Costume Party or Divine Chaos?

Cedar and I have been walking in the snow and wind this early morning. It is lightly coating things and the wind is slicing sideways. I love the quiet on Sunday mornings and I love to walk pre-dawn into the waking up of the world. The mountains are cloaked today, snuggled under quilt-clouds. Layers of them. You wouldn't know we even have mountains to rouse.

I went with the Star-Sisters on Friday night to listen to Caroline Myss speak. She is one of the Extraordinary Speakers series taking place at the Center for Spiritual Living. Big place that. Anyhoo, the band played. The introducers introduced. And Caroline spoke. Chatted rather. Directly and at length. And then we prayed. In a manner of heartscape. And I have been living with all of this since. While doing report card comments (which took 6 hours longer than they usually do because I couldn't write a word that wasn't in support of the spirit of each child nor could I write something that wasn't positive and mean every blinking word fully. No couching. No negativity. None.) That was the first Life result of that chat. Actually, it would have happened that way anyway.

Caroline spoke about how caught up "we" are in the wounds, the "hell" of our lives, the "distress", the "oh-it-was-bad-for-me". Then she said "Get over it". "Get over yourself". The time has changed. Be here. Be here. Time to be humble. Time to be grateful. Time to BE WITH GOD. And if you cannot find God, let God find you. How? Shut up. Listen. Be still. (Sound familiar? "Be still and know that I am...")Then she started talking about the mystics.....Caroline is a medical intuitive. She also is a "fallen away Catholic" educated though all the levels at various Catholic institutions including the Jesuits. She was speaking my language. I don't know how many folks in the crowd got it, but I did and so did the Sisters with me. In truth, they really got it because Caroline has been one of their close "teachers' for years now. What they "got" is their story to keep or share as they wish. Bottom line, she said nothing new. I was and wasn't disappointed. I have learned to listen, believe, trust, and act on my own Wisdom. I have long found and breathed God in everything. I call God by lots of different Names--mostly Greening. Mostly Love. Mostly Why? Mostly Spirit. Mostly Abba/Mama. Mostly Mine. Ours. And when I can't find God, I shut up. In my head. In my body. In my restlessness. Caroline reminded people to pray. I guess folks in the "ordinary world" don't get to everyday like I do. All day. With people that intuitively know how to pray already. Our lives and learning ARE PRAYER. This is something the mystics from every age,stage, and tradition have known. It is not an easy way to be. It is actually the only way to be FOR HEALING. And that is what her talk was about. She has been working (quite literally) with Teresa of Avila (talk about the big guns who are nuns) and has co-written a book with Saint T. From Interior Castles to Enter the Castle. I intend to read both over the next few weeks of winter. Love how stuff comes to me. We then did a "prayer-scape"--something I share every day with the children in secondgradeland and sometimes just with myself at night on the backsteps of Fair Isle in the rain or looking at the stars. Caroline reminded everyone to get out of their heads and into their hearts/behind their hearts and to be still. Be grateful. Be humble. Give it back to God. She spoke about the trimmings and the costume party of religions. And then about the Divine and Divine Chaos--God's way is not our way. (Sound familiar--"Your ways are not my ways"....) N.B. I am soo thankful for my training and studies in Biblical scripture. And I am thankful that I am given the opportunity to learn the same thoughts in other scriptural traditions (Rumi, Hafiz, Vedic scriptures, Buddhist pillars, Black Elk, Celtic Book of the Dead-which is in my lap as I write --don't know why, and that's another thing she spoke about--trusting your intuition.) I do now. And this book wants to speak to me today about STORY. Okay then.And what is coming up is something called "Harbour"---foundation, establishment. At the end of every voyage, it is necessary to take stock and determine the future of your freight. And then to ask---What gift or opportunity does your present position give you?" So I will chew on that today while I am working, baking, cleaning, resting, and preparing for the week.

IT is still snowing lightly. It is time for breakfast for Cedar. And me, I am happy for the gift of more coffee. Thanks, Caroline, for some food for thought.