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Wednesday, March 16, 2011

VI FELLOWSHIP -Leopard Jasper

How can I express
the Living Love
of Creator
in my Fellowship
with the Infinite Source
in ways that
tend the celestial fire
/divine spark
that is within me
and others?
How do I live life in union
with those Creative Forces
that make the songs of the spheres?
Who brought
the Pleiades into being?
set the bands of Orion?
the waters of the deep
that are cast upon
the land?
Who brings
breath into the life
of all creatures?
[In Judy Hall's
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CRYSTALS]
she writes:
A Native American legend
says that
Leopardskin Jasper
was created to be a bridge
to the deepest mysteries,
honoring the dark
and assisting you in fulfilling
karmic agreements.
Known as the "Supreme Nurturer"
Jasper sustains and supports
during times of stress
and unifies all aspects of life.
Providing protection,
it absorbs negative energy,
balances yin and yang,
and aligns the physical,
emotional
and mental bodies
with the etheric realm.
Bringing the courage
to get to grips
with problems assertively,
and encouraging honesty with oneself,
Jasper imparts determination
to all pursuits
and supports during necessary conflict.
This stone aids quick thinking,
promotes organizational abilities,
and seeing projects through,
and stimulates imagination,
transforming ideas into action.
In addition to these generic
properties of Jasper
Leopard Jasper/Jaguar Stone
cuts off outer vision,
focusing perception.
Mirroring the outside world
back to you,
it clears ingrained assumptions,
aligning you to your life path.
Leopard Jasper fortifies
natural resistance,
maintaining health,
and engenders respect
for native peoples
and their innate wisdom.
NOTE: while writing this
news is being delivered
about the aftermath
of Japan's tsunami
on March 11, 2011
and I was listening
to BRIDGING HEAVEN TO EARTH #175
[ www.youtube.com/watch?v=m999AydoXhw ]
host Allan interview with Maria Yraceburu
about Earth Wisdom
with music by Kate Wolf.
That led to a Susun Weed WISE WOMAN WAY
interview with Maria Yraceburu
about Tlish Dlyan
[ http://www.womensradio.com/episodes/Learning-about-Earths-Wisdom-with-Maria-Yraceburu/7595.html ]
and that led to a Susun Weed WISE WOMAN WAY
interview with Lynda Yraceburu
about Body Wisdom.
[ http://wisewomanradio.com/interviews/yraceburu.html ]
See above where I wrote a quote from Cayce:
the waters of the deep
that are cast upon
the land.
That sounds a bit like
the tsunami being
tossed upon Japan to me.
And the part before this where
one thing leads to another
seems a bit like real life to me.
So while I could keep going on
the path as I started it
reflecting on Cayce SEARCH FOR GOD chapters
& digging up insights on the stones
I intuitively selected to go with each chapter
to share with you
I'll pause here and go off on a side trail.
What is fellowship?
It's feeling comfortable with myself,
at ease in my bones.
It's being open to my connection
with the Divine/the Powers That Be.
It's mindfully tending
to my connections
with every other living being.
In responding to a friend
who was choosing
to see the world as
full of Pain that one needs
to get hardened to
I wrote:
What is pain?
Does pain cause you to grow?
(i.e. crack open your shell
to be a bigger creature?)
Perhaps rather than harden to it-
the message is to soften to it,
to surrender what is no longer useful
on your path with heart.
I think we hafta be sensitive
to be able to feel
either pleasure/pain, don't you?
I for one don't want to be a zombie,
moving through life like the living dead,
nor do I want to be Holier Than Thou,
disconnected from other human beings.
I think while we are here doing our earthwalk
we are spozed to be acting our part
in the play of Life.
In some way I think
the spiritual path simply takes you to
Higher Ground
where you are in this world but not of it.
When you 'get it'
you are not enmeshed in the illusion/maya
-you have transcended that,
don't ya think?
It takes practice
& it sure doesn't seem to be taught
in our civilization process
and I'm not always there
but I do think it's encoded
into the cells of our being
and sooner or later
we all find our way to 'it'.
And when we do we dive in deep
and say:
crack me open
so I can see
the light
in all this darkness.
If we want to be in good fellowship
what we do is we remove our masks
we dare to stand naked before our god
/the Powers That Be.
We remove our masks
in our relationships with others
we reveal our true inner core
and in this way
we join in true fellowship
we connect our divine spark
with the divine spark

we find in every other creation.

Here are some questions
based on
[Mark Thurston's
EXPERIMENTS]
6-1: What can I do to
awaken fellowship
before each meditation period?
Example:
Have a short prayer time
before each meditation.
In prayer I affirm my awareness
of being called by
God to do His work
/Goddess to do Her work
/the Powers That Be to do Their work
/the Power of Love to do Its work.
