Kiyowara

Let Peace begin with me

I have been doing fairly intense Lightwork this season. There is a great deal of need in the world right now, and I have been fortunate to have the internal resources to offer my Work up in some important ways.  I feel the stirrings of Peace on the Winter wind, and I wish to foster the growth of the desire for Peace. 

As the song says, Peace begins with me.   To that end, I have decided to start a Peace shawl for myself. This shawl, which I have wanted to knit for sometime, is soft and intended to remind me of my desire to work for greater Peace in the World starting with creating Peace within myself.  I began knitting on the shawl on the Winter Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere to commemorate specific Work in which I assisted designed to support the growing Light in the World of spirit.  The shawl actually has the word Peace knitted into it.  The knitting is going much more quickly than I expected it to; I will likely finish it before the end of January.

With this in mind, I have decided that this journey of Peace shawl knitting will encompass more than one shawl.  The first, as I mentioned, is for me, since Peace must begin within each person individually.  The second will be for a close family member; supporting Peace within the family, whether birth or chosen, is the next logical step.  If I have time before December 21, 2012, I will knit a shawl for a member of my community, outside of my immediate family, who is in need.  This is the reach of support from within a family out into their surrounding community.  Beyond that, if I have time in this year, I will knit a Peace shawl for donation to a charity that can place it with someone in need that I do not know, thus reaching further out into the greater World with Love in mind. 

I do not need for these shawls to all be the same pattern.  In fact, it might even be better if they are all completely different.  Each of them will be knit with Love in mind.  That is the goal here: to foster Love, and with that the Peace which passes beyond the understanding of our every day mind into the heart of the Divine.  

Won't you join me?  Knitted, crochet, felted, woven, sewn, stitched, using whatever technique speaks to your spirit, create something that conveys Love and warmth, seed the Light of Peace in yourself, and then reach out.  It doesn't matter how many pieces you make, nor how quickly, it is the intent that counts.  Peace, begin with me.  Let me share this Light.

The Void and the Beacon

In the past, I feared The Void.  Being easily connected to what I perceived as a large, dark, cold, empty place, I fought to learn how to enter The Void without unintended side effects. My body would grow incredibly cold, and the loneliness I felt in that space would weigh heavy on my spirit.

And yet I continued to be drawn into it.  I struggled with the idea that this connection was somehow within me, that here lay the Immanent Divine.  And so I learned to build heat in my body, to remain deeply rooted to Earth even as I reached out into the space that frightened me seeking that deepest connection to Spirit.

What I found has surprised me.  Inside myself there is a bright light, a connection to the Divine.  The real surrprise, however, is that this same light fills the darkness.  Once I found the light within myself, I could recognize the light in the darkness that I had been unable to see before.  The real Joy here is this: the Light that fills The Void is US!  We are the beacons that fill space, we are the ligths that call out, the heat that builds life.  By God Herself, The Void is full of stars and we are them!

Isn't that wonderful?  I think so. Won't you join me in shining forth?

Let there be Light

I find myself having completed a curious circle this year.  Tonight we put our Yule decorations around the house.  As boxes were unpacked I found myself holding a thing which seemed last year a remnant of things that no longer had meaning for me: a blown glass angel.

We have used this angel as a tree topper for several years.  It's wonderful, and I must admit that my inner squirrel is oh-so-delighted with the shiny glass, especially when it is illuminated.  However, as my family drew away from the Christian traditions of our collective childhoods and closer to to celebrating the natural cycle of the Wheel of the Year, we began to feel the angel represented a deity that no worked for us.  I wanted to return to the star on the tree top that I had as a child, unknowing in my innocence that my own parents were more Pagan in their leanings than I could have imagined.  We've had the a lovely star on our tree top now for the past few years, and the angel has sat as a decoration in another part of the house.  I don't think we even unpacked the angel last year.  It just didn't seem to experess our feelings about this season.

In the past year so much has changed for me.  Growth has occurred that I could not have anticipated and yet is somehow the culmination of all my life at the same time.  I found an inner light that fires my will, that inspires me to stand tall and reach out from a place of strength that I did not know I possesed.  I found a love that I had only glimpsed somewhere in my dreams.  Through this Light I even found healing for familial wounds that I thought I'd never forgive.  I am learning to live, really live, with a love that fills me to overflowing.  It is sometimes painful, always joyful, and I want others to see this Light and also desire to live in Love with all their being.  There is no greater gift to give or receive...and I understand now that no one, not one single other being, can take this away from me or anyone.  It shines down from the stars, and we are made of stars.  There is no difference, there is no distance, it is here, now, within each of us.

As I unpacked the angel I was struck by the Light reflected through Her.  I saw the Light Being He represents, not the cultural connotations that I turned from earlier on this journey.  My inner starlight leapt and my heart cried out that this, this is the same Light, One Light, shining forth.  There is no separation and yet a racous celebration of all that makes us unique.  And so I have come Full Circle, Light to Light, Love to Love, and my eyes filled with tears as my heart overflowed with Joy.

Let there be Light. Let yourselves be never ending Light. Lux Aeterna! Yah Fatah, The Way is Open!

 

The Risk

The Risk

 

Bring on the burning

I take this risk

Damn the torpedoes

And open the floodgates

 

If I burn for this Love

Risking shining out

In fullest Love’s Light

Then it will not have been in vain

 

Perhaps one person will see

At least the tiniest spark

Of my burning and will let it catch

Boldly igniting a dark heart

 

Flaring brilliance of the Big Bang

An instant shared forever

Fulfilling all that promise

Burning brightly together

 

    -Sandi Luck

    Samhain 2011, CE

 

Occupy yourself

I have been musing on the Occupy movement these last few weeks. We are rising in response to a society run amok, that has lost touch with the very people its institutions were supposed to serve and protect. Nonetheless, I have been watching the protests with concern because rising up without focus can contribute to violence and chaos rather than combating those divisive forces.

Just now, however, I think I have hit upon something. Change begins within each one of US. We are the only ones that change us. Change yourself first, look into the mirror and really look at yourself, and then you can truly begin to change the world around you. Occupy Yourself. Be present, fully occupying who you are and your right sized place I the world. By doing so, you help others to see that they, too, can do this; this kind of inner beacon shines out and calls others up as well.

Rise up,Occupy Yourself to the fullest. Then, and only then, reach out to help the next being to rise up.

108 days

Yesterday I began a 108 day challenge.  This will finish on 18 January, my lovely Wife's birthday.  I have some simple goals in mind, and since it takes about 6 weeks to change a habit, I thought that this time span would be ample time to set new habits into place.  

My goals for this time are as follows:

1. Yoga in some form every day.  This does not mean that I do a strong vinyasa class every day.  Some days I will do a short restorative routine.  The idea is one of continuity, not physical punishment.  Yoga helps my physical and psychic bodies remain in alignment.  This kind of alignment helps me to live my life at a much higher frequency, energizing and enlivening my work in the world.

2. Create a better relationship with food.  I love food.  It's sometimes feels difficult to be a foodie with all the food allergies and other food restrictions that I have, and yet there is a world of wonderful food still available to me.  I wish to create a happier, healthier relationship with the food that I *can* eat, and to conquer the resistance of the past several years to journaling my food intake.  To that end, I will food journal every day.  Again, consistency helps build new habits.  This is not about making judgements about the food I eat, but rather being able to have the investigative trail to look at when I don't feel well, to see if there was a food culprit involved.  This is also a way to learn to appreciate the beautiful and tasty food that *does* nourish and support me.

3.   Increase my practice habits.  I have a well-established daily practice.  It is the cornerstone of my life.  Even so, there is a whirlwind rising in the world and I feel called to further deepen my practice.  I wish to be of service; to do this I must first be in service to myself.  My daily practice is the place where I can go within, observe myself, and from which I can build strong foundations.

In choosing to start at this time of year, I am setting in motion changes that will be firmly in process when Samhain arrives.  In the Wheel of the Year spiritual tradition that my family practices, this symbolizes the arrival of the New Year, and my stated timeline will carry me through into the a time when the changing light is apparent again in mid-January.  This feels to me like a good synchronicity of nature and intent.  Join me if you feel called to do so, and we will work in support of each other. Make a commitment to enrich your own life in whatever way feels appropriate.  All Work that supports us in growing and moving toward the Light illuminates the World.

Namaste.

Gratitude

There is nothing sweeter than the realization that the people in your life are *exactly* the right people to be in your life.  Thank you, all you wonderful folks in my life, for being on this journey with me.  

I just felt the need to say that.  

Namaste

The Wall

The Wall
I hit it today
It was distressingly hard
And completely unforgiving
My heart aches
And my body hurts
Worst of all
Is the wail of anguish
That will not be released
I heard it
Off in the distance
Only to realize
That it was issuing from me
Torn assunder
Twixt the longing and the fear

And midst this despair
The whisper in my ear
"Remember.
Remember who you are.
You do not know
And you are glorious."

Beloved

Daring, I stand
Quivering with anticipation
I have waited for you
Oh Beloved
A breathless hope
A faint glimmer of Light
Held close in the Dark
While the World cried out
And I held fast

This is part of a longer work I hope to complete before Yule.

Inspiration versus Discernment

We live in times that are speeding up.  The level of chaos and despair is spiraling out of control.  The Call is loud and clear, and yet, and yet, the best way we can answer that call is to do the thing that is most counterintuitive for most of us: Slow Down.  

With all this chaos are rising more and more inspirational voices.  The louder The Call becomes the more we rise up to meet that challenge.  I find myself wanting to answer every calling voice, to step up in as many ways as I can.  However, there is point at which my efforts become so dilute as to be ineffective.  

In order to do my best work, I need to think deeply on which aspects of The Call fit best with my personal abilities.  What do I bring to the table?  Which of my skills are best suited?  There need not be judgment here, nor do I need to box myself into one choice, but I do need to recognize that without self-care I won't have any resources left in which to rise up to the challenge of our times.

What is self-care?  Self-care can be seen as Discernment, employing that internal observer that can, without judgment, assess a situation and the appropriate response from a place of slow calm. Discernment allows us to delve into the mystery of our own personal resources and to say yes or no to an invitation to action based on its appropriateness in our current life situation.  

There are many Lightworkers now, publicly accessible people who are openly activating Light work by through teaching, writing, and doing activist work.  My heart longs to help each and every one, but my inner Observer calls me back to my own center, whispering to me to discern each opportunity and it's alignment to my own path.  Where can I be most effective?  Is that part of The Call one that I have skills to meet? Are there parts of my own Lightwork that take priority right now? Am I taking the time to keep my own body, mind, heart, and soul in alignment before I reach out to contribute to something else? Am I remembering myself, maintaining my own container to work at its optimum capacity? Where do I need to push out of my comfort zone, and where do I need to concentrate on my strongest skills?  Does the desire of my heart outweigh the skill of my hands?  Should I answer my heart's call and learn along the way?  What needs to change in my life to support that decision?

These questions can only be answered from a place of stillness.  As tempting as it is to answer the dazzling call of the incoming Light, we must first address the still, dark place of our center and know the deep desire there.  Choosing action from a position of slow strength gives us a solid foundation.  This kind of solid base helps us to always be working from our center, our sincerest desire, and makes the efforts we do the most potent they can be.  

Slow down and take a breath with me.  Feel that breath fill you, nourish you, connect you, and center you.  Look out on the world from within your own center.  These eyes you use will see more clearly from a smooth flow.  Breath out and feel that rejoining, reuniting with the whole.  This way we can work in unity, this way we can effect real, lasting change.

Namaste