The other day I was listening to an interview with Graham Nash, arguably one of the world's formidable singer songwriters of this century, first as a member of The Hollies and then a founding member of Crosby, Stills and Nash. The interview was conducted by record producer, Rick Rubin, founder of The Broken Record podcast. An overarching theme in this two-part series was that life has moments of intangible meaning and beauty, and the genius can be found in even the tiniest of moments. One favorite memory was of Graham recounting how the song "Our House" came to be.
Since my teens, I have always loved this calming, homey tune. Now I will forever recall the simple inspiration for this one: Graham and his girlfriend at the time, the genius Joni Mitchell, had been out to breakfast on a cold spring day, and they stopped at an antique store, where Joni purchased a beautiful vase. When they came home, Graham said, "I'll light the fire while you go find flowers for the vase that you bought..." And so it is. A classic song for the generations was born, out of this simple, mundane moment, nothing extraordinary or revelatory...he and Joni were simply making the mosyt of a rainy, crappy day.
A Meditative Moment
Here is the song, for your listening pleasure and meditative moment, along with the full set of lyrics:
I'll light the fire
You place the flowers in the vase
That you bought today
Staring at the fire
For hours and hours while I listen to you
Play your love songs all night long for me
Only for me
Come to me now (come to me now)
And rest your head for just five minutes
Everything is done
Such a cozy room (such a cozy room)
The windows are illuminated
By the evening sunshine through them
Fiery gems for you, only for you
Our house is a very, very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy 'cause of you
And our
La-la, la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la, la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
Our house is a very, very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy 'cause of you
And our
I'll light the fire
While you place the flowers in the vase
That you bought today
Songwriters: Graham Nash.
My message to you: you may as well seize the moment! We can use our gifts in so many ways. Not everyone is a natural-born lyricist, so perhaps your gift is making a wonderful farm to table meal, arranging bouquet of spring flowers, or throwing a big party.
As above, so below.
The energy on the planet right now is fiery and chaotic, to say the least. In this month of April, we are experiencing historic shifts. We are each being called to pause for a moment and collect our thoughts before we move into any one direction. We are being asked to consider new ways of being in the world, and our old ways of doing things in the world may look different as we move through the spring.
What needs to shift? What needs your attention, at this exact moment in time?
For me, I have had to really take a step back, literally. Right around Christmas, I noticed this stabbing pain in my left foot. It kept getting worse and worse, until I eventually made my way to Urgent Care to see if it was legit broken. While my foot was not broken, my body was informing me that change was necessary. It has certainly required a decent amount of TLC, patience, introspection, and rest, in order to get back to normal. Needless to say, I have taken my own advice and have been diving into all kinds of selfcare. An MRI showed two metatarsals without cartilage, as well as a cluster of nerves that feel like a rock under your third and fourth toes. Custom orthotics, good-fitting shoes, and some experimental stem cells have helped boost my mobility. Additionally, I have been practicing Pilates - 25 days straight - and loving the results!!
Navigating change is never easy.
None of this healing has been easy. When you have been well-known as a massage therapist, it gets pretty emotional when you cannot practice your craft, as you once had. I had to really pause and dive in deep, to look at the root cause of this left foot issue. After all, the left side of the body is the Divine Feminine, and the left foot, well that's all about moving forward, landing properly. My message? I am meant to Plant Light wherever I go, not just when I am doing my hands-on healing, but literally imagining myself planting light in the grocery store or at the ballfield or possibly in a part-time job.
From the disruption and the turmoil, new growth is created.
I am imagining myself as a gardener of my own life. It's a time for planting seeds, which has required weeding through people, places, and things that no longer serve me. I have had to come to terms with my physical limitations - even if they are temporary - and set some clear boundaries for myself. What can I do? What can I safely offer, without causing more harm to my foot and to my curvy spine and body? Lighter healing work is the answer I keep coming back to, over and over again.
What's New & Exciting?
As I move forward on my path, please join me and a host of talented healers from The Newtown Wellness Collective, as we collaborate and bring forward beautiful full and new moon healing circles. My vision is to participate in restorative yoga classes, complete with vibrational sound therapy. Perhaps you have an idea on how we can collaborate? I welcome the opportunity to partner with you and bring health and wellness to your business or home location, for customized on-site wellness days or staff appreciation days.
Wishing everyone a blessed Passover and Easter. As you move forward in your journey, know that it is okay to not be okay. Know that these are challenging times, and we need community, in order to grow and expand our consciousness for a more peaceful world. It is my greatest wish that you find inner peace and shine your light, for the world needs you, now more than ever. May you find your own inspired genius, as Graham Nash did when stumbling upon the lyrics for Our House. May you find your Home, wherever you roam. And if I can be of service to you, please call on me for healing.
I promise to do what I can to help you, either in my home studio in Brookfield, in Dr. Bailey's office in Danbury, or at The Newtown Wellness Collective, but please know I am in state of transformation and finding my stride. The lighter healing work is calling me, and it has had a profound impact on those who have tried my Sound & Scentsations modality, combined with BEMER therapy and reflexology, so if it is meant for us to cross paths, I look forward to holding sacred space for you soon.
With gratitude,
~ Dorina