I express my desire to answer personally
this call in all aspects of my life.
NOTES from SFG:
Do I feel the divine Spirit within?
Do I see deep down
in the hearts of my neighbors
there lies buried a celestial fire
that burns before the altar of our God?
Can I love them,
not for what they appear to be,
but for what they really are
because within them there is the Divine
that merits my adoration?
The test is this:
Am I willing to deal with others
as I wish them to deal with me?
Am I eager to sacrifice my desires
my opinions
and my whims
that the wonders found
in the knowledge and understanding
of the works of the Creator,
may be revealed to us?
What is more beautiful than fellowship?
The Master sought it
that He might do the works of God.
He did not withdraw from people,
but mingled with them,
sharing their sorrows,
living their lives ,
and relieving their sufferings.
How easy to follow when we have been told
to use what we have
and more will be given.
The power of God within,
all power in heaven and earth,
is committed to our keeping
if we will attune ourselves
to the Infinite Source
of that power.
It is necessary to begin with ourselves
to purge our hearts and minds
and to become more conscious
of the divine Spirit within others.
This is necessary if we hope
to have fellowship with our Creator
that will cause us to realize
our oneness with Creator.
Prayer and meditation are the essential factors
that will keep alive within us
this perfect harmony.
Let us draw nigh unto God,
approaching often
the Throne of Grace
with mercy in our hearts.
Love is a living thing.
Let us strive to be kind, training ourselves,
to be considerate of those
who do not seem to appreciate it.
Yes, be kind when it is hardest.
One unkind word may not leave
a lifelong pang in the heart of another,
but it will place us so out of harmony
with all that we count worthwhile
that its effects will follow us
perhaps through many years.
Great kindness may be shown
through little deeds.
May we lose no opportunity
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to pour oil on the troubled waters,
/to heed the command:
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people
saith your God.
Let us remember that we shall
give account for every idle thought;
therefore, let us think on those things
that make love for others.
As we develop step by step,
here a little, there a little
we learn cooperation
we get better acquainted with ourselves
trust more fully in our Ideal
have our faith strengthened
gain virtue and understanding
and more and more become aware of
our fellowship with the Divine
and our duty to others.
It is impossible to separate God
from Her/His creations
for S/He manifests through them.
I cannot simply embrace kindness and gentleness
for my friends
but must also love my enemies
>to have in my heart a yearning
for them to know the Way.
That which we think > we become.
That which we are > we reflect.
That which we reflect > others judge us to be.
As we have dealt with our fellow human beings
we may expect to be dealt with.
What cause have we to fear
if we have obeyed the Voice?
We have become as little children
putting our trust in the giver
of all good and perfect gifts,
knowing we will be rewarded
according to goodness and mercy.
Who hath brought the Pleiades into being
/set the bands of Orion
/the waters of the deep that are cast upon the land
/brings breath into the life of all His creatures
and supplies the union with Creative Forces
that makes for the songs of the spheres?
The Lord is His name.
Under the shadow of His wing
there is peace
and no cause for fear.
(Cayce Reading 262-23)
6-2: How can I listen to others?
I don't let myself get caught in being
overly concerned about a particular
approach/technique to listening.
I refrain from thinking of my response
while the other person is still talking.
I may find it helpful to say something like,
"Those were some really important thoughts
you just expressed. Let me think about them
for just a minute before I respond."
I journal instances in which I feel I was
really able to listen.
6-3: Who is someone I hold a pattern
of resentment/irritation toward?
Each day for a week I will work
on letting go of that pattern.
I will stop feeding it and
giving attention to it
when it comes into my mind.
Even though a part of me may enjoy
entertaining it,
I affirm that the reward of knowing
fellowship with God/the Powers That Be
will be a greater experience.
I will journal my experiences of knowing
a greater sense of fellowship in this way.
6-4: How can I take the initiative
in speaking to others
(especially strangers)
and showing my love for all mankind?
I could use Gary Schineller's greeting:
"Hello from my heart."
[see http://www.hellofrommyheart.com/ ]
Am I willing to do those things
I know will be helpful,
risking the possibility
that I may not be understood
or appreciated?
I journal my experiences.
6-5: How can I give of my life to someone else?
I select a person and write down her/his name.
Then I choose one of theses three approaches
to giving my life:
1) making a special effort to give of my life energy
to that person through whatever activities are
needed most
2) making a special effort to share with that person
the truths at the center of my life
that I have discovered through experience
3) giving up one of my habits, desires or opinions
that is causing that person difficulty.
I can choose to let go of a habit, desire or opinion
that hinders someone else.
What things of my personality can I lay down
for the sake of others in the spirit of love
and friendship?
