Celebrating our Mothers

Today we celebrate the women who gave us birth, who changed our diapers, cleaned our snotty noses, stayed with us when we were sick, supported us through multiple crises, and loved us the best they could all their lives. Whether we are lucky enough to still have a mother or honor her as she dwells on Spirit side, we will never forget her.

Relationships with our parents can also leave lifelong imprints, even scars on our psyche. We all crave unconditional love, and a mother’s love is perhaps the closest we can come to that ideal. But there is no required training for parenthood, and mistakes are unavoidable;  being human means having character flaws. How do we feel about the values and beliefs our mother infused us with, early in life?

On the occasion of Valentine's Day, we explore the many facets of an age-old topic: eros, agape, philia. How can we stay in love; what does spiritual love mean; how does the love energy move through all the chakras? Join us for this spiritual yet light-hearted talk, given at Harmony Grove Spiritualist Association in 2016.

Spiritual awakening is a transformational moment or process much desired by spiritual seekers. People may undergo rigorous training towards that goal or travel to ashrams in India in search for an enlightened teacher. But spiritual awakening can also happen in completely unpredictable ways, when we least expect it. Even seemingly trivial circumstances may give rise to a time of profound change, where all our cherished concepts of reality are shattered in one moment of clarity. A sense of truth emerges that wipes out all beliefs and concepts, giving way to a profound sense of connection and all-encompassing love. Time seems to stand still.

This state can last just a few moments, or weeks and months. Few are able to maintain what is also called a state of grace, or enlightenment, even ascension. The rhythms and ordinariness of life can take over again. But one is never the same after a spiritual awakening. Something inside has undergone a profound and irreversible change, and our attitude about ourselves and all of life has shifted into a different level of awareness.

The invitation is not to find fault, but to examine your own soul’s architecture and that of your partner. Asking the questions below may not always result in clear and concise answers, but you will gain deeper understanding about the level of resonance between the two of you.

1. Do we feel physically attracted to each other, is there an erotic spark between us?
This first one seems to be an easy one, especially when we have just ‘fallen in love’. Erotic attraction can be all-consuming, even blinding us to other factors that will become more important once this initial spark has quieted down. In long-lasting healthy relationships physical attraction often takes backstage to other characteristics of your love connection. However, if eroticism has become dormant or even absent over the years, one or both of the partners may feel a need to seek erotic polarity outside of the relationship.

Summer time: a time to enjoy the gifts of the season, to interact and play, and a time to tend to the garden - verbatim and figuratively speaking.

Whether you are a gardener or not, have you considered the garden of your soul? That metaphor relates to our self-care and the loving awareness that helps us to distinguish weeds from things we want to grow. We plant seeds with every thought, every action, even every non-action. Some seeds germinate quickly, others take more time to root and unfold. Seeds of negativity, such as resentment, living in the past, envy and doubt develop into 'weeds' that are often hard to eliminate. The most persistent weeds are the ones with deep roots and survival strategies. They grow underground, in the depths of our unconscious/subconscious mind. Awareness is the tool that exposes these pernicious weeds and stops them from propagating in the garden of our soul.

What are you planting today?

How does Great Spirit speak to us?

Sometimes we want God to communicate with us in grandiose ways. Maybe we want a clear message, written in flames on the wall and signed by God. In my experience, it rarely happens that way. Source, Spirit, whatever you want to call it, speaks to us in quiet, unexpected ways.

Today we had a meditation gathering in honor of Divine Mother. A beautiful meditation came through that touched everyone's heart.

Much later I went into the kitchen to clean up. I found a paper towel that had absorbed water in such a way that it created a perfect heart shape. Does Divine Mother speak to us through paper towels? I don't know. Maybe it's just a coincidence.