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Lasting Treasure

By Simone Lipscomb | May 22, 2017

Some times I find myself working too hard to figure things out. That’s been the case with my feeling of stuck-ness that has lasted for five years. Sure I’ve written books, taken really nice photographs resulting from amazing travels, possibly even contributed to the awakening happening on our planet…but I’ve just not been able to find a steady rhythm of forward momentum. For an Aries, a trail-blazer, it’s almost unbearable. Shouldn’t I be doing SOMETHING more!?!?

I came across some guidance the other day that basically said I need time to withdraw and contemplate after the breakup of a relationship I thought was my happily-ever-after. (That break-up was over five years ago). It said to rest and grow strong, retreat from life. I was reminded of The Hermit, the archetype that withdraws and consolidates and visualizes the pattern of destiny, the Will of the Spirit.

It’s not a daily sadness or even missing him but a daily remembering of the good times when two people vow to share their lives. I’ve done the healing of grief and sadness but haven’t been able to move out of the stuck place. So in meditation I asked what I was missing in the situation, thus the guidance. How does one create a new vision of life when the path seemed so beautiful and clear with another person? Or job….or home….or child…or planet.

Then I thought, it’s not just ‘him.’ I planned on the the ocean and rivers and mountains and shores being healthy…dolphins, whales, sea turtles, manatees….I’m not just trying to find a way forward from a man I loved, I am trying to find footing on a planet that is in peril. What if everything I have taken for granted and loved deeply disappears? This is the big existential question looming and creating a major pause in my skipping along the merry path. It’s more than just a man…isn’t it always?

Thirty-two years ago I consciously stepped on to a spiritual path seeking truth and searching for meaning. There have been so many times along the way I wished I could forget what I had learned about myself, about the world around me and return to ignorant bliss; however, somewhere along the way I realized clearing out the old ‘yuck’ and healing old, unhealthy patterns of behavior was slowly allowing me to experience deeper joy, stronger peace that lasted longer with each step up the ladder. As my wholeness increased I became more aligned with work that held meaning and felt inspired by my heart.

When the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill occurred I was living in Asheville with my husband. That moment….April 20th, 2010…called me to service. It was my personal wake-up call/invitation to fully commit my time and resources to raising awareness of the beauty of nature and the brokenness that exists between humans and nature…and the importance of restoring the awareness of Oneness of all life. Oddly enough, that was the beginning of the end of my marriage….the unraveling had started but it was the deep call to service that ultimately pulled us apart…him to Iraq, me to coastal Alabama.

*Photograph I took Summer 2010. It reminds me of a woman’s body and so I call it the Rape of Mother Earth*

I reported the oil when it first washed ashore in the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge on the Gulf of Mexico. I sat there and wept as waves of chocolate-colored, benzene-smelling crude oil and dispersant made landfall on the sugar white beaches. My world fell apart. I couldn’t believe humans could do this to a planet. It’s one thing to see it reported on the news and quite another to smell it, feel it, and watch the destructiveness as it creeps along killing everything it its path.

I haven’t broken my relationship with nature but humans have, as a whole, broken the bond of Oneness, the realization that whatever we do to nature, we do to ourselves.

How does one move forward with the awareness of such brokenness?

Perhaps it begins by taking time to listen to the Path of Destiny, to form a new vision by taking a break. By asking what the Will of Spirit is preparing as I surrender more to my heart’s calling.

While cycling this morning a David Wilcox song (Deeper Still) came on my playlist and the lyrics really spoke to me, not just about my former beloved but about the path of service. Often these thoughts come…Have I wasted my time and resources? Am I on the right trajectory? What was I thinking? This song was my answer…. “In this life the love you give becomes the only lasting treasure.”

In the tears you gave to me
I found a river to an ocean.
Concrete sky and a stone cold sea
Came to where the emptiness cracked open.

Then all my fears came crashing through
And met the fire of my sorrow.
But I found my strength in forgiving you.
I never even knew how far my heart could go.

I live my life beyond each death
From the deeper well of trust.
To know that when there’s nothing left
You will always have what you gave to love.

In this life the love you give
Becomes the only lasting treasure.
So that what you lose will be what you win.
A well that echoes down too deep to measure.

Every bit of love I have given along my path is my greatest treasure….a well too deep to measure.

You Open Me

By Simone Lipscomb | May 10, 2017

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.

Drumming Under Stars

By Simone Lipscomb | March 19, 2017

Once a month, those so inclined join together along the shore of the narrow headwaters of the Magnolia River to drum. We have a unifying intention of unity and peace.

Last night there were only four of us but the evening was powerful. Stars overhead called us to connect with each other, our ancestors and nature…to reach out with open hearts and minds to the Cosmic Mind, God, Source, Greater Good…whatever you might label the Creative Source.

As we shared before the drumming began, each felt a sense of powerlessness over the situation of our planet, our country and the many global ills. For those of us less likely to be outwardly active and vocal along the front lines of change, we discussed the idea of devoting 30 minutes a day doing the energy work of our choice directing positive energy to the cause that tugs at our heart strings. Interestingly, this was a theme that had surfaced for us individually and as we came together, the idea took on larger proportions.

Meditation, prayer, dance, singing, drumming, creating music, practicing yoga with intention….whatever a person’s method for generating positive juju. For me, it’s using crystal singing bowls, flutes and later this week, a large gong will find its way into the healing space. By setting aside time and space and creating an intention of sending good vibes to the recipient of choice, we are doing something to make a difference.

