So, after all my philosophizing about change, and earthquakes, and aftershocks, the dust is settling and I’m just feeling crappy. Spent most of yesterday in bed. Now I realize that most hip chicks don’t have the luxury of lolling about like that, what with kids and regular jobs and such, but I want to make a pitch for–every once in a while–letting EVERYTHING drop. The responsibilities, the tension, the self itself.

You see, in macrobiotics, we’re looking to harmonize with the 5 Transformations of Energy which are: Rising (Tree), Expansive (Fire), Falling (Earth), Gathering (Metal) and Floating (Water). Every energy phenomenon follows this pattern, whether it’s the seasons of the year, the movements of the day, or the psychic shifts of a relationship. The downward side of the cycle doesn’t always represent death, per se, but it is always a shedding of skin and a deep movement inward. Given that my “earthquake” was my ending an important relationship, yesterday I was in the falling, gathering, floating mode as I experience its death.

It always amazes me how strong our cultural taboo is against letting anything drop, or fall. I guess it’s considered a failure. Or maybe we avoid it because it’s just downright painful to feel grief. And to be macrobiotic–made of the stuff of nature–the pain is very real, and hard to avoid. But what if flowers never drooped? What if old people never finally let go? What if we never shed tears and just let them bloat us tight and shiny-faced until we burst? The dropping of things is essential to re-birth. And right now, I’m shedding a skin. It doesn’t feel very good, and even I had resistance to the “maybe I just won’t get out of bed today” thought, but once I surrendered, I was able to let go of my self, my life, and any modicum of control I think I have. And I actually feel better today.

How do you let things go? What in your life needs to release and float? Are you open to experiencing it? This time of year is about contraction, going inward. It is happening to you whether you know it or not. How does it feel? If you are in the Southern Hemiphere, you are experiencing expansion. Lucky you! Enjoy it fully!

On a lighter note, I recently attended an event that was the opposite of what I’m going through now: It was a crazy, boozy, night of rising and expanding energy that started with a trip to the Royal Winter Fair. Now, you can probably surmise from its name that the RWF is a veritable WASP’s nest. I hadn’t partaken of my tribe’s rituals quite like this for years, so it was with high heels, champagne flute and camera in hand that I took in the sights and sounds. We ended the evening by dancing ’til 2, but that was TOO HOT to record.

My cousins (the one on the right is not me–we just share enough genes to confuse people)

Here’s my second cousin Alice’s bitchin’ dress that was handmade for her grandmother in the early 60s. I could NEVER have kept it clean for 40 years. Most Hip Dress that night:

Here’s me with Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York City. NO ONE ELSE RECOGNIZED HIM!! It was weird. He was there because his daughter was competing in the horse jumping.

Finally, three short vids:

1) GOT AN EXTRA MIL TO THROW AROUND? 2) SOMETIMES I DO MY AEROBICS ON MY HORSE TOO 3) I THINK THESE HORSES ARE TRACING THE YIN/YANG SYMBOL… So, wherever you happen to be in the 5 transformations right now, in your relationships, your life, your year, remember to eat whole foods, chew them well and don’t forget to share them with your horse.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 8th, 2007 at 12:21 am and is filed under My Life, Photo, Spiritual Stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.