I decide which of these approaches I will use
and write that down.
I journal my experiences in giving of my life
to this person.
6-6: What's one difficult relationship
in my life I want to work with?
I work each day to express
a living kind of love
in that relationship.
Through meditation and prayer
I allow the energy
of my states of consciousness
that are less than my ideal
to be transformed.
I affirm in my life
that I am not stuck with the responses
I have been feeling toward this person.
Because I am alive, I can grow.
I journal the experiences in which I
successfully transform energy
associated with old patterns
to new, constructive ways
of responding.
6-7: Who has asked me for prayer?
I take responsibility for the fact that
through my faith-
through my experiencing of the reality
of the spiritual dimension of life-
healing forces can be awakened
that lie dormant in that person.
I use a period at the end of my meditation
to feel my faith having a constructive,
uplifting influence upon this person.
I hold in mind and express this same feeling
in my daily contact with this person.
6-8: Am I willing to take time to be alone
each day for a week?
If possible, I have time each day
when I am alone in the sense of
not being around others
(for example: taking a walk in the woods.)
However, I can experience aloneness
even when I am with others.
This does not mean aloneliness
that makes me feel depressed
or sorry for myself.
Instead it is when I feel a desire
to find fulfillment of my needs
by looking within myself
rather than other people.
I listen to hear the voice
of that within myself
that sustains me
when I cannot sustain myself.
I journal my experiences
in discovering my fellowship
with God/Divine Powers
using this approach.
























Wednesday, March 9, 2011

V Virtue And Understanding- Charoite


What goodness do I invite
into my life?
What values do I choose
to live by?
Do my expressions
and daily activities
reflect my soul
and the spirit forces
that flow through me
and every other living thing
in an honorable way?
Do I walk my talk
in balance
and harmony?
Do I do things
that make my heart sing?
Do I live in virtue
keeping myself
in tune with Creative Force Source?
How do I express
Creative Force Source
/God/Goddess
/the Powers That Be
in my physical body
in my mental body
in my spiritual body?
What Ideal of purity
do I use
to guide
my thoughts
words
and deeds?
What goodness
do I weave into
my daily acts
each day?
How can I weave
the Divine Law of Love
into what I think
how I act
and the way I live?
Do I practice love
mercy
justice
and forgiveness
in ways that affect others
so they can catch
the same spirit?
What effects
do my thoughts
and actions
have upon others?
What is my spiritual understanding
of myself
and the Powers That Be
in my world?
How do I use
the soul forces
that have been given
to me?
How do I bring knowledge
into harmony
with my Ideal?
How do I build Virtue
into my mind
and follow the only sure path
to true understanding?
What can I do
to awaken
the power of the Holy Spirit
that has been
in each of us
since the beginning?
How can I let
the Creative Force
flowing through me
be guided
by the Holy Spirit
inside of me?
What is right living?
How can I live
better
day by day?
Do I honor
the Creative Force
that abides
within my holy temple
of being/ my human body
and in my neighbor's
human body
/holy temple of being?
How can I use
Virtue and Understanding
to meet the daily problems
in my life
that arise within me
as well as
in my relationships
with others?
How must I be
and know
so I can rightly
guide others
who are seeking
bon secour
/safe harbor?
Do I go within myself,
within the holy of holies,
in prayer and meditation,
to be transformed
into the image and likeness
of good?
Do I feed
nurture and nourish
the divine love
that is a living thing
within me?
Do I live with faith
in the purity of self?
faith in the perfection
of my neighbors?
faith in the promises
of Divine goodness?
Have I experienced
revelations
of how faith
leads to virtue
and virtue
leads to understanding
and understanding
reveals divine light?
Do I know
that the more
I open my heart
as a channel
of blessings to others
the more power I possess?
Do we know
that the more
we open our hearts
as channels
of blessings to others
the more power we possess?
Keeping the channel
clear, open and ready
to be used
we see the seemingly impossible
begin to take place
and we come to realize
that no weapon
that is formed against us
shall prosper.
What virtues
of divine light
do I express
a divine understanding of?
How am I a channel of blessings
to others?
When they need my love
do I give them help
along their way
to finding bon secour
/safe harbor?
[inspired by Mark Thurston's
EXPERIMENTS]
5-1: What's one area
of my life
that I have
recently been worried
/especially concerned
about making
things turn out right?
Examples:
a financial worry
/concern over a specific relationship
For at least a week
I turn this particular
area of my life
over to God/Great Spirit
/the Powers That Be
flowing through me.
I affirm each day
that the Powers That Be
seek to express truth
through this part of my life.
I listen for
and become aware
of the Divine
being active
in shaping my life.
