I thrive in the fall. I guess I also welcome change and don’t fear it.
Change is necessary to grow as human beings. It’s also necessary for plants to grow, for businesses to grow, for ideas to grow.
Life, death, rebirth is that trinity that we often shortchange ourselves in times of testing: we forget that between the life and rebirth aspects that we treasure so much exists that descent into “death” (change) that fosters the passage.
Here are some bright spots I’ve encountered this week. I hope you find something here to brighten your day, or if not, I hope you found something bright and hopeful during the week to keep you bolstered as we move into this season of change.
NOTE: I’ll skip next week’s Hi-Vibe Friday post as I’ll be away at a film festival! See you in two weeks!
SEPT 9, 2024—Vining flowers
There’s nothing quite like planting a humble little seed, walking away, getting busy with life, then coming back to discover it flourishing, setting down flower-covered vines that bring life and light to a bald patch of earth.
- Why is this hi-vibe? Beauty!!!! This bed of Black-Eyed Susan Vine (thunbergia) started out as four seeds I threw into a hot, dry corner of my front yard. Look at them go! They bring me such cheer and I scarcely have to do much to keep them thriving.
SEPT 10, 2024—The Divine Feminine
I’ve been reading up on goddesses of late… especially those who are mentioned frequently in 2024 as being linked to an energy shift (if you follow astrology, you know what the Age of Aquarius is all about, yes?).
The more I read about the stories of our most intrepid goddesses, the more I am reminded that women have been fighting for autonomy, selfhood, civil rights, and human rights for themselves and other marginalized groups for millennia. Here we are, in the 21st century, and the war cry is rising to a fever pitch: Enough!
When folks say “We won’t go back” this election season, I understand their messaging. It’s more than just the loss of Roe v. Wade I’m talking about here, it’s about the way we’ve been—especially since the pandemic—introduced to other and often better/safer/equitable ways to live collectively. We (not just women, but all people who want fairness, dignity, opportunity, justice, freedom) won’t go back to patriarchal ways that only benefit a small percentage, at the expense of the majority.
Enough.
This, my friends, has been the centuries-old message coming from the divine feminine (and the energy that flares out of what is called divine feminine rage)… we are at a time in history when a great reset of power structures must happen if we are to restore freedom and safety to all people regardless of their status in the world.
This is also the pathway we need to blaze if we want to recover the natural world from the constant insult of exploitation, degradation, and poisoning that has been a huge adverse effect of living in a capitalistic patriarchy. No, it’s not our job to save the planet… it’s our job to save ourselves. In doing so, we also save our habitat.
- Why is this hi-vibe? The time is now to make change that moves us forward as a species in a way that breeds hope and a vision for a better, stronger, more sustainable future not only for all of us (including our most vulnerable), but for our animal and plant and elemental neighbors (I’m talking about our waterways, skies, earthly resources, and sources of energy).I’m hopeful! Yes, it’s going to be a tough drive to get it done, but we’re getting there and the momentum is high right now. Keep the faith! It’s always darkest before the dawn.
SEPT 11, 2024—Good Samaritans
The trajectory of this day was shattered when, at around 7:15am, I was rear-ended not once, but twice, by two trucks during slick morning weather. Unbelievably, I walked away without a scrape, though my beloved Kia Sportage of 13 years did not fare so well (and the other drivers, even less so).
In the midst of the chaos of a three-care pileup in the middle of a highway during the morning commute, I discovered a man out directing traffic and sticking around to serve as a witness for the police when they arrived. He drove a big truck pulling a trailer full of… llamas!
As I waited to get my paperwork from the traffic cop on the scene, I had several staring competitions with the big-eyed beauties peeking out at me from the trailer.
The man could have easily went on his way with his precious cargo, but he stuck around. I was grateful to be able to thank him and to have the company of his sweet little beasts to keep the energy going during the ninety minutes that it took to process everything that happened.
- Why is this hi-vibe? Whenever you think the world has gone full-on mad and it seems like nobody cares or wants to be a good human, llama chariot drivers come along and buoy us up with their sense of responsibility to their neighbors… even those who are complete strangers. What a lovely reminder that humans are still basically, impulsively, good.
SEPT 12, 2024—Paul Silva
I met this dude in social media and just love what he stands for. Positive vibes, for sure, but in a way that’s funny, sane, rooted in reality, creative, and empowering.
- Why is this hi-vibe? Just have a listen to his podcast, Seared. (And now he has a new one: You Are Gumbo!) He’s a great storyteller, coming from a rich life of experiences, many which have put him through the wringer. I find his podcasts inspiring, fun to listen to, and relevant.He’s a former chef as well… having worked in food service for quite a spell myself, I absolutely love the way he leads with a restaurant scenario and extracts from that a personal lesson, one he will remind you is just as much for himself as it is for anyone listening.And if you need some business coaching, I absolutely recommend you look him up. Listen, I’m not always down with coaching professionals. Having been one myself, I know some are legit, but many are not. He’s the real deal, and that right there presumes the highest vibe.
SEPT 13, 2024—Changing Leaves
“The trees are about to show us how beautiful it is to let things go.”—Sketches in Stillness
No, the falling of leaves is not quite yet here, but you can feel it in the landscape, that hush, like branches holding their breaths until the nights cool down enough to prompt them to let go of their foliage.
You can see it in the reddish/yellow edges of leaves, the flaming up of evergreen “flags” (sections of needling trees which shed their own weak growth).
You can hear it in the return of the chorus frogs and the howling coyotes, the sudden explosion of mushrooms in the soil, the honking geese in formation in the sky at dusk, the dewy signatures of spider webs in the early morning, the sunsets that come earlier and earlier, so suddenly, it seems.
- Why is this hi-vibe? Like I said above, change is part of growth, and it’s exciting, uncertain, scary, but most of all… necessary to life. The dynamic cycles of the seasons—life, harvest, death, rebirth—are highly vibrational, and I am here for it!
It’s more important than ever for me to remember how much good there is in the world. To that end, I’m going to try to post 5 cool things I encountered recently. Weekly? Maybe. Or maybe just occasionally. However frequently I do it, my goal is to brighten your day and help me cleanse my own timeline of all the toxicity that current events and social media can bring. With so much happening in the world, we all just need a link-love break, y’know?