It has been heartbreaking to watch those in Texas struggling with the trauma of Hurricane Harvey and the displacement of extreme flooding. 

Other parts of the U.S. are also suffering right now too—for example, there's a 300,000 acre wildfire burning in Oregon today. Other parts of the world are also suffering from natural disasters and extreme weather right now too.

It's about climate change, of course. But it is also about Gaia, our earth, reflecting our collective soul. 

We are not many separate souls. We are One soul.
This doesn't just apply to human souls, either. 
Are sentient beings (living and non-living) are part of the collective soul of Gaia. 

Humans, animals, plants, minerals, weather systems. 

Whatever we think, whatever stress we feel, whatever crushing situations we are under as humans, are all reflected in our group thought, which shapes the energy of our collective soul. 

Do you recall how sometimes a person you know, will reflect your shadow right back to you?

Right now, many of our political leaders are reflecting our shadow. 
And right now, Gaia is also reflecting our shadow.. 

Gaia is not separate from us, we are not separate from Gaia. Gaia is a collective consciousness that we are part of. What we feel, Gaia feels and vice versus.

Extreme weather is not punishment for our "sins." It is true, we have not been good stewards of the earth, and we're finally starting to figure that out. But there is no punishment here. Instead, Gaia is simply reflecting to us, and we are reflecting to Gaia, the extreme shadows we are working through, as collective soul.

It's not always stress, trauma, pain.  
The weather is not bad every day.

Please remember this, as extreme weather plays out at the end of summer. Sometimes, in fact many times, this world and its weather give us the most beautiful, gorgeous, profound, life-changing experiences we will ever have. 

The good, the bad, the all of it: this is what we are, and this is what we create as One with each other and with Gaia. 

Be at peace. Send peace to all. Understand there is no separation from each other or from the earth. 

The 2017 Solar Eclipse is over.
The media storm has died down.
Even I'm going to stop talking about it.  
 
But first, I want to ask you one thing: Do you feel the changes yet?
 
If you engaged with this astonished planetary event with intention or a Ritual—whetheryou could see it or not—if you asked the Universe to release whatever needed to be released, and called in whatever need to be called in...
 
If you did this, you will now notice that these changes have begun.
 
For example, if you asked to be released from a sticky relationship, you will now notice that the Universe has released you from that relationship.
 
You may have clear signs that the conflict is over.
You may have clear signs that the relationship has ended.
Or both.
 
This may feel strange or uncomfortable.
So often we get habitual about negative things in our life.
When the habit—even if it’s negative— is gone, we might feel strange.
We might even miss it!
 
Remember: if you have asked to be released from someone or something, you are now released. This void will fill over time, but right now, today… it can feel strange.
 
Similarly, if you called something in, this has arrived to you already. You aren’t waiting for it: it’s here now.
 
For example, if you called in abundance, you may notice suddenly that money is coming in out of nowhere, or other signs of abundance are happening. This is your new reality now! Whether it’s abundance, or health, or whatever you asked for… it’s here!
 
Step into the new reality.
Accept the gift.
The Solar Eclipse was a portal, and you stepped through it.
You are changed, and your life has changed around you.  
 
If you can't tell what’s changed yet, look again.
It’s there for the noticing. 

My own experience of the 2017 Solar Eclipse was this: I woke up early on eclipse day, with barely contained energy. Because I live in Salem, Oregon, I was in the path of the totality—a 100% view of the event!

Around 9 am Pacific, I went outside. The moon had started its transit, and the day was darkening. Dogs started barking at a neighboring farm, and coyotes began to yip and howl in the distance..

Time passed, and the shadows deepened. By now, if you looked up at the sun with solar glasses, you could see the moon passing in front of the sun. The sun was tantalizing—warm fiery orange and red, and it was tempting to look at it without the glasses—almost as if drawn to it.
 
It was getting dark. Dr. Steve, who is a master drummer, began to drum, and my son and I joined in. The weather changed—the wind picked up, the trees rustled. I know it got colder, but I don't recall experiencing that. We drummed facing the sun, and as we drummed I caught glimpses of past lives—shimmering memories of other eclipses in other lifetimes. Aztec was what I experienced. 

