Tag: inspiration

  • Liberation

      Deep Spring Center
      Thought for Today

      “I would ask you not to settle
      for anything less than liberation,
      and yet not to hurry toward it,
      but to know that if you practice
      with sincerity, love, and courage,
      it will come.
      May the way be very beautiful for you.
      May you find freedom and peace.”

    Aaron’s words slide over my being as smoothly as silk.

    We discovered mold under our dishwasher Sunday evening. It has been crawling along the floors.

    After mold remediation at the office, mold remediation on Lot 51, and now EXTENSIVE mold remediation happening here, I thought it wise to search for the meaning of mold as totem.

    Adaptability in the face of widespread, often destructive changes….

    Black Mold helps to keep me humble, and reminds me of the privileges I enjoy, however temporarily.

    An incentive to find more eco-friendly options for food, water, shelter, and other resources.

    Any species that manages to increase its population due to human influence, rather than becoming endangered or extinct, is at least noteworthy for its adaptability.

    It is truly amazing to be aware of the full monty. The full monty (or the full Monty) is a British slang phrase of uncertain origin. It is generally used to mean everything which is necessary, appropriate or possible; the works.

    Even while feeling overwhelm, I am aware how easy my life is compared to so many. Along with emotions of dread, trust holds my trembling breast. If this is liberation, it is worth the wait.

    One of the Brahma Kumaris inspirations of the day I received this morning says simply:

    Repeat after me: My current situation is not my permanent destination.

  • Your Place in the Family of Things

    A few days ago, the mold saga continued as late in the evening our friend ripped up carpet preparing for solid flooring installation in the manufactured home she bought here in our park and found this:

    (see Lessons from the Mold)

    She was having a very difficult time navigating all of the uncertainty. I totally get that. I said I would come the following day while she was at work and I would get the rest of the carpeting up so she would know the scope of the problem.

    We are now lovingly calling my friend’s space ‘AREA 51’ as her home is located on Lot 51.

    It never occurred to me that evening I would know to ask for help even as I was giving help.

    There is a story of the Buddha when in a past life he offered himself as food to a hungry tiger and her cubs. The story says when you start off by sharing your dinner with the hungry tiger cub and then some years or lifetimes later, you are giving your dinner, it’s only a natural next step to simply give yourself. For one for whom there is a giver it would not be an appropriate action, it would create an unwholesome karma for both you and the tiger cub. What happens is at some point there is no giver and no one given to. You are not making a martyr of yourself, because there’s really no distinction between you and the hungry tiger. You see the being suffering and you give.

    The following morning, as I prepared to head over to her home, I spontaneously wrote a note to the guy across the street, “I need someone with strength at Lot 51 for a few minutes.” He arrived home from the gym as I was writing the note, so I walked across the street and knocked on his door. I pointed to the note, told him what happened, and said simply, “I could use your help ripping up the rest of the carpet.”

    He walked over as I drove. There he stood—with a large pair of pliers, a utility knife, and a snub-nosed spade. He was amazing…. He showed me how to use the spade, and by working together, in less than an hour, we had all carpet and pad removed.

    And we found NO additional mold. I sent my friend these photos:

    I came home to have some lunch and rest a bit. I wrote a ‘thank you’ note, slipped 3 twenty-dollar bills into it, and taped it on his door as I headed back to remove the tack strips, pull up the linoleum, and sweep up the mess.

    When I got back home the 3 twenty-dollar bills were in this envelope taped on my door:

    When I saw him later, he grinned and said, “I kept the card.”

      Wild Geese

      You do not have to be good.
      You do not have to walk on your knees
      for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
      You only have to let the soft animal of your body
      love what it loves.
      Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
      Meanwhile the world goes on.
      Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
      are moving across the landscapes,
      over the prairies and the deep trees,
      the mountains and the rivers.
      Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
      are heading home again.
      Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
      the world offers itself to your imagination,
      calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
      over and over announcing your place
      in the family of things.

