Author: Ki McGraw

The cold deepens and the dark encroaches. In the northern hemisphere, this cyclic shift is perceptible, signaling our animal instincts to gather nuts, batten the hatches, jam the berries.

The soul similarly cycles as it evolves, spiraling ever upward, like our DNA. Challenges, failures, defeats, limitations humble the ego, humiliating grandiosity. The great need for assistance brings forth the bended knee of prayer, reaching out to something beyond ourselves, yet within. Asking, pleading, crying out for assistance is met with a peace. The dark tunnel has delivered us to the light.

Repeatedly journeying thus, Higher Power is experience. Coincidences, synchronicities, signs, symbols, miracles are felt again and again. The possibility of relief and grace grow into faith in this process and trust in the Universe. Seasons in nature reflect this cycle. Spring will come again. The macrocosm mirrors the microcosm.

Recognizing such, why delay in bending the knee? Reach out first! Let your needs be know to the Satisfier. No present needs? Reach out anyway, in gratitude! Like all habits, what we practice ritualistically we’re more likely to do in crisis. Keep practicing! Ki to Happiness is …

And then, the shocking call of impending death…the hard cold reality of all that autumn heralds…the awareness that on the physical level, all is temporary. “Take nothing for granted” the voice on the other end of the phone says.

My take away is gratitude for all the one life, about to end, has brought to the planet. The blessings of knowing one person, the love shared woven into the stories of life, begins to dance across the stage of my awareness.

In Bali, death is greeted with three days of open altar interaction with the dearly departed. Favorite items, meaningful objects, symbolic foods and drinks are all arranged as if the deceased were about to arrive for a surprise party. The soul is invoked and communed with by all who pay their respects. We living are encouraged to say what hasn’t been said, to complete unfinished business, to express the love, as well as sadness, anger, fear, remorse and all that is necessary. Repeatedly. After the three day window, the altar is cleared. The body has been cleaned, blessed, and buried and awaits the cremation fire, when the auspicious time comes.

What business is left unfinished in your life? What have you been taking for granted that wants to be appreciated now? What rituals will assist you as you continue living, even as others pass? Where can you set up an altar? As Ki to Happiness stimulates these areas of consideration, reach out here if you could use some support dealing with the daily death that happens all around us in this and any season…

As the chilly wetness continues, Sweater Weather insists on dressing in layers. Soft warm thickness protects skin from the elements. Flannel sheets and down comforters grace the bedding. Appreciating the different fabrics, tactile sense of touch is stimulated.

Warm baths and showers, application of moisturizers and lotions, massage from self or others all further this sense, hydrating dry exposed areas and revitalizing our largest organ.

Greetings of handshakes and hugs convey human warmth through touch. Hearts thrive when embraced 10+ times per day. How many have you had today?

What touches your heart? How would conscious touch most benefit you? Enjoying a touch of Fall, like the Earth when the next leaf comes down, gentles the soul for what comes next. Ki to Happiness reminds…

Walking in the autumn air is so rewarding. Bringing attention out of doors, away from the little boxes of home and work spaces, opens awareness to that which is greater. Big sky, solid earth, with trees connecting them, as birds fly between them invites consciousness of nature. Legs and arms swing, pumping lymph, cleansing organs, restoring overworked immune function.

Chanting or singing while walking gives voice to intention, rhythmically pulsing the intention into cells. Stimulating the vagus nerve restores nervous systems for better function. With so many on electronic devises, likely chanting or singing will go undetected. This spiritual practice is private even as it is practiced in public spaces.

What song wants to be sung? What issues could benefit from walking and chanting? Obstacles? Call on Ganesha! Bodily concerns? Lakshmi loves to be invoked! Mental concerns? Saraswati reliably increases mental focus. Ki to Happiness has lots of ideas about ways to assist you sing your way Home.

Joyous sensory stimulation at the local farmer’s market today! Fruits, vegetables, fresh baked goods, food trucks, buskers of all varieties playing harmonicas, guitars, saxophones, drums, typists ready to compose poetry, portrait artists, face painters, jewelry makers, basket weavers all on display. Scents wafting up hot food in the cool air, red pepper roasters, coffee makers, tea blenders, cider-hot, cold, hard or soft all add their essence to the sensory smorgasbord.

Men, women, trans, LGBTQ, babies, kids, teens, adults, elderly, Black, brown, white, yellow, red, rainbow races, and mixes, hair of every hue and style, tall, short, fat, thin, on foot, in wheelchairs, on walkers, bikes, skateboards, with canes, or dancing, juggling, working, playing, chatting, eating, drinking- humanity on parade!