Excitement and energy built. The sun became an orange red crescent. Our phones started beeping with local safety alerts: “Don’t look at the sun!” “Wear your solar glasses!” “No fire or fireworks!” These might have seemed intrusive, but they weren't—they gave a sense of community, a reminder of the hundreds of thousands who had come to be here to witness this planetary event.
 
The eclipse was nearly upon us, and I felt very strange. This strangeness built and built until a few minutes before totality, I received a massive download of information. It all arrived into my head in one swift, complete moment—a particular new packet of information that was inserted into my brain all at once. I received it without question or doubt—this new understanding is beyond what I could have imagined, and I am very grateful. (I will share it with you later, after I have processed it.)
 
When totality happened, we took off our glasses. If you couldn't see it, here is what it looked like: the black circle of the moon, and blazing from behind it, a streaming halo of pure white Light.
 
The eye of God. That’s what I thought.
I cried out Oh my God.
 
Some of you have written than you cried, sobbed, felt deeply emotional, or completely overwhelmed at this moment. I felt that too.
 
For myself, all of my intentions which I had so carefully meditated upon in the days before the event, flew out of my head. There was only this astonishing event, and becoming a part of everything.
 
Around us, in the farms nearby, there arose a tremendous swelling shout as everyone cheered. All of us for miles around, cheering together as the moon danced with the sun.  
 
Eye of God.
Blazing Light in a pitch black sky.
Witnessing it together.
 
Everything reversed itself very fast after that: a moment after the eclipse hit zenith, the moon moved again—the white light disappeared and the sun became a crescent of fiery orange, this time on the other side.

We put our glasses back on.
We were quiet.
Things were so strange.
 
In those moments, it felt as if everything had suddenly reversed itself or gone backwards. Darkness lifted.  Oddly, we saw streaming fields of light, moving across the air. It is hard to explain this: it’s as if we could the energy traveling in the air, in great sheets of energy.

The shadows from the maples and firs formed unusual crescent shapes on the ground. Roosters crowed their second wakeup call of the morning, and birds began their early morning trills again.
 
And that was it.

We didn’t watch the rest of it: the passing of the moon to the other side. We went inside. We felt overwhelmed by the power of all that Light all at once, the white blaze of Holy. We were adrenalized for many hours after. I'm still feeling it today.
 
Millions of people connected for this event,and it is clear: we are One.
We always have been One.
At long last, we are beginning to feel it. 

Depending on where you live and what time you are reading this, the solar eclipse is ON today, Monday, August 21, 2017.
 
Last night, I was front row at the Pink Floyd (tribute band!) Dark Side of the Moon concert-in-the-park in Monmouth Oregon, population 7,000.

And today, at 10:17 am Pacific, I will be standing in the middle of our driveway with Dr. Steve and my son, with a perfect view to witness the eclipse.
 
Around us, the neighbors will be at their vantage points; thousands of campers have set up a city of tents in fields and farms.. Nearby, a local vintner has hundreds of campers at his winery. In our main town, Salem, Oregon, folks have camped at public parks,, and are now gazing skyward.
 
Everybody’s got their solar eclipse glasses on, purchased months in advance, before our city population increased by 125,000 people for the event, and all the glasses sold out.
 
At 10:17 am PACIFIC, I'm going to do my Solar Eclipse Ritual.

​don’t know what will happen.
I’m giddy with it.
 
This solar eclipse happens in LEO: If you have planets in Leo, you'll likely feel the effects strongly. 
​
The solar eclipse happens because the moon, reflective of Divine Feminine, our spiritual nature, our intuition, holder of our emotions, will move directly in front of the sun, reflective of Divine Masculine, our active nature, our rationality, and leader of our actions.

For just a few moments, as the world looks on:

• The Divine Feminine will block the Divine Masculine.
• Emotion will block action.
• Intuition will block rationality.
• The inner will block the outer.
 
The Solar Eclipse is an event as spiritually significant as the December 2012 solstice, which marked the end of the Mayan calendar.
 
Be present. Be with others.
Notice how you feel during this time. 
We are witnessing, as collective soul.  
Notice how you feel afterwards. 

The Solar Eclipse on Monday, August 21, 2017 will be one of the biggest vibrational shifts in many of our lifetimes. It is an invitation to consciousness—for you, for me, for the U.S. and for the world. 

