by Marcy Heller
How we see anything, changes everything. Moreover, I would invite you to see not through your eyesight, but with a different vision a spiritual perception that comes from the eye of your heart, not the mind of your ego.
I pose a question to all of you – what was it that drew you to live a more spiritual life? I would love for you to ponder that question and if it resonates, do some self-inquiry and please email or text your answers.
Whatever that reason may be, as Ram Dass (still one of my favorite teachers) always said, “We are all here to walk each other back home!” And, as sure as there is a journey home, there is also the road we are traveling now. For myself, the journey of Awakening now helps me to connect to my deepest needs and longings. I have an insatiable hunger for whatever can assist me in becoming free! Free of what, you ask? Free of myself. Remembering who I truly AM and not what my mind and five senses continue to tell me! As one of my teachers have imprinted on me, “If you’re in your head you’re dead!”
In Jack Kornfield’s book, ‘After the Ecstasy, the Laundry’, he writes, “The encounter with suffering that leads us to seek an answer is a universal story. Heavenly messengers come in some form to each of us, calling us to seek a wholeness missing in our lives. They come not just as our own struggles, but in the sorrows of the world. These have such a powerful effect on our hearts that any day’s news could break them open.”
Even though the world situations may feel heartbreaking – do not despair. Remember, the transformative power of healing is in sharing. To quote Brene’ Brown from her brilliant book, ‘Daring to Be Brave’, “I can only conclude our world is in a collective spiritual crisis. Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion.”
With the state of our world, the poverty, forest fires, hurricanes, hunger, global warming, racism and cost of living, (to name just a few) are the heavenly messengers for us. They are our teachers that demand we awaken! For many of us our very suffering – feelings of not enoughness, deficient or disconnected can also be the most fertile ground for awakening the Buddha in us. It brings us to our knees in gratitude to acknowledge the insights that are life changing.
If nothing else through the pandemic we were all shone to cultivate more love and compassion for ourselves and others. Those of us with a wise heart bring so much more compassion to all the hearts and souls they grace. A study at Stanford University years ago, compared those psychologists who worked in a detached way not revealing anything about themselves with those who shared some of their own difficulties and woundedness. The wounded healers fostered the greatest healing in their patients. Through my own practice, I have learned the more vulnerable I am, the more others trusted me and consequently, were able to go much deeper into the work. The Buddha says, “You can search the tenfold universe and not find a single being more worthy of loving kindness than yourself.”
Bryon Katie is famous for “The Work”, and it is just that. It requires us to do the work if we want to be free from our own suffering. According to Katie, (everyone calls her that), there are 3 businesses. Ours, theirs and G-ds! The more we are at peace with ourselves and with what is, the more energy we can use for our own business. When we stop trying to control, change or want things to be different then the way they are we have so much more energy within ourselves to work with with for our own growth and evolution. When we can be content and loving with what is we become the love we have sought from others all along. As they say in Zen, “Where do we wander in search of it, when it is standing in our own backyard!?”
The next few weeks are likely to be even more chaotic as we approach the Lionsgate on 8-8. You may feel overwhelmed at times by the continuous dismantling, the crashes and clashes. But there is purpose to this time. And it is all about reconnecting to the Divine within you. With every situation, day or moment, marks a turning point when you can remember that you are at Cause, not at Effect, that, no matter what is going on around you, you always have choices. Although the energies are beyond intense and challenging at times, they will yield tremendous rewards in your inner growth and ascension. We are all experiencing personal Re-orientation on all levels-physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually as the old time lines continue to collapse around us all.
Moreover, the spiritual path is not about obtaining a state of perfection or even enlightenment. Even in the overwhelm, challenges and suffering in letting go of our preferences we are at the crossroads of change. By not resisting what is. So when the fall occurs we must give our whole self to it. Since the only way to the pain, abandonment and struggle letting go trust is born; in releasing whatever that angst is or was true strength is revealed. The poet Emerson makes the point: “When a dog is chasing after you, whistle for him. It is a truth of the hearts that what we resist makes us frightened, hard, inflexible and what we embrace becomes transformed.”
Today as I celebrate the incredible connection that I feel for many of you, it brings me to my knees in gratitude. No one, whether it be religion, politics or location is exempt from this experiences we are now encountering. It seems that we are showing up for one another in ways that acknowledge our deep love and connection. For me, community and connections are the keys to thriving. These are the cornerstones that are helping us all move forward with grace and equanimity.
May you all enter your own sacred space, trust your Heart and cultivate your love beyond your fear. Moreover, ask your guides, “let it be easy, and let it be light!” Miracles and astonishing things are happening all around us – just remember to keep open to receiving them. When we awaken to who we truly are, our experiences give rise to a new level. We are at our best and the universe mirrors that energy completely and helps us to expand the circle to encompass all of the world and beyond. As T. S. Eliot wrote, “And the end of all our exploring/Will be to arrive where we started/ And know the place for the first time.
Thank you for being a catalyst and container for peace, love and beauty. Each of you is part of the whole and so needed. Your unique self is the Creator’s love-signature that is written all over you. You are the individualized heart and mind of the Creator who is here to live aligned with the highest intention of Spirit that serves your Highest Self.
We are all going through the most rapid intense period of spiritual growth. It’s time to step back, and let the universe help fill your container! To retreat and claim the Power of the Universe is Within You! You are truly Blessed. Keep shining brilliantly for your Light is illuminating not only all the hearts and souls you touch its permeating all of life and everything in it! Until we meet again. Know you are my heroes! In love, with love, from love…MM
And, a big hug of infinite gratitude to everyone who has continued to sign on to Patreon or have sent their financial appreciation through other channels. With great love and respect…I AM so grateful and feel so very Blessed!
