Women Rising

WOMEN RISING

An enormous volcano is erupting, the rumblings of which are heard by those, whose ears are open. A monumental change is happening at this very moment on our entire planet. The power of love is unleashing a tremendous force, it’s momentum is building and is unstoppable, taking hold of those who are ready to break through to change our course.

 Like a mighty tidal wave, women and girls are rising up all around the world, in a magnitude never seen before throughout history. She is standing at the bow, courageously turning the ship for the sake of all life.

 This river is growing every day, our voices are speaking out on behalf of our ancestors, children to come after us, all the creatures, the earth, girls and women and the well being of the people of many cultures, traditions, ages and colors.

 Women are standing up for the sacred in life and the preciousness of all beings. Girls are stepping forward, not waiting anymore for the grown ups, boldly creating a new legacy for us all.

 The feminine is on fire, stepping forth, leading us into a new dawn for humanity and our beautiful earth. Women are empowering each other, reclaiming our dignity, value and sovereignty. We are claiming our power so long oppressed, our love kept small far too long, our beauty- in all shapes she walks. We come bearing our inherent connectedness with the source and ancient wisdom that is so needed now, but had been suppressed and doubted, in fear. Even, if we are shaking in our boots and high heels, masses of women, whether in the huts of Africa, in the furthest reaches in India, here in Santa Cruz- literally everywhere women are gathering and rising. They are taking the lead in creating the change so needed in a world, that is dangerously on the edge and has fallen out of alignment with the truth of life.

 Change has come. Women are birthing a way of living based on connectedness, respect and care. We are dedicated to the wholeness of life, and working tirelessly toward ending the enormous of suffering present today. For centuries, patriarchal structures have dominated the world, creating this extreme situation we are facing on the planet, which affects each person, plant and animal in every part of the world. Spirituality and religion has often pointed toward transcendence, the formless, emptiness, heaven, and a distant god ruling, but left out the feminine. It left out connection, immanence and interdependence, the divine in form- found in the smallest pebble, in the silent growing of majestic trees, in your body and the face of humanity. The old structures, based solely on hunger for power, autonomy, competition, control and other maladies, divorced from the feminine and separated from life, have led us to where we are today.

This era is ending now. The Dalai Lama and wise elders have recently said: It is the women who will lead the change in the world. Women are bringing forth a new way- or is it an ancient one, we have always known deep down, arising from the heart of life itself?

This powerful movement is not a fight against men, nor is it the establishment of a new matriarchy. Nor is it about women being better than men, for we all have the same worth in the eyes of creation. It is far vaster and all encompassing. There is a paradigm shift happening for both men and women. Women are asked to step up and come forward with their voices and gifts. Men are called to support women and the causes that are in benefit to life, with all their might. Some men already are.

This is not about a lonesome heroine journey, but women leading the change together, hand in hand in cooperation, not in competition. Nor is it about women to become hardened and forcing our way, some have taken on this coat to reach the ladder of success in a male oriented business world. Nor has sleeping beauty time to wait for prince charming to rescue her, for she is waking by the kiss of life and a greater calling, in which she has an important part to play.

Sex trafficking of children, mainly girls even as young as 4, is one of the biggest and fastest growing industries around the world. We are joining to end the worst horror and crime of our times, that is expressing the extent and severity of ignorance and disconnect from life itself. The earth is ravished, poisoned and polluted. Women are making a stand on behalf of nature and many men are helping to find new ways of how we can live in a sane and sustainable way. Nature is not a disposable commodity, it needs to be respected and cared for. So are girls and every living being. All are worth more than money, greed, control and possessions. Yet, in many places of the world girls have less value and do not even receive education, thereby being trapped in a cycle of poverty, forced into child marriage, sex slavery and used for cheap labor. Women, still to this day with the same qualifications and skills, receive less pay than a man in the USA. The amount of single mothers, who are living below the poverty line is staggering. Mothers are often considered as worth less than a high earning CEO, who goes home after the work is done. Yet, hers is a 24 hour job, no pay and no recognition usually comes her way. Women are still being raped as a normal practice, especially by military and in war torn lands- like she is a sex object to be taken, used and then thrown away. In the western world alone, one out of 4 girls are molested or raped, before reaching adulthood. Almost every second girl in the US is on a diet before she turns 20, hating her body, because beauty is defined by a male and sex oriented media market. The sacredness of the feminine, the woman as a human being has been violated, degraded, used, dismissed, devalued, oppressed, treated like a disposable object, and destroyed. It is one of the biggest issues we are facing in the world. How we have treated women, is the same as what we have done toward the earth. This is how we have related to life itself far too long. It is ending, now. The turning is happening with each one of us.