The skybluepink dawn has simmered in the low sun into a puffy clouded deep blue against which the leaves are glowing deep purples, reds, oranges, goldens, greens and browns. These dazzling arrays come with the season for all who come to browse, shop, sell, serve, or gawk.

How happy are you in the crowd? Alone? With your intimates? Associates? Pets? In nature? Explore with Ki to Happiness your happy place…

When the senses are stimulated repeatedly and completely, deep sleep is desired for processing. Cell phones and computers benefit from “sleep”, resetting them back to normal functioning. Similarly, humans recharge during deep sleep which is more available with “good sleeping weather”. Cooler temperatures and cloudier skies contribute to slumber, chilling the brain and calming the visual cortex.

Instead of pushing beyond these natural rhythms with caffeine, sugar or electronics, bombarding our senses with more stimulation, allowing downtime has many benefits! Assimilating information, integrating the lessons gleaned, and eliminating the waste products of stress are all more efficient. Like the digestive system, fasting at night allows these processes to occur without more input slowing the works.

Awakening refreshed, a new day awaits! Breaking the fast, taste buds delight! Sunlight is welcomed! Bird songs call the soul! The smell of firewood burning warms the heart and hearth. Smoke rising from chimneys against the autumn sky brings the awareness that others join us in these simple rites of the season.

This new day awaits! Enjoy it! And also enjoy the urge to nap. Turn in earlier like the sun. Happily heal into this, here now. Another Ki to Happiness suggestion…

Clouds form and become dense and heavy with grey. Winds kick up and send swirls of leaves climbing. Loud claps of thunder and the sky empties it’s contents. Rains return. Parched and dirty, the earth, the pavement, the streets, and rooftops all are scoured by the downpour.

In the sun break following, all gleams with a washed face.The air is full of enhanced oxygen. A desire for warm drinks brings me to this Apple Cider. A sip from my warmed hand holding the cup, and a smile begins from my pelvis and lifts up my face.

How are the storms treating you? Did you get caught without your rain gear? What beauty has become unveiled as you’ve weathered storm after storm in your life? What would bring a smile to your lips from deep within? Ki to Happiness …

In the midst of the plumber, electrician, and hacksawing husband (my 3 heroes of October) with all household normalcy in upheaval, I bashed my foot into a metal object. Swelling and bruising were immediate. Pain racked my body, not just the local area.

As my foot heals, I am amazed at its natural process. Pain subsides and between shooting sensations there is an appreciation for how all encompassing it is, increasing sensitivity, alarmed by small threats, ever watchful. Now there’s more time staying off it, irritating it less frequently, and safety returns.

Without the wolves at the door (and the pain is no longer hijacking all my attention) I’m safe. I can rest. Healing can occur on all levels.

Safety first! Second, broadening and deepening of the healing process. Next, gratitude for such! And now, enough creative juice flows to share this with you here, in this blog.

How does safety effect your creativity? And, as an outgrowth, your happiness? When do you feel unsafe? How can this awareness facilitate your movement out of harms way? Let Ki to Happiness reconnect you to your safety! First…

Broken toilet. Overhead lights malfunctioning. Oven smoking melted wax. And then a cat scratching from behind the wall! Each problem has called me to awaken evermore.

I had to call in the plumber, admitting and accepting my own limitation, my inability to change the leek. The electrician and I decided to change the fixtures, not just the bulbs, with enough courage. Cleaning candle wax off the holder resulted in the over spill smoking, requiring action, but not the fire department. The wisdom to know the difference has brought me to this serenity.

The cat in the wall? you ask? required all of that and a husband with a hacksaw to remove a portion of the panel to extract said feline. Rocktober has me coming to my senses!

How about you? What has piqued your senses? How are your challenges becoming your lessons? I look forward to hearing from you, now that the cat is purring, the toilet is flushing, the new lights are shining and the oven smells of tonight’s Roast Veggies!

October is my favorite month! I love pumpkins and clear crisp days with bright sunlight. I remember returning to school with joy after long hot Midwestern summers. The feel of flannel on my skin and heavy boots on my feet grounded me, keeping me safe and able. The smell of pea soup on the stove, cuing me towards another meal together soon.

October seems to enlist all the senses. Contrasting black wet woods with golden glowing leaves, chilly winds and warm hearths, one bristling against another to awaken to the grandeur of simple things. In these October blogs, lets explore our senses to encourage each to be celebrated as it contributes to happiness.

Which sense are you most in tune with? Vision? Hearing? Gustatory tasting? Olfactory smelling? Tactile feelings? Locomotion? Enhancing the senses brings focus HERE and NOW.

This is where and when happiness resides-in the present! What a gift! Let Ki to Happiness remind you that this is what we are here for- to enjoy life, the gift! And reach out to connect as you are so moved!