Seasons of the Soul

Oh, Blessed Earth!

I had an amazing insight as I meditated and prayed for peace on earth the other day. I saw earth as a beautiful place, shining like no other in this space we call the galaxy.  We were all rushing to go "home" to a space beyond earth, moving out of the housing and "limitations" of our bodies. In this rush, we never recognized the incredible gifts that they are to us. Always wanting to be unbound by them, we were not remembering...not remembering.

And then I saw the earth that we defile, the bodies we defile, the corruption of what was given in Love - was given for expression of joy and co-creativity. WE are the corrupters - not the earth - not our bodies. Our attitudes that bind us to separation, to duality, to seeing things in the black/white, better/worse, good/evil mentality - how foolish we are. How dangerously foolish we are.

And here, this precious earth, this precious earth. We are created from the substance of earth. This is the housing that holds these spirits that we are, enables us to walk amidst one another. We come as such a grand experiment, and walk in this time and place right now to see that these bodies, this earth, are in truth only made of light.

We have fostered doctrines of separation through our fear of entrapment. We have lost sight of the natural splendor that we yearn for when we go into the areas of the world that we have not as yet contaminated. Who amongst us is not moved by a breathtaking sunset, or a majestic vista of natural scenery? The hand that created this sent us. And oh, my sisters and brothers, what have we done with this magnificent gift, this incredible opportunity? What have we created? What have we enhanced? 

I look at my arms and my hands. I look at my feet. Do I walk lightly upon this mother ship? Do I honor her with gratitude and remembrance of my true nature - not separate from her but as an aspect of her soul? Do I embrace her gifts, her shelter, her nourishment? Do I appreciate her light body, the body I am housed within? Or do I abuse and refuse to recognize the gift that she is...that I am...that we are?

This day at noon, I speak a love poem to my home, my earth, my being. She, you, us, cosmos, All That Is - we are One. And in this moment, I receive the blessing of remembrance. I open to the power of this time for change, for healing, and in this is Transformation.

Wholeness

The purpose of many works, including my novel, Vision of the Grail*, is to guide each of us into recognition of our true nature - Wholeness. We are all sparks of a greater Light Body, and in finding our particular portion, the purpose is not competition, but cooperation. We as elements of this greater body have a unique and particular function to portray, and as we allow ourselves to "lighten" up, we can move into a space of authenticity.

Authenticity to me signifies the willingness to confront our true nature; to recognize the personality, and the abiding spirit within. In this meeting ground we are aware of distance. We view the elements that cause us to feel distracted, disengaged, and disheartened. Like so much else in life, it is part of paradox.

The process of understanding takes time, and in this current time stream, the very nature of time is undergoing change. We are being compacted, so that what used to take 50 years can occur within a very brief span of 'time" as we know it. Issues within our own character that required recognition through a long period of repetition now are viewable and fixable much quicker.

The key to awareness is WILLINGNESS. We've talked about this before, but there are so many ingredients that go into the quotient. We have to be willing first of all to recognize a certain imperfection within ourselves (as much as we need to see an underlying perfection), and to be willing to confront those areas of conflict WITHOUT JUDGMENT or BLAME. By willingness to confront self, we don't mean punitively. We are talking about confronting the whole picture. We are made of so many different things, so many variables. And as we view the parts that are unloving and unlovable, these are in truth the most in need of our love.

No growth can be effective if we leave any part of us out of the quotient. We need to be willing to accept all of ourselves. It's like having a family with a relative who is always the oddball or the one you have to work around. In some cases, that is a major part of the external family.

Our internal mechanism is much the same. We have our good points and our seemingly bad ones. But by moving further into confrontation, (confronting with openness, open-mindedness, acceptance, and love) we can, by questioning ourselves, find where those "unlovable" traits came from, and why they emerged in the first place. For the most part, the reason was self-protection.

As we come to terms with the details of our history that forged us into who we have become, we can begin to rewrite and re-script the way we choose to play our role in the future. In doing this, we are giving up attachment to the details of our history, making room for renewal, and moving from fragmentation into unity. By making room for loving self-assessment, we make room for healing, and this is partially what the journey towards wholeness is about.

From Seasons of the Soul print edition, Autumn 1997

*Vision of the Grail will be reprinted as an e-book and Kindle download soon. More info when it is available!

Life Assessment

In my novel, Vision of the Grail, three premises are set before us to contemplate and integrate for more harmonious living. Below are some questions to ask yourself in relation to these concepts.

1st premise: Voluntarily Simplify Your Life

As life becomes increasingly complex, voluntary simplicity seems very foreign to many people. When we continue to expand our need for more and bigger, we are creating dependence on a lifestyle that may not support the work of soul. What does the idea of simplification mean to you, and how can you see areas in your life where that is possible? And where does simplification have more to do with attitude than action? What are the benefits to life from simplification on our part? Think of ways where simplification is applicable to your life.

