Wednesday, November 26, 2014

All Things Are Possible

the wind flows through us
into every crevice
washing away the old
stale
burdensome
nothingness
cleansing our insides
purifying, enchanting, lovely

we feel the shift
the re-alignment
the return to center
slowly
we embrace ourselves
queens of the natural world
goddess of the trees
we are one, they are us and we are them
we breathe in, they breathe out
we mold, we continue

the light beckons
let me enter
let me shed upon the darkest places 
an eternal flame
you will shine
you will rise from where you're sitting
you will be enveloped by love
you will see that indeed 
all things are possible 


Thursday, November 13, 2014

A Birthday Blessing

I can feel the weight and weightlessness of all those who love me 
Who have ever loved me 
Who I have ever loved 
Urging me on 
Guiding me 
Holding my hand 
Encouraging me 
As I walk into these unknown places 
I hear Truth whisper 
You are never alone 

Am
Never
Alone 

You are loved beyond measure 

Am 
Love(d) 

We lift up one another 
Life has just begun 
In each new breath 
Now
And again and again 
And so it is 

Amen. 

Monday, August 4, 2014

Starter Marriage

Thirteen years ago today on a beach in Bermuda, I got married. Surrounded by our closest friends and family, (maybe even you were there), we made promises, circled one another, exchanged rings, and broke a glass. It was a magical and enchanted night and weekend. I felt I was present for all of it, if not a bit intoxicated with the anticipation and longing for a life yet to be. After six years together we were ready to move forward. But if I'm being truthful, the caution signs were there, and maybe they were even big, red stop signs. But we both ignored them all. 


We celebrated one anniversary together and by that time I was a shell of myself. The specifics aren't important, although at the time they felt monumental, but by the time Halloween came around, I was out the door. It took me one week or even less to mutilate an entire home into only what I could fit into my car, along with my two canine companions. The last thing I remember seeing before I left was my $2400 wedding dress on the floor of the dining room, in a pile of dirt and dust, still in its plastic, still waiting to be taken to a special cleaners to be preserved. It never made it, I'm sure. I couldn't even look at it. There are still times when I'm in search of a family possession and when I can't find it, it hits me, I gave it AWAY, I let it GO, I couldn't care for it AND me. I chose me. Yes, I chose me. 

It took many miles (metaphoric and physical) and many years of healing to let go of those unfulfilled promises and lost connections. To let go of the feelings of failure, guilt, shame, blame. To let go of the life I thought I would have and grab a hold of the life I must have. 

Soon after my divorce was FINAL I read a book that called first marriages that ended quickly, happened in your twenties or thirties that came with enormous growth periods (i'm simplifying for blogging purposes) "starter marriages" and although it suggests a relationship with less purpose and roots than I believe is true of most of these marriages (mine included), I have used and admired the term ever since. 

Today during my morning meditation, upon realizing that today is in fact August 4th, this is what came bubbling forth...

Starter marriages are only for those of us who are willing to have our hearts broken wide open and who are willing to be left with nothing but FAITH that they will keep loving and being loved, again and again. They are only for those of us who need to learn that they ARE love and that the truest love comes from loving ourselves and that outside love is only a reflection of inside love. 

Starter marriages are only for those of who get that there is strength and power in changing our minds and following our guts and listening to our hearts and believing we deserve all that we desire to create, even if that means hurting people we care about and feeling utterly alone. 

Starter marriages are only for those of us who are okay with taking risks, dreaming big, and loving with whole hearts. They are only for those of us who get that the length of a marriage, or any relationship, does not dictate the effect it has on our learning, or on how deeply we care for another individual, or on how successful we have been in loving and being loved.

Starter marriages are only for those of us who understand intuitively that words and paper do not alone create meaning upon which an entire life can be built. They teach us that the foundation to create a lifetime of love and devotion begin only within the structures of our own spirit, soul, and body. 

And starter marriages teach us the sometimes awful truth that love just isn't enough to make a marriage work. Love for another person can't fill the gaps that are only there for us to heal, it can't illuminate the shadows within us when the only light we need is the one that shines from within. And as strong as the loving connection between two people can be, it simply won't stand in the way when those people understand that their time is through, even if they don't know why. And that is mainly because LOVE doesn't end just because the relationship does. In fact, I don't think it ever ends, but that's another story. 

Maybe you can learn all these things without ever having a starter marriage. I bet many of you have. We are all infinite beings capable of creating our own journey to discover what is TRUE for us, and this was my way. And maybe my "was-band's" way too. (Don't you love that term? - it's borrowed) Really, all that's left to say is how grateful I am for the EXPERIENCE of it. And to have had such a strong agreement with an individual who was willing to dare right along with me. And even more, I am grateful for the truth of HOPE which is clearly this - you can always BEGIN AGAIN. 