I journal any meaningful experiences
that occur as I work on this experiment.
5-2: In this Aquarian Age
/Age of the Lily/Purity
how can I look
for purity
in my life
and in the lives of others?
I consider purity
is the pure image of my divine nature
that already exists in me
and flowers and trees
and all living things
including other human beings
I meet in my daily life.
I watch for expressions of
the purposefulness of the soul
rather than for situations
where inharmonious
or confusing tendencies
have been minimalized.
I journal my observations.
5-3: What's a spiritual law
that I have rational
knowledge of,
yet have not known
through experience?
I write down that law
in my journal
in as clear
and concise a way
as I can.
Example:
Whatever I am willing
to give to others
will come back to me.
Each day for at least a week
I pray for a deeper experience
of the meaning of this law.
I open my life
for the experiences
and awarenesses
that come to me.
I journal any occurrences
that give me
a greater experiential
understanding
of this law.
Here are some universal laws
you might want to try on for size
to see if they fit where you are
on your spiritual path with heart.
THE LAW OF ONE: we live in a world where
everything is connected to everything else.
How does everything I do, say, think
and believe affect others and the universe
around me?
THE LAW OF VIBRATION: everything
in the Universe is energy. Everything
moves, vibrates and travels in circular
patterns. What kinds of vibrations
do I create with my thoughts and
feelings?
THE LAW OF RHYTHM: everything vibrates
and moves to certain rhythms establishing
seasons, cycles, stages of development and
patterns with regularity. Can I become
like the Masters and learn how to rise
above negative parts of a cycle never
allowing negative things to penetrate
my consciousness?
THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT: every
action has a reaction or consequence
and we "reap what we have sown."
Knowing my choices become my destiny
since "like begets like" do I choose the positive
/negative in my own thoughts, emotions,
relationships and life?
THE LAW OF ATTRACTION: like attracts like.
How can I use positive thoughts, feelings,
words and actions to attract positive
energies into my life?
How often do I choose not to live
by default, simply reacting
but instead co-create by focusing
my attention on what I want to attract?
THE LAW OF GRATITUDE: Gratitude
generates an extremely positive vibration
and connects me with the Divine.
What do I have to be thankful for?
Let me count my blessings.
THE LAW OF COMPENSATION: for every
action there must be a reaction. What
goes around comes around. In what
ways can I abundantly give of my
time, kindness, talents and resources?
THE LAW OF INCREASE: the spirit of my
action multiplies the result. What's
my purpose, sincerity and willingness
to apply whatever I want to my thoughts,
words and actions so it will grow and
return to me as the "fruits" of my efforts?
THE LAW OF PERPETUAL TRANSMUTATION:
energy never dies it simply transforms.
How can I use the power I have to change
the conditions of my life, letting higher
vibrations consume and transform
lower ones by utilizing my thoughts
and emotions (my energy)?
THE LAW OF POLARITY: everything
is on a continuum and has an opposite.
How can I suppress and transform
undesirable thoughts by concentrating
on the opposite? How can I replace
negative beliefs with positive ones?
THE LAW OF CORRESPONDENCE:
the principles or laws of physics
that explain the physical world-
energy, light, vibration and motion-
have their corresponding principles
in the etheric/universe. "As above,
so below." "The macrocosm is
contained in the microcosm."
What can I do to bring Heaven
to earth?
THE LAW OF RELATIVITY: is the relationship
of all things understood by the person relating
to it. How can I change my life
by shifting my veiwpoint and changing
my perspective?
Here are some of Edgar Cayce's Universal Laws
as compiled by Bruce Mc Arthur in his
book YOUR LIFE:
-Like begets like
-As you sow so shall you reap
-The spirit of your actions multiplies the result
-Like attracts like
-Opposites repel
-As you seek you attract and are attracted to
that which will fulfill your search
-As you seek you repel and are repelled by
that which will not fulfill your search
-For every effect there is a cause
-There is nothing by chance
-Nothing happens by chance:
there is a purpose to everything
that happens
-As thought and purpose and aim and desire
are set in motion by minds,
their effect is
as a condition
that is
-Know the truth and the truth shall
make you free
-God is
-As you honor, respect and love
your own individuality,
so you honor, respect and love
the individuality of others
-Your true needs, wants, desires, hopes,
dreams, wishes and their fulfillment
are as important as those of any
other soul in existence
-You must first 'save' yourself
if you would 'save' another
-As you put the God within first
in your life, so you manifest
the God you are
-As you become master of your
inner self, so all things, conditions
and elements become subject to you
-Spirit is the life
mind is the builder
physical is the result
-Life is the experiences of your choices
-Seek the Spirit within
and all things shall be added
you have need of
-Seel first the Spirit within
and you will find
-Ask the Spirit, with faith,
and you will receive
-Knock, with faith in Spirit,
and the door will be opened
-As you believe, so it becomes for you
-Whatever you ask in prayer,
you will receive,
if you have faith
-Love transforms
-True giving manifests love
-As you give so it is measured to you again
-As you give you gain in understanding
SUSAN: Bear with me
while I ask you to explore
some of Edgar Cayce's words
on Universal Laws.
