Ancient stones and an old recipe

I found an old recipe lately when I visited the ancient stones of Orkney with my children. I forgot who originally passed this recipe to me, but it is strange how it comes back without ever having written it down. The body remembers deeply what mind forgets too easily.

I imagine you might be familar with this recipe. You probably have found it whispered in new and old stories, maybe you've heard someone speaking of it, or you might recall how you've savored it. Here are the magical ingredients:

Two healthy legs, two well-protected feet for running, jumping, playing, exploring, stomping in puddles, walking, or for standing still. These pillars are your support, so take good care of them, give them lots of rest when the sun goes down so that they are ready when the sun comes up. It helps to exercise them each day. The sturdier the legs, the better one is able to climb any mountain, high or low. Don't forget the valleys, they are fun to explore too.

A healthy heart. A healthy heart maintains solid breath and strong blood flow. It requires physical movement each day or it might tire out easily. Learn how to read your beat. Fast when running, slower when sitting. Both movements are necessary for a balanced life.

The heart is the source of your life. It is the place of deep connection, compassion, and love. Learn how its rhythm matches your emotions, trace the beat so you can read your body and know how it is working and if any repairs are needed.

If you practice daily attunement, then you might have the added gift of discovering what you really love about life. Savor this, it is treasure of the heart.

An open mind. An open mind leads to open spaces and unexplored lands. An open mind also encourages deep connection with the self and community. It leads to empathy, care, and understanding. It also leads to a place of discernment. Pay attention and care for your mind. Challenge it when it longs to be challenged, show it some grace when you make a mistake, nurture it with what you love to do so that when you are in a space to discern your path, you will recognize the signs of your mind(it is called intuition or instinct). An open mind leads to great freedom and wisdom.

Creative hands. Be sure to wash, dry, and care for your hands. They allow you to touch, hold, create, form, and give expression to what you hold in your heart and mind. They weave you into the great web of creativity. When words fail, your hands speak the language of creative magic and mystery.

Any sacred space. The woods, a tree, a snowflake, sharing a meal, watching the sun rise, playing hide-n-seek at ancient standing stones, these are all sacred spaces. Be sure to practice discovering all the sacred spaces that you come into contact with each day. Look closely, they are everywhere. No need to travel far, you can find them in a smile, a laugh, a tear, a stone, a tree, a hug, the sun, the moon. When you are more aware of finding them, you will discover amazing things about life. If you struggle to discover sacred space, then just remember to follow a child.