(For Mark - who stands by my side, and for whom I said "yes" again.) 


Sunday, May 11, 2014

Blessed Is Woman

Blessed is woman 
Who gives birth to her dreams

Blessed is woman 
Who gives birth to her visions 

Blessed is woman 
Who gives birth to her children 

Blessed is woman
Who gives birth to herself 

Blessed is woman 
Who births the world 

Amen 

Monday, April 14, 2014

Freedom

Let's talk Passover, shall we? 

When you have been living for so long within a certain system of beliefs, change and growth can be, well, a seemingly insurmountable challenge. Similar to say, coming out of slavery after hundreds of years. 

These things that enslave us, metaphorically speaking, they can be stuck, lodged, in our bodies, both physical and energetic. Sometimes they are manifestations of choices or agreements we have made in present time or our current lives but more than likely they are connected to or have come to us from generations, lifetimes ago. These stories have been written in our books, tattooed on our psyches, engraved in our hearts, stored in our souls, tethered to our ankles or wrists. They truly bind us. 

They terrorize us. 

They stop us. 

They blind us. 

But, they are not us. 

And that acknowledgement is a step towards the journey to freedom. 

Right now is a tremendous time on so many levels and in so many ways, no matter what your religion or spiritual conviction, no matter who you are, to create CHANGE. To let go of that which is no longer serving you and move into, rather, dive head first into the life you are craving to create. The life you must live. The life you were made to have. Your Offering. 

So where are you on your journey to Freedom? 

Maybe right now you are in Pharaoh consciousness. From where you sit, the world looks as it should. You've got it "under control". Yet, you live your life instilling fear in everyone around you, including yourself. This is how I've been taught, this is how it's always been done, you tell yourself. Yet you hear the voices calling to you, there is another way, they say. You are not ready to listen, not yet. 

Or maybe right now you are in Israelite consciousness. You know there can be a different life, you know there is something more. You can see yourself in this new life, you can taste it, you can feel it, you want your children to live this way, but you feel powerless to change the circumstances surrounding you. So you keep going, waiting for the day your prayers will be answered. You work hard, you do your best, but you feel the heavy weight of what is missing in your life. You continue to practice faith, practice prayer, and hold on tight to your community. You are ready for the next step. 
Or maybe right now you are in Moses consciousness. A bit timid, maybe, but certainly humble and proud. You recognize your fears, you hear your self doubt, at times you are unsure of what move to make. But you are filled with faith, with strength. You are grounded in your conviction. You know the voice that will prevail is the still small voice inside of you, echoing your most sacred heart. So you make your move and find courage to step out into the unknown, listening to your guides, and doing what you are called to do. You are ready. 

No matter what space you are in, no matter where you are currently sitting, there is more awaiting you. More surprises, more opportunities, more miracles. All for your highest good. 

What we know from our wise Passover story is that ahead there may be doubt, frustration, fear of failure, desire to give up, to retreat. There may be tests, agreements we create to push ourselves to become more. There may quite possibly be an entire (metaphoric) sea to cross. There may be endless days and nights of searching. And certainly there will be time to ponder, to pray, to cry, to learn, to yearn, and finally to enter a new territory. 

But you know what I'm wondering? What if in these changing times there is a new story to write, about moving away from that which bonds us? 

What if with all the shifts happening and all the resources available to each one of us, this challenging journey wouldn't have to last for 40 years, or forty lifetimes or even 40 days? 

What if while we are wandering into our hearts and our souls, seeking to free ourselves, our hands could simply hold into the light the aspects of ourselves which have sat in darkness and in shadow and we could merely ask for the blessing of Freedom and it would just Be? Another sort of offering, perhaps? 

What if with the power of our Self-Love and the power of Grace we could transform those old stories and watch them shift in our bodies, releasing from our space? 

What if while we sit in meditation, or by a lake, or with our loved ones, or on a mountaintop, or in the bath, or with our therapist, or anywhere we feel safe, we could continue to let go of, to surrender those engravings, those tattoos, those shackles, to the One to Spirit to Love? 

What if while observing those old pictures gently but eagerly ooze our of our being, we could sit and breathe new life into our cells? And what if by doing so those past triggers won't unlock the same doors, the same responses? The keys simply won't work anymore, there will be new pathways emerging, the keys will open a new door. One that is molded the way of our conscious choosing. 

Then maybe we can begin to write a new book for ourselves about Presence and Patience and Certainty and Gratitude and what it means to Thrive In Joy. 

Now that sounds like a promised land to me. 

Amen.