November Affirmation: I reach out as a “soul friend”
to those I meet in this world and on the Other Side.

Greetings of Love and Light,

These few days at the end of October and the beginning of November are a very special time when the veils between the worlds are incredibly thin. Those who have gone before us reach out to us from the Other Side and we may choose to reach out to them. In Mexico this time is celebrated as the Day of the Dead. In Christian tradition we have All Hallows Eve (or Halloween) followed by All Saints Day (November 1) and All Souls Day (November 2).

Some years ago on November 2 a dear friend of mine, Fr. Peter Posthumus, made his transition. I was blessed to know Fr. Peter for only a few short years, but in that brief time he became a mentor in my professional development and a close personal friend. He was, in the profound words of the Celtic tradition, an anam cara, a soul friend. We shared much of our spiritual journey during long profound conversations and we found we had much in common. Both of our journeys had surprising twists and unexpected challenges. Fr. Peter began his journey in the Christian Reformed Church and attended Calvin Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. However, his student days at Calvin ended when he chose to “come out” as a gay man. He was expelled from Calvin’s ministry program and his spiritual quest began.

When I met him years later, he had found his way into the Reformed Catholic Church and he introduced me to a spirituality that I didn’t even know I was hungry for. I attended services of his small house church and felt a Presence in the liturgy. Our discussions deepened and I ultimately chose to follow his footsteps into this church structure. Unfortunately, neither of us knew that the Reformed Catholic Church that we knew was founded on lies and deceit and wrapped in a cloak of darkness. I escaped the darkness by being excommunicated as an unwanted rebel and I thank Spirit for that to this day. Fr. Peter stayed, was gifted(?) with many honors including the title of Bishop and yet I know he felt trapped. He was a man of great integrity. When he made a commitment, he kept it to the best of his ability. He would not break his vows even when the darkness was all around him. When I published my book “Light In the Darkness”, I dedicated it to him as one “who faced the darkness while he walked in the Light.”

Today my journey continues, as it does for many of us. I would like to suggest a re-interpretation of the ancient traditions of All Saints and All Souls. I encourage you to reach out to those on the Other Side who are precious to you and open to any messages they may have to teach. They may not have lived perfect lives and they won’t have a halo, but they may still be “saints” in our day for you. But don’t stop there, for there are many walking among us on the physical plane who may become, or perhaps already are, “soul friends.” In a world where speed dating and technology is the norm, seek a deeper connection. Invest in truly relating to those who hold space in your life. Holding space is not sufficient. Our souls will grow hungry and die if we do not nourish them with true, deep friendships and connections of the heart.

“For me holiness is not a state or condition,
like a special badge or suit of clothes I may wear.
It’s not like a graduate degree or certificate
that I earn through study.
It’s not even an ‘energy’ or charismatic presence.
It is certainly not spiritual celebrity hood.
Holiness instead emerges from relationship. It’s dynamic.
It’s a manifestation of what is happening
between me and another in the moment.”
David Spangler from Blessing: The Art and the Practice

O Lord of Change and Truth, we seek your Guidance in these times of great uncertainty. We seek your Truth for our families, ourselves and our world. Teach us to stand strong for your kingdom and your Purpose. Walk beside us as we hesitantly step forward through fog and darkness. Light our way and help us when we stumble. As we lift our souls to you, may we become open to your Wisdom, your Light and your Truth. The time is NOW. Show us your Way and we will follow wherever the path may take us. So it is.

October Affirmation: Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

Greetings of Love and Light,

Autumn marks the season when the veils between the physical world and the Other Side are very thin. Our guides reach out to us and messages abound if we are open to receive them. In this spirit and with the events of the past weeks weighing on my heart, I have been led back to one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors, Kathleen McGowan’s The Source of Miracles. Based on her own personal spiritual experience, this book guides the reader into the profound teaching and deeper meaning of the Lord’s Prayer. Though in it’s most familiar form it was taught to his disciples by the Master Jesus, it is not strictly a Christian prayer but rather a powerful interfaith guide to working miracles in the world around us. It is a message for all seasons and all peoples.  It breaks down barriers and creates miracles.

