Aldo Gonzalez

Once upon a time, not too long ago humans lived in concrete boxes and drove around metal bubbles fueled by dinosaur remains to go buy their food from a store and get to work. Our ancestors did not think about where their waste went or how their food arrived in the grocery store. They rarely spent time in nature.  The tale I described above may be how future generations describe us. Stories are playing out everyday, history is made everyday.  Each day we are the center of our own story, creating our own history. The stories that we tell ourselves (consciously and unconsciously) have a major influence on how we act and view the world.   This week I encourage you to bring awareness to the stories you tell yourself, whether that be bringing awareness to the self critic or the inner cheerleader. Use your mindfulness skills – curiosity, non-judgement – while acknowledging these inner stories.   Rather than letting me tell you what to do or not to do I want to empower you to start where you are! There is no one right way to be sustainable, rather sustainability starts right where you are in your local environment and daily routine.   One of the best ways to make a sustainable change is to add an element of fun! Before I give you some ideas I want you to reflect on the stories you already tell yourself about the planet and then we can go from there.  Activity: Today or when you have a moment to write a few thoughtful sentences I’m inviting you to…  First, write your current views on planetary health and what you believe the next 50-100 years will entail.   Second, reread your views.  Third, consider what changes you could make to your views (a.k.a the story you’re telling yourself) about the planet’s health and humanity’s role. What if you changed it to an empowering story? What if climate catastrophe is not inevitable and we’re not doomed? What if this is the ultimate challenge that will unite the world and uplevel humanity?What if it’s not difficult to embrace sustainability in our daily life?  Fourth, Rewrite your story to empower you.   Fifth, consider how you can connect with this empowering story each week and how you may make changes to your daily life that align with this new story.   As I said before, incorporating an element of fun will make this lifestyle change something to look forward to everyday or every week. Whatever you are passionate about, from cooking, caring for kids, brewing coffee, traveling, scuba diving, politics, pottery, making money, everything has a connection back to humanity and the planet. You can reframe how your passion impacts the world and how it can help serve the greater good.   Now for some extra resources for friends who want or need a list of ideas on where to start: . Head out to the Farmer’s Markets / Get to know your farmers . Cook with whole foods rather than packaged products . Reduce Plastic Use . Garden / Grow herbs on your balcony . Plant trees with your community . Compost / give your waste to someone who does compost . Get outside and Be with Nature . Go thrift shopping / Buy up-cycled goods / Swap clothes with friends . Stay accountable with a friend #ecobuddy and have eco-conscious chats together  Online Resources: Micheal Pollen has numerous books that are a great place to start understanding about our food system. He also has a list of resources on his site for anyone looking to make sustainable lifestyle changes! https://michaelpollan.com/resources/   This podcast episode interviews a climate scientist who doesn’t think we’re doomed, he believes we have more time than the media says!  https://open.spotify.com/episode/76RdMG5Tne7H9jaP7mhkdk?si=DrhjTdvwQAu8_rJCudqntA This podcast episode is with Zach Bush M.D. Who talks about the interconnectedness between soil health and our own intelligence. It may be a little out there but for anyone with an open mind he shares very interesting perspectives. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5dOsQcYo6HFUG8Na9nvvtE?si=y4OsOJrCQIyVFZl9bUYEEw&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A228yVp1cCfR1J7lLOqeymo Join our facebook group and share your thoughts, your actions steps, and any ideas and suggestions for fellow tree huggers. Together we can do this!!! With love and hope, Lizzie and all the Sacred Treehouse Faculty