 I was inspired by the recent event of “One Billion Rising” to end violence against women and girls, that happened in 205 countries around the world on Valentines Day- what a powerful sign of a new time! The tide is rising and reached the masses now. We can uproot the causes of this suffering, restore balance and honor what is sacred, become truly human and work together toward the flourishing of all life. Each beneficial act, however little or big, makes a difference and is needed now: By creating equality, by valuing girls and women, by stopping actions like sex trafficking, by speaking up on behalf of those who are more vulnerable like children, elders, animals, by caring for nature, by healing what was broken, by an embodied spirituality and a responsible way of living….by hearing and empowering women to lead us forward now, by all of us standing together hand in hand- for real love. We have a choice to be part of this revolution. Many already have answered the calling -and more are joining in every single day. 

Come c'moi, get on your horse and ride with all of us- this one is for LIFE!

Dreams come true

Moving across the threshold from day to night, the sunset spreads all the colors and shades of yellow and red. As I look across the sky the painting is different than yesterday. It always amazes me what life creates in one moment and then the scenery changes in the blink of an eye. Soon night softly falls, wrapping all in its’ dark mantle, carrying you off into slumber land.

In the place of the in between, before sleep and the morning, the threshold beyond time and space, there is an opening, where dreams are born from. Not the imaginations, fictions, wishes, thought elaborations, or emotional high- or nightmares we often call dreams.

But true dreams birthed directly from the source, from our deepest home, our being, the heart of creation. We all have heard many a time: “I have a dream” from M.L. King or “Imagine all the people” from J. Lennon, “Wild geese” from Mary Oliver and countless more.

Those dreams come as messengers for what is possible, as a gift they stay with us in their timelessness. They carry a sense of truth, even if they might seem unrealistic, they have a taste of a greater freedom, they instill a sense of wonder and hope, they ignite us like great music that lifts you, they touch the ground of life and set us on fire to birth them into the world.

They offer us an invitation and with our permission they will come true in life, no question. We never know how and when, yet I have seen and experienced it over and over again, when you are on board and put in your hands and whole heart too- dreams do come true.

There is a dream in each one of us longing to be lived. A dream for the world, a dream for your life, a calling to step into love and let it become a reality.

 What is your dream, the one that you have met in stillness, in nature or moments when least expected, the one that always seems to be with you and follows you around, like someone waiting to be seen, heard and welcomed in? What might it be like to go forth and begin to live it, one step at a time, even if the final outcome might be further away then the horizon itself?  As St. Francis of Assisi sang, when he rebuilt his chapel by hand in the freezing cold winter:” Stone by stone….build your dreams slowly.. “ Trust, at some point it carries a momentum and becomes unstoppable, like a river flowing as a mighty force and nourishing many.

These dreams are your guides and important messengers from beyond. Treat them honorably, let them show you your way and inspire you to live the life you were born for, offering your unique gift of love into this world.

 By Nicola Amadora, 2013 all copyrights reserved.

The Calling

Do you hear the whisper, the stirring when life is emerging in spring as the first daffodil, when the tiny chirpings of birds tickle you to smile; or the moment, when all is still and suddenly shattering thunder and lightening pierces the sky?

 Do you hear the calling from deep inside? In the middle of the night, when you are alone twisting and turning, there is a restlessness that nothing seems to satisfy, no matter how hard you may have tried to tie it down. Or looking out across the ocean over the horizon, a longing, an ache is arising, as if from an ancient knowing wanting to awaken in you.

