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Scent of Light Episode
by Ken Norton
Timing
Original Broadcast December 22, 2019 and repeated on
January 12, 2020.
Mp3 Player
The audio file above is the spoken word recording
without background music provided to Radio KOWS 92.5 FM broadcast of the
Scent of Light episode for insert into the Radio Spotlight Magazine
with host Andre Marc.
In this episode on the Scent of Light I will speak on
Timing.
The Winter Solstice has served as a marker for
humanity for millenniums, as the ancient megaliths like Stonehenge remind
us. The sunrise occurs later and its place on the horizon has been moving
toward the equator, to the south in our northern hemisphere. At the Winter
Solstice the Sun appears to have settled some days at the its southern
limit, and the daylight hours have stopped decreasing. This observation
helped our ancestors with aligning their planting and hunting times to the
seasons for the survival of the community. It also gave hope during the cold
and darker days for a returning Spring and Summer. They recognized a cycle
that repeats, and held rituals to note the importance of the solar cycle.
Timing appears in our biological processes, as well.
The heartbeat, the breath, and the firing of neurons occur in synchronicity
with myriad other actions in our body. The breath is the one function that
we can willfully control to relax anxious feelings, as the breath's pace and
rhythm determine if the body responds with flight, fight or calm in a
situation. The slower deeper breaths encourage peace and relaxation.
This breath switch is useful in our social life.
Timing also is important in our social relationships and communications. A
word said at an opportune time has multiple times more meaning and effect
than one spoken carelessly. As a conversation reveals opinions, our reaction
to them stimulates biological responses. If we are agreeable to the opinion,
our response can be in the range of calm to enthusiastic support. If the
opinion is offensive to a belief we hold dear, our reaction will prepare us
for flight or fight, our blood pressure and pulse increase, and we have
adrenaline speeding up our responses. The biological changes affect our
thinking and need to express and debate.
If we have experience in meditation with its slowing
and deepening of the breath, and calming of the mind from emotionally fuels
stories, it is easier to notice the feeling states arising in a tense moment
and slow down the breaths. In a few breaths calm reflection of the opinion
will allow one to notice cues in the conversation and body language for an
opening for a meaningful word. Such a sign may not appear in the same
setting, but it can come in another setting. Here is where we need patience
and trust that we will receive guidance for the best timing for all
concerned. Such a practice helps one to truly listen to the conversation
partner and have greater influence. It also helps prevent impulsive
reactions that can be inflammatory, heightening the defensiveness of each
speaker. There is a chance that wisdom, even if first uncomfortable, can be
shared between the speakers.
I like the Winter Solstice because of its indication
of a turning taking place at a galactic scale, and that turnings are part of
our bodily and social lives. We can learn the patterns and notice the timing
of such turnings, and apply this to our communications for the turning of
opinions.
Even in those conversations around politics and
religion, we can apply patience and trust in our True Self receiving
intuitive guidance. We can relax our notions of being always right and of
having the last word, and hold up a real chance of sharing care and wisdom
with one another. Remember the timing in your life.
This is Ken Norton on the Scent Of Light. You can
contact me via Ken at KennethENorton.com and I would be glad to hear from
you. The Scent of Light episodes are archived on the web at
kennethenorton.com.
Thanks for listening.
About the Author and Producer
Ken Norton earned his master's degree in Materials Science from Stanford
University as the Vietnam War was ending. During that time Ken served as the
personal assistant to a poet/sociologist Dr. William Hermanns as he prepared
his writings for publication, exposing Ken to not only the sciences but also
the humanities and comparative religion for making conscious and
conscionable choices.
Ken is a regular contributor to Radio Spotlight Magazine with his episodes
on the Scent of Light.
Ken Norton in practice of Tai Chi Chuan
2018 Photo by Elaine B. Holtz
I co-produce Women's Spaces Show with my loving partner and its host
Elaine B. Holtz. Take a visit. All the shows are archived on the website.
----
I am the Trustee and Archivist. Visit the website I built in honor of my
mentor.
----
Be still and know,
We're in the flow
Of Love to grow
From seeds we sow.*
Kenneth E. Norton
* stanza from his poem Intuition's Joy
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