Some people are put off
by the dated language he used.
For me, it's like trying to
struggle to understand
the King James version of the Bible.
As I struggle to understand old timey words
and try to figure out
what the words mean today
I have to look carefully
and ponder deeply.
In doing this
I come to understand them better
and in the Aha's of my discoveries
I find it easy to see ways
I can apply them
into being here now
in my daily life.
If you apply just one universal
/spiritual law to your life
you will feel your life change a little bit.
Once you practice an experiment like this
you will be hungry for more.
Cayce gifted us with A.Y.C.E.
Food for the Soul.
Once you eat it
you will only be satisfied
by living the Highest Truths
you know.
Choose one universal law
apply it in your life
and you will wake up
to being who you are
truly meant to be.
You will use the Powers That Be
inside of you
to co-create
your Divine being.
[You can get Cayce's
SEARCH FOR GOD books
and Mark Thurston's
EXPERIMENT books
from the ARE Bookstore
and read more about Cayce
Other places you can go to read about
universal/spiritual laws:
~~
~~
~~
~~
It doesn't matter which path you take
to discover spiritual truths.
5-4: What's one principle
that I have been
recommending to others
that they apply?
I write down in my journal
that teaching/principle.
Examples:
"We must be patient."
/a particular dietary regime.
Each day for at least a week
I make an effort to
1- refrain from telling others
to apply this principle
2- apply it in my own life.
I journal instances
where I am successful
in this work.
5-5: How can I allow others
to do acts of service
and caring
that they offer me
(unless it would result
in the violation
of a principle/ideal I hold)?
I maintain an attitude of openness
to being helped.
I'm careful not to take license
with this experiment
going around asking others
to do things for me.
I journal instances
in which others
are a channel of blessings
to me.
5-6: Am I able to allow
a sense of peace
to fill my life
by being tolerant of others
/of inharmonious patterns
within myself
each day?
I journal situations
in which I am
understanding and tolerant
even when my old way of reacting
might have been
to think unkindly.
5-7: What is an example
from my own life
of an experience of faith
in which I felt
I touched the purity
of the soul?
Examples:
-a specific meditation experience
-an especially meaningful dream
-an experience of deep love for another person
For at least one or two minutes
each day
I recall this experience
and what I learned from it.
I may want to have
this recall period
at the end of my daily meditation.
I allow the insights
of this experience of faith
to guide my understanding of others
for a week.
I journal my experiences
of seeing the actions of others
with a greater degree of understanding.
Example:
experience through faith:
I once had a deep meditation
experience in which I felt how
everything I do is really
an expression of my wanting
greater wholeness.
experiences during this week:
I was able to see the actions of others
who usually irritate me
as manifestations of their desire to be noticed
be loved and feel whole.
5-8: Who is a person
I have trouble loving
/appreciating?
Each day for at least a week
I make a special effort
to see good in that person.
I let my thoughts
words
and actions
express my desire
to relate to
that which is good
in that person.
I journal my experiences.
5-9: What is one life situation
I find myself frequently despising
and wishing I were free from?
I write down in my journal
1- the situation
2- constructive qualities
it challenges me to find within myself
so I can cope with it.
Throughout the week each time
I find myself despising this situation
I say a short prayer of praise to God
/Great Spirit/Divine Mother/Powers That Be
for the opportunity to learn
these constructive qualities.
Example:
situation: a physical impairment
that limits my ability to function
constructive qualities challenged to awaken:
patience
trust in others
~~
I almost started this section
with info about Charoite.
Remember? I intuitively chose
these gemstones to go with
each chapter of the SEARCH FOR GOD
books at the ARE Bookstore in
Virginia Beach. I am repeatedly
amazed at how each stone's
meaning ties in with the lessons
to be learned in the SFG chapter
I chose the stone for.
[from Judy Hall's
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CRYSTALS]
Teaching you to accept the present
moment as perfect, Charoite assists
in walking your destiny, and
links you to your karma,
revealing the life plan
your soul is working to.
Grounding the spiritual Self
into everyday reality,
it urges service to humanity.
This stone brings insightful visions
of past lives
and suggests ways to redress karma
on a personal and collective level.
Facilitating vibrational change
and links to higher realities
it simultaneously provides
deep physical
emotional
and cellular memory healing.
