Bright Beauties: Jupiter, Saturn, and the Great Conjunction

It's not my practice to follow astronomy news, so I didn't know anything other than what the moment's observations told me: these were not airplanes, nor the moon, nor any typical arrangement of stars. I was spellbound. Well known for talking to my dog, I surprised myself by talking to the sky. "Who are you?" I asked, and "thank you for sharing your bright beauty."

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It's getting wobbly again out there

The only thing we're really ever required to do is pay attention. Notice the fullness of every moment – pleasurable and painful alike – and allow that awareness to feed steadiness, and steadiness to breed support. It may indeed be a windy winter, but together we can reinforce our shock absorbers, cushion ourselves in the presence of the buffeting winds of change.

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Getting Traction

I treasure these morning walks with my dog Prince. I sing songs to him. My phone stays out of reach. I smell the trees, the grass, the firewood in winter and the humidity in summer. I smile at passersby and try to make eye contact and say hello to each one.

A common technique for walking meditations is to be conscious of each foot as it touches the ground, tracing each footstep’s outline, one by one. This is essential to avoid slipping on ice, but what would our daily experiences be like if we paid this much attention to every step we took, even on dry solid ground? 

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