Monday, January 30, 2017

Remembering

The Mystery within...
I had a welcome day off from the world and its cares this past Saturday as my “Women Gathering” group of friends got together for a day to retreat and sit in circle.   Prior to gathering we had been given this question to ponder, “How am I willing to hold myself in reverence?”  Several times before our gathering, I would ask myself, “Now what was that question I was suppose to think about?”  Even just remembering the question was hard for me let alone coming up with any answers. 

I remembered past negativity toward me from others but it didn’t feel okay to blame them for my difficulty in reverencing myself.

When sitting in our circle I admitted my frustration with the reverencing question.  After our two skillful facilitators uncovered statements written on a white board, and suggested we pick a statement or statements that spoke to us and write about it, I knew what I forgot to remember.    Every statement (bolded below) spoke to me.  It was as if God were speaking them to me.  I knew what I forgot and remembered how to reverence myself. 

Everything will be okay.  Thank you for reminding me everything will be okay.  Sometimes I forget that your hand always is there to guide me.  Help me remember you are with me and to watch for signals you send from your beautiful creation and everyone in it.

Your connection to me, to Source, never needs to be earned.  I love that I do not need to earn your love.  Help me to be likewise with all others.

You will never be without me.  May I always remember you are with me, but when I do forget, open me to the people, places and things you send to remind me of your Presence.

Inspiration is Divine guidance and will not lead you astray.  May I trust your guidance and know there is always an answer. 

You are never trapped.  If I ever feel trapped, I know you will rescue me. 

You can heal from anything.  I am grateful for all my healing and know you will continue to grow me.

Nothing lasts forever.  No pain lasts forever and all pain can be transformed.

You are creation embodied and if you can imagine it you can create it.  May your creative spirit flow through me.

I always keep my promises.  I love that you will never forget me.

I will not be afraid. 


What if we all helped each other remember how to reverence ourselves more often? 

Monday, January 23, 2017

Spiritual Success

The Mystery within...
My December 5, 2016 blog titled “The Gift of Seeing” opened with a quote from Teilhard de Chardin, “The whole of life lies in the verb seeing.”  After finishing reading Isabel Wilkerson’s descriptions of the plainspoken Ida Mae Brandon Gladney, one of the three protagonists in Wilkerson’s book, “The Warmth of Other Suns,” my heart was better informed about spiritual success.   Of Ida Mae she wrote:

“She had a way of looking past the outer layer of people and seemed to regard everyone she met with a kind of searching intensity, as if this were the first person she had ever seen.”

“She was too good natured to waste energy disliking them no matter what they did but looked upon them as a curiosity she might never comprehend.  She learned to give them the benefit of the doubt but not be surprised at anything involving them.  This alone probably added decades to her life.”

When Ida Mae heard someone complaining about a rainy day she responded:

“Now we ain’t got nothing to do with God’s business, she says, sitting back in her seat.  She adjusts herself and straightens her scarf, contenting herself with whatever the day has in store.”

“She lived in the moment, surrendered to whatever the day presented, and remained her true, original self.  Her success was spiritual, perhaps the hardest to achieve.  And because of that, she was the happiest and lived the longest of them all.”

It is an awesome challenge to live in the moment; accepting whatever the day presents; while remaining true to myself.  Looking past the outer layer of people and regarding everyone with a searching intensity, seeing them as a curiosity I might never comprehend sheds light on accepting the other.  Ida Mae strikes me as the master in reframing what is for spiritual success.


What if we could reframe what is for spiritual success more often? 

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Rest

The Mystery within...

Sometimes we just need to rest and not feel guilty.

What if we all rested when needed without guilt.

Monday, January 9, 2017

Love Resolutions

The Mystery within...
As the new year begins, the anonymously written poem titled “New Year’s Resolutions” came back to me.  The poem reads:

New Year’s Resolutions

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable.
Be honest and transparent anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People who really want help may attack you if you help them.
Help them anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt.
Give the world your best anyway.
The world is full of conflict.
Chose peace of mind anyway.

I keep this poem within my blog under the heading, Comfort Messages, and titled it as a source for Ego Training.   

The beauty of this poem for me lies in knowing love is not dependent on the actions of the other but rather in how I react to others’ actions.  And it implicitly makes forgiveness an integral part of any love resolution.

The Reverend Charles K. Robison’s words describes what Divine forgiveness looks like.  His words can be found in my Comfort Messages Section under my assigned title, Learning Forgiveness.


What if we all saw love resolutions as personal ego-training and could emulate Divine forgiveness more often?