dog or weasel standing on two legs,with its head in profile, looking to the left and showing us a huge black left eye. Do you see this? Its body has a stone at the waist or midpoint and another one near the feet. This seems to be a very grounded figure to me–one who sees and feels in its body and has its feet on the ground in a solid way. I think when I speak with this figure, what it says will make sense.
And how do I come up with what I see in this abstract photograph that began by being an abstract, natural arrangement of stones and streaks in the sand? How do you come up with whatever you see?
I see this way just by opening my active imagination, by using my intuition and my right brain, that non-linear, non-logical way of knowing. This way of seeing is called by some people “second sight.” Another way to look at it is that it’s our 6th sense. Our “common sense.”
What we see through the inner eye is just as valid as what we see with the outer one. And sometimes, even when we’re confused by what we see with the outer eye, the inner one makes sense.
When we are told, “Oh, that’s just your imagination,” one response might be, “What do you mean by just?” Why denegrate the inner eye? It has been responsible for everything creative in the human-made world. Our vision is the beginning of actions we call genius. Without seeing it first inside, we wouldn’t do much.
What are you going to do as soon as you finish reading this? Imagine doing it. See the inner movie? Doesn’t that happen all the time? You run a quick version of what you’re planning through the inner eye, and then you “see” how to go about it.
Now that is just common sense.
What do you think? I welcome your comments!
Tags: consciousness, creative imagination, Imagination, living today, musings, perception, Sand Spirit Insight Cards
Posted in conscious evolution, consciousness, creative imagination, Creativity, creativity and empowerment, Imagination, inner landscape, nature as mirror, Photography, Sand Spirit Insight Cards, seeing oneself, shifting how we see, shifting paradigms, Tools for seeing ourselves @ 08:40 pm | Permalink | No Comments »
