Where attention goes...energy flows

Grounding into our response-ability with clarity and intention

When I’m with the horses or facilitating an experience in partnership with them, one of the fundamental teachings they invite and offer is that where your attention goes, the energy flows. It can be a powerful practice that reminds us that when we direct our attention, we direct our energy; and when our energy is channeled with intention - that is where the magic truly happens.

Playing with the energetic pull of attention and intention in the field with the herd: Panguilemu, Patagonia

This month we will cross the equinox threshold, here in the southern hemisphere we lean into spring, and our sisters and brothers to the north are dropping into fall.

Both of these seasons are deeply resonant spaces of transformation - opening up the season of emergence, sprouting forth and the physical manifestation of that which was encased in a seed, initiating it’s emergence into external shape and form- the start of its journey toward full potential and form. The autumn season holds the same energy of transformation, as that which has emerged, bloomed, and borne fruit is ready for harvest; this is also the beginning of the decay stage of life that will lead to the transition.

Humans have always oriented ourselves with rituals that align and relate with the Earth, just as all beings on Earth do, although in this day and age it is common that thresholds such as the equinox come and go without much notice. However, taking time to consciously cross these thresholds opens a rich space for intentionally working with the energetic shifts that are taking place around and within us.

The ever-changing landscape of Patagonia

Perhaps you have community around you that gathers to share some sort of ritual or ceremony around the equinox. If you do, wonderful! It is such a nourishing gift to share these rituals with others in close physical proximity.

If, perhaps, you are traveling, living away from this type of resonant community, or have just never found your “tribe” in this sense, I invite you to gather with the beautiful community over at Ancestral Medicine for their Free Equinox Event.

This year as the equinox approaches, I have many seeds that I’ve gathered for what feels like a lifetime (or perhaps more than one ;) that now appear to have fertile soil for planting…so I will be going into the mountains alone with the horses for a bit of ceremony on my own. I’m looking forward to coming back across the threshold of spring with a clearer sense of what is the best direction to continue growing toward the light.

First spring blooms: wise mentors in way-finding as we seek the light toward which to grow: Panguilemu, Patagonia

---

Additionally, as we collectively embrace of time of great transformation and transition, I would love for you to join me during October in an effort to consciously and communally engage in purposeful daily activities that draw carbon down from our atmosphere.

The Drawdown Ecochallenge will take place from October 1st to October 31st, and it is essentially a month-long commitment to take personal action that contributes to collective change. I have participated in many Eco Challenges over the years, and have always found the process to be enlightening, inspiring, and engaging as we shift and share and witness how quickly our small ripples can expand into huge impact. It’s a lovely channel through which to engage in the luminous potential of our species.

The bravest blooms bursting forth in winter’s last breath: Panguilemu, Patagonia

I have created space for a little Subterranean Resilience team where we can come together and share what we are committing to and how we are progressing as we move through the month. Please consider exploring the initiative and if you feel the pull to join in the fun, just follow this link and create a profile. You are also welcome to invite family members, community members, friends and colleagues as well!

As Spring approaches here in Patagonia, and I lean into this current of the shine of our collective potential, Rachel Carson and her vital life, work and love comes to mind and heart. This year Silent Spring is 63 years old, the ripples and resonance of Rachel’s words and reflections are as clear and attuned as ever. She is also a testament to the way in which individual action can inspire and motivate untold ripples of collective effort and change.

“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”

Rachel Carson -

It is really easy and fun, and if you are curious but can’t commit, follow along anyway! I find the shared accountability of making such commitments in community to be really motivating, and the team at EcoChallenge Dot Org have really done a phenomenal job of designing a platform that celebrates intention as well as effort.

The horses are always drawn toward the light, in community: Paguilemu, Patagonia

Recently I was listening as a friend was sharing about how distraught she felt about the state of the world, how discouraging the political situation was in her country, how big the issues seemed and how hopeless real change actually felt.

I know, intimately all of those feelings. And over the years I have found that the process of moving those feelings through me, so that I have access to a grounded sense of hope and an active, creative sense of possibility- is often by taking personal action. We have to ask ourselves - what is our responsibility? And when I ask that question, I take Thomas Hübl’s simple yet essential reframing of that word to heart - what is our response-ability? What do we actually have the ability to respond to? This is where we direct our attention - this is where we direct our energy - this is where we carve out channels for our love to flow.

This is a nurturing space ripe with possibility for experimentation, transforming behaviors and appreciating the power of personal and communal effort.

So, who’s feeling up for the challenge?