Seasons of the Soul

The Plum Tree

 

 

Spring is emerging. Slowly the buds are blossoming on the trees, and one in particular in my garden always reminds me of the triumph of nature…and also of the human spirit. The old plum tree is the last of a group of trees that were planted in our garden many years ago.

When we first bought the house, one of the selling points was the number of exquisite fruit trees in the garden. Yet, through the years, each died as their roots hit an underground spring that runs through the property—all, except for the old plum tree.

Through the years I lost touch with the trees, as the house became a rental. Once after having to evict tenants who turned out to be drug dealers, I noticed that someone had savaged the plum tree with a hatchet. I thought it might be dead, but it was not. Years passed, and then I moved back to the house that I had not occupied for 29 years. Standing serenely in the garden was the plum tree. The bark is falling off the tree; it is cracked up the middle, and it looks as though a good shove would send it toppling. Yet, each year when winter comes and I think for sure it will be the last of the tree, spring returns and the plum tree sprouts its beautiful buds, unconcerned about its physical appearance. The blossoms become the most delicious plums I have ever tasted, and again I am reminded that nature does not judge itself. The plum tree does not see itself as lacking. It does not look at its missing limbs or maimed trunk. It just does what it was intended to do. And it does it superbly.

How often do we sit in judgment of ourselves? How often are we at war internally over perceived lack or physical imperfections? How often do we get in our own way, restricting the flow of our God given gifts because we don’t see ourselves as good enough, or knowing enough, or thin enough, or young enough, or the right gender or the right race, or the right whatever that gets in the way of being?

Our ability to think independently is a great gift. It is what makes us co-creators in the universe. But when we mistake criticism for discernment, we do ourselves a great injustice. We all have a story. We all have our psychic or physical imperfections. But when we allow the impediments of perceived lack, unworthiness or deformity to get in our way, we restrict the flow of God moving through us.

We can all learn from the plum tree. We don’t need to fit any image to bloom. The substance of our works is not dependent on our physical reality. It is dependent on the spirit that moves through us, and our willingness to allow our true nature to emerge…to be like the plum tree – whole, delicious, and prolific…no matter what!

Teetering on the Brink

 

 

How easy it is to sell out. How easy it is to let fear be the motivator who causes us to huddle in a corner…the real us…the one who came into this world unafraid...the one who came with a dream to fulfill. Bombarded by messages and disappointments, we have been enticed to give a little more of ourselves away; a little more compromise of that which as a child was within our heart to do…the clear message of the living light.

As years come and go and we go about the task of making a living, how many of us feel full and upright? How many are engaged in a career or work that has meaning? And how many, if not in primary positions, are doing that which makes their heart sing as an avocation?

We talk about road rage and depression. We see the seeds of it within ourselves, for many of us have lost touch with our original intention. The opportunity of depression is to move into the space where feelings lead us…to find the nuggets of gold deep within our being. Our tendency to go out of ourselves to find answers is a reversal of direction. The key is to go into ourselves to find answers, and to get out of ourselves as we extend the gifts we’ve retrieved to others. Most of us do this in reverse. We go outside for answers and become preoccupied with our selves, our needs, our disappointments. We lose sight of the dance…to go within so we can extend ourselves to life.

We teeter on the brink between Winter and Spring. Winter, the great invocation of soul in silence. And Spring, the stage for emergence of our soul’s reflection. Poised between the two…what have we found? And what can we bring forward as an expression of our true calling…our soul song? 

Is It Luck, Karma, Or Something Else?

 

 

 

I was asked to write an article on luck, the theme for a monthly online magazine where I am a columnist. The whole concept brings up an interesting point of discussion. What constitutes luck, and what are the elements within an individual that correspond to being the recipient of good or bad fortune?

Webster's Dictionary defines luck as the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life, as in shaping events or opportunities; to have good or bad fortune as the result of one's luck.

Webster's defines karma as an action seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, either in this life or another, rewards or punishment for acts performed in a previous time. So whereas luck is the vehicle of good or bad fortune, karma is viewed as the accounting process that determines who is lucky and who is not.

It is interesting to note our own response to luck and karma when we hear the words. Is there excitement at the prospect of reaping our good, or are we disheartened by the concepts, anticipating something bad?

One of the things I've noted in working with clients through the years is the horrifying judgment that we heap on ourselves as humans. There are those who deflect their own actions by pointing at others as responsible, but for the most part, nobody could be more violent and unforgiving of us than ourselves.

When someone is experiencing lack in life, we can usually find an internal message linked to perceived unworthiness or guilt for past actions. The problem with this response is that the perceived debt is never paid. The individual is unwilling to pardon themselves at the deepest core level in order that they can be open to receive the good part of their life inheritance for the many things they have done right.

By dwelling on our faults rather than our good, we are inadvertently making a statement against God. We are in essence saying that God's creation is unworthy of good. And often that statement is linked to a family or religious system of conditioned response that is part of the multi-faceted input we inherit, including our genetic makeup.

We often look to genetics as the defining attribute of our character or health. And yet, science is discovering that genetics have flexibility. Our free choice allows us to alter certain tendencies, and once new patterns of behavior or belief are ingrained, they are reflected in the genetic code of the body. This gives an exciting boost to the notion that we have free will choice and that it makes a significant difference in our lives.

Without the ability to unfold new capabilities through our creative capacities, we would never have works of genius. If we were iratrevably linked to our genetic programming, how could there be anything other than that which had already been known? Our actions would be rote and predictable. And it is the same with luck and karma. As we continue to look only at our past misdeeds to determine our present, we are locked in a view that is seemingly unalterable.

When we remember that life is a process of growing and unfolding our understanding and knowledge through experience, we can claim God's goodness in the trial and error adventure called life. We can draw upon a life view that is unifying, forgiving, and loving of us for being willing to make mistakes in the process of developing who we are. Then when we think of luck or karma, we will not do so fearfully, but joyously. We will have no need to live with the specter of endless punishment for past misdeeds, but open our arms to receive the benefits of the many good things we have also accomplished.

So let's ask the question again...Is it luck, karma, or genetic makeup that determines the quality of our lives? It is all three...and our individual perception of what that means. Through our expectations we are either lifted up to receive life's bounty, or damned to endure unrelenting penance. The choice, as we are discovering, is ours

 

Where our thoughts go

so goes our life.

We are the creators of heaven and hell,

And the sooner we recognize our co-creative abilities,

the sooner we can go about the business of crafting the work of art we are intended to be!

~KJ

Piercing the Veil

 

 

While browsing through an edition of a Sounds True Catalog , I found a great little interview in it with Sophie Burnham, who wrote A Book of Angels. She speaks of investigating love and surrender as linked with mystical experience, and there is one part I wanted to share with you because I think it speaks so well to what this whole journey is about.

The question is posed to her: "In your work with mystical states and experience, you use the phrase ‘piercing the veil.’ What do you mean by this phrase?" She answers that it is a metaphor for the separation between our physical world and the invisible spiritual world surrounding us. She then goes on to add...

"Now we can also look at this invisible world in psychological terms. It isn't independent from us, but is actually encased in the cells of our bodies. Jung said, "When you know the Self, you know God." The interior journey leads to the essence of our selves. And the essence of our selves is pure love - vulnerable, unconditional, without any defenses or barriers. Then you build up barriers to protect that vulnerable, trembling, quivering soul - quivering with love. And then you forget how to reach it again. So piercing the veil is also an interior piercing, piercing the veil that we place over our hearts"

Well said!

Question: Am I On the Right Path?

 

 

In previous articles, I’ve talked about commitment to our intention in order for success. Here is a different view, prompted by a question from someone concerned that they might not be on the “right” path.

My Buddhist daughter was visiting one day and told me they had a Korean monk who spoke to them at the Zen Center. He said that we westerners are so intent on getting some place. We are results oriented and so mental in our pursuit of whatever it is we think we are seeking. This goes for finding our right path as well. He said we needed to relax our grasp on reality a little, to relinquish the mind control. We are on our right path. We are doing what we are meant to do. Otherwise we wouldn't be doing it.

That's almost too simple. It ought to be a struggle, or bigger, or more meaningful, or more acknowledged, or monetarily remunerative, or, or, or. Yet, where we are, what we are doing, and what's in front of us is our path. It leads to wherever it leads. The road turns. The stream overflows. The sun sets. It doesn't matter. It all goes to the same place. And the only place or space is now.

This is hard for us. We are so oriented to knowing better, doing more, being successful. But what does any of that really mean? What is knowing better? What is doing more? And what is the criteria for success? Beyond that, what IS success, and according to whom???

I saw a homeless person one day and engaged him in conversation. He was so full that I realized he was right on purpose. He was a living example of the homelessness within ourselves. As we strive for more and more and bigger and better...more and more people are left behind. We have no safety nets. Nothing adequate. Only this pursuit of $$$ and other "stuff". I met another homeless person who was empty and .undone. Following his path in the moment, albeit a difficult one.

Who am I to say what the greater path is – the CEO or the person on the street? It’s all subjective, and we don’t really know. We just think we do, and there is one of our major problems. We all think too much in the west. We need to “feel” more. The level of heart disease and mental illness that we experience tells us something, doesn’t it?

We cannot get “there” through the mind. It can only take us to a point, and from that juncture on, only the heart will carry us. So you are on your perfect path. I am on mine. Now to let the mind quiet so the heart can delight. So simple. So hard.

Ah…Life!

The Power of Love

 

 

 

 

The little bird whose wings were clipped

did not know how to fly

Each time the wings grew

they were clipped again

til the bird would not even try.

 

It struggled alone on top of the ground

where it was able to survive

But it saw the other birds free in the sky

where they’d soar and glide and dive.

 

The bird felt cheated, afraid and alone

It wanted a second chance

So through care and support

from the creatures around

The little bird learned how to dance.

 

It seemed a small thing for the bird to do

but it planted a seed of hope

for the little bird knew that with each small step

it was growing and leaning to cope.

 

After a time, warm and secure

it wasn’t afraid to try

And through the amazing

power of Love

The little bird learned how to fly

KJ

Tradition, Innovation, and Soul

 

 

Years ago, my dear friend Alix Taylor (who is Michele in my novel, Vision of the Grail), and I were talking about the incredible innovative energy that is evident up and down the west coast. This area is a hotbed of creative thought and vitality, very much linked to the unsettled nature of the earth here...still in a dynamic stage of formation.

We were talking about how different things are on this coast, especially centered in the S.F. Bay Area and north to Washington. In looking at the reasons for this, other than those tied to energetic landmass, the roots of new thought come from a people who were always on the cutting edge of pushing the envelope to the outer limits. The pioneers who came to America continued west as they felt the restless urge to go further, and explore more. As the eastern part of the country was "civilized", traditions developed and thought became more entrenched in a worldview colored by expectations of the community. For those who were uncomfortable with this view, movement westward continued.

Coming to the edge of the Pacific Ocean, there is no place left to go from a standpoint of movement within the continent. It is here where the pioneering spirit has to be directed into a different movement...and so we have exploration and pioneering in the world of ideas and in spiritual or expanded focus. Traditions are sparse in this area. Things are always in a state of change. It is not a particularly comfortable area for those who want to retain the status quo. However, for those who are interested in being part of the push towards the unknown...the West Coast provides that potential.

Much of this conversation came about as a result of a comment Alix made about how often people in America seem to be lonely. In Europe, that is not the case. As a native of Paris, she commented that when she went back for visits she realized as she looked at the buildings that people walked amidst the comfort of history. They were strongly rooted in the past that had endured through hundreds and thousands of years of living. Therefore, they had every reason to believe that they belonged to something substantial, and that as a result there was every reason to believe that there was a future to be part of as well.

In our country, and on the West Coast in particular, that is not always apparent. Because things change so rapidly, we do not have the comfort of knowing where we came from. Once we identify a site as being familiar, it is often torn down to make way for something more modern or economically attractive. There is no luxury in going back to a house your family occupied for several generations. Perhaps in the east, but not in the west.

Alix commented that once when she was young, she was with her father (an American Quaker living in Paris) at the Louvre. There in front of them was a workman in overalls with his young son, standing in front of a magnificent painting. Alix's father turned to her and stated..."That is the essence of the French. The man is a laborer, but he is passing on the richness of his heritage and culture to his son." How many of us can say that about what we give our children?

On another outing, they were coming to a main road that made a very abrupt circular turn to go around a piece of property. Alix's father stopped the car and pointed to the wall separating the property from the road. "You see", he said. "In America they would cut right through that person's property to make a straight road. In France, the property of a family who owned it for generations is respected. The road goes around it."

Talks such as these add texture to our lives. In focusing only on the mundane, we lose something soul edifying. When I reconnect with a soul filled friend, I awaken to the heritage that is meaningful to me. There may be no grand traditions, or magnificent buildings representing human evolution where I live, but there is essence in sharing deeper concepts. This is my heritage. This is what makes me know that there is a rich history, and therefore a vibrant future. This is soul!

Going Within

 

 

A question was asked during a discussion about the validity of reading books to find abundance, and there was an answer given that stated that we just have to know that abundance is ours. Reading or stating affirmations merely signifies our separation from wealth or wellbeing. Yet, as I see it, what helps one person is not always helpful to another. We are all quite unique. Who knows what words will trip a switch within us that brings us closer to remembrance of who we truly are and what life is really for and about?

However, when we "try" too hard, we lose the possibility that is given us. Trying is an activity born of separation. In a search for reunion, the action often needs to be subtle and internal. External striving becomes busyness. It is object and results oriented. True inner grace and recognition of purpose/possibility is more often a quiet response born of reflection. Reflection does not occur through trying. It occurs by being still and sitting next to the pool of inner wisdom that is at the core of every one of us. It is part of that still small voice we hear of so often, but which is hard to hear when we are busy devouring all the "How To" books that we accumulate in search of wisdom.

Wisdom does not come from outside. It is an inside job. And that means making friends with who is in there, and overcoming our fears of inadequacy or lack that lead us to judge ourselves and everyone else harshly. We can read all the books in the world, but if we don't believe in who we are as valuable, we will never receive the bountiful harvest that life has waiting for us. Each of us has an incredible inheritance, but most of us have forgotten where to go to claim it. And many of us don't believe we are worthy to ask in the first place.

We are ALL worthy!

The Healer's Prayer by Jerry Wills

 

The Healers Prayer

Connect Me to the Universe 
The Mind of God 

Connect Me to Compassion 
The Heart of God 

Connect Me to the Earth 
The Manifested Garden of God 

Connect Me to Infinity 
The Realm of God 

Connect Me to Others 
The Image of God 

Connect Me That I Represent The Greatest Good 
The Presence of God 

I Connect to The Flow of Creation 
Embracing The Will of God 

ABOUT  THE  HEALERS  PRAYER 

I always enjoyed listening to the wind as I rode my BMW motorcycle. Though it might sound crazy, I could hear music and conversations as the wind rushed past my ears. The melodies or spoken words were easy to hear since I never wore a helmet. About 6 years ago, as Kathy & I drove to the east coast in our car the air conditioner broke down. We were in southern Colorado, it was pretty warn and we had the windows opened. Still hot, and wanting to hear that rush of the wind, I laid my head against the window frame and closed my eyes (yes, Kathy was driving). 

Within a few minutes I started hearing the familiar music in the wind. Then, something unexpected happened. I heard a voice so clear it startled me. As I listened the mysterious voice recited the same phrase several times. After finishing what you just read above, it began again. The voice was powerful and compelling. 

I asked inwardly what I was listening to. The voice told me this was a prayer I could use before I started working with someone asking for help. 

Within minutes I found a notebook and wrote down what I had heard. Now, I’m happy to share this with you. If you decide to share this with others please let them know it started out as a gift from God, who gave it to me that I could share it with you. 

I still listen to the wind…. I guess that’s why I enjoy sitting near waterfalls in the Eastern Amazon Jungle, or atop mountain peaks in the Andes. 

Best Wishes 
Jerry Wills

 

www.jerrywills.com