Written by Lois Lenarduzzi

 

Last night I joined twenty women at a farm called, Horse and Hands, for a Summer Solstice celebration.  This event included a singing bowl meditation, a connection with the therapy horses, a fire ceremony, and a labyrinth walk.

The owner of the equestrian therapy farm, Suzanne, described the numerous ways these beautiful creatures communicate with us.  She told us there is always a ‘sentinel’ horse whose job it is to keep the herd safe.  Any sign of danger, this horse alerts the rest of the pack, and they take action to move.

It’s paramount to become our own sentinel on a day-to-day, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute basis.  Today’s global environment seems to be chock-a-block full of perceived ‘out-the-getchas’… corrupt government, meatball politicians, hate crimes, gangs, deadly viruses and diseases, global warming, domestic/sexual/physical abuse, inflation, drugs, yada yada…you get the picture.

I’ve hog-tied myself to Prime Video this past week going from season one to six of ‘The Good Fight.’  I’ve gorged on this addictive trash morning, noon, and night.  My sleep has been erratic all week, I’m anxious and ungrounded, and I drag my ass out of bed at 7 am feeling like a need a full night do-over.

I had lunch with an old friend a few weeks ago.  The majority of our five-hour visit consisted of her complaints and the name-and-blame game.  I tried to make conversation with her…you know, where one talks, the other listens, then responds?  This wasn’t the case.  It was exhausting.  I interjected a few times to let her know I understood, but she just plowed on like I’d never said a word.

The above two examples are prime examples of how to be the sentinel in your own movie.  This is a full-time gig – your/my life depends on it.

It’s about playing ‘feely-meely’ with yourself…what feels empowering, inspiring, uplifting, and what feels depleting, disempowering, and all-consuming?

We mere mortals are given signals all day, every day in our mind and body as to what feels right and what does not.  Your body is a lie detector extraordinaire giving you a thumbs up or thumbs down in regards to what is happening at the moment.  The body is hard-wired to the truth.  It’s up to us to listen or not.  Like the lead horse, if it ignores the danger, the whole herd can be compromised.

This is my inner angel/devil conversation of late…

Angel – “Get painting, to be creative you have to create, creativity makes you feel alive, get your ass in the chair and write woman, get up off the couch and move, dance, sing more, get up early in the morning and write so there are no interruptions, hire a cleaning lady if you are spending too much time taking care of the house, enroll hubby in more meal prep, bang on your drum, procrastination is holding you back from your brilliance.”

Devil – watching the news will keep you an informed citizen, otherwise you have your head in the sand, you must call that friend back – you owe her a call, shop ‘til ya drop, it feels so good, there’s nothing wrong with wasting hours on the phone/in front of the TV/flicking through Facebook or Instagram, you have to keep your house spic and span like you always have, you are obligated to have the neighbors over since they had you over.  These are all the shoulds, have’ta’s, oughta’s in our brains.

My go-to’s in upping my vibes as a SELF LOVE SENTINEL are holotropic breathwork, journaling, yoga, drumming, dancing, walks, painting, meditation, listening to inspirational podcasts/videos, reading, singing, and hanging with my tribe.

July is all about fun, play, adventure, rest, and restoration.  What can you add to your list, for yourself, that generates more love, wild abandon, and joy this month?

About Lois

Lois is an artist, writer, movement/mindfulness/breathwork, and workshop facilitator. The Sweetly-Warped Creativity Club Event is designed to expand your inner and outer worlds through playful creative self-expression.

Contact: lojolenarduzzi@gmail.com