Fire Talk
Don’t Be Afraid of the Light Within You*
*Luka Bloom music…..Don’t Be Afraid of the Light Within You
Focus on What You Love
A short video…..
Willing to Shine
Steady rain from tropical storm Cindy bouncing off windows overlooking Dog River provided the background rhythm as the radiant soul known as Paula Boggs began to sing and share the powerful songs of social significance. As I sat listening, watching, one thing was unmistakable–she is willing to shine.
Witnessing the powerful music and ability she had to open and allow light to pour through her was exactly the Medicine I needed to get back on track with my work. It’s far too easy to become distracted by the ills of our world, to become discouraged by the assaults on our precious Earth Mother and Her many children….two legged, four legged, finned, winged and even those that crawl. Where is safety? Where is sanity?
One of my most favorite quotes comes from Helen Keller. “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”
Hiding our light, our gifts…holding back…allows darkness to strengthen the grip on our lives and the wellbeing of our beloved planetary home. Choosing to ‘play it safe’ and keep our voices silent, our brushes dry, our pens empty is a very sad loss for all life.
Many of us have been shocked to feel hate arise within as we witness the mistreatment of people and animals, see freedoms assaulted and watch as the planet is essentially raped for profit. Let us not allow the perpetrators of violence and abuse cause us to hate; rather, let our anger fuel positive actions of change. Hate keeps us stuck in the same destructive cycle. Hate keeps us victims.
Now is the time for all of us to allow ourselves to shine freely. Holding tightly to our gifts robs the planet of much-needed healing. I don’t think one or two or ten people will save the planet. I believe that every person holds a piece of the solution and only through engaged and active sharing of our gifts will we move from darkness into light.
What does your heart long to do? What does your soul call you to? There is no better time to unleash your light on the world. Be willing to shine.
You Open Me
The Gulf has been calling me lately and so my cycling mornings have included a visit to Her as the sun rises over the sugar-white sand dunes. This morning on my journey to Her, a song came on my playlist that took me deeper into the magic of the morning.
“So sublime, this meeting, you and I. So beautiful that sparkle in your eye.” Just as I passed a freshwater canal leading to the big lake in the state park the sparkle of the Divine reflected off of the water’s surface. I stopped to take in the moment and breathe deeply with Her.
“I see you. You see me. Makes me realize how tragically rare and wonderful is this scene. I treasure this moment however long. It’s teaching me maybe I don’t need to be so strong….You open me….You open me….You open me.”
As I continued listening and humming along, my heart opened and tears came. How precious is this moment….this time in relationship with Mother Earth, the physical expression of the Divine. I broke open. The thought came, we never really know how much we love someone until they are gone from our lives. And then…we never really know how much we love this planet until it begins to die….bit by beautiful bit.
Over the boardwalk my tires thumped until I reached the beach. Metallic turquoise water and soft, pink skies reached out to me and I laughed out loud at the sacred beauty.
“I love that you are a being, magically. It’s so lonely sometimes being me. It’s what we all wish for and need. So precious this moment, to be seen….devastatingly beautiful….humanity. You open me…you open me…..you open me.”
I pushed the replay button and stood feeling the cool air kissing me as the music played. “I treasure this moment however long. It’s teaching me maybe I don’t need to be so strong.” And as I sang along, two dolphins appeared within a few feet of the shoreline. I walked my bike on the soft sand to the water’s edge and stood laughing with unbounded joy as the dolphins continued feeding a bit further offshore.
As I clapped and sang my gratitude they jumped completely out of the water three times. “You open me…you open me…you open me. Sita ram….sita ram….sita ram.”
Sita ram is a mantra that invokes the energy of the divine couple, a perfect balance of masculine and feminine energy, a balance of the left and right sides of the brain. As I stood watching the dolphins swim west, I found deep calm and balance as I opened to Mother Ocean, Mother Earth and the sacred dance we share.
You Open Me…a lovely song by Jim Beckwith performed by him and Hans Christian that helps me open to the magnificent beauty of our Ocean Planet….and the light that shines through all willing to be a channel.