In medieval times a mystery school quietly thrived behind the imposingly beautiful façade of Chartres Cathedral in France.  The roots of this school, like its namesake the Rose, were planted deep in the ancient mystical teachings that formed a much older and more original Christianity than that taught in Rome.
 
Central to these teachings was a six-petaled rose at the center of an eleven-circuit labyrinth laid out on the cathedral floor.  Each petal of the rose taught an essential concept in the spiritual journey of humanity, concepts enshrined in the familiar words of the Lord’s Prayer.  This prayer, taught by Jesus of Nazareth some two thousand years ago, reminds us that faith, surrender, service, abundance, forgiveness and overcoming obstacles form the pathway to the miracle of Love.  And with Love, all things are possible, even miracles.
 
As we look around our world today, we are in desperate need of miracles. In the weeks ahead, I would encourage you to find a few minutes each day to focus on this prayer or on one stanza of this prayer. Many of us have learned it by rote from childhood, but I would challenge you to bring your full intention and passion to these powerful words. Visualize yourself and our torn, fragmented world in the center of the Rose, surrounded in Love and Light. In the face of so much hatred and violence, we are not victims and we are not powerless. Each of us, together, can make a huge difference, if we only have Love.

If we only have love, then tomorrow will dawn
And the days of our years will rise on that morn.
If we only have love to embrace without fears,
We will kiss with our eyes, we will sleep without tears.
If we only have love, with our arms open wide,
Then the young and the old will stand at our side.
If we only have love, love that’s falling like rain,
Then the parched desert earth will grow green again.
If we only have love for the hymn that we shout
For the song that we sing, then we’ll have a way out.
If we only have love, we can reach those in pain,
We can heal all our wounds, we can use our own names.
If we only have love, we can melt all the guns
And then give the new world to our daughters and sons.
If we only have love then Jerusalem stands,
And then death has no shadow, there are no foreign lands.
If we only have love, we will never bow down.
We’ll be tall as the pines, neither heroes nor clowns.
If we only have love, then we’ll only be men,
And we’ll drink from the Grail to be born once again.
Then with nothing at all but the little we are,
We’ll have conquered all time
All space, the sun, and the stars

Jacques Brel

O God of the Morning Dawn, you call us into the stillness of your Presence, when the world is hushed and all is at peace. For a few precious moments we savor the sweetness of the silence and find your Voice gently calling to us. You invite us into the garden when the dew is still on the roses and remind us of what we too often forget: there is more to life than speed and noise and complexity. You meet us in quiet simplicity and calm assurance. May we allow that calmness to flow into our hearts and minds so that it stays with us through our days. Walk beside us and befriend us when our pace gets harried and our breath comes too quickly. May we hear you whisper ~ Be still, be still, be still and know that I AM. So it is.

September Affirmation: Is your glass half-full or half-empty?

Greetings of Love and Light,
September brings the Autumn Equinox, the beginning of Fall, and it also is the time when the light and the dark are equal. So this is an ideal time to reflect on this balance in our lives, and perhaps even more importantly, the meaning of the darkness.

Several years ago I taught a class on the Dark Goddess and I was quite surprised to hear from people who thought I was working with “dark” energy, meaning “bad” or “negative.” This represents a major misunderstanding that desperately needs to be corrected for us to move forward in wholeness and balance. The energy of the Dark Goddess, and the darkness in general is not negative. Darkness refers to the hiddenness of this mystery.

So when was the last time you connected with your lower chakra energies? These are the energies that we often keep in a closet until they can explode from being ignored. But if we were to accept them as part of our selves and allow this energy to come into the healing space of our hearts, we would discover a new sense of balance and wholeness.

Finally, is your glass of water half-empty or half full? This brings us to the important issue of perspective. We have the responsibility for not only our words and actions but our thoughts. Thoughts are energy that we can choose. So what is the energetic choice that you are making, for the light or the darkness? And remember to honor the darkness as you walk in the Light.

O God of Light and Darkness, how often we look at our world and see the glass as half-empty. We wonder if you have given up on humankind completely and left us to our own agonizing destruction. Yet we know that you will never leave us because you are in us and in our troubled world. And we are in you. Even when we forget our oneness with the All That Is and all life, you are still there, patiently waiting like a long-suffering Parent for us to return Home. As your prodigal sons and daughters, we ask for your Guidance, your Patience and your Forgiveness. Show us the way Home, for so often it feels like we are lost. May we stretch out our hands in a loving embrace for all your family as we are drawn ever closer together in your Love, your Light and your Peace. So it is.