 No matter how much you do, achieve, how busy you keep yourself, or how many dramas we tend to be entangled with- something keeps calling from inside. You know what I am talking of. Sometimes it comes as a whisper, carried from gentle winds landing softly in your ears. Sometimes it comes as a hard knock on your door, where plans fly out the window and you are thrown onto the ground, where there is nothing left to do, but to hear. Open and listen to what is deeper, than the colors of mere appearances.

For some it arrives through an unexpected event, a loss of a loved one, or being released from a job. In the grief there is a letting down of walls and we might be more open to what else is here. Or it stirs through a chance meeting with another person, a journey into new lands brings a dawning, or standing on a mountain top with a vast view were we have space to see what is most worthy of our attention. It can happen anywhere- in the grocery store, when you have forgotten everything on your list, the mind just went blank, when all stops, there is a gap and you have the most important revelation of your life.

 The beckoning from the soul, from spirit, your wise heart, a greatness beyond the usual -however you want to name it for yourself- is a calling for you.  To remind you as to why you are here on earth, what gift you bring, an invitation for a life, which can only be fulfilled through you. It is guiding you every step along the way home, if you allow and follow its flow.

Pay attention to that and answer it- for it is the most important calling of your life. It only takes a breath into silence to listen to your heart in this very moment…. what treasure might be revealed for you here?

Blessings to you. Nicola Amadora

copyright material, all rights reserved.

The Great Turning

A call is resounding for “a great turning” in response to the current situation we are facing on our planet. In my eyes, it is as simple as it is profound: to turn to who we really are, to each other, to nature and what is here. Now.

When I awake in the mornings, I look outside my window and often I see sunlight piercing through the clouds, illuminating a golden pathway across the ocean. I hear the constant rhythm of the waves, seals barking, children laughing and playing at the beach, the doves sit happily at my windowsill - I can’t help, but smile and weep for the sheer beauty and gift of this precious life. Then I turn to girls being brutally used through sex trafficking, people who go hungry in an affluent country… Walking on the beach where I collect trash, I meet a pelican, who cannot move anymore, because oil is covering its feathers…

Can we allow our hearts to be as wide as the world in answer to this? Letting truth guide and wisdom live us in the midst of the beauty and mess of our humanness? Are you willing to fully turn and open to the gift you have inside and actually live it- for the sake of all?

I have had many heartbreaks in my life and each time I turned to both the joy and the pain, allowing my heart to open, instead of shutting down (which is tempting, when it hurts like hell) with a willingness to drop deeper than the stories and beliefs, I only discovered an even greater love that is present and alive in everything.

Not a love that covers a pink blanket over what we do not wish to see, or one that is reserved for a few. Or that is unattainable, like from another world we cannot find. You know what I mean, for you have experienced it many a time, may be in moments when least expected.  You may just have a different word for this:

A love that is right here in the midst of it all- that touches you, risks to reach out to another, gets into the muck of it all, connecting us, that cares and dares to take a stand amidst adversity, that moves us into actions which are of benefit; compassion which embraces you, even in the deepest suffering, when all seems lost; a love that has an intelligence far greater than our little minds can comprehend and uncovers a way we may not yet have seen, a love which can move us to step beyond the old story- into life itself, 

This is what I trust. It is always here, even if I too forget at times. That is what I know can help us all to turn. It is the gift in your heart, wanting to be recognized and be expressed in a way that is unique to you. As you do, whether in small or big ways- it makes a difference for us all. Allowing our light to shine forth, not only being a lamp onto ourselves, but for and with each other and the earth- this is already making a pathway across the world. I see it everyday. It isn’t just the Buddha, Christ or a Holy One. The great masters and beings are with us, their ancient teachings can greatly help us along the road. Yet, in this time- it really is up to each one of us. You are the gift. Let’s live what we got in us, like there is no tomorrow, as if our lives depend on it (I guess at this point our survival really does) and support each other. Even if it is a tiny glimmer we can allow and share with another- it matters.  My invitation to you is: Light a great fire with all of us, in your heart and in this world!   Blessed Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanza, Santa Lucia, Hanukkah and New Year to you. Nicola

www.nicolaamadora.com

by Nicola Amadora, all copy rights reserved 

Connected with all of life

CONNECTED

I was alone on Mt. Shasta for a silent retreat, camping in the wild, swimming in pure lakes and meditating long times at the sacred well. Some of you may have been there, or your journey may lead you one day to this special place.