This stone of transformation
overcomes fear,
integrates negative qualities,
and takes back projections,
assisting in coping
with fundamental change.
It masters compulsions
and obsessions
and ameliorates alienation
or frustration,
and is particularly helpful
in cases of scapegoating
or abasement.
Assisting anyone who is driven
by other people's thoughts
rather than their own,
it removes mental attachments.
Charoite facilitates
fast decisions,
perceptive observations
and analysis.
SUSAN: A virtue
or universal/spiritual law
is just words
until you apply living it
in your daily life.
Becoming aware of Universal Laws
wakes you up so you can make
conscious choices about the way
you live your life rather than
only reactive ones.
Once you learn a spiritual truth
you want to gift it as a giveaway
to everyone you meet.
The thing I like the very most
about Cayce's work is the way
he insists upon us applying
the spiritual laws into our daily
lives.
When you bring balance
to your mental
emotional
physical
and spiritual being
you are able to walk your talk
in harmony
with spiritual laws.
The Divine blueprint
of these laws
is written into the very cells
of your being.
If karma
is a soul record
of all you've done
the grace of right living
by spiritual laws
erases your mistakes
(the times
you've turned
away from the light)
and allows you
to live your Dharma
or life's purpose
gifting your unique,
special talents
in service to others
with love.
As Shawn Honnick expresses it
in THE 7 LAWS OF SPIRITUAL SUCCESS
I will ask myself daily
"How can I serve?"
"How can I help?"
~~
Your name becomes your virtue
when your actions
express your understanding
of spiritual laws.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

IV FAITH Amethyst


How do I use
my inner spiritual knowledge
of the Creative Forces
to manifest blessings
for myself and others?
When I told my husband
Steve Heath I was writing
about faith he laughed.
He remembered one time
when I asked someone
what Faith was and they
thought I was crazy
until he explained that
I don't 'get it' because
I simply live my faith
all of the time.
2 children's songs
come to mind when
I think about Faith.
(Can you tell I was
a kindergarten teacher
for umpteen years?)
Annie singing:
The sun'll come up tomorrow.
And It's A Small World After All
as heard on the boat ride
in Disney World.
If I had to choose a hymn
the first one that pops
into my mind
comes from a Methodist hymnal:
I come to the garden alone
while the dew is still on the roses
and the voice I hear
falling on my ear
the Son of God discloses
and he walks with me
and he talks with me
and he tells me
I am his own
and the joy we share
as we tarry there
none other has ever known.
Tuesday night I went to chanting
with Jeff who accompanies us
with his singing bowls
and somewhere between
childhood and now
I read Thich Nhat Hanh
and he taught me
about walking meditation.
I'm sure you've had your
own journey in and out of
spirit.
Stephen from The Farm in Tennessee
said the 11th commandmant is:
You do too know what I mean.
SUSAN: Your faith comes to you
in bits and pieces
and chunks the size of mountains
that take your breath away.
If you were lucky
you started picking it up
when you were a child and
your parents read
happy-forever-after nite-nite
stories to you.
If not you found
'all's right with the world'
stories
from your grandparents
uncles and aunts
teachers
preachers
strangers
good books
and friends.
Maybe you found it
when you read poetry
like Ella Wheeler Wilcox
saying:
Whatever is
- is best.
Your Faith may come
from building trust with people
who give you their word
and keep it.
It may begin with fairy tales
and words other people tell you
but it grows
inside your heart
and it becomes the words
you mutter to yourself
inside your head.
Cayce said thoughts
could become
crimes or miracles.
You could mutter a lot of
negative self talk
and say things like:
This whole world is going to hell
in a handbasket. I saw it on the news.
There isn't enough to go around.
> Why don't I ever get
my fair share?
or you could go outside
and look at a flower growing
and the stars in the sky
and say:
Hmm...
if the Powers That Be
made this tulip
or that daffodil
or this daisy
(remember Harold and Maude)
why then
'Ain't deez nice?'
I'm a part of all this.
And if I fall down
and get hurt
my bobo's will be tended to
(more or less)
until I can tend to them
for myself.
Once you understand
there is One Force Source
running through every living thing
and you're part of it
and it's part of you
then you can never settle
for the idea of separation.
I remember the first time the astronauts
took pictures of our earthball
and you could see the land
and the water
but there were no lines
separating Alabama from Georgia
or dividing countries from each other.
Truths will dawn on you
and your Faith will grow
bigger and bigger.
Hillary Clinton said:
It takes a village
to raise a child.
And we get to think about
people all over the world
raising their children
and how we're different
in oh so many ways
but in more and more ways
we are alike.