The gist of it is this: the eclipse is a portal. 
If we do nothing, nothing changes—we won't move through the portal. 

But if we choose to enter the portal—if we hold intention, and if we communicate with the Universe—we can move through the portal, and move into another dimension of our self—our self at a higher level.  If you choose to work with the energy of the Solar Eclipse wisely, you can accelerate your own expansion. 

Do you remember Winter Solstice 2012? The end of the Mayan calendar? The Shift? Many of you experienced accelerated expansion during this event. This is als0 what will happen at the Solar Eclipse. 

Even if you aren't in the path of totality for the eclipse, the event will still affect you—it will affect all of us. This next shift will happen—we can use this energy to better ourselves, and to help the world, if we choose. 

7 Steps to Your Solar Eclipse Ritual

1. Plan ahead. Figure out the timing of the eclipse in your area or closest to your area, and plan to have an hour available for your ritual and meditation at that time.
Check the map at  ​https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-maps
2. Create a list of 10 things you don't want to bring into the portal with you. These could be relationships, activities, habits, ideas—whatever it is you want to fully and finally release from your life. 
3. Create a list of 10 things you want to move into. Whatever is important to you: life's calling, life's path, relationships, spiritual opening,  healing, whatever your heart longs for. These should be thing that represent your spiritual expansion. 
4. Take the eclipse seriously. Be in a meditative state during the path of totality in your area.  As you meditate, focus on your list of 10 things you are releasing, and on your list of 10 things you are moving into.
5. Say a prayer for the world. Connect with collective soul. Wish all souls Light. Wish all souls healing. We are part of each other, and we are ready for peace. 
6.  Use sage, fire, water, drumming, singing bowls, other ritual practices if you want. Be safe. 
e) Listen and watch for how the Universe communicates back at this time: notice weather shifts, animal totems, messages, visions. 
7. Spend time quietly after the event is over. Pray, meditate, be still Notice how you feel, notice what feels different. Be grateful. Thank the Universe. 

P.S. Please wear your eye protection—the damage to your retina is real if you look at the sun. 

What happens when you intentionally decide, like Henry Thoreau, to go into the woods? Or the mountains? Or the desert? Or the beach?
 
When you just decide to take some space, get outside of your current situation, get outside of your head?
 
When you decide to let to of the drama and the deadlines and the demands that we call life… And instead, you decide to be with yourself for a while, in order to discover who you really are?
 
In tribal societies, many cultures have an initiation or walkabout or vision quest, where a person goes alone in to the wilderness for a period of time, in order to attract guidance from the Universe. Often this person is moving from youth into adulthood; it’s a rite of passage. 
 
But a vision quest doesn’t have to be only for youth.
 
We can receive visions, signs and guidance anytime we choose to break routine; anytime we show up with the intention of receiving.
 
If you put off taking retreat, if you never slow down, if you never stop and listen…  you’re going to miss some astounding advice from the Universe.
 
The Universe is whispering to you right now.
Take some time, take some space—and let yourself listen. 

Where I live here in Oregon, it’s haying season.

That means fields once wavy with sun-bleached grasses are now shorn down to stubble. The tractors are baling morning till night, binding hay into stacks or rolls..  
 
We've been talking lately about the cycle of nines: the concept that we're now in a "one" year, once again passing through the same lessons we began in the "one" cycle that started in 2008.
 
We are surely in a planetary cycle, with the path of totality revealing the solar eclipse—a rare event for collective soul.
 
And we, at least in the northern hemisphere, are also in a cycle of summer.
 
It's s summer now, so we're making hay.
But after that, there’s nothing to do for a while.
We'll be at pause, rest, wait.
 
You see around here, the harvest comes in stages. First there's hops, then berries, now hay, then apples and veggies and corn, and finally pumpkins and grapes.
 
The hay is in.
Nothing else is ready yet.
There’s no harvest today.  
Nothing to do but wait.
 
These cycles of the growing—planting, growth, harvest, rest—have been part of our human DNA for a very long time.
 
When we follow these cycles, instead of resisting them, our whole life gets easier.