2nd Premise - Invest In Yourself

One way of investing in ourselves is by finding our authentic voice. We need to develop our authentic vantage point and abilities, and put time and energy into who and what THAT is, rather than always leaving ourselves for last. Yet, investing in ourselves has other implications as well. What might they be?

3rd Premise: Give Up Your History

What does this mean? Do we have to forget where we came from and what has gone on in our lives? Or is this a call for us to give up our ATTACHMENT to past historical points of view, attitudes, resentments, and prejudices that we may harbor as individuals or as members of various groups that keep us separate from one another?

I’ve held discussions on these topics, and they are rich ground for internal and external dialogue. I encourage you to look at them in relation to your own life and chat about them with significant others for added insight about the quality and direction of your focus. 

From Seasons of the Soul print edition, Autumn 2001

Food As Communion

Food for me is not only of the soul, it is also the really good memorable meals I've had and still enjoy having. That is one of the great drawing cards of this planet. We get to eat!

I remember when I was writing my novel, Vision of the Grail, and had my initial readers giving me feedback. One of the guys said, “What is the food passage in the book for. It's not relevant.” I said “Oh, yes it is! It makes several points, not the least of which is truth."

Gathering with food is a way we have of sharing the blessing of physical and emotional sustenance. One feeds our body and the other, with friends and family, nourishes our communal cup. I think that is why it is always so delightful to meet friends over a meal or a cup of tea...the blending of two "feeding" situations. KJ

Prepare to Engage

It is very apparent to me that we are now approaching the next stage of our process as humans. This time period has been and is intense, allowing us to look at our various issues that need resolution. However, coinciding is an opening...an invitation...to participate in larger and more meaningful ways. 

For those of us who have been preparing for work within a larger arena, the call is coming forth. It is time to engage in connections that will enhance the collective whole. It is time to overcome the self-consciousnes and doubt that keep us from our unique portion in this great unfolding Vision. We are being moved into what we were designed to become, and this is a most significant moment. We must seize it, explore it, gather together.

Something is brewing. There are connections being made that have lifelong consequences. There are connections forged that will help to shape and re-shape consciousness as we know it. The links are large and small, the connections wide and deep. The implications being presented are mind boggling only if taken out of context, because we are being re-worked and re-shaped. Energetically, there is major movement throughout the planet and within the galaxy. This spaceship Earth is being attuned to a higher frequency, and as each of us are part of our Mother planet, we are also being attended.

So all who pass this way, we are being awakened to hear the tone; the song of Silence. We are opened to this great turning...a possibility so many of us have longed for.

We are to look into our hearts and ask for the gathering spaces. We are to ask for the others with whom we are to form alliances. Open to receive, we must be ready to move at a moment's notice, literally or figuratively.

Time is changing. We are changing. We are in a process of metamorphosis. And as a very eloquent friend stated to me not long ago,  “We must prepare to engage.” KJ

From Seasons of the Soul print edition, Autumn 2000

Transformation

Oh, wondrous splendor!
Leaves as pages of our lives
falling into space of void,
fodder for renewal.

Needing nothing but the flask
for filling up the empty cider.
Stinging nettles, prickly pears...
Life’s rose amidst the thorns.

“Ah”...he cries, though vanquished by a distant foe.
Hark...the herald angels sing
 Hosanna...Oh, on High!
And so they hover...
Golden wingspan crossing wisdom’s gate.
   
“Is it too late?” the young man cries beside the road.
Never too late...Never too late.

The doors of heaven fling wide open
Bidding Welcome...
    
The Myth of Separation gone.
~KJ

Choice

I am increasingly aware of how strong the veil of fear is that pervades this planet. Each of the thought forms that is sent out into the ethers laced with fear becomes a glitch that keeps the pure essence of light from permeating us at a cellular level with the blessing of Love.

If we look at the media...the things we read, watch on TV, see on our computer screens when we log in, and go to the movies to see...what is the tone? What is the message, and what is the byproduct of the content? Just as in our food, we are bombarded by junk. We take it all in as though it is a requirement, never thinking of the adverse effect it has upon our psyche, our being, and the well-being of our planet.

Yet, we do have the power of choice. And as thinking, conscious individuals, it is essential that we begin to be responsible for what we are choosing to take in to our consciousness, into our body, and to our way of interacting with life. Thoughts are things. We are manufacturing new "things" moment by moment. As those things are fear laden, the veil obscures ultimate reality. As we consciously choose to uphold love, not as an insipid or saccharin state, but as a dynamic evolving pool of creation, we will find ourselves avoiding those elements that pull us down and move to those that elevate us.