Everyone can do thirty minutes a day. This is our planet, our country. It’s worth the time and effort. And the most incredible thing is this: in the process we open our hearts and minds and therefore, heal our own lives as we send love and light to others. Amazing how that works!

I am considering adding a page to my website with a map. Every time someone lets me know they are participating I’ll add a pin. The idea is still forming.

Today I dedicated thirty minutes of sound healing to whales. Who might you devote thirty minutes of your day to?

For the women who gathered last night and stood beneath the stars drumming, thank you! May we dance in starlight always!

Oneness….

By Simone Lipscomb | January 30, 2017

“Just as the heart is hidden in the human body, so is the body surrounded by the powers of the soul because these reach the ends of the earth.” –Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard was a Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, visionary and founder of scientific natural history in Germany in the 12th century. She was a bold nun to write of the mystic visions she experienced. And perhaps even bolder to write of humanity’s need to protect Mother Earth.

This Christian mystic from the 1100’s considered the earth and universe as one being coming to life. “The earth is at the same time Mother. She is the Mother of all that is natural, Mother of all that is human. She is the Mother of all, for contained in her are the seeds of all.”

The following is a poem written by Hildegard:

I am the one whose praise echoes on high.

I adorn all the earth.

I am the breeze that nurtures all things green.

I encourage blossoms to flourish with ripening fruits.

I am led by the spirit to feed the purest streams.

I am the rain coming from the dew that causes the grasses to laugh with the joy of life.

I call forth tears, the aroma of holy work.

I am the yearning for good.

Should we feel alone or disconnected she reminds us, “God hugs you. You are encircled by the arms of the mystery of God.”

Contemporary writer and teacher of Celtic shamanism–Tom Cowan–writes, “The soul is not in the body, the body is in the soul. Our bodies, minds, egos and personalities are temporarily living within the soul and this soul exists to fill the entire universe. My body and mind are folded into my soul, which brings to me, through my senses, knowledge of the oneness of all created things.”

I’ve been thinking about the writings of Hildegard and Cowan lately. The idea that our soul contains the body, rather than the body containing the soul, brings such delight to my wanderings in the woods and along the shore. If the expansive, energetic part of me connected to Source contains this physical manifestation that is a body and personality, it’s not the part of me with an expiration date that reaches into the Universe, it’s the timeless part of me.

As I walked contemplating this today, I felt a greater sense of relaxation and well-being. It’s not up to the flawed personality self to get it all right, right now. This soul, this container, connects the little ‘me’ with the Vastness of time and space. It’s not a tiny seed of Light in this body, this body is a physical expression of that which enfolds me…the enormity of Light within which everything is contained.

I am therefore connected to everything and everyone on a soul level with absolutely zero effort. The effort comes in awakening my personality self to the truth and learning to look beyond the finite illusion that I am separate from anything or anyone.

A morning blessing I adapted to speak to Nature…to Life each morning at sunrise:

I arise today with the strength of Heaven–

Light of Sun

Radiance of Moon

Splendor of Stars

Swiftness of Wind

Power of Fire

Depth of Sea

Stability of Earth

I arise today with a mighty strength, witnessing the Oneness of Creation.

We are One. There is nothing we can do about it…it’s just the way it is. It’s time to stop fighting it and surrender to Oneness.

Dos Ojos…The Eyes Have It

By Simone Lipscomb | September 27, 2016

It’s four o’clock in the afternoon. We finished diving in Cenote Dos Ojos at 10 a.m. and I’m still in my bathing suit. The dives were fantastic and processing the photographs taken on the dives has been fun, too. Just finished working with the images and loading a bunch to Facebook and realized…oops….still have on board shorts and bathing suit.

When I lose track of time and get consumed with something, it’s good. Really good. My mind likes to be challenged, it likes to have a job to do. So composing underwater photographs in cenotes this week has brought a lot of joy…mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. All the good stuff.

Daniel Ortega Moran, the guide I hired, has been very keen on timing and places. Yesterday we had Cenote Dream Gate to ourselves. It was far back in the jungle and pristine in its beauty. Oh, my goodness! As beautiful a place topside as it was underground underwater. The energies of the Mother were so powerful there.

Today we arrived at Dos Ojos early. It’s a very well-known and popular place for snorkelers and open water divers. We had the place to ourselves on the first dive and only passed three other people on the way out. By the time we exited, there were so many divers we had to wait a while to access the steps. There were kids and people jumping off the platform….it was a zoo. But….because of his good timing, we had two incredible dives. Plus, Daniel chose that place today because it was the first day of sunshine and the light coming through the cenote opening created stunning visual effects beneath the surface.

One more day left….and I feel sad to leave but have had such an amazing experience reconnecting with the sacred energies here. It’s coming home to a greater dimension of life I haven’t experienced in many years. It’s reclaiming a part of myself I had lost.

This time I came equipped with more tools…more cave training, a wonderful camera system for underwater photography and a heart and mind more open and vulnerable, willing to leap with courage to whatever places I feel ‘called’ to visit, connect with, and share the stories from with anyone willing to listen.

A couple weeks ago I put the question out there…”Where?” The answer came strong and action to book the trip was immediate. Now I understand….this place called me to re-discover my passion and fire for my life’s work. And I am deeply grateful.

Dos Ojos…Two Eyes. I see and understand….with my own dos ojos.