Mystical Experiences

"Everyone who is destined to have a spiritual transformation comes to the journey with a wound as big as God.  There are very few people who become advanced mystics because they simply feel happy on a Sunday afternoon."  Andrew Harvey

Being on a spiritual journey is one of the hardest adventures I have ever undertaken in my life.  Granted, the rewards have been many but getting to the rewards takes a huge amount of discipline and focus.  Many times, the urge to just give up is very strong.

As Andrew Harvey says, most of us come into the spiritual life because of the wounds, or the desperation that we are at the end of our rope and there is no where else to go.  As a last resort...God.

One of my spiritual practices has been with a written journal.  In it I have captured many of my moods, experiences, anguishes, pains of all sorts, and, many times, just conversations with God and things that I want to get out of my head.  I have realized that once I have written something down, I can forget about it.  In this process, I have gotten use to telling God all sorts of things that are bothering me, exciting me, things that I want to explore or just questions that come up. What I love about the experience, is the answers that come in new ideas, insights or concepts that allow me to explore and contemplate on a different level.  

Some of the ways I explore are with words games.  For example, I use the "what if," this happens but I use it in a positive way or what I would call an up-leveling of the issue.  What if it turns out to be the best thing I could have done?  What if this is better than anything else I could have thought of?  

Another is the "I wonder if," and take it to different conclusions.  I wonder if this could possibly be the answer that I have been looking for all these weeks?  I wonder if all of this is for my highest and best for the moment?  I wonder what else there is about this that I need to know?

What I know for sure is that when I am experiencing the deep "wound" of an issue, that writing it all out and turning it over to God does wonders for my psyche and my sense of well being.  I invite you to give it some thought and see where it takes you.  Some of my answers have sometimes felt a bit mystical.  Some magical.  Some just ordinary. 

The Start of Something New

Last night I was initiated into a Sorority Club with lots of pomp and circumstance and some well placed humor.  I was warned to wear loose clothing and to have a spot picked on my body for the formal tattoo of the Sorority emblem.  

Needless to say, I had to give some serious thought to even joining when I decided that with the humor some of them had, this was a joke on me.  It was.  No blood letting or tattooing process.  Only someone holding my hand so as not to get away and for someone "standing" for me during the process.  

There was lots of "vowing to" and listening to lots of rhetoric symbolizing the purpose of "sisterhood."  

I was presented with a ribboned pin, a yellow rose and a secret handshake.

Secret handshake? Yup! So secret, I can't even remember how to do it. I will have to practice that one at the next meeting - if I can find someone who knows how to do it.  

There is something wonderful belonging to a club where we all have something in common even though we come from different backgrounds and have different interests.  There is a common bond of knowing that we "belong" and that we are the "favorite" to a select few.  Wonder what a convention of all of us together would feel like?  Something to think about.

For now, I am glad that I am "vowed" in and that the only secret part of the organization is the handshake.  On to the community service and doing good for the masses not as "chosen."  I know that all of us are truly blessed in our lives.  

New Vistas - Present Vistas

We just returned from an extended trip though the Western Rocky Mountains.  There is an adventure waiting when you are riding in the passenger side of a huge Motor Home looking for the "scenic views" that go straight down into the crevices, gorges and valleys of the mountains.  The protective guard rails simply disappear when you are that high looking down into an abyss that is seemingly endless.  The colors at this time of the year are breath-taking.  

Using this time for a deeper reflection and greater sense of consciousness with the Oneness of Spirit, I took the book, "The Art of Being Yourself," by Frank E. Richelieu.  I have had this book in my library for too many years to admit to, but I can now say that I have read, no! Studied this book because it is so clear, deep and wonderful.  There is something underlined on every page of the book.  

What I really got from this wonderful book is a new sense and clarity of the Oneness of the Power of Life and Spirit.  Every turn of the page, the author is reminding us of this glorious power within us and that recognizing and using it benefits every area of our lives.  It also stresses how necessary it is to stay in the "present" moment while meditating, praying, doing affirmations, and all of what constitutes a "spiritual practice."

Imagine my distress while reading a spiritual magazine and the prominence of a spiritual teacher and writer saying things like, "I look forward to entering the fullness of life."  Or, "I turn to that divine and radiant center of life." Or, "I enter into the joy of conscious union with the Infinite."  All of these sentences emphasizing the "separateness" of who I am and the Power of God or Spirit within me.  "Looking forward," is a concept that never happens.  Being One with the joy of conscious union cannot happen with "turning or entering."  

Somehow in reading Dr. Richelieu's book, I got how important the words and the context in which these words are used in expressing the wonder of Spirit in our lives.  No wonder some of us use affirmations and nothing happens.  We have placed all of our "good" out into the nothingness of space and "nothing" shows up in our lives.

I invite and encourage you to pay closer attention to what you think, say and accept as the truth in your life.  I know that this is a lesson that I will use for a long while because it explains so much of what has been missing and what has shown up in my life.  My words are so much more powerful now that I am in the present and using the Power of Spirit in a new and different way.  Richest blessings on your exploring, learning and discovery journey.

Forgiveness, again.

My reading for today talked about forgiveness and the need to release more of our pent up emotions and feelings about people, places and things.  Again?  I have done all of the forgiveness I need to in my life.  