      ~Mary Oliver

  • Flood Cleanup

    Sacred Stories

    Fortunately it was at the end of the summer camping season when a church camp in Pennsylvania experienced pretty extensive flood damage.

    The office was closed but the secretary had stopped briefly to pick up mail. She answered when the phone rang.

    A volunteer organization out of Texas had heard of the damage. They were on site and willing to handle the cleanup and repair!

    Sacred Stories happen every day. We are provided evidence that life is wonderful, and we are being supported. Notice. And share….

    Do you have a story to share? Send email to debra@scs-matters.com.

  • Simple Understanding

      Once upon a time…
      there was the simple understanding
      that to sing at dawn and
      to sing at dusk was
      to heal the world through joy.
      The birds still remember
      what we have forgotten,
      that the world is meant to be celebrated.
      ~Terry Tempest Williams

    June has been a very full month…. On June 22, I enjoyed a Day of Silence with St. Joseph Sangha and Empty Circle Zen. On June 29, I enjoyed a Yoga Retreat with Kathy Zerler. We did Hatha Yoga, then we each selected a rock created just for us for our retreat by friends Bobbie Roloff and Debbie Charleston. We thoroughly enjoyed Amy’s reading Everybody Needs A Rock by Byrd Baylor with pictures by Peter Parnall. In silence and gratitude we feasted on an amazing lunch before doing a Yoga Nidra exercise and having our closing circle. Om….

    All of this was timed perfectly in my life as the office suites were being remediated and my husband was undergoing medical tests following some ongoing symptoms and a mini-episode. This same week, his cousin’s son (at the tender age of 34) was receiving an LVAD. LVAD or left ventricular assist device, is a pump used for patients who have reached end-stage heart failure.

    I don’t know when I first heard the Birthday Dirge, but the opening lines are Death and gloom and black despair, People dying everywhere, but one does not have to sing a dirge to know that the conditions of human life can be challenging. What is the most beautiful truth about life, though, is how even difficulties and obstacles produce strength and compassion.

    We went with several friends to see the film Rocketman. Rocketman is a 2019 biographical musical based on the life of musician Elton John. At one point, as his mother was speaking so unskillfully, I whispered, “I hope someone in our row is breathing.” It is not an easy film to watch. His life was littered with such painful experiences. However, HE rose up out of the ashes and that is what really matters.

    The first day of July is my brother-in-law’s birthday. He passed two years ago. His life, too, had been littered with pain, and he too rose up out of the ashes of cancer to overcome addiction and soften into his authentic being.

    While it is true we are not all musical prodigy, this week—every day of every week—we all have the stuff that helps us grow. And the simple understanding as Terry Tempest Williams and the birds remember is that the world is meant to be celebrated.

    Here is the rock that selected me at the yoga retreat:

  • Raining Spoons

    Sacred Stories

    Today’s Sacred Story was published in the book: Today’s Gift. The author is anonymous.

    “There were two women who shared a house and raised their daughters, two toddlers, together. Then one of the women got transferred to another city and moved with her daughter.

    “Ten years later, they had a reunion. The mothers asked their kids what they remembered about living together. Did they remember all the books? No. Did they remember a mom in the kitchen every morning, fixing eggs and toast? No.

    “What they remembered was playing in the pink bathtub for hours, pulling the pink shower curtain shut for privacy. And the morning the mothers sneaked in, turned off the lights, threw plastic cups and spoons over the curtain and cried, “It’s raining spoons!” They laughed and laughed.

    “We are lucky in this life – our minds think laughter is what’s worth remembering.

    “What laughter from yesterday can I remember today?”

    Sacred Stories are everywhere. Each day you are provided evidence that life is wonderful. Pay attention to what is happening in your life, including what you happen to read today. Do you have a story to share? Send email to debra@scs-matters.com.

  • Dorothy – It’s a Small World

    Sacred Stories

    He was on a boat ride with neighbors of the friends they were visiting in Florida. He was making polite conversation (small talk) with the wife.