This week I interviewed Michaela, aka MK, to discover how she connects to Mother Earth and what plants can help us open our hearts and set the stage for a deeper connection in everyday life. She was a joy to chat with and has lots of wisdom to share! Check out the interview here. Also, we included her social links, online herbal shop, and dive deeper into the power of herbs on her podcast (@whats.the.teapodcast). Michaela began studying nutrition, which then led her to a path of a more  holistic way of living. Turning inward and working with her mental health and heart-centered living, all guided by an Earth-based spirituality and a communion with the plants and the land around us. She incorporates many modalities of holistic health and well-being into her business, Barefood & Barefoot, such as, yoga, breathwork, meditation, nutrition, plant medicine, the energetics of plants and more. She recently launched a new podcast with Jesse Rose where they host candid conversation over a cup of tea, all centered around [whole]istic living, spirituality and more. website: barefoodandbarefoot.com podcast: https://barefoodandbarefoot.com/podcast/ instagram: @barefoodandbarefoot, @whats.the.teapodcast herb shop: https://barefoodandbarefoot.com/product-category/herbshop/ Peterson’s Field Guide East Coast: https://www.abebooks.com/ Academy of Culinary Nutrition: https://www.culinarynutrition.com/?ref=345 The Herbal Academy of New England: https://theherbalacademy.com

I doubt I need to tell you about the damage humanity is doing to the planet.   I bet you have heard about the giant garbage patches in the oceans, the ever-increasing extinction of species due to habitat loss, the lifeless soil that requires tons (literally tons) of chemical fertilizers to grow commercial crops, and potentially you have even experienced the shift in weather events or seen in the media the damage to communities from these extreme events.   Today’s blog isn’t going to educate you with data and case studies about the planetary destruction humanity is perpetuating… because I believe our readers are fully aware.   You know what’s going on and don’t need to read another heart crushing story or prediction of doom and gloom. In today’s blog I want to create space for YOU, to build a space for both awareness & acceptance of what you feel in reaction to the state of the planet.   Feelings that may arise: Anger, Guilt, Sadness, Grief, Hopelessness, Overwhelm, Anxiety, Broken-Heartedness? In order for us as a human community to address the world’s challenges, we need to be in touch with our hearts, to feel our feelings. Unfortunately, our western culture has a tendency to suppress feelings that we believe others will judge us for expressing, perhaps calling us “a baby” “too emotional” “over reactive” “illogical” “crazy” “messed up” or “a tree hugger”.   I am offering you permission, or rather an invitation, to pause and feel whatever you feel. When feelings aren’t given a chance to be felt, to be witnessed fully without judgment, we can experience not only physical illness and behavioral or relationship struggles, but also an even greater disconnection from Mother Earth that facilitates this continued decline in Her health as well as our own.   We are connected. Whether we choose to notice and feel it or not, we are ALL connected. I see proof of the interconnection mirrored between the planet and humanity’s current ailing health.   I am often brought to tears when discovering the destruction done to fellow humans, animals, and entire ecosystems. It is painful to face these realities and might feel initially easier to just ignore them, but that is not what my heart is telling me to do. When I bring awareness to these issues I am fueled to serve Mother Earth, to protect her and inspire others to live in harmony with Her.   Getting overwhelmed and caught up in the emotion can be equally damaging and lead to feelings of hopelessness. Hence why I find mindfulness to be the most useful tool to use when approaching the present day reality of our environment.   Mindfulness allows me to feel the difficult and challenging emotions and balance those by also recognizing and feeling the joy, the happiness, and awe I feel looking out my car window at Oahu’s green mountains, walking in my neighborhood and stopping to observe the intricate details of a flower, or enjoying a beautiful and nutritious plant-based meal.   I call on you to practice mindfulness off the cushion this week by opening up and accepting your feelings in reaction to something in the present moment. The two opportunities I invite you to tune into are:  1) watching or reading the news (Article, Article)  2) sitting or walking in nature.  Practice Tips: . Turn on the News, click one of the headline articles, or sit outside, bringing mindful awareness to your reactions to what you see and hear. . Pause when you notice a feeling /reaction. You may be able to identify the feeling or maybe not. . . . What matters is that you can sense it and tune into it even for a brief moment of awareness. “AH this is a feeling I don’t know what, but Lizzie invited me to check it out. Hmm let me pause.” . Close your eyes or focus on a single point and take a few breaths allowing this feeling to be present, allowing it to sit with you, acknowledge it.  . Thank yourself for taking time to pause and then continue with your day.  By engaging our awareness of depressing environmental issues we can continue to remind ourselves of the importance and purpose of why connecting and caring for the planet is so critical for Nature’s health and our own. If we push these realities away we ultimately are neglecting an aspect of ourselves.  This month is all about connecting and cultivating a relationship with Mother Earth, this relationship can be taken to a whole new level when you open your heart. Next week I’m interviewing Michaela Kascak, an herbalist and holistic health coach, to learn what plants can help us open our hearts and what lifestyle practices we can do to connect more with Nature.   I would love to hear about your experience through this activity and what you discover. Please feel free to email me: [email protected] or share online and tag us @Sacred Treehouse @lizzie_shuttWith Love and gratitude, Lizzie and the Sacred Treehouse Faculty