I remember the sunrise one morning- flooding a vast field of wildflowers in golden light, giving way to an immense view across the mountains and the valley below. It was paradise and I was filled with a profound reverence and gratitude for the sheer existence of it all.

Sometimes we need to step out of the familiar, the story of our lives, let the mind rest in the backseat, open our hearts and arms wide and just walk right into the Unknown. By that we might gain a greater view and enter through the gates into what is true. When we look from a higher place then the usual, where we are less identified with the stuff we tend to carry around, we see more clearly what is real, remember who we are, what truly matters in life and we might gain vision for our next step, which can lead us to new shores.

Immersed in silence, in the breathtaking beauty and utter sacredness, I felt my own veils lifting and was taken into what is most natural: oneness with all creation. 

In that moment a deer walked up to me and stood like an old friend so closely by my side, our bodies almost touching in this peace of being together. A hummingbird landed on my head, looking for nectar or a nest? A hawk circled me from above with a screeching sound- who is the prey I wondered? All of nature responds, when we open into who we truly are. For in that we are intimately connected with all of life. 

In this awakeness, in love all is embraced and met- our hardships, pains, failures, ignorance, our longings, joys, celebrations, victories, deliciousness….Nothing is left out, not you either- welcomed simply as you are.

Through our willingness to be present with what is and center in love, we can truly connect with one another in most simple ways- by sharing a meal, a word of kindness, a smile or our so human tears. How easily this can be forgotten in a world of delusions, where a buzzing business, some grandiose ideas or a daily treadmill can take over and put us to sleep. This might be as good of a moment as any other, to stop for a breath or two and sense the aliveness in the body, the longing inside the heart, the love that beholds you. When allowed, it will take you all the way home. Trust and follow it my friend! May we give each other a hand, for none of us can make it alone. And if you forget- just listen, be present, for the heart speaks in the silence, the wind, the sunset, the eyes of a child, the touch of a friends hand: The power of love is always here -in and all around us. Are you?

Sending you warmth of the Indian summer here, Nicola

Copyright@Nicola Amadora

What is love

Love. What a word.
There are so many people -you included- who have been and are living Love in the best way we know how.The ancient teaching of loving kindness from the Buddha, which the Dalai Lama walks today continues on in an unbroken lineage. “Love your neighbor as yourself”- the message from Christ is still standing strong after 2012 years. Ammachi has meanwhile hugged 35 Million people in many countries and established 20 charitable institutions. . Such an immense power it is, flowing through all cultures, rich or poor, educated or not, old or young, among the animals, through flowers, the ocean, as an endless stream.

And there is Hollywood with all the romantic films and the promotion of the ‘happily ever after’ relationships that are being chased as a way to ultimate happiness. Striving for great success and the mountain of money, as proof that you are finally loved, worthy and good enough. The millions of messages we have received about what love supposedly is are endless and can lead into a maze of delusion filled with suffering. And the song “All you need is love” keeps going round... 

What actually arises in you as you read this word: Love? What do you experience, when you feel into what Love is, beyond preconceived ideas, beliefs and opinions? What happens, when you allow yourself to drop some defenses (yes, we all have them), follow your yearning and open deeper into your precious heart? What discovery might await you here? How might Love move you to act in our world as it is?

We have buried this jewel for so long, in many complicated ways. Yet, we all have the capacity to remember what is true. Sometimes it emerges in moments, when our heart is touched- maybe by a loving embrace, by a beautiful sunrise, by a genuine caring touch, when we are giving someone a hand or offer a gift without expecting a return, when a kind word is spoken, when we touch the sacred that is immanent in all of life. Here love is, so simple. It’s just that at times we have veils before our eyes, are lost in the mind, or might want to force love, or block the stream with all sorts of stuff from our vast personal collection. We might close off to love altogether, because we got hurt at some point, when being open and vulnerable -so love becomes dangerous, something to be avoided and controlled. For some, love is just a feeling or a state to be reached through the next “bliss” event. Most go bargain shopping to somehow get more of love from somewhere or somebody- nobody knows where. As soon as you think you’ve got a taste securely in your pocket- puff it is gone. It cannot be contained, for the mystery is far too great to be held in a box. There is a lot of searching for love and a lot of fingers pointing in many directions. Easy, to get lost in that.

