Sometimes referred to as Madame Pele, or Tutu – grandmother – Pele is hailed as the powerful force behind Kilauea’s decades-long eruptions. The volcano has been in a constant, on-off state of eruption since 1983, although this current eruption is a more severe case. Kilauea’s constant stream of lava has so far added 120 acres of new land to Hawaii’s Big Island and expansion is expected to continue.
...The personification of elements into akuas is a long-held practice of Hawaiians who remain connected to their ancestors through chants, songs and prayers about the natural world. Kame’eleihiwa said everything has a divine purpose, which Hawaiians take care to acknowledge and honor in their cultural rites.
-Pele: Who is Hawaii’s volcanic fire goddess? By Hannah Wiley, USA Today May 10, 2018
****
Fred’s (Mr. Rogers) faith surfaced in subtle, indirect ways that most viewers might miss, but it infused all he did. He believed “the space between the television set and the viewer is holy ground,” but he trusted God to do the heavy lifting. The wall of his office featured a framed picture of the Greek word for “grace,” a constant reminder of his belief that he could use television “for the broadcasting of grace through the land.”
-Saint Fred by Jonathan Merritt, The Atlantic, Nov 22, 2015. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/11/mister-rogers-saint/416838/
****
It is in the stillness of the soul, beneath the ceaseless chatter of the mind, that we can reconnect with the living powers of the Universe, to learn their language, hear their stories and songs, open to their wisdom- and pass the message onto our fellow human beings that the Earth is alive …
-Mara Freeman (www.loe.org)
****
I am issuing an invitation ... Forget About Resisting
it keeps us trapped and in relationship with
what we don’t want.
Let’s offer up our resistance and get busy Creating instead
but not by Ourselves...
Oh no, we have allies!
Living among us are
wise benevolent ancient spiritual beings
They are absolutely everywhere
They inhabit the invisible and visible world
For instance, the Spirits of friendship or grace (invisible)
The Spirits of the air we breathe (invisible)
or the spirit of a Tree, Volcano or blade of grass
(an invisible spirit occupying a visible form)
We are (accidently) interacting with them whenever we are soft and open and it feels really really good
It’s a heart opening that feels like being moved
by love, beauty and kindness
We feel touched by something majestic when we are
enjoying a breathtaking sunrise
a delightful encounter with Nature or the smile of a child
We might think of these as spontaneous moments
that have the power to bring us a joy, peace or inspiration
A gift we have been blessed to receive
But they are not random moments
they are encounters
Encounters with wonderful invisible Beings
benevolent ancient spirits
Spirits who are our helpers and our guides
These encounters seem spontaneous
because we have oftentimes forgotten
that these spiritual beings even exist
And if by chance we do remember
we may have lost our ability to
properly cultivate relationships with them
Why?
Trauma, pain, suffering and fear
One of the side effects of trauma is that it fragments us
It causes us to forget who we really are
and what we really are a part of
We become lost and ungrounded
We seemingly lose a connection to essential parts
of our own Natural Self
and in doing so we lose our connection to them,
the wise benevolent ancient spiritual beings
This loss hurts!
It is a core pain
and it can lead us to feel desperately
unlovable, unsupported and unworthy
It is a pain like no other to feel separate
Separate from our essential nature
Separate from the support of these
wise benevolent ancient spiritual beings
and the perspectives, teachings and understandings
they have to share
Such as:
All living beings belong together
We belong to each other
Together we are an interdependent whole
We inhabit both a visible world
and an invisible world and
We have a need to be fully alive in both worlds
But take heart!
These benevolent ancient spirits and
these essential aspects of our true whole nature
have not forgotten us!
they are fully alive in the realm of our wholeness
Do you want to try an inner yoga exercise that can help you
Remember
Repair
Restore
Reweave?
Next time you find yourself challenged and your desire is to fight, resist, distance yourself, shut down …
Instead
Slow down, take a breath and observe
Observe your reaction and ask yourself and
the spirits around you this question
What is missing here?
Is this situation missing the spiritual “ingredient” of
Safety, Kindness, Love, Happiness, Peace, Healing, Mercy, Forgiveness, or Beauty?
(just to suggest a few)
Spoiler Alert: It’s really hard to switch gears from the emotions you feel and the reactions you are experiencing
and move into contemplating the situation from this angle, so be nice to yourself as you practice this approach.
Let’s say you feel like Safety is the missing ingredient
Now get curious about Safety being
a wise loving spiritual being
Not a word or a concept but an ancient living force,
an ally who is waiting for a door to open
An ally who wants to come in and help heal the hearts and minds of everyone involved in this challenging situation.
Invoke the sacred spirit of Safety
Soften, open and invite it into the room,
Let Safety hold you
Open your inner doors and invite Safety in
Breathe Safety into your heart,
into any pain you feel or observe.
Embody Safety; let the light and wisdom of this wise
sentient being fill you up
You can ask the spirit of Safety for help and guidance
Stay soft and open
Keep your focus on what Safety feels like
in and around you
You can let Safety help you vision what
the repaired situation could feel like
Take a couple of minutes to commune with Safety
until you feel able to
Radiate safety out to the challenging situation
Safety would like to be a part of the solution
Safety wants to help
Safety wants to lend its gift, its love, its comfort
Let it soothe and heal you on it’s way out to the world
Let’s not waste time blaming or fighting or resisting
We are creating new land here
Remembering, Repairing, Restoring, Reweaving
ourselves and our worlds back together
Thank you for opening the door and inviting in the kindest most loving response to the problem
In this practice you become the prayer
Sometimes as we open the door to these beings
we become inspired by them to create and offer something
in a very real world practical way.
Go with the flow, see what unfolds.
What shape would Safety like to take in the physical world?
What new holy ground
would you and Safety like to create together?
a prayer, a poem, a piece of art, a song, a ceremony,
an act of kindness….
Create, Create, Create
Life is an art project and
we have access to everything we need
Link in
Power up
Bring us your love
Blessings of Wholeness Upon You,
- Maya Cooper