August Affirmation: I am free to be healed, relaxed and whole.

Greetings of Love and Light,
This story arrived in my inbox and touched my heart. How often do we discount the little things that could make a huge difference to someone else, even a stranger? An act of kindness is like a ripple in a pond. Its effect goes far beyond what we can imagine. Yes, imagine how we could change our world if each of us reached out in kindness and compassion. It would be a different world and we would be transformed. Yes, as John Lennon said, Imagine.

---

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked. “Just a minute,” answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90’s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940’s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

“Would you carry my bag out to the car?” she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing,” I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.” “Oh, you’re such a good boy,” she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?” “It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly. “Oh, I don’t mind,” she said. “I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.”

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. “I don’t have any family left,” she continued in a soft voice. “The doctor says I don’t have very long.” I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
“What route would you like me to take?” I asked. For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.”

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

“How much do I owe you?” she asked, reaching into her purse. “Nothing,” I said. “You have to make a living,” she answered. “There are other passengers,” I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,” she said. “Thank you.”

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life. I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life. We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware ~ beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~
BUT~THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

Loving Mother/Father God, we look to you for an example of what love can be. We know that you hold us always in your loving embrace. Open our hearts to the wondrous ecstatic risk of love. Show us how to love others as you love us; without conditions, without counting the cost, without expecting anything in return. Only by giving ourselves away in love can we hope to find ourselves. So it is.

Celebrate the freedom to be truly you.

Greetings of Love and Light,
One of the greatest paradoxes of this season is that the longest day brings the return of the journey to the shortest. As we celebrate the light and warmth of the Summer Solstice sun, we acknowledge that the days will now grow shorter as the darkness increases. Can we welcome this cycle of balance and rebirth? The darkness is not to be feared nor is the light something to cling to. We honor the circle of Life and affirm that everything is in Divine Order, whether outward appearances confirm this or not.

If we cling to the past, no matter how good it feels or how inviting it looks, the changes of the present become a threat and a cause for fear. It’s difficult to welcome change when the present seems exactly where we want to be, which is why Source brings discomfort. We’re pushed, shoved, kicked out of our comfort zones! We let go because we have no choice. Our foundation is crumbling under us. We’re birthing something new even if it’s yet undefined. So we trust and we let go of the past and our old life. We become a new seed planted in new ground, waiting for the summer sun and rains to warm us and nurture us and bless us with growth. 

As you bask in the warmth of these long summer days, I encourage you to find some quiet time to breathe and reflect on the path ahead. Ask yourself: “Have I answered my deepest calling?” And what is that calling, that purpose? What kind of seed are you? What kind of flower or vegetable are you becoming? Find your Self, find your True Purpose, and you will find your true Home. 

May you breathe in the beauty of summer with its power of transformation.
May this beauty permeate all that feels un-beautiful in you.
May you seek and find spaces of repose during these summer months.
May these moments refresh and restore the tired places within you.
May you be open to times of celebration and recreation
that are so much a part of summer.
May you find happiness in these times of play and leisure.
May you see the wonders of summer’s colors.
May these colors delight you and entice you into contemplation and joy.
May you feel the energy of summer rains penetrating thirsty gardens,
golf courses, lawns, and farmlands.
May these rains remind you that your inner thirst needs quenching.
May your inner self be refreshed, restored, and renewed.
May you savor the fresh produce that comes to your table
and enjoy the fruits of summer’s bounty.
May you find shelter when the stormy skies of summer threaten your safety.
May the God of summer lead us to amazing discoveries
as we travel the inner roads of our soul as well.

~ From The Circle of Life by Joyce Rupp and Macrina Wiederkehr 

Sweet Spirit, you come to us on the breath of the wind and in the power of fire, whispering of a Freedom we have never known. Come into our hearts and our minds. Melt the doubts and the fears until our human limitations crumble to dust. Empower us with the knowledge of our true power and destiny, but let us never forget from whence we came ~ children of the earth to be angels of the stars. Gift us with the remembering of our true purpose and we shall be free indeed. So it is.