Advent Series, #3
As I sit this morning, there is a deep Peace. I offer this Peace to you…not that Peace is ever missing, only that you take a breath and rediscover the Peace that forever dwells within you. One conscious breath is all it ever takes to find the Sanctuary of Peace.
On this third day of Advent, with my intention and attention focused on the spiritual qualities of Patience and Faith, my thoughts return again and again to the idea of Sanctuary. Why Sanctuary? Very likely, it is because we are, once again, looking at an extended period of finding Sanctuary at home as a way of maintaining physical distance during this time of global pandemic.
Last Spring, when the Coronavirus first became known, and we were called to shelter at home, and maintain social distancing, I made a choice…I decided to redefine and reframe what was being asked of me. This decision did not change my behavior – like everyone else, I was staying at home whenever possible and being careful to maintain distance when in public. What did change was how I felt about what I was doing. I suppose that I am being Guided to take another look at that period of time, and the attitudes and reflections that helped me to gracefully navigate, as we move through this holy-day season differently…maybe surrounded by fewer friends and family members…perhaps experiencing more solitude than we are accustomed to, and missing the ritual and traditions that have been the mainstay of our Christmas holidays. I find that I am only called to write, or speak, that which I most need to hear. It is my sincere hope that my reflections are helpful to you, as well.
In my redefinition of what is happening, I have chosen different language. Rather than the overused (and I believe inaccurate) phrase social distancing, I am choosing to physically distance while staying socially connected. We are blessed with the technology that makes this possible. I know I have been busier since the stay-at-home mandate was originally given than I have ever been. Every day of the week, Mondays and some Saturdays excepted, our Spiritual Community offers an opportunity to connect with others. Book clubs, Bible studies, classes, meditation circles, Taize Meditation Services, and Sunday Celebrations mark my week. I have started a Blog that gets emailed out to those who wish to receive it. Our Beloved Community knows that we can maintain our social connection whenever we choose to. And there are many other communities and organizations doing the same. The choices are endless. Granted, it is not the same as being physically together…this is where our Patience and Faith are called into service. As we patiently and consciously choose to place our Faith in the Infinite Intelligence, and the Loving and Lawful Presence at work here, we know that this, too, shall pass.
I have been reading and studying a modern-day mystic, visionary, and spiritual teacher named Jeff Carreira. He says that “This is a period of potentially global monasticism. All over the world, people are living in solitude.” I love the word solitude. It has the feel of one who chooses a quiet time and space for reflection, rather than one who is isolated, which really means being set or kept apart. We have the choice to find sanctuary at home, which implies making home a sacred space, rather than taking shelter, which for me, introduces an element of fear…something to protect oneself from. Of course, we are protecting ourselves and others when we limit our personal interactions and create safe distances between us. But how beautiful to focus on the sacredness of our actions…the honoring of home, ourselves, and one another.
Words are powerful. How I label and name the events in my life creates my experience of those events. I can choose to physically or socially distance. I can decide whether I will experience solitude or isolation. It is up to me whether to make sanctuary, or take shelter. Can you feel the difference? Can you sense how important it is to consciously choose our language, whether in thoughts or spoken words? Author Carolyn Myss, in her book Intimate Conversations with the Divine, says this: “Every word we say has the capacity to hurt or heal. To lift someone out of darkness or to plunge them into despair. This is the power of language. Recognizing that we hold this power is what it means to become conscious. For we indeed co-create our reality, right down to the micro level. The tool God gave us for this effort is language. Each word we speak is a brick we lay, building the world we live in.” And it is not only the spoken word that has its affect. The habitual thought patterns that move through our minds, particularly those that are infused with deep feeling, are equally potent.
She follows by asking, “How am I going to speak about this experience? Is it a crisis or an opportunity? A blessing or a catastrophe? Words are vessels for Light; they are how we exercise our mystical and creative power. They are literally the expression of God pouring through us. The proof that God hears everything is found in the ability to create and destroy with our words.” This last sentence is a reminder that while we want to know God as All-Good, as that which uses all for Good, we also know that truly, the Infinite Intelligence, Power, and Presence of the Universe is All That Is…all of it…the darkness and the light. And the gift of words that we have been given does hold the power to harm or to heal, to bring love or hate, compassion or indifference, comfort or pain. God pouring through us means that we are at choice as to how we use the power that has been given us.
We are in a dark period of human history, but I feel that there is much more of the sacred unfolding right now than we can even imagine. We are being asked to remember that the Light is never gone. It is always there, awaiting our notice. We can face the shadows or turn toward the Light. We can mindfully use the power of the word to guide and assist us in the journey. This Holy-Day season, unfolding during this time of global monasticism, offers us a gentle reminder, and the precious opportunity, to go within where the Light is forever shining, where Christ Consciousness is forever being born anew. May the Christ be revealed in, through and as YOU, this beautiful December day.
Know that today and always, I am here to support you.
Know that today and always, you are stronger and wiser than you know.
May we each live from our Radiant Light…be well…stay in touch…know our unity…and thrive! And…
May we know the Absolute Beauty and Wonder of this Grace-filled, once-in-a lifetime day, as Infinite Intelligence continues to pour Its blessings upon our world.