    He said to her, “I understand you are from Wisconsin. What part?”

    She told him the town that they currently live in, and then she mentioned the town she grew up in.

    He said, “My sister-in-law grew up in that town. Did you know Dorothy (and he gave Dorothy’s maiden name)?”

    “We were classmates in high school!” she enthusiastically responded.

    A quick phone call to Dorothy, and she and Dorothy were enjoying a conversation!!!

    It’s such a small world…. what are the odds?

    These are sacred stories. Pay attention to happenings in your life. Do you have a story to share? Send email to debra@scs-matters.com.

  • Overcoming….

    In wonderful ways, life is always providing us opportunities of overcoming amidst chaos. I met a man, Captain Ed, who had a brain aneurysm in 2014, and describes himself as a walking miracle. After hearing some of what he has been overcoming, I asked him, “What were you saved FOR?”

    He went on to share about his business! Imagine a pirate-themed candy store, connected to a furniture store, run by a guy who loves dressing in character, a mindful man who has great passion to help kids love and learn to read. Welcome to Captain Ed’s Furniture in Michigan City, Indiana. From the website:

    Captain Ed’s began as a TV and Radio shop in 1960. It still carries TVs, but has added several products to its inventory including living room furniture, appliances, dining room, bedroom and kids room at affordable prices. We offer several financing options on all of these items including layaway and rent-to-own. Captain Ed’s also features a Candy Store with the world’s largest ship shaped candy counter, vintage record shop and entertainment exchange.

    Captain Ed’s gives back to its community whenever it is possible. It sponsors community events such as the Michigan City Cardboard Boat Dash, The Michigan City Police Department’s Easter Egg Hunt and Boo at the Zoo. It also sponsors local charities such as The Worthy Women Recovery Home and The Sandcastle Homeless Shelter. Captain Ed’s also operates a children’s’ reading program through its candy store. The program awards “Golden Tickets” to elementary students good for 1/4lb of the world’s greatest gummies from Albanese Candy Factory.

    During the school year, the local schools award these “Golden Tickets” to students based on how many points they earn when they take their Accelerated Reader tests. During the summer Captain Ed’s passes out “Captain Ed’s Ship’s Reading Logs” which are initialed by the child’s parent or guardian for reading 15 minutes a day, 7 days in a row. When a child brings in a “Golden Ticket” or reading log they also get to pick out a book from Captain Ed’s Library. In 2014 Captain Ed’s awarded 2 tons of candy through this program.

    I do not know who Ed was before his near death experience, but it is well-recognized that we do change. 31 years ago, Lesley Lupo died for 14 minutes after being trampled by horses, but it’s what happened in those 14 minutes that many people have a hard time believing, because not everyone has had a near death experience.

    “I popped out of my body and I stood about 15 feet away, and this was mind-blowing for me because I didn’t have any spiritual inclinations,” said Lupo, who wrote the book, “Remember, Every Breath is Precious: Dying Taught Me How to Live”.

    Tara Brach knows this truth.

    If you would like to strengthen this truth, enjoy True Refuge, a podcast with Tara Brach, and learn a process of self-compassion she gives the acronym RAIN:

    Recognize what you are feeling
    Allow (give your consent to) the experience of unease and discomfort
    Investigate your underlying beliefs and inquire into what you need
    Non-identification with the story of the “small self” that is failing at this or that, and a return to open, loving presence

    Captain Ed knows this truth….

  • Word for the Day

    Sacred Stories

    It was Christmas day. She had just finished reading Barbara Brodsky’s channeled message from Jeshua, when, not 30 seconds later, she opened this email:

    What a perfect Christmas message! She smiled….

    ‘Word for the Day’ is free. Go to Gratefulness.org to sign up now.

    These are sacred stories. Pay attention to happenings in your life. Do you have a story to share? Send email to debra@scs-matters.com.

  • Red and Blue

    I love color, and I am also fascinated by shapes. In my next life I might like to study sacred geometry. This image came up when I searched “What color does blue and red make?”

