The Storm hit hard:  it was a week of stress beyond what I had experienced in decades.  I had all the symptoms of the classic stressed out human:  impatient, quick to anger, and intolerant.

As a therapist, I have spent over 30 years working on myself.  I have spent years in my own personal therapy.  I have done extensive workshops/retreats/trainings, etc.  As a therapist, I attempt to walk my talk by:

• exercising 4-6 days a week,
• eating well,
• sleeping over 8 hours a night,
• meditating for at least 20 minutes a day,
• having a solid social network,
• having leisure time,
• and having a profession that I find profoundly satisfying.

Yet with all this good work on myself, I still could not find my center during The Storm.  The combination of the stressful situations and the unconscious material shifting the ground under my feet, I felt knocked about in all directions.

And as the The Storm continued brewing and whipping my psyche about, I felt humiliated and irritated with myself that I could not quell the turbulence within. This critical attitude towards myself was only adding more energy to The Storm.  My humility, tolerance and acceptance was lost during The Storm.

Last night, I read an account of one of the few survivors from a sailing wreck off the Farallon Islands that happened earlier this month.  A group of very experienced sailors got hit by a huge wave that came out of nowhere.  He stated if they had just tethered themselves to the sailboat, all of them would have survived.

In this wild ride called Life , perhaps all we can do in some situations is to strap ourselves down, breathe, and wait until The Storm is over.   And in the midst of the The Storm, try to be kind and compassionate to ourselves.

I blamed war, greed, and the destruction of our planet on the patriarchy. I joined groups that invoked the Feminine. I studied many aspects of the Goddess—trying to get to know all Her various faces. Steeping myself in the Goddess has helped form who I am as a woman and allowed me to be proud of my powerful womanly self.

As often is the case when we lean too far in one direction, we miss the wonders of the other side. In studying the Goddess, I missed much of the beauty of the Masculine, especially in its most potent aspect—that of the Warrior. This Warrior archetype represents an energy from within that gets accomplished what needs to get done without complaint or verrying off path.

My father recently provided me the opportunity to witness this archetype in all its magnificence. My father suffered a severe fall which was thought by most that he would never walk again. My Warrior father put his head down and without ever complaining about pain battled his injury with grace and valor. He is now walking without a cane, driving, and promising he will be back on the tennis court come spring.

I have come full circle with the archetype of the Warrior. As much as it repelled me as a young adult, I am now in awe of the power of the Warrior. I hope when I am called upon be a Warrior, I can do it with the valor and steadfastness that I now recoginse and admire in my father.

I heard a wonderful line at a New’s Year’s gathering, “I do not believe in time but I do believe in Timing.”  It follows one of my favorite sayings, “Timing is everything.”

Do we have the patience to flow with own our Timing, with our Tao?  To let ourselves float down our own river; being willing to allow the river itself to take us on its own curves and bends?

Our hungry self wants what it wants when it wants it—whether it is things, success, money or love. And it wastes energy scheming how to get what it wants when it wants it.  Our hungry self struggles to figure out what is ahead and attempts to fool us that it is the one who is in control.

Try to be with the other side of that energy.  Invite in patience, allowing ourselves to be at ease with what is.  Learn how to enjoy this long sweet ride.  Learn how to flow with the archetype of Timing.

And yet, keeping in mind that the other side of Timing–the action and dynamic energy–is as important.  Having the skill to know when to reach for what is offered and at the same time not wasting energy in always reaching and grasping.  Knowing that right moment when something is offered up to us—to humbly accept and give thanks.