Deepening connection with Mother Earth

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir I invite you to join me on a journey this month to rekindle our appreciation, understanding, and love for Nature. Over the past few years I have been studying and deepening my connection with Nature – only to continually be in awe at the magic that occurs within ecosystems (including within ourselves). Through my connection with Mother Earth, I have received far more than I sought. Now I want to support you in developing a connection with Her, so you too can connect with Her eternal wisdom. If you are interested in exploring or deepening your connection then continue to read and give  Everything is connected.Just think about how you interact with things on a normal day… You wake up in bed sheets made with cotton grown in India, you brush your teeth with a toothbrush manufactured in China, you drink a glass of water pumped from a lake or an aquifer in your state, you enjoy avocado from Mexico smashed with salt from Utah and pepper from Vietnam on your whole grain toast from the midwest. Just by breakfast time you have received support from around the world, and that’s just showing how the tangible stuff you enjoy is interconnected.  Now take a moment to reflect on the fact that each living and non-living thing on this planet have evolved from the same stuff, from plants, earth, minerals, water, and star elements.   There is an invisible thread that weaves us all together and understanding that this thread exists is the foundation to caring for Nature in all Her forms (including you)! Nature gives to us abundantly, not wishing for anything in return, like a loving mother to her baby. In our modern societies we can easily forget how much She gives to support our lifestyles, so to encourage you to cultivate awareness around all she gives, take some time to do the activity below.“Trace Your Plate” The next home cooked meal you prepare, try this activity to cultivate awareness around where your food comes from and gratitude for the people and Mother Earth who co-cultivated this food so that it can be on your plate! Do the activity with at least 4 items that are present in your meal. Look at the packaging that the food came in or the sticker label on your produce. The location might be there or you may need to type the company name online to discover where this food item was produced. For each item, pull up an online photo of the type of plant or animal this food item came from. For example if you are eating zucchini, look up what a zucchini on the mother plant looks like, maybe take it a step further to learn what the zucchini flower looks like. Now I invite you to sit down with your plate of food and your new awareness of where it came from to give gratitude. I encourage you to speak out loud and name the various plants, people, and resources (sunlight, water, minerals etc.) that have made your plate of food possible. Additionally you may add a gratitude statement to yourself for taking time to do the activity and cook yourself a homemade meal! This practice can be simplified so you can give gratitude at every meal, you can try using my statement or create one for yourself! My general pre-meal gratitude statement: “Thank you farmers, transporters, and Mother Earth for providing me with this food. I am so grateful I took the time to prepare this beautiful meal. May this food nourish me and give me exactly what my body needs. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!” I would love to hear about your experience through this activity and what you discover. Please feel free to email me: [email protected] or share online and tag us @Sacred Treehouse @lizzie_shuttWith Love and gratitude, Lizzie and the Sacred Treehouse Faculty

I have already heard the buzzing of the new year commitments by others to make changes in their behaviors! I too have been known, since my teens, to make New Years resolutions and LISTS of things I wanted to do in the new year. Not all were about changing something about myself-yet with each passing year it seemed like what changed was my growing dissatisfaction with myself and the January list was filled with trying to change the outside me.  

A few years ago, probably during a new years clean up I found my old journals and most were filled with the same old January entries of lofty goals and attempts to somehow make myself better, more attractive, more lovable by other peoples standards. 

This year I did not make any such commitments and only after a recent gathering of Sangha members, in our weekly mindfulness practice group did I discover what it is I am going to focus attention on this year. 

It is kindness. Not just kindness to people who are kind and loving, but to all people, animals, all living things-with an extra heaping of kindness for those who are unkind. They need more! 