    My question about what color you get by mixing red and blue resulted from a recent post-puzzling conversation with two dear friends.

    Here is the photo of Linda and me with our completed puzzle, snapped by our hostess:

    Linda found it incomprehensible that neither Kathy nor I know which US party is represented by red, and which US party is blue!

    Our conversation had begun with questions about what I had learned at the recent Dharma Path Intensive. An inner journey is not easy to explain. When the word ‘politics’ came up, I said I could recall having heard Abraham Hicks say, “Politics is just outside of the vortex.”

    The next question was, “What is the vortex?”

    I was now trying to speak Buddhism, Abraham Hicks, and DebraESE. For this blog post, I will add some WilberESE to the mix!

    Maybe the questions about mixing the colors of red and blue might make things a bit more clear. The answer seems to depend if you are referring to pigment or light. Commonly people think about pigment. Mixing blue and red pigment, would result in purple or violet.

    However, if you are referring to light, which is additive color, mixing red and blue light produces magenta. Yikes….

    I found this reference to magenta online. It comes from Integral Theory (levels of consciousness) by Ken Wilber: Magenta Altitude tends to be the home of egocentric drives, a magical worldview, and impulsiveness. It is expressed through magic/animism, kin-spirits, and such. Young children primarily operate with a magenta worldview. Magenta in any line of development is fundamental, or ‘square one’ for any and all new tasks. Magenta emotions and cognition can be seen driving cultural phenomena.

    I am working with a few others to develop a blog called Words of Light, where the teachings of Aaron (as channeled by Barbara Brodsky) will be made available. This is a snip from one blog entry:

    The whole Earth is in process of growing through from the lowest level of consciousness, which has a very heavy vibrational frequency, to a higher and higher and higher consciousness. Just as you cannot rush the 2-year-old into the next level of consciousness, but must allow gradual transition, you cannot rush the Earth and the sentient life upon the Earth.

    But, just as your willingness to explain to the 2-year-old even though he doesn’t yet understand—to hold the door open to the next level of consciousness—is vital to his shifting into that higher level of consciousness, so your willingness to hold the door open is essential to the shift in consciousness in the Earth….

    We were all two. We were all teens.

    Also in that post, Aaron makes it clear that the levels of consciousness are not like floors in a building. They are more like intersecting planes. When lower levels of consciousness arise in us (Aaron says this happens in all of us), by being able now to see it for what it is, you do not get caught up in those early beliefs.

    Think of an election, not as two forces in opposition to each other, but really the higher consciousness inviting the lower consciousness.

    Higher consciousness is making the clear statement, “You cannot stay hidden there in such early childhood consciousness. You must move out.”

    Now this has my mind going to Wilber’s Turquoise Attitude…. Turquoise is a mature integral view, one that sees not only healthy hierarchy but also the various quadrants of human knowledge, expression, and inquiry (at the minimum: I, we, and it). Turquoise is the first to begin to integrate Spirit as a living force in the world (manifested through any or all of the 3 Faces of God: “I”—e.g. the “No self” or “witness” of Buddhism; “we/thou”—e.g. the “great other” of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, etc.; or “it”—e.g. the “Web of Life” as seen in Taoism, Pantheism, etc.).

    Perhaps I should do a search asking what two colors make turquoise….

  • Healing Stone

    Sacred Stories

    She had been called by a colleague to assist him at the bedside of a patient who was passing.

    She had been gifted a special healing stone that had come from John of God, a powerful healer in rural, central, Brazil.

    She knew she wanted that healing stone with her. She quickly placed the stone in her pocket, and drove to the facility.

    As she arrived, she could not find the stone!

    She hoped it had not been lost.

    Just as she walked through the door to the patient’s room, the patient took his last breath and transitioned peacefully.

    Reaching into her pocket again, there was her special healing stone!

    These are sacred stories. Pay attention to happenings in your life. Do you have a story to share? Send email to debra@scs-matters.com.