Elisa S. Keeler  

 a poem of the season by Elisa S. Keeler

A shift in the air

Each day unpredictable 

The warmth, the sun, 

Then thin layers of frosted dew 

 On the windshields of cars 

Each day turning and shifting 

And churning and sifting 

Until the buds start popping 

Their bursts of joy 

Revealed to the eye of the passerby

Afraid of letting go of the old. Afraid of the unknown of the future. I decided to try something new….

Acupuncture! 

The effects of acupuncture: 

Calming my nervous system. Allowing me to drop down and reconnect with the truth of my being. The aspect of who I am beneath all thoughts, circumstances, stories, feelings, tension, and uncertainty …There I found a stillness, a place where no answers were needed. A place of pure being.

Today I’ll address the fear that says “What if I need to let go of some things in order to create room for the new?” 

The answer is yes – You will need to let go of some things. But the meditation practice will help you to access what those things are . It will help you access the right time and the right amount. 

For example – in order to create room for more workshops and retreat leading, I needed to take a 6 week break from teaching private voice lessons. This felt extremely scary and hard! 

The fears: “What if the answer is to not return? What if life is leading me some place else? But that has been my base income for over a decade! How will I survive?” 

The voice of fear needs to have its turn. It needs to say all of it’s terrified statements with it’s trembling voice. It needs to be on the table, otherwise it stays in us, stuck and surpressed, but rearing it’s head as unmanagable anxiety. And yes…this is what started to happen to me.

I’m realizing the importance of maintaining a daily practice. Something to ground and anchor while this new phase in taking flight. I also realize that I have many fears to face. 

The Fears: “What if this is all just temporary? What if I run out of steam to be an active presence in the world? What if I now need to let go of some things to create space for this new aspect of what is flowing through?” 

So here I am, examining and putting the tools that I teach in the Hidden Treasure to the test. 

Let’s start with Byron Katie – she would say “Is it true that you will run out of steam?” And then answer is, I can’t know that…But I can sit with the feeling and the fear. Let it run it’s course and see the truth that exists under it.

The Truth- these workshops give me energy. This work is in alignment with my higher calling and the fuel source feels strong. Perhaps you are not the one doing it. You are just the vessel. 

Then inner guidance kicks in and says…”Remember to do your daily practice. Remember to tune into that source of fuel that never runs out. Relax into that state and open to that all connecting, universal flow of energy. For IT is always there for us.”

Welcome to my new blog!

At the start of the 2018 school year, I took some time to access my life path. I thoroughly enjoy all aspects of my work life, but felt spread thin. The balance of family life and a multifaceted and fulfilling career needed to be fine-tuned!

So I started with a self-reflection writing process.

Part 1: What does my life look like right now?

Part 2:  What do I want more of in my professional life?

Part 3: What does LIFE want for me?

The answer became clear: More healing, empowering, transformational and uplifting group work. More workshop & retreat facilitation!

Within a week I received a phone call from my mentor, the spiritual director of Light on the Hill Retreat Center. I’ve had the honor of working along side her since 2011 as a teacher of the Hidden Treasure Program. This particular phone call was an invitation to double my work weekends for the program. Instead of 5 per year, I would now co-lead 10 weekend retreats. Of course I had to access what that might mean for my family. The opportunity seemed to align greatly with the direction that life was asking me to move in. And after tuning in and assessing, my answer was YES!

Soon after I was asked to lead my Freeing Your Voice workshop in Burlington Vermont, Rochester New York and at Ithaca College. The Freeing Your Voice 8-session class series in Ithaca New York was off to a great start and workshop invitations continued to roll in! Additionally my Music for Unity and Social Change Program for public schools was awarded 4 more grants.

Doors appear to be opening! Gratitude springs forth in all directions.