When the garden has been planted, you don’t plant it again.
You simply water it, maybe weed it.
But you don’t over attend.  

The same goes for now.
Whatever you planted in the spring, in terms of goals or plans or ideas or dreams?
Let it go for now.
The Universe has things well in hand.
 
It’s not the harvest yet.
What we're called to do now is pause.
To rest in the shade with cool glass of something and enjoy this moment of Now. 

Soul lessons repeat until we finally learn them. 
This is true for each of us as individual souls, and for collective soul.
 
Which is why is it is so interesting to look back into the past, compare it to the present, and notice the future we are creating.
 
In truth, all time is NOW. Yet we can use the illusion of time to understand the patterns that we are repeating, in this now.
 
At the beginning of 2017, we talked about the nine-year cycle. How this year, we're in the same starting place we were in 2008. You can refresh your memory on  that forecast here.
 
What is important to know, as we are just slightly over the halfway mark in 2017, is that your soul lessons are calling you. 

Look back again, to what you were doing in August of 2008. And there will be the answer, to what you are experiencing now: the same pattern, the same movement, the same shift, the same soul lesson.
 
• What happened in love?
• What happened in family?
• What happened in work?
• What happened in health?
• What happened in abundance?
• What happened in awakening?
• What else happened?

​Here in my small town, we’re lucky to have some visionary community leaders. People who get how important it is for small towns to come together for fun.
 
Lately, I’ve been going to Concerts in the Park on Wednesday nights. Thursdays is movie night, in which a family-friendly flick is projected onto a screen—the side of a large white truck. And on Fridays, there’s another concert.
 
Everybody shows up, even in 110-degree heat. Everybody brings everything: lawn chairs, blankets, picnic hampers. Since this is hops and vineyards country, you can buy beer or wine, if you’re so inclined.
 
And so it was a few nights ago that I saw Sol Seed, a terrific reggae band from Eugene, Oregon. The week before was a Billy Idol tribute. Next up is a Pink Floyd tribute playing Dark Side of the Moon—the night before the eclipse.

Whoo hoo! Go community! 

To see your neighbors dancing in the park. To see folks handing out free H20 bottles because it’s so darn hot. To see the lead singer suddenly stop in the middle of the set, and point above us ”hey everybody, look at the moon,” while we en masse look up at the moon, which is waxing gibbous in the still-blue sky, and is a beautiful sight to behold on that hot August night.
 
Community. It’s alive and well.
Collective soul is doing fine.
Pay attention to the reality around you.
We are connecting more every day. 

I am in the path of totality.
 
By this, I mean that on August 21, 2017, the solar eclipse will be fully visible from my hometown of Salem, Oregon.
 
On that morning, I will be standing at the top of my driveway with my solar glasses on, watching it all go down. And I won't be alone.. One million people are arriving to the state of Oregon for the eclipse event. This is stunning, there are only four million people in the state!
 
Salem, one of the prime viewing spots, is preparing for the deluge. Traffic is expected to snarl on the highways. Businesses are closing for the day. Garbage services are saying they won’t be able to deal with the trash.. Emergency services are gearing up. And everyone I know has already bought their special eclipse glasses, sold at every store counter in town.
 
I know not everyone is in the path of totality. However, the solar eclipse will shift us all, energetically and spiritually.
 
The last solar eclipse visible in the 50 states was in 1979. What were you doing then? There are always patterns when things return, and it is good to remember how you once were.
 
The bigger news is this: if you take time to mark the eclipse with ritual or ceremony or noticing, you will be expanded into collective soul.
 
Do you remember the end of 2012, which marked the end of the Mayan calendar? Collective energy focused on a spiritual event, and the shift in awareness was palpable.
 
Do you recall how you feel when you celebrate any solstice, new moon or full moon, and you realize that other people on the planet are doing the same thing? This is also spiritual connection.
 
It's a wonderful idea to treat August's solar eclipse with reverence and respect. It is not just a moment when the sun and moon align in a particular way. It is a moment when we are all going to be connecting in awe and wonder, together.
 
This is going to break down the veil of separation, in a new and powerful way. 
 
Change is here.
Don’t be confused by the media.
Notice how you have been feeling lately.
Notice how your spirituality seems to be expanding.

This is what’s really happening.