Theme: Calling and Time
Hello Courageous Souls,
Greetings on this harvest moon. I am writing to you for the first time in six months. One could say that I have fallen behind on writing seasonally. One could also say that I fell in line with what was truly needed. The art of falling behind entails the capacity to listen, honor and let go of concepts of time that make no room for the life of the soul.
Autumn brings with her a different pace. It is an opportune moment to consider our relationship with time and timing. The ancient Greeks had two words for time: Chronos which refers to linear, sequential time, and Kairos meaning the right or fitting moment, as well as season. Kairos is rooted in a feminine relationship to time, whereas Chronos is associated with the masculine. Clearly both are needed. The art is in learning to discern what is optimal.
Sometimes it is more than obvious, as it was for me this summer. My plate was quite full as I navigated the leave-taking of my first child, studied for (and passed!) my first clinical licensure exam, and then tended to my health which required much of me after such significant thresholds.
Kairos, as she expressed through my body, asked me to surrender any self-imposed deadlines and I had no choice but to listen. Although in my case the need for discernment was absent, other times knowing whether to follow Chronos or Kairos asks us to become apprentices to the subtle.
How does Chronos and Kairos live in you? How do you receive the messages to move forward, to slow down, or to give yourself permission to “fall behind?”
It can be helpful to have practices that bring greater awareness to our relationship with time. One example is the Jewish practice of Sabbath, on which day the feminine face of God, or the Shekinah is invoked. Abraham Heschel describes this beautifully, “On the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time…to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation.”
Our calling requires of us to practice the art of listening in so many ways. Staying attuned to timing is one of them.
What is Chronos asking of you in relationship to your calling? Is the masculine principal needing more attention? Are there action steps that await an empowering deadline, along with the support of an accountability buddy?
What is Kairos whispering in your ear? Is she beckoning you somewhere you might not fully understand? How is she inviting you to dance with time? What pace feels right in your body?
It is the practice of a lifetime to listen, trust and follow. Sometimes we need support as we navigate our lives. It is my passion and honor to serve as a guide of deep listening. Here are links to the various containers I offer as support:
I am currently transforming my 7 week Clarity of Calling On-Line Course into a self-paced home study program. Last year, I offered the debut course and was honored to receive glowing feedback. This course is the culmination of nearly twenty years of my devotion to the topic of calling, and all the ways that life initiates us into becoming a gift to the world. The content is available to view here and I’ll let you know as soon as it’s live.
As always, I continue to offer the Woman’s Clarity Process and Rituals for Change in San Rafael, and mentoring by phone. And now for your ritual:
Ritual for Change
- SET THE CONTAINER: Choose a time and place that will support this ritual exploration of time and timing.
- SET YOUR INTENTION: Choose a specific area of your life where time is an alive question, and bring an object to represent this. Symbols help the psyche focus and open.
- INVOKE: When you are ready, infuse the container with all the unseen help that you desire. Make sure to include an invocation of Kairos and Chronos using words that resonate for you. Be specific in your request for support and speak from your heart and feelings. Spirit hears us better that way.
- RITUALIZE: During this part, open to the unknown to the best of your ability. This is an essential ingredient of ritual, differentiating it from ceremony.Sit in front of your symbol and speak your fears, confusion, uncertainty, frustration etc. An example might be saying, “I know I have a book inside of me, but it never feels like the right time,” as you sit in front of a book as your chosen symbol.With paper and colorful drawing utensils on hand, allow yourself to FEEL your relationship to the feminine or masculine face of time (intuit which to engage first), as it pertains to the timing of ____________(your focus). Once you are alive with feeling, draw from this place until you feel complete.With a soft focus, look at the image you have created and move what you see. If words or sounds want to come let that happen. Let go of the need to understand or get answers. Simply open to the alchemical process and notice what arises in your body, mind, feeling and intuition.When you feel complete, find a way to mark a transition, such as a gesture or a deep breath.Begin again with the other face of time, repeating the sequence of drawing and then moving. Again, notice what arises.
Now stand between the two pieces of paper. Notice what imagery, sensations, soul whispers, or perhaps inner knowing enters your awareness. Take as much time as you need here. You can stand or lie, but a soft stillness is preferable to movement.
When you are ready, sit in front of your symbol again and see what feels different. If there are words, allow yourself to speak, but don’t push. Bringing forth language connects us to the left brain which can either truncate our experience, or help us integrate depending on what we need in the moment. Trust your felt sense.
- CLOSE RITUAL SPACE: When you are ready, find a way to close the container. Make sure you symbolize the ending in a way that lets your psyche know that you are leaving behind the place between the worlds. Give thanks and release all whom you have called in.
- INTEGRATE: Give yourself time to transition. Ritual takes time to integrate. Sometimes it can helpful to journal and track your dreams.
Feel free to share your experience. I offer a free twenty-minute phone consult to all new clients.
In closing, I bow to Kairos and Chronos, to your journey of calling and to our ability to become weavers of time. May you gift yourself the nourishment of this season by responding to her call to slow down, and even “fall behind” if that is what is needed.
Blessings, Aninha
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