I invite you to let yourself notice all the places where love shows up for you, to open a little more to all the ways it is present, to be aware of the stream flowing through you, even in the very fact that you are breathing, to drop concepts, heal some pain and let love touch, fill and move you.

I encourage you to dare to act on the love that is in your heart- without conditions. Undefended. For love to be real it needs to be lived, no matter how imperfect it might appear. Thank you for every loving act and step you have ever done. Every seemingly little bit of true love matters. It ripples further than any of us might see and has a greater impact than you might realize. Just like the drops of water are finally causing the dam to break- and by that the river of life is flowing free again.

May you trust the true flame in you, let it shine through the mess and beauty of this world. May you feel and know that you are embraced and loved by life, just as you are, no matter what happens on your path. May your hands bring forth love, as an offering for all. You are it. Blessings, Nicola    www.nicolaamadora.com

 Copyright, © 2012, Nicola Amadora. All rights reserved

Truely living

Fully present, truely living

Once I was swimming in the ocean, when a big wave came. My first thought was: “Oh no. This one is huge. This is bad” Of course fear joined in too. My body went rigid in alarm and I was tumbled around with such ferocity, that I almost lost consciousness. It hit me hard. Relentlessly one wave after another came. I resisted against them and struggled to survive. I was terrified and fought with all I had. Of course the ocean won and turned me upside down and inside out. In the end she had mercy and threw me out. I lay gasping for breath in the sand, all covered with seaweed too. Cried in exhaustion and never ever wanted to go back to that cruel monster again (I took it rather personal. Funny really). 

 Sometimes, when we get hurt, we shut down and do not want anything to do with life anymore or only a little bit (as long as we can control it). It is the same with Love. We move to the sidelines, make a thick armor. When we experience hurt we might think the problem is with love, so we get busy in making all sorts of justified barriers against it. We build asphalt; some are more sophisticated then others. We argue about how it should be. Trying to fix others, ourselves…everything including life. But the problem is not the ocean, is not life, the problem is not with love- it is our deep-seated sense of separation, our disconnect, forgetting who we are, our interpretations…each one has a different version. And waves come in the ocean, as well as in life and in relationships. It just is a matter where we relate from and if we can be intimately present and open to meet what arising.

Well, I could not resist the call of the sea with all the beauty, magnificence, dangers and waves for too long. I went in for a different relationship with the unknown. At some point the dreaded moment came again. I was out in the sea, when the wind suddenly raised the waves and they rolled full speed at me. This time I repeated: “Relax into the wave honey.” I admit, given the size of those huge waves, it took all I had to relax into my body, be present, when everything in me just wanted to scream, recoil or hold my breath, close my eyes until it was over. In those moments we need our breath the most though. How about breathing into your big toe right now? Finally, I did take a deep breath and relaxed. In that moment natural knowing emerged as to what to do and I dove under the turbulence, deep into silence to the ground of the sea. I opened my heart to the power of creation, felt intimately connected with the water and her movement. It seemed I was carried by grace, led through and made it actually happily to the shore. Still came out with seaweed though…was good for making seaweed salad.  I felt truly alive and at one with all. The waves, the situation had been the same. I just related from my being this time. A very different way then from conditioned reactions. I call it truly living.

How intimate are you with this moment? Right now if you like, let yourself relax into what is happening, into your experience as it is, into your body, allow what you feel, stay present and let yourself be taken into the stillness, the love, the ground where all is intimately connected and you just simply are. May be have a go –welcome openly the next wave and allow life to take you home into your heart. Rest in the mellow waters along the way. And may you enjoy and trust life itself. After all it’s got the wisdom to bring a blade of grass through cement!

Remember, no matter where you are- you are loved and held in benevolence. Pass it on. Nicola         
www.nicolaamadora.com
 Copyright, © 2012, Nicola Amadora. All rights reserved