• Symbolically Speaking

    • August 23, 2010 10:45 am

    Dearest Readers,

    Poustinia was a delight. It’s amazing what pleasure can be gained by chopping wood and sweeