Beyond health and beauty I loved her,
And I chose to have her rather than the light,
because her radiance never ceases.
Yet all good things together came to me with her
and countless riches at her hands;
I rejoiced in them all, because Wisdom is their leader,
though I had not known that she is their mother.
Wisdom Chapter 7
A poem by Paul Ferrini struck home after a challenging day yesterday where I was dancing with anger and resentment. My body wanted to hold on to an old pattern which revealed itself in muscle tension, headache and a sore back. Conversation, deep listening and tears revealed the truth of the situation. Too often I rush into support others while neglecting my own needs. I do have a deep, heart-felt desire to help others. But my body was telling me to stop, look inside, find my light and shine it on myself. Later, while falling asleep, something shifted. Deep relief as I found myself holding myself with love and tenderness. I am worthy of support. My needs are important. And not only that, but I found a place inside that said, “life takes great delight in meeting your needs; life is longing to support you. Take the time to listen and rejoice.”,
Looking after our own needs can be so difficult, but it is vital not just to our own health, but to the health of our society and our world. Please, take the time to nourish and support yourself. Then, offer your light from the fullness of your being.
| You are the light of the world, but you do not know it because you have not looked deeply enough into your own heart. Take a moment to look. Take a moment to find the light that dances in dark night within. See those deep colors penetrating the clouds, the hands of light reaching to the horizon. Until you can see the light in yourself you cannot bring it to the world. |
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Yesterday was filled with a painful challenge that was nourished by the calm of the sea and the play of the otters during New Moon Fire Ceremony. I came home and fell into the grace of this excerpt from the poem Temptress Visions.
All the stars in the sky
recall the purpose of your hallowed light.
Burn hole in through the layers.
Peel all the mockery away.
Enjoin the powers
to answer this call:
Bring the luminous vision
hidden behind the whirling particles
of the Mapmaker.
Let it enter me
like a shaft of light that enters a cave’s deepest measure.
Ancient fires still burn in these depths.
Who tends them?
What eyes are watching?
Waiting.
Waiting for time’s flower to bloom.
To submerge in the relentless subtlety
that moves beyond my reach
with a jaguar’s stealth.
To dream of elder ways
that leap over time
and leave behind the puzzle of our making.
James, Wingmakers.
Photo credit smokeycat6, flikr creative commons
Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
