Seasons of the Soul

Affirmation

Today I do affirm that I am Divinely guided...There is That within which knows what to do and how to do it, and It compels me to act on what it knows.
~Ernest Holmes

Food for Thought

When I let go of what I am,

I become what I might be.

-- Lao Tzu 

Coming In For A Landing

A friend from Wisconsin told me a story about a flock of Canadian Geese that were coming in for a landing this February outside her window at the river below.

She stopped to watch as they put out their feet to land in the water, only to find that what they were landing on was ice. They tumbled and slid as they hit the ice, flapped wings, banging into one another, and set up a thunderous honking noise as they struggled to come to a stop. She said it was the funniest thing she’d ever seen, and I laughed, too. The mental imagery was comical.

It got me thinking about how important it is to know what we’re jumping into. As the geese prepared for water, the approach was far different than it would have been had they known they were going to land on something solid. You can visualize that in your own mind. One approach has you ready to jump into something fluid, thereby maintaining speed and pushing yourself forward. The other has you gently lowering yourself so that your feet touch lightly upon the ground. Each approach is appropriate for the respective landing site. But when we use the wrong approach, the results can be painful. The geese demonstrated a basic law of physics, and it was funny.

How many times can we look to our own lives where we have mistakenly come in for a landing without full knowledge of what we were jumping into, only to fall on our faces, or do our best to maintain dignity in the face of a mistaken approach?

Like the geese, we might be tempted to honk loudly, but as humans we have the capacity to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them. That’s the beauty of the journey. We get so many opportunities to do things again and again to refine our understanding  of what is needed, and if we’re fortunate enough to learn from our mistaken approaches, we can calibrate our response so that we choose the landing pattern for each situation that will be just right.

From Seasons of the Soul 2003

Poem

In the depth of winter,                            

  I finally learned                              

  that within me there lay                     

       an invincible summer.

-- Albert Camus (1913-1960)

Our Real World

by Stanley Peele

One of our esteemed local ministers feels almost overwhelmed by the state of the world. And if a person of his spiritual stature feels this way, then it follows that many others are completely overwhelmed. Depressed and distraught might be a better description. Rev. Seymour mentioned the following concerns, among others: climate change, recession, violence in Iraq, the side-effects of our prescription drugs and our criminal justice system. We can add a litany of woe to his list. 75 San Diego State University students were arrested in a major drug bust causing 6 fraternities to be suspended. And, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of break-ins to our homes lately.

Yes, this is the world we live in. It is the real world. The question is, how do we deal with it? Here are a few suggestions.

1. We can stop moaning about it. It is good to talk about the problems both for historical reasons and to help us see our mistakes. But there is no need to dwell on the dark parts of our world. There is plenty of darkness, thank you, and there is no need to give power to this darkness by constant repetition of all the misfortunes that we experience.

2. We can be of help to others. Each of us has the ability to help others, and each of us has a special ability that can help another person. Just a smile, a kind word, can be of great benefit to another person. Particularly to members of our family.

3. Let's not be so overcome by the violence of the world that we fail to notice the beauty and kindness that exist in the world. We can appreciate the goodness of others. Will Rogers said, "I've never met a man I did not like!"

In the mornings the birds sing with brave cheerfulness. Flowers are blooming. Trees are sending forth their leaves. Spring rains have cleansed and blessed the land. Our streams and creeks are happily flowing along.

Do birds worry about the mistakes our government is making? Behold the hummingbirds! They are a symbol of joy!

We can learn from nature. And the closer we get to nature, the more we can touch the workings of the true world. This is the true world that existed before humans came upon the earth. Nature has a wisdom that people know not.

4. Newspapers have reported that Josef Fritzl, of Austria, has imprisoned his daughter in a sound-proofed basement for 24 years - and that he has fathered his daughter's seven children. All this was done with such secrecy that neither the neighbors nor his family knew about it. Intense criticism has been heaped on his wife, his family, the neighbors, on the local police and town government; and even on Austria itself. This criticism is not fair. Fritzl planned this for years. He was a very meticulous planner, and skillfully constructed the underground prison. He thought of everything. Josef Fritzl is the one that perpetrated this terrible thing; he is the cause. The others should have our compassion and understanding.

Lets put our own lives in order before we criticize others. Let's put our attention into the task of looking squarely at ourselves -- and the Olympian goal of furthering our own awakening.

5. We can examine our language. Delete the harsh, condemning, demanding or critical words. Delete cursing and demeaning words. Words have power: power for good or evil. Believe it.

6. We can get away from the TV.

7. We can exercise every day.

8 We can spend time in quietness. Many of us do not have much time for this. Yet if we take brief moments of quietness and thankfulness, it is a great help. For instance, we can pause as we get up in the morning and have a moment of quiet thankfulness. We can do the same before we eat, before we go to meetings, and before we go to bed.

Perhaps you are thinking that I have not dealt with the original question, which is "How do we deal with the cruelty and violence of the world?" You may feel the suggestions written above are ineffective, and we need more practical answers. Well, here are some practical answers: It is recommended that we have better security for our homes. Police ask for more police. Teachers ask for more space, more money and smaller classes. Prison officials ask for more prisons. Many say we need more education - and so forth.

Yet my feeling is that the decline of civilization is the result of our losing contact with our spiritual selves. Einstein said you cannot solve a problem by using the same logic that created the problem.

To quote the Kabala, "As above, so below." As we improve ourselves, so the world will improve.

There are three things we can do while we are on the earth. We can help others, live in kindness and awaken fully. When we do these things we are free.

Awesome Nature

One night not long ago I was watching as early storm clouds approached in what was the beginning of a spring storm coming from Japan. It was an unusually beautiful night…the kind sometimes poised right before a storm. The moon was almost full, and on the hill where I live we have an inexhaustible view of the sky. I went out to the patio around 9:30  to view the advance clouds as they swept in from the sea like giant chess pieces. They were backlit by the moon and a starry sky, and a soft orange purple glow seeped through each of them. They   weren’t all bunched up, so they gave the illusion of individuality and identifiable shapes that looked recognizable.   

   
I was mesmerized, watching what appeared to be an entire army of clouds sweeping their way eastward at a rapid pace, forerunners of a great storm to come. And as imagination fused with shape, I could make out the headdresses of  Japanese warriors, swords lifted, ready for battle, oblivious to what was above or below.

I wished at that moment that I could capture the feeling and visualization with paint, but knew my level of skill would not do them justice. I remained transfixed for about 15 minutes, and after coming into the house, realized how relatively small everything seemed in comparison.

Those gigantic clouds had a purpose, and it was as though they swept over the hills and valleys undaunted by anyone’s opinion of them. They were on their way to complete a mission, and in their viewing, I came once again to immense respect for nature and her incredible power and majesty. What a vast and extraordinary creation we all are!
From Seasons of the Soul 2003

Opening New Doors of Perception

Recently I watched the Pet Psychic on television. I’ve never seen this program before. The woman who communicates with animals had some fascinating things to say about them, and reiterated how accepting and loving of us they all are, including snakes.

As I got ready for bed, there was a program on the radio with Jean Houston, renowned mythic investigator and workshop leader. Lo and behold, her talk was about animals and the position they hold in life. It isn’t one of being inferior to us, but of being from a different tribe.

Houston said that indigenous people always refer to the Animal Nation, the Plant Nation, etc. In essence, they see each of the groups within life as part of the same system, each coming with unique gifts.

As we alter our view to incorporate a more inclusive vision, we have important things to teach and learn from one another. This takes us out of an exploitive mentality, and opens amazing possibilities. For those of you who have had close relationship with your animal or plant friends, you know what this means.

It may be time to open a new door of perception to the rest of creation and see where it might lead us!
From Seasons of the Soul 2003

Weathering Atmospheric Conditions

During winter and early spring, we are often confronted by grey skies. Rain, snow, or blustery conditions may bombard us with relentless and seemingly endless ferocity.  But if we were to fly in an airplane, we would cut through the clouds and find that beyond the storm is blue sky.

The weather is a condition stirred by something in the atmosphere. Above the clouds and threatening conditions is clear blue sky, untouched by the storms at lower atmospheric levels. Beyond the night storms resides a blanket of twinkling lights as the planets and stars exist and persist regardless of conditions in our own earth’s atmosphere.

So it is with us. Depending on our emotions, physical well-being and mental outlook, we experience a lot of “weather”, but the truth beyond is clarity residing in an untroubled mind.

Just like weather, the doubts, fears, and distortions that besiege us are usually momentary, and generally caused by “atmospheric” conditions within our own lives. We may experience periods of “winter”, but as in nature, spring must come again. As we are able to distil experience and sort through what is transitory, we can come back to the blue skies of ourselves. And as in the moments of storm, good may come as a result…just as in the natural world. After all, without the rain, there would be no growth, and nothing to bloom.

From Seasons of the Soul 2003

In The Garden

It’s really a lot of fun to get into the planting spirit. One thing I love is to scatter wildflowers throughout the unstructured parts of my garden because then I’m always surprised as to what comes up. It’s like looking as a child upon the discovery of a new plant. I didn’t plan it, I don’t remember planting it, but there it is! And then beyond that...waiting to see if it is a “real” flower/bush or a weed.

I have one section of my garden that has been landscaped. We have a perfectly lovely and orderly collection of plants, fruit trees, and raised vegetable bed. I love looking at it. Everything is in place, and it pleases me to see the orderly growth. However, the “wild” garden is alive with surprise, and teeming with life of all persuasion. The weeds and flowers grow happily alongside, and lo and behold, up from the amazing earth come these strange little seedlings. I wait with great curiosity to see what they are.

Life is sort of like that wildflower garden. It’s not always  orderly or predictable, but if we can look upon it with surprise and awe...it might amaze us!

From Seasons of the Soul 2003

Sunday Humor

AGES OF LIFE

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:
1. No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2. When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3. If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4. Never ask your three-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5. You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6. Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7. Never hold a dust-buster and a cat at the same time.
8. You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9. Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10. The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:
1. Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2. Wrinkles don't hurt.
3. Families are like fudge -- mostly sweet, with a few nuts
4. Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5. Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6. Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fibre, not the toy.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD:
1. Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.
2. Forget the health food -- we need all the preservative we can get.
3. When you fall down, wonder what else can be done while you're down there.
4. You're getting old when you get the same
sensation from a rocking chair
that you once got from a roller coaster.
5. It's frustrating when you know all the answers,but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6. Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
7. Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:
1. You believe in Santa Claus.
2. You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3. You are Santa Claus.
4. You look like Santa Claus.
Always remember to forget the troubles that pass your way.

NEVER forget the blessings that come each day.

~Author unknown