Seasons of the Soul

What Women Are: A Legend

Women are made of feathers.

         Just look.

That’s why there are so many

          Beautiful birds around.

Women came into the world determined.

          Just look.

They noticed the trees were bare

          And so they grafted

          Green leaves to empty branches.

Women danced wherever they went.

          Just look.

They made friends with wind

          To make the flowers bend

          And to stir new songs from stones.

Women are meant to sing all the time.

          Just listen.

          That’s why water plays an endless tune

          And trees whisper secrets to the moon.

~Author unknown

The Only Real Substance Is Love

Our illusion on Earth is that we are free, but in truth, we are enslaved by systems, families, tribes, etc. until we recognize the earth for what it is - school, penal colony...whatever type of description that speaks of attraction/sorrow.

Earth is the place where we get a chance to work through our illusions - and the true opportunity here - actually, the only opportunity - is to wake up and recognize that the true freedom we seek is internal. The only success is a unifying of our internal lens of perception with a unified force field - not the distracting, fragmenting one that plays on our desire for fame, fortune, specialness, victimization, etc. The only way out is in, and the only real substance is Love. Everything else is distraction that keeps us from Being.

In dealing with our frustrations, the only reaction that "saves" us is love. "Love thine enemies" is a truly brilliant concept because it changes the whole tenor of our connections. I've used it with neighbors and others with whom I have had major disagreements. Once I turn the energy to loving and praying for them without my own agenda, something happens that softens the relationship and certainly my own attitude within it. My need to be right or hold on to my view of what the correct procedure is only keeps me locked in an isolated position. Hardened positions are only softened through compassion. Doesn't matter what it looks like. It's all an opportunity for us to practice the presence.

I just read an article about a woman who gave up her life in Beverly Hills once her children were grown. She got a divorce and went to the worst prison in Mexico to live as a nun, ministering to the forgotten and lost souls there. It is an amazing story of self-sacrifice to Love - and she mentioned that she has never been so fulfilled and at peace in her life. She went when she was 50, is now in her 80's, and is considered a living saint. She has accomplished things that were seen as impossible, helped hardened criminals and their families turn their lives around, and demonstrates the difference each person can make when we change our frame of reference. We can literally change the world.   

I reread a book I hadn't looked at in many years - but felt pulled to it. Took it on our vacation, and couldn't put it down. So much more was understandable to me this reading than it was thirty years ago when I first bought the book - and I saw my own journey and the necessity of what happened in my life, and my own part in ALL of it through my viewpoint at the time. It has been a perfect unraveling process where I am made fully aware that my liberation comes through a perceptual shift. It is an inside job. There isn't any other way, and there is no other game in town. Everything is given as an opportunity to dissolve the barriers - to set up the disillusionment with what I "think" should be or "want" everything to be.

The book is The Last Barrier, by Reshad Feild. Worth reading - and also reminded me of my own book, Vision of the Grail. The elements in the journey of all these stories is the same, and it always involves a fall...or many falls until we see life and earth for what it is...an incredible educational system.

to read excerpts from Vision of the Grail, go to www.grailvision.com

KJ

Meeting God

There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God.  He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six- pack of root beer, and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman.  She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons.  The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase.  He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry so he offered her a Twinkie.  She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.  Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer.  Once again, she smiled at him.  The boy was delighted!  They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps; he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"  He replied, "I had  lunch with God. But before his mother could respond, he added, "You

know what?  She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!" 

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God."  But before her son

responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime..Embrace all equally.w

      ~Author Unknown

The Myth of Separation

It is so easy to  convince ourselves that we're not worthy.  The sins (errors) of our forefathers continuously perpetuate the myth of  separateness and  unworthiness.  This  often seems to be  the basis of our religions - to  reinforce a sense of not being acceptable the way we are... that our very nature implies sin and a need  for redemption.  Yet, the real message is that without something greater than ourselves to believe in, no true  quality of  life is possible.

When we welcome the unifying force of Spirit, we find our way home.  Without that “knowing” we hold ourselves separate and impenetrable and the God spark within will not intrude the "need" for our separate existence. 

As each of us has come in individual vehicles we have deluded ourselves into believing that the separation really is true - that our physical aloneness means we are disconnected from anything other than ourselves.  Yet the sun and moon that are separate spheres exert  influences on Earth that are indispensable to the maintenance of life on this planet. They are significant interdependent aspects of our solar system as are we in our own smaller way. 

We can see how perception plays a large part in the scripting and playing out of what we perceive as reality and assigned roles. It is only our perception of the roles that we enact, and for this reason it is essential that we clarify our perceptions to align with a more universal view. 

excerpt from Seasons of the Soul  Spring 2000

KJ

We Are Blessed

We are blessed, and often do not see it because we are looking for things to show up in our lives in a different way. And when they don’t, we bitterly complain that life has cheated us or passed us by, or have a myriad number of other complaints. Yet, everything that comes for us is a blessing. It isn’t even in disguise—it is presented in a way that will cause us to pay attention. And when we don’t, it comes in a different, perhaps more difficult form, to assist us in seeing the good that is in our lives, and to adjust an area of ourselves that needs correction or refinement.

The painful reminder from the body that we are not in harmony is a blessing when we pay attention in the beginning of the “gift”. If we wait too long, we have to experience a more painful form of blessing—but all of it is given to assist us in re-orienting the way we are living our lives.

I watched a recent  interview with Al Gore, and in it he expressed how he has taken on the work of educating the public as to the real emergency we face in global warming. Listening to him speak, I recognized that this man is doing a greater work potentially than that of being president. Instead of stewarding a country, he may be the voice that tips the balance to save our planet. So losing the presidential election was actually a blessing, for this work is one he is ideally suited for.

A health issue I face reminds me that I need to change my way of eating. It is a blessing to awaken me to what is needed. An issue with a friend or my loved ones is a blessing—reminding me to practice compassion, forgiveness, and acceptance.

Nothings is wasted. Nothing comes without a meaningful gift attached—even if it seems hard to believe. Death is a given, but we can experience the blessing of resolution on our death bed. And while alive,  we need to take the clues presented, appreciate what is in our lives rather than grousing about what is not, and see how much life seeks to help us grow through its continuous and unrelenting forms of blessings.

excerpted from Seasons of the Soul Summer 2006

KJ