One time I got irked
at my baby sister
for saying something
I took as racist
(we were not raised thataway)
and I blurted out:
'You just wait til you get to heaven
and discover God is a black woman'
and she didn't miss a beat:
'You just wait til you get there, Susie
and find out God's a baptist!'
Hmm...
What if God
is the exact opposite
of who we long for
Him/Her to be?
What if God is a Buddhist
and a fundamentalist
and a heathen?
Or what if there's a divine spark
in each and every one of us?
See?
Your Faith is just gonna hafta
grow bigger.
In the Bible story
about the Tower of Babel
God made everyone speak a different language.
What if we woke up one morning
and we all spoke the same language
and we didn't need a computer
to translate for us?
What if we all decided to live
by the Golden Rule
and we didn't need laws or jails
or prisons of governments or religion
to make us do good?
What if we all simply lived
from the goodness in our own hearts
and we didn't let nobody
go to sleep hungry
or lonely?
What if we played music
and sang songs
and danced
around the fire
sharing good ju-ju stuff
all the time?
What if characters
didn't hafta have
tragic flaws
to make a good story?
What if we all played our part
and created Heaven on Earth?
That's what faith
is all about.
It's something inside of you
that sez:
'Atta Boy!
/You go Girl!
when you wanna take the next step
and do the next right thing.
One day
we will no longer hafta
feed the hungry
or heal the sick
because everyone
will be fed
and nurtured and nourished
into wellbeing.
All the energy we put into cold wars
and weapons of mass destruction
can be used for something else.
Fear will no longer have us
in its chokehold grip around our throat
and we can begin to speak
always only
in the language of love.
We'll splash bright happy colors
around us
and become as beautiful
as a flower is-
the way we were meant to be.
I'm not saying
there won't be
some hard nuts to crack
to get to this honey in the rock
but I am seeing
more and more people
wake up
and some of us
won't take no for an answer
and we'll just keep living
Yes! Yes! until
everything
really and truly
is
alright
with the world.
We'll live fearlessly
in a world of love.
We'll take the Native American's
advice
and think of how what we
say and do
will affect our children's children
down to at least 7 generations
from now.
We will be transformed
from who we are now
into new luminous beings
of wit and wisdom.
The computers
may crash, the banks may close
but the way I figure it
when we can no longer
text messages
across the world
if we've dug a groove
deep enough into our brains
we'll simply
start communicating
telepathically.
We'll build
community
and make the boat
big enough
for everybody to get in.
Cayce said it could all happen
in the twinkling of an eye.
And I have yet to meet anyone
who deep down underneath
didn't really and truly
wanna grow toward the light.
So let us begin building the faith
til it's a strong enough foundation
for this whole new world
to be on.
~~~
[inspired by Mark Thurston's
EXPERIMENTS]
4-1: What is one thing
I wish to experience
greater faith in?
Examples:
faith in God/Goddess/Great Spirit /the Powers That Be
faith in my own indwelling divine nature
faith in another specific person
Hmm... let me consider:
Where has my rational,
intellectual mind taken me
in this desire?
Perhaps I will find
that this part
of my mind
has led me to
a paradox/confusion,
perhaps I will find
that it has provided
all the right answers
and yet an inner experience of faith
is missing.
I write down whatever it is
my intellect tells me
about this concern
or I text someone
or I go out to lunch
and tell someone about it
or invite a bunch of people
over for potluck
and share it with them.
Now I allow myself
to move beyond just the intellect.
Each day for a week
I will be open for
an experience of faith
in this part of my life.
I pray that I will be given
whatever experience
is best for me at this time.
I listen to the promptings
of my intuitive mind
through my meditations
through my dreams
and by listening to
and feeling my intuitive self
in my daily activities.
I record any of my experiences
that give me a deeper sense
of what it means to live my faith
in this specific area of my life.
I keep it to myself
/share it with someone else
/a small group of cheerleaders
I can find to support me
and allow me opportunities
of grace for me to be cheerleader
for them as they play
their game called Life.
4-2: What steps can I take
to awaken the consciousness
that I am a timeless being
thus growing into
a deeper awareness of faith?
How can I prove that
all that I desire
in spiritual unfoldment
and fulfillment
will come
/is coming
to me?
If I have asked for somethin
with Divine intention*
and find myself doubting/impatient
I use this affirmation
(/another one I have created
in my own words)
to re-orient my mind to faith:
"As a spiritual being,
I am forever.
All I have asked
with Divine intent*
will be fulfilled."
(*Christians may want to substitute
'in Jesus' name' for 'with Divine intent'
Buddhists may substitute 'like Buddha did'
or you could say Kwan Yin/ Krishna
/all tomatoes that turn ripe
by next Monday.