Kindness comes in many shapes, sizes, colors, and combinations. It can be as simple as a smile, an extra moment to pause and  look into someones eyes when you say hello and smile with your eyes, your mouth, and your heart.

Kindness can be giving someone the benefit of the doubt or some grace in delivering what they promised and may be struggling to deliver on time or in the manner you expected, 

I am not letting kindness stop there-oh no! I am including myself in the circle of kindness and offering some grace for not delivering this blog last month during a very challenging and hectic month. You were all on my mind and I have many half written blog articles, but not one was completed and I am letting go of the unreasonable demands I place on myself, at least for now.

Self kindness can be a challenging practice without “mindfulness” because our negative self critical thoughts can be so automatic AND unconscious, unless we slow down and shine the  light of attention on them. This is a “practice” that often requires support and I really mean it is a PRACTICE and can take dedication and support to begin to see the magic that happens when we soften our heart toward ourself.

Mother Theresa is said to have this poem written on her door, likely as a reminder even to her to practice  kindness under all conditions. Here is a brief excerpt:
 

Mother Theresa Poem- Do it anyway

People are often unreasonable,
illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,
people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway. 

To read more of this poem click here: Do it anyway

With the consistent practices from Mindful Self Compassion (MSC) over the past four years, I have grown in self compassion and kindness and discovered that the kinder I am to myself, the kinder I am to others. Want to join me in the adventure of becoming kinder (to yourself)?

I am offering an online short course of Mindful Self compassion (MSC) starting Tuesday February 1st at 7:15 pm EST to 8:30 pm. It will run 6 weeks and deliver a portion of teh teachings and practices from the intensive MSC 8 week course. Even if you took MSC you may find this a great refresher and way to reinforce your prior learning. 

To register for MSC Short Course- Click here!

May you be kind and loving to all beings (including yourself),,

 With Love and Gratitude,

 Patty and The Sacred Treehouse Faculty

 
Need support in overcoming obstacles? Just email me us at [email protected] to set up individualized mindfulness coaching or join our upcoming classes of MBSR or MSC for guided practices in a supportive community.

Go to www.sacredtreehouse.org

Have you ever noticed that the word “Thanksgiving” is actually a conjunction of two equally important words — “thanks” and “giving”? I always assumed this duo meant “giving thanks,” but in recent days I have come to think about it in a bit of a different way. I have begun to see that it is not just “thanks” that we can give this time of year, but that it is the act of “giving” in and of itself (giving anything really) that can elicit feelings of thankfulness and gratitude. 

 

It doesn’t surprise me that gratitude and generosity go hand in hand. Last week in sangha Patty talked about how when we cultivate a consistent gratitude practice we find ourselves feeling more willing to give and share with others. What a coincidence, sangha marveled together, that the month heralded as a time of giving at its finest follows the month when we give thanks! 

 

Science shows, in fact, that there is a connection between gratitude and giving or helping others. For example, people who are grateful are more connected to their communities, more willing to help others and have a strong sense of purpose. Even simply expressing thanks can motivate “paying it forward,” keeping the reciprocal cycle of giving and receiving alive. Romantic relationships can benefit from appreciation too … as partners who are acknowledged and appreciated tend to both show increased appreciation in return AND have a tendency to work harder in the relationship. 

 

In this cycle of generosity and gratitude, giving and thanks have a bidirectional relationship — one fueling the other. Think about it — the more grateful you feel, the more content and accepting you are of what you have, and the less entitled you may feel to having, getting or needing more. These feelings of humility and contentment can lead to a desire to help or be of service to others, which can often lead to feeling valued and important, especially if thanks are expressed by the recipient of your kindness and generosity. Ultimately, when we feel like we have had a positive impact on the world around us, we find ourselves back in a place of deep appreciation and gratitude. 

 

I frequently talk about how one of the most powerful outpourings of a regular and consistent gratitude practice is joy. Living in what Patty referenced in sangha last week as a “state of gratitude” can lead to an increase in various pleasant and connecting emotions — happiness, awe, contentment and as we’ve reflected upon here, generosity. I wonder if any of you have noticed an uptick in these over the last few weeks if you have been following along on this month of gratitude practice? What else have you noticed? How can you take this feeling of gratefulness into the winter holidays? What do you think might change if you do? 

