This seems to be the season of change. They keep rolling in, one after another, like the wind and waves on the rocky sea. I am reminded again and again – by the clouds moving across the sky, by the moon waxing and waning, by the teachings of my spiritual guides – that we are in a season of great upheaval, that we are moving fiercely towards a new way, but that the journey is not an easy one. Destruction is required for reconstruction, death for rebirth, the pain before the rising. As a dear friend recently said: the birth canal is not a comfortable place to be, but staying in the womb forever was never an option – and there is no going back once labor begins!
What an amazing analogy. We have no idea what is in store for us on the other side of all of this. I have to remind myself of that constantly – I do not have the capacity to conceive of the tapestry God can weave for me, for my family, for my community, for this world. I have my ideas. I know how I think it should look. But those ideas keep me stuck more than they help me grow. What works is staying in the present. What works is gratitude. What works is faith in (and prayer to) an abundant, loving God. What works is connection and commitment to my vision – a Divine intuitive knowing – and aligning my actions to that to the best of my ability. What works is keeping the channel clear at all costs. What works is action and faith.
This is true also for our world. It is so easy to be consumed by fear, anger, and hate. To become despondent, full of despair and fury. I am reminded over and over again of love. I am reminded of my purpose. To serve. To do good NOW, to act with love NOW, to be a channel for peace and kindness NOW. Today. With you, with my neighbour, with the shop clerk, the cop, the beggar, my partner, and my kid. And also at the ballot box, on the streets, in town halls and city council meetings, in my community and in courageous conversation with friends, colleagues, and neighbours that is open-minded, loving, and concerned first and foremost with connection, with unity, and with justice.
I heal to create a healed world. I cannot do one without the other. I am a channel, and Spirit must work in and through me or I will implode. There is no greater expression of love than service. This is where I have found the freedom, peace, and purpose I have always sought. This is where Grace lives. My spiritual practice falls flat if it does not extend outward to the world. I heal to serve. What does that look like? God reveals it to me daily, if I am quiet enough to listen and brave enough to hear.
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