But I got to thinking about it.  I have more forgiveness I need to do.  For example, I need to forgive my genes that didn't keep me lean and slim, or allowed some of my teeth to fall out or decay.  I was reminded to forgive myself for being stupid about my body when I was young because I am sure that some of that abuse is now showing up.  I forgive me for so desperately wanting to be loved that I made some wrong decisions in the process of learning about life.  I have to forgive myself for getting myself into some dangerous places while young and thinking I knew it all, that it was difficult to get back into feeling safe and secure.  

While rethinking about some of the situations, I found it difficult to breathe as I relived some of the memories - a sure sign that more work needs to be done.  Even while typing this, I am having to remind myself to breathe, release and let go - it is only a memory and no longer a reality of my life.

I forgive myself for all of the wrong twists and turns I took thinking I knew what was right in my life.  I forgive myself for not remembering that the Spirit of God was my source for life, substance, supply and intelligence.  

I forgive myself for not remembering.

Knowing that I have more work to do, I stay open for more memories that I need to forgive and release.  Do you need an invitation to do the same in your life?  I already feel lighter - it is worth the time and the energy to do the inner work.  Remember, that no matter what is going on in your life, you are always God blessed. 

Nurture New LIfe

Several days ago, I had the pleasure of snuggling with a seven week old puppy.  Gizmo is a Shih Tzu and came complete with needle teeth and puppy breath.  He is so small that he fit into the palm of my hand.  

There is nothing like encountering new life to give me a sense of what is new and different around me.  Spending time with Gizmo gave me a sense of the Spirit of the Presence in all of us.  But it seems particularly present with Gizmo.  You can see the light in his eyes that he is interested in all that is present around him.  He is fascinated with what can he get into his mouth and chew up.  

When he collapses with fatigue, he is out like switching off a light.  Amazing to watch.  This little creature gave me several lessons I needed to remember for my life.

1. Get really interested and focus only what is in front of me.
2. No past; no future; only present.
3. What can I have fun with right now?
4. When hungry, cry for food.  When tired, collapse and sleep.  When needing to take care of body elimination, do so immediately.  Why wait?
5. Play with me.  Life is all about fun.

Filled with energy that amazed me, he doesn't run; he does a hop skip to get to where he wants to go.  Walk?  Who wants to walk, when skipping works best?  One minute he was exploring with his nose buried in the grass, and the next he was flopped over sleeping.  

What a delight it was to spend time with him and have him remind me to relax, have more fun and stay in the present.  I invite you to join me in this quest for it leads to a more exciting life.

Plan for what's new and what's next.

"Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it."  David Starr Jordan

We are in a constant state of learning, accumulating experiences and acquiring knowledge that makes us wiser so that it makes our lives easier.  But how often do we reflect on our life lessons, and in what ways do they influence the actions we take?  If you could live life over again, would you do anything differently?  Maybe there are some things you can start now to make life more interesting or easier.

There is no time like the present to write down five things that you would like to accomplish in your lifetime.  Pick one of the five and make it a priority.  Create a plan for seeing it through.  If you feel you don't know enough about it, take a trip to the library on a hot afternoon and spend some time in air conditioned comfort and research what you need to know.  

Ignore any negative thoughts that may be causing you to second-guess yourself.  Too tired, too old, too young, too busy...?  No.  No.  No.  Life is too short for excuses.  Get proactive and get going on your plans.

Write down what you discover and pass it on to some else quickly.  We learn and retain 90% of what we attempt to teach others.  Plus, it will make you so interesting that your friends will flock to be with you to see what else you have been learning.  

Now recognize your growth as you are able to assimilate more insight at higher levels.  All of this is designed to expand your consciousness so that your life becomes more interesting to you as well as the people around you.  Unusual thinking thinks about what and how you are thinking.  In the process of doing this, look for simple truths that can make a profound difference in your life.  

Join me in leveraging our combined intelligence to a higher level in order to create a more spectacular life.  I am ready and anxious to experience more good.  Are you?

Language Insecurities

I recently ran across an article on hunger and how over 17,000 million children live with "food insecurity."  Before it was okay to say that these same children went to bed hungry.  

My mother had polio as a child and because of it, she had one leg shorter than the other - she limped when she walked.  What I find interesting is that we never thought of her as impaired, handicapped, or disabled.  She did everything she wanted and then some.  I remember her working beside my father in the fields.  My job was to keep track of both of them so that I wouldn't get lost.  

In thinking about our language usage, most people on the "outside" don't know how to call or say what they mean when they see something that makes them uncomfortable.  Most of the time,what they do use, makes the people they are talking about uncomfortable.  I remember once in a store, some woman asked my mother how she was able to get along being handicapped.  I thought my mother was going to come unglued because she had very little patience when something as directed at her.  I remember her saying something to the effect that she was no more handicapped than the woman and could probably run circles around her.  

Who makes up the silly rules about being politically correct or not?  Do the English professors for the upper classes sit around on Saturday mornings over coffee and pastry and decide what is going to be correct from that point on? 

We need to think about our language and our use of it.  Because I know that what is in my mind is what is creating my life, I am very careful of what I am thinking and what I say.  I invite you to do the same with me.