The Calling

Early I awake to listen.

Before the noises of the day have their say,

The Great Spirit has His; the Divine Mother has Hers.

Always the inaudible voice comes through,

Before the sun takes its flight into the morning sky.

Some days I seem to wait longer than other days.

But always I know, if I'm patient and persistent

I'll catch a glimpse of the dawn before the dawn, 

A new view of what's real - even slightly more than I saw yesterday.

Then and only then do I know my work is done, 

the connection made,

I'm dialed in to the infinite One, orchestrator of all.

Now I can move with guided action, equilibrium, and poise.

I take the first step, then the next, and another.

Still listening to the voice beneath the sounds,

The calling that has been forever calling to me,

Before the sun was the sun or the moon, the moon.

Wait. Listen. I think it's calling you too.

Reggae Fusion Playlist

Here's the Reggae Fusion Playlist from this morning's class at 
Agoura Power of Yoga...

Naked 4:17 Rise Anoushka Shankar

In the Middle 4:04 Acoustic (iTunes Exclusive) - EP Mat Kearney

It Takes Love 3:20 Edie Brickell (Amazon MP3 Exclusive) Edie Brickell

Piece Of My Heart (feat. Marsha) 4:17 The Best Of Shaggy Shaggy

Jamaican In New York 4:28 A Reggae Tribute To The Police Shinehead

Green Lights 2:56 Good Things Aloe Blacc

One Day 3:28 Light (Bonus Track Version) Matisyahu

Tamatant Tilay / Exodus (feat. Tinariwe... 4:45 The Imagine Project Herbie Hancock, Tinariwen, K'naan & Los Lobos

Fly Like an Eagle 4:14 Seal: Best 1991-2004 (Deluxe Version) Seal

Let It Go 2:47 Underwater Joshua Radin

Hari Om (You are the Love) 5:57 Nada Bhakti: The Sound of Devotion, V... The Bhakti House Band

Extreme Ways 3:31 Go - The Very Best Of Moby Moby

With A Little Help From My Friends 4:13 Reggae Summer Ellis Island

Free at Last (Reprise) (Album Version ... 4:12 The Best of G. Love and Special Sauce G. Love & Special Sauce

Walk Through the Walls 5:43 Love Is King Love Is Queen Avasa & Matty Love

Love Is My Religion (Acoustic) 3:52 Love Is My Religion (Bonus Track Versi... Ziggy Marley

Landslide 3:10 Landslide/ The Only Living Boy in New ... Sin Fang

Te Amo 3:43 Everything Everytime Everywhere Trevor Hall

Glory Box 2:40 Deeper Than Gravity - EP Ben Taylor

Lotus Heart 9:05 DownTemple Dub: Waves Desert Dwellers

The Vacuum Cleaner Effect

Prince Sultan (pictured here) is one cool cat. Very few things ruffle his fluff. There is one thing though that sends him into a frantic search for safety – the evil, loud, horrible, giant, obnoxious VACUUM CLEANER!!  After all these years, he still races for his favorite hiding spot under the bed at even hearing my hand touch the handle. From my vantage point of intelligence, it’s easy to see how silly this is; how he has nothing to be afraid of; and doesn’t he know this by now?! I mean never once has the vacuum cleaner harmed him. He’s always survived unscathed. One day as I was observing this phenomenon which I now think of as the vacuum cleaner effect, a metaphor revealed itself. I began to see that I have a lot of vacuum cleaners too – things that show up repeatedly and cause the same reaction every time – sparking fearful modes of thinking – even panic, survival mode, and sending me running for safety under my proverbial bed.  Looking back I can see I’ve always made it through these things unharmed and even much stronger and more free because of them. So when will I learn to go through potentially triggering situations with grace and courage, without having to go into all the drama? My fanatic feline has taught me that even while I’m scurrying around in my maze of fear, there is even right then a higher intelligence that sees everything clearly, knows there is nothing to fear, understanding clearly that all is well.  If I find access to that intelligence and submit to it, then I don’t have to blindly find my way to the other side of the maze, knocking my head against walls along the way.  I can avoid the maze altogether. How awesome is that! I’m sure I will encounter many more vacuum cleaners along my path, but instead of allowing them to evoke the vacuum cleaner effect, I can let this lesson from super furry friend be a gateway into finding my freedom sooner than later. I hope you will too!