 

As always, share your stories with us at @sacredtreehouse on social media, or email me at nikki@sacredtreehouse.org. 
 

Grateful for you all, every single day— 

Nikki and the Sacred Treehouse faculty 

Sitting down for a few moments of ease, with only coffee or tea and the written words of others as companions … one of my favorite things to do. I find solace and refuge in these moments of connection with someone I have never met but come to know through their penned lens of the world. My very favorite are collections of poems … the epitome of grace on the page. This is why the compilation of poetry How To Love: Poems of Gratitude and Hope (edited by James Crews) has been my counterpart these last few weeks as I have made it my practice to reflect on gratitude in a myriad ways.  Crews has gathered this delightfully inspiring collection of works to inspire us to be more mindful of our everyday sources of gratitude and hope, with a broader intention to help us cultivate a deeper and more enduring sense of joy. He asks, in his forward to the collection, “are you happy to be alive?” and invites the reader, through the poems and opportunities for contemplation he calls “reflective pauses,” to tune in to appreciation, hopefulness and connection, all with the above end in mind. From the author:   “During these uncertain and trying times, we tell ourselves that joy is an indulgence we can no longer afford. And we’ve become all too familiar with the despair filling the airwaves and crowding our social media feeds, leading to what psychologists now call empathy or compassion fatigue, whereby we grow numb and disconnected from the suffering of others. We want to stay informed about what’s going on in the world, yet we also know that absorbing so much negativity leaves us drained and hopeless. We know it’s robbing us of the ability to be present to our own experience and grateful for something as simple as the moon, which is here, as Lahab Assef Al-Jundi points out, ‘to illuminate our illusion’ of separateness from one another.” I am so grateful for my love of reading, and from this love has blossomed a love of writing too … my own journey of finding my voice through the written word. This is why I invite all of you to bring forth your inner poets! For your practice this week, maybe take some “soul time” (like Crews himself does on the daily) to reflect on what you are grateful for in your life, or on some source of hope or joy, and see if you can string together some words — poetry or prose will do (see below for mine!). Have a holiday week full of moments you will cherish, and be sure to take the time to notice and please share your words of gratitude with us at Sangha or on Facebook.   I Remember The whistles and cheers of the game on TV as I busy myself with Sunday afternoon chores take me back to the Friday night lights of 16 … Neon dreams and hope for lasting first love … Moments of youth ticking by like the clock on the  final quarter of the only almost-victory of the season. Loves lost, dreams still came true.  With so much Metta —  Nikki and the Sacred Treehouse faculty

Where have you been today? What did you bring with you … the momentary connections made and snapshot glimpses of wonder, of humanity, of the divine? And what love or compassion or gentle kiss of kindness did you leave behind?  Each fully embraced instant, each point in time brushed with the light of awareness, can be an opportunity for gratitude. The fleeting glances shared by strangers in moments of togetherness, or longer lingering connections between loved ones over a meal or car ride to anywhere. Taking in the extraordinary ordinariness of places we frequent, like the local market or coffee shop or bus stop, or the wonder that comes with experiencing something new. With mindfulness, all of these experiences make us who we are … they fine tune our view of the world and of ourselves in it … and are opportunities for appreciation and awe.  It is in these spaces and places, our everyday wheres, if we take the time to harvest gratitude and appreciation, we can use our mindfulness practice to cultivate joy. At the gas station — nodding a good morning to the stranger on the other side of the pump, grateful for the return nod and moment of connection. At the doctors office — sending thoughts of thanks to the staff for their help. In traffic, wishing patience and safety to your fellow travelers, grateful to know they they too are heading somewhere that matters to them.  Where are you now? Can you take a moment to tune into the fullness of now, noticing each of the qualities of the present with your full undivided attention? The sights and smells, yes, but the felt sense of presence too … how does it feel to be right where you are? How can you take the pieces of this moment that you are grateful for with you to savor, and how can you leave something of love and appreciation behind? Bus Stop — by Laure-Anne Bosselaar Stubborn sleet. Traffic stuck on Sixth. We cram the shelter, soaked, strain to see the bus, except for a man next to me, dialing his cell-phone. He hunches, pulls his parka’s collar over it, talks slow and low: It’s daddy, hon. You do? Me too. Ask mom if I can come see you now. Oh, okay,  Sunday then. Bye. Me too baby. Me too. He snaps the phone shut, cradles it to his cheek, holds it there. Dusk stains the sleet, minutes slush by. When we board the bus, that phone is still pressed to his cheek.With gratitude, Nikki

