November Retreat for Synergy

Saturdays are usually my day of retreat and contemplation, though I've had a series of very busy Saturdays lately. Today I hope to settle in to a day of synergy, both inner and outer. I aim to seek unity, embrace teamwork, and work tirelessly towards a better end.

Agenda:

1. Read "Focus on the Good Stuff"

2. Write a gratitude

3. Generosity practice

4. Create inner synergy for Nature-Culture

1. Read "Focus on the Good Stuff":

I'm reading this book by Mike Robbins (2007), with the sub-title "The Power of Appreciation". In the introduction he says, "Underneath every dream or goal we have is a desire for appreciation. We want to feel good about ourselves and our lives." He's not talking about being appreciated, but about appreciating ourselves, our own lives, and everyone and everything that surrounds us. Along with appreciation he uses words like empowerment, effectiveness, confidence, clarity, and success.

Part Two is The Five Principles of Appreciation, and the first principle is Be Grateful. "Gratitude is the first and most basic level of appreciation. ... Gratitude is an emotion, an attitude, and a state of being. ... When we close to look for the good things in others and find things we appreciate and are grateful for ... it becomes a state of mind..."

I'm not seeing anything very new here. Gratitude has miraculous benefits. If I look for what I'm grateful for, I will find more good stuff in my life. 

2. Write a gratitude:

I've had a hard time with the word gratitude for many years, but the Ongo way of framing gratitude as a celebration really fills my heart. "...thoughts are simply the mind's way to celebrate or mourn - they are like the mind's tears of gratitude and regret."

Yesterday we practiced writing a gratitude this way:

1. Connect to the energy of celebration as a Need, as an aliveness.
2. Allow an image of a person (or place or being) to arise. Recall their/its presence in my life, and a specific moment of interaction.
3. Take a breath and notice what feelings arise, and what needs are nourished with this memory. 
4. Write the memory of what the person, being, or place did, how my life was enriched, what feelings come alive with the memory, and the needs which are nourished.

Journal: Daughter- I am forever grateful that you have allowed me to help raise your sons. I am filled with tenderness for you and for them. I feel recognized and honored, and invited to belong.

3. Generosity practice:

On the third day of the waning gibbous moon, I practice a love meditation, and then journal about generosity with time and attention. I start with ideas for being generous with myself, then my family, my neighborhood, community, and the earth. I might decide to give money or a gift, or simple acts of helping and sharing my time.

This month's generosity plan:

1. Winter wildlife care.
2. Progress on Earthcare group tasks
3. Tenacity with Big House projects
4. Gift-making for family.
5. Order myself some new books!

When I'm motivated by the desire to give, just the intention to offer my help, and my willingness to listen, will begin to lessen suffering in the world.

4. Create inner synergy for Nature-Culture:

Stephen Covey says, "Fulfilling the four needs [spiritual, mental, physical, social] in an integrated way is like combining elements in chemistry. When we reach a "critical mass" of integration, we experience spontaneous combustion -- an explosion of inner synergy that ignites the fire within and gives vision, passion, and a spirit of adventure to life." 

I'm going to create some synergy today for my big, passionate world-building, nature-culture project.

"Each step below has multiple ways to engage, and you don't have to use them all. Take as much or as little time with the steps as you like - you might want to stretch the process out over a few days, repeating each step a few times in different ways, building a little more energy each time. Or you can speed shift through the steps, and explode into action today!"

First I will engage my mind and my heart by writing just a little bit of my neighbor letter for my habitat project. I'm clear that the heart component is: I want people to make a mental shift in priorities; to have an aha moment, and see from nature's eyes. I need to develop clarity of purpose to communicate my intention.

The emotional burden is a sense of urgency. I plan to give attention to releasing my need to make things happen fast.

Then I will engage my spirit and my body in the garden, with photos of the transition to Autumn, and with digging out thimbleberry roots, and later by cleaning mason bee cocoons and storing them for the winter.

Then finally, I will build a fire of synergy for a painting of Autumn: I will set a timer for 3:00. My art synergy plan is a sequence that begins when my timer goes off:

1. Engage mentally by creating  a clear visualization, and making a list of the steps needed.
2. Engage my heart by lighting a pink candle, and releasing my urgency.
3. Engage my spirit by reciting the mantra "I am the Autumn"
4. Engage my body by diving in to the first step on my list.