I have noted the preoccupation with negative prophecy, and in thinking about it during my morning walk, observed the following:

The problem with fear is that it feeds fear and begets fear, and as we are hooked into that medium through the messages surrounding us, our fear reactions are predictable.

Again, I am reminded of how important it is to move beyond the level of phenomenon. We dwell on prophecies that feed the negative. Why don't we give equal attention to the prophecies of hope? How many prophecies were given about the incredible communication age we are in? Did anyone bother to talk about the amazing things that are happening on the planet...ever...other than in dribs and drabs? Why not? Because it isn't sensational. It is good news, and people tend to feed off of the adrenaline high we get from fear. Messages of hope only add a peaceful and unifying tone, and people don't necessarily like to be peaceful. We like to be on edge. Many of us are addicted to caffeine, and fear is the ultimate caffeine!

So, we are all laced with historical failure. Hurts. Mistakes. Disappointments. But we are also a species that has many victories. Otherwise we wouldn't still be here. As we work towards the precepts that dignify life, we lift the veil that keeps us from wholeness. Then the light of love is able to penetrate us and the planet in a way that brings about an ultimate blessing for which we have in truth been created. It's our choice. KJ

Overcoming Expectation

In an exploration of expectation, I’d like to share the following with you. I had lunch with some dear people - a couple who had fallen in love very quickly. They had gotten together and were now going through the tremendous fear of what this would mean. It seems that so many people long for love, deeply yearn for it, go out to find it – but when it is actually presented, are petrified by the ramifications.

As we get older, there is SO much more baggage that we carry. And when we have expectations about how a relationship should look, feel, be (i.e. a fantasy), we will always run from the reality because that is a day-to-day affair. Many of us have had our share of those who wanted relationships and were petrified once they saw what was actually in front of them.

Whether we are in or out of relationship, we are often loaded with past experiences and expectations that keep us bound to a concept of relationship rather than its actuality. Relationships are daily acts of living, loving, understanding, annoyance, forgiveness...the whole ball of wax. To think relationships of the heart will fulfill some fantasy projection is to miss the richness and texture of REAL involvement. And expecting relationships to be perfect is as misguided as expecting life to be perfect

When we can be open to giving and receiving, and to receive what is given with gratitude, that is a start to   a good relationship. By overcoming fears based on past disappointments in relationship, we signal our willingness to take what is given as an opportunity to stretch and grow even more. This allows for the building of a relationship. By overcoming expectations of what the relationship SHOULD be, and appreciation of what it actually is, there is room for tremendous growth and healing. Because when we overcome expectations, we make room for love, and love is the ultimate healer.

It requires courage to live. It requires maturity to face ourselves in others. The risks of relating are great, but so are the rewards. KJ

The Grace Prayer

As you say the following prayer with sincere feeling, it has an amazing power for healing. Also known as the Surrender Prayer, its purpose is to instill recognition of states of consciousness that through transformation are brought into reunion with One Divine Mind where all healing occurs. I used this not long ago, and had some remarkable insights as a result.

Father, I thirst...
Into Thy Hands I commit my Spirit...
Thy Will is My Will...
Heal Me at depth...
Reveal that which needs to be healed...
So that I may demonstrate the Love, Wisdom and Power of the One Divine Mind...
And so it is!
             ~~~~~~~~~

Heal me at depth indicates willingness to be healed and transformed at the deep subjective or subconscious level of mind. You are asking for the harmonious activity of Divine Mind within to be revealed in all the memories and perceptions of reality that your soul has accumulated in its many journeys through life.

Reveal that which needs to be healed states your willingness to become fully conscious of any memories or perception of reality that need to be known by you for whatever purpose Divine Mind deems necessary for your continued unfolding into unified consciousness.

Right Action

Have you ever noticed that once you express something...it comes back to haunt you?

What do I mean? When we set ourselves up to comment on a particular lesson we have to learn, or we are in judgment over an action by someone else, or we are feeling particularly "proud" of ourselves for our achievement.  WHAM! Whatever we are expressing from a point of separation is drawn to us so that we may PRACTICE right action.

What is right action?

Right action might be considered neutralizing our tendency to react.  It is the ability to have the things we project once again turned toward us so that we are the recipients of those projections. If we can get our egos out of the way, we can see how perfectly the law of cause and effect works - how instantaneously our own inner thoughts of condemnation or whatever is mirrored right back so that we have an opportunity to "right" the original action/reaction. We might have the projection played back to us in several ways or repetitiously until we "get" it until we no longer need to project that separateness.

And projections also come to us of a positive nature. Those are much more fun! It would be an interesting exercise to watch our projections throughout the day. What are we putting out (projecting) and what is coming back? How much is positive and how much negative, and in spite of WHAT it is, how often are we able to maintain neutrality? KJ