It is that time of year again! A time when we are encouraged to reflect on our gifts … to contemplate on our lives — past, present and future — through the lens of thankfulness, appreciation, and gratitude. Taking stock of the good in our lives, even that goodness that has been ushered in on the arm of difficulty or pain. All the moments just as they are … and finding appreciation for the richness of this wild life.  I have had a gratitude practice for a long time. It isn’t anything formal anymore … no gratitude journaling or lists or daily reflections, though I maintained those types of practices consistently for a good while in the beginning. It has evolved into more of a way that I see the world … some may call it making meaning, and others may say what I do is less about gratitude and more about a general attitude of acceptance or surrender. Whatever we want to call it, I know that this lens of gratitude colors everything I do, and it has brought with it many moments of joy and abundance.  That’s what happens when we practice gratitude, you know. Things matter more, in a good way. And in a weird way they matter less in a good way, too. Like my gratitude for the mini-sized peanut butter cup that my daughter left on the counter for me post-Halloween … one small savored bite of pure joy and a feeling of being loved that made an enormous difference in an otherwise stressful day … a feeling that dwarfed the rest of the difficulties I faced that day and in some way made them all worth it. It mattered … I mattered … gratitude matters.  So what does my gratitude practice actually look like? Like with the special sweet treat from my kiddo, it starts with noticing something ordinary … anything really … a conversation, an event, even something that is always there that you don’t often pay mind to (like that tree in your yard or the friendly cashier at your local market). And of course the next and most critical step is the sacred pause — it’s where I stop and notice the gifts of that moment, the feeling of connection or the reminder I am loved, and giving those gifts my full intentional attention. This requires some perspective taking — like an acknowledgment or awareness of the specialness of the experience in context. And then I usually smile, and I savor the physical sensations of gratitude for several seconds before letting the moment go.  This month let’s make our intention be to practice this mindful awareness of the gifts in our lives — to bring this purposeful attention to moments of gratitude in real time. I invite you all to don this lens of appreciation and gratitude throughout your days, even share with us on social media or email, and see what you notice!

This month I have talked about intuition and living authentically, which are intertwined and evolve together. However before fully living intuitively and authentically you need to develop self-trust. Trust between body, mind, and soul is what I believe is one of the building blocks to living your most aligned life (second building block is mindfulness). I think self-trust is something we can all benefit from strengthening right now amidst uncertain times. If you have felt powerless, like you have no control over what’s happening in the world, I encourage you to redirect your focus from the external → to the internal. Focus on what you can control and thus begin to build trust from within. Self-trust is like faith, you can tune into this inner trust at any point in life and understand that “I am doing the best I can” “Everything is happening for me, not to me” “I am in control of how I choose to respond”. If you enjoy mantras or affirmations you may want to use one of those or create your own to remind yourself that even through painful and overwhelming challenges arise, you can experience growth or healing if you so choose. Internal trust is necessary to take those intuitive leaps of faith..perhaps.to start the project you’ve been pushing off, to commit to prioritizing your health, to shine your light authentically in life and not care what others think of you. At the beginning of the month I shared my go-to way to start developing internal trust: mindful eating! I picked out a special podcast for you to listen to this week that dives deeper into what self-trust means, what it looks like, what it can help us with, and what it can lead to and so much more! Give it a listen and let me know what you think by emailing me @ [email protected]Listen to podcast here: https://untameyourself.com/podcasts/ep-342/ Listen on SpotifyWith Love and Gratitude,   Lizzie Shutt   Need support in overcoming obstacles? Just email me us at [email protected] to set up individualized mindfulness coaching or join our upcoming classes of MBSR or MSC for guided practices in a supportive community. Go to www.sacredtreehouse.org