It doesn't matter what you call
the Great Spirit/ Powers That Be
that flows through all of us.)
I journal the situations
in which I am able
to use my affirmation
in a helpful way.
4-3: How can I become aware
each day of instances
in which I feel
a sense
of confidence
(either in
some quality of my own
/in some condition
in the material world
/in some other person)
Can I accept
the good feelings that come
with my sense of confidence?
Can I build upon it
by affirming the source
of this
which is good in me
or my life.
I journal each day the situations
in which I am able
to make this recognition.
4-4: Who is one person with whom
I frequently feel frustrated
/irritated because I don't think
s/he behaves in a way
that would be best for her/his
own growth?
I write down that person's name
and each day for a week
I replace such thoughts & feelings
of frustration/irritation
with an affirmation
that divine forces are active
in that person's life.
God/Great Spirit
does care about that person
and She/He /Divine Power
/Powers That be
will guide her/him in the
experiences s/he needs.
I journal situations in which
I am able to experience
this kind of faith in another person.
4-5: What's a situation
in my life
do I feel needs
greater faith
for me to bridge
the gulf between
my conscious perspective
and a deeper,
more insightful awareness?
I pray at night before sleeping
that I will have dreams
(/dream experiences)
that will lead to
healing any difficulties.
I journal my dreams
I feel have come
in response to my call.
4-6: In what part of my life
do I find myself
desiring an increase?
Examples:
more free time
more friends
more appreciation from others
Hmm...
Let me ponder
the current conditions
and journal the ways
I am challenged to grow
by these conditions.
Example:
Desire: more appreciation from others
Challenges:
1- to know within myself
the things that I am doing
are worthwhile
2- to do things out of love
and not for praise from others.
Each day for the next week
I work with meeting the challenges
offered by my current conditions.
I journal experiences in which
I am able to accept and grow
with what I have right now.
~~~
[inspired by Judy Hall's books
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CRYSTALS
and her CRYSTAL HEALING]
How could holding an Amethyst
help me deepen my faith?
Judy hall says: Amethyst promotes
love of the divine
and encourages selflessness
ans spiritual wisdom.
It is an excellent stone for meditation.
Sleeping with Amethyst facilitates
out-of-body experiences,
helps dream recall,
and assists visualization.
It guards against psychic attack
[/malelvolent thoughts/ feelings
toward another person,
whether consciously
/unconsciously directed,
that create disease & disruption
in that person's life]
and transmutes it into love.
A natural tranquilizer
Amethyst blocks geopathic stress
[/earth stress created by
energy disturbance from
underground water
power lines
and ley lines]
and negative environmental energies.
Harmonizing the physical
mental
and emotional bodies
and linking them to the spiritual
it purifies the aura.
Amethyst is helpful for people
about to make the transition
through death
and supports
coming to terms with loss.
This stone has a sobering effect
on overindulgence
and overcomes addictions.
Beneficial to the mind,
it calms or stimulates
as appropriate,
helping people to feel
more focused
assisting assimilation
of new ideas
and connecting cause and effect.
Amethyst enhances memory
and improves motivation.
This stone balances
highs and lows.
Amethyst is an extremely
spiritual and intuitive stone,
that encourages opening
of the brow (third eye)
and crown chakras.
Enhancing spiritual awareness
and connecting to divine love,
it promotes psychic vision
and entry into the higher realms.
It assists in understanding dreams
and facilitates visualization
so that the spirit can communicate
with the mind.
SUSAN: If energy runs inside
of people,
the way I see harmony
is body
mind
and spirit
living in connection
inside of me.
If I met someone
who was having trouble finding their way
on their path with heart
I wouldn't hesitate
to give them Amethyst,
something to hold on to,
while they figure out
who they are and
where they're going.
Old camp song:
"I know where I'm going
and I know who is going with me
I know why there's music
on a quiet summer's morning.
I've found a wealth of gold
and silver have I plenty
I've found a light to guide me
when the way gets dark and stormy"
That's why I am writing
this book
and giving the world
these cards.
There are so many now
in the world
who would create sign posts
and help guide you
along your path with heart.
These aren't happy-ever-after
nite-nite stories.
These are let's sing the world
awake stories.
Clarissa Pinkola Estes
in her life transforming book:
WOMEN WHO RUN WITH THE WOLVES
wrote about the practice
of building little white crosses
along the roadside
to commemorate
things that have died
in our life.
Some things do die
but then some new things
are born, too.
I had a vision in meditation once
where I went about the world
building little portals
that looked like doorframes without doors
to show everywhere
around us
is a doorway
that can lead us
into sacred space
where we can live
and be
and do things
in a new
and different way.
Here's hoping
you find the courage
to open the door
of your heart
and live
with love,
light
and laughter.