Held by Infinity- As Above, So Below
Right now, I am this picture to the left. The five circles represent 5 of my chakras, and I am swimming in the space of creation, held in place by infinity on either side.
There is a sense of evolution and creation within me right now, bordered as I am by the infinity symbols, and I think- “As Above, So Below”. Maybe, for the first time ever, I begin to grasp not only the eloquence and truth of this statement, for that has always been obvious, but rather the applicaiton of it to my life – Me, the individual.
I do not know if I am the only one that looks with beauty and awe upon what I consider to be spiritual principles and see their application to the Whole and ALL, only to forget that this includes Me.
I can hear a phrase such as “As Above, So Below” and think – of course!, but never truly become conscious of it in my daily life. As I have worked recently on intergrating a sense of spiritual in my “daily” life, I was heartened by this image.
Infinity is not something “out there”, “Above” us. But, rather, infinity borders and surrounds me on all sides. I may realize this more during meditation or reflection on the Divine, but as the picture reveals, infinity resides on both sides, and includes the “below”, what I consider to be my day to day life. Even in the most mundane act, infinity resides.
I, along with everyone, am encompassed by the infinite in all that we do. We grow and move through the infinite creation within us, and in that, hope and potential reside.
Woman-Love Her…
This post references stepparenting, specifically stepmothering, but I think the scenario outlined too often applies to women in general.
Why is it that frequently within any relationship dynamic it is often the woman who bears the responsibility of making it all “work”?
I am thinking of a book for stepmothers I came across recently titled Love Him, Love His Kids.
Hmmmm….really…..
Do you see how quickly, even in the brief title, the responsibility falls to the woman? If a woman loves a man with children, then of course, she must love his kids.
Within this scenario, where is the context and concern for HER well-being?
What if his kids hate her? What then?
She is told to “love” because then it makes it easier for everyone else. If she loves him, she is informed, then she must love his kids. She is seen as the expendable one, the unimportant one, the one who has to modify, please, and placate in order to make this situation “work”. Never mind the situation was dysfunctional before her arrival. All divorces signify dysfunction on one level or another within the sacred union of marriage. This in iteslf is acceptable, but quickly moves to unacceptable when someone who enters is held to the expectation of “love” when the others are not.
What if the title of the book had been something along these lines,
“Love Her, Get Your Kids Under Control” or “Love Her, Make Sure Your Kids are Kind to Her” or “Love Her, Create a Blended Family that Works for Her” and so on.
How successful would the book be if it were titled, “Love Her, Make Your Kids Love Her”. Ridiculous, right? No one would go for a title like that, because everyone would think it would be too much to expect kids to just love their stepmothers, but it is more than o.k. for her to be told to do it. It is so much easier to simply say to a woman- go forth and love without considering her own need to be loved.
The Gift of Living
I recently had the idea that I was “there”. I had somehow “arrived”.
A moment later, I realized why I should refrain from such thoughts. It’s funny, isn’t it, how just when we feel we “got it”, life presents another challenge, another insight that to be honest, we sometimes really are not all that keen on seeing or experiencing.
Some things I thought I had moved past- well, let’s be honest, some major events in my life that I had conveniently buried, glossed over, tossed aside with a shrug- have appeared once again seeking my attention.
And, I created this image in response to this energy. I titled it “Beginnings”, because that is what I feel right now. A new opportunity has presented itself to reframe and rework past events and traumas. A beginning is at hand.
I imagine cosmic energy represented by the circle above the triangle, and this energy, solid and firm, moves downward (the triangle) to foster the development of creative energy within (the circles, I think of them as eggs waiting to hatch). The circles are yellow- the color of the 3rd chakra- self and will.
Once again, I have the chance to understand situaitons with greater awareness and consciousness. And, this is the gift of living, isn’t it? When we have worked hard and have “arrived”, when we are most looking to pat ourselves on the back and say, “whew, enough, I am done for awhile”, that is when life presents the best opportunities for growth. I had been feeling sorry for myself, wondering why “old” things were resurfacing now. I said to myself, “Why now? I really don’t want to deal with this. I am feeling good.”
And, that is exactly why the opportunities presented themselves. I was feeling strong and good- what better time to confront some lingering demons. If I were feeling down, stressed out, depleted, there would be no reason for such demons to appear, as I would not be able to deal with them effectively.
The gift of living is that we are always given more in the form of opportunities and chances if only we are willing to take part in the process. I have met so many wonderful people who live by this principle- who truly understand the gift of living rests on the unending universal support of our growth and awareness. We may not always sense this, but it is present, and for those willing to embrace this challenge (and THANK GOD! there are so many that do), the world is blessed once again.
Support for the Uncertain
The posting for today is short, a brief affirmation from the book Messages of Universal Wisdom.
The author is speaking of one of her created image keys which she refers to as the Labyrinth of Crystal Light.
I have been at a bit of a loss as to what to “do” with myself and I found her words to be inspiring:
As I chose to walk this Sacred Path
Remembering the true vastness of my being,
I ALLOW myself to be supported.
I ALLOW myself to awaken to the wholeness and full potential of my Divine Self.
I AM FULLY SUPPORTED UPON THIS SACRED PATH.
Interesting words for those who seek.
Problem “Solving” by a Narcissist
If you have a narcissist in your life, the little scenario I am about to describe will, sadly, come as no surprise.
The scenario involves a Narcissist’s attempt, “attempt” being the key word, at “fixing” a problem. A Narcissist will at times display some interest in solving your problems, because your problems end up taking away time and attention from the real issue- the suffering and drama of the Narcissist!
Your issues need to wrapped up in a neat and tidy way, so the real work and effort can be directed towards the most important and pressing concerns- the Narcissist’s unhappiness (because Narcissists are ALWAYS unhappy- and someone, somewhere is responsible for this!)
In the current situation, a Narcissist was presented with rather clear details of a problem that someone in her life was suffering. This problem had been occurring for years, and was, in fact, seeming to get worse. The sufferer in this situation was a child, and the child was seeking help.
The Narcissist stepped forward to provide “help” in a way that only a true Narcissist can- by denying there was any problem in the first place. The Narcissist’s response was a simple, “You are fine. I have fixed it.” Huh? What exactly is “fine” for a child who has been suffering for years? What exactly does “fix it” mean in relation to a problem that actually seems to be getting larger not smaller?
No, need to worry your pretty head about it. The Narcissist has spoken and all was well.
Can you imagine the Narcissist’s response had this treatment been turned on her? If she were simply told, “You are fine. Don’t worry about it.” My gosh, the rage the Narcissist would feel would be limitless. How dare anyone belittle any issue important to a Narcissist? Yet, a Narcissist does this to others- ALL the time.
I am reminded of a little quote I came across in a book about Narcissism. The author is completely correct when she describes the “problem-solving” Narcissist in the following way- “They are like the surgeon who announces, ‘The operation was a success but the patient died.’” And, with that, the problem (if there every truly was one in the eyes of the Narcissist) is fixed and all is “fine”.
On to bigger and better things…
Failing at Wu Wei
I have not written for some time. First, I have been busy; second, I have been failing at Wu Wei. What is “Wu Wei” you may be thinking. Some type of new martial arts, perhaps? An updated version of feng shui? No. If wu wei was either of these, I doubt my performance would be as pitiful as it is.
Wu Wei, loosely translated, is the “action of non-action”. I had been spurred into “trying” this (can you try at a non-action?) after several fairly hectic years of pouring out energy. I had read Mitakuye Oyasin (All my Relations in Lakota) by A.C. Ross who wrote about the Lakota principle of ”Later”. Every action can be done “later”. I am sure this could be an anthem for the procrastinators out there, but for someone like me, who feels “Now” is not nearly soon enough, the principle of “later” was foreign.
But, I tried this idea for a week or so. Rather than always feeling rushed and behind, I kept telling myself “later”– the phone call could be made- later; the appointment could be scheduled-later; the e-mail could be sent-later. And, I found a bit more space to breathe in my life.
Thus, I set out (immediately, not later) to find out more about this principle -which in turn lead to my finding the Taoist idea of wu wei- the action of non-action.
I slowed down and as I slowed down, I congratulated myself until I had the sinking feeling that maybe, just maybe, I was not the star pupil of wu wei that I thought I was. I could possibly be missing somthing, something like the main message of wu wei. The practice of wu wei is suppposed to lead one to a sense of peace and centeredness. In our non-action, we are supposedly better able to access our highest intentions and institute actions for the greatest good.
Lofty goals that somehow never trickled into my awareness. For in my state of “wu wei”, my slowing down into “non-action”, I had secretly been plotting in my mind “If I slow down, I better get something for this!! I don’t want to look back and regret all this ‘non-action’ as a waste of time.”
Very impressive, I know. I am sure the sages of the ages would applaud my self-centered, egotistical approach to this principle. My outward actions may have lessened, but the reaching and the striving were there- internally.
If I am waiting “to get” while in the state of “non-action” I have missed the entire principle. Perhaps I need a remedial course?
When Silence is Not Golden…the Voice of Women
I have recently been reading the book Quiet about introversion. I have loved, loved, loved it. Being an introvert myself, it was nice to see someone maintaining that the qualities of introversion are not something to be overlooked and changed to better fit into our hyper-extroverted society.
I know I am an introvert through and through, yet there comes a time when one must find a voice and actually speak up. For women, especially, the finding of one’s voice is no small thing. As my voice has opened and I have stated some opinions I normally would have kept under wraps, I have laid awake at night wondering, “My gosh, did I really say that? Can I take it back? Did I come off as too forceful or a know-it-all? Did everyone else feel they had a chance to speak and an opportunity for their opinions to be heard?”
I saw myself in the following description of being a woman, “She becomes conduit, processor, and distiller of the adequate and appropriate response.”
The IMPORTANCE of a woman finding her voice, and forcefully dismantling the inner idea that silence is golden, is eloquently described in Women’s Way of Knowing (1997). This book is a compilation of results gathered from over one hundred interviews with women concerning their development. The book describes several stages of awareness and learning, but even these experienced authors were surprised at the results:
What we had not anticipated was that ‘voice’ was more than academic shorthand for a person’s point of view. Well after we were into our interviews with women, we became aware that it is metaphor that can apply to many aspects of women’s development….We found that women repeatedly used the metaphor of voice to depict their intellectual and ethical development; and that the development of voice, mind, and self were intricately connected (p. 18).
I love that last line, “…that the development of voice, mind, and self were intricately connected”.
In a way, the finding of her voice is a culminating act for women. It represents her integration of the self in relation to others. As a woman transforms, she moves from being champion of All – to champion of Self. In speaking, a woman moves from relating solely within her self to relating outwardly. Her voice is her stamp upon the world from which she declares her space and influence- essentially, with voice, she is not without power.
So, let’s hope I no longer lay awake fearful that God forbid I may have said something that someone did not agree with or I did not agree with them. I have wasted enough time in my life thinking such things. At the age of 42, the developmental milestone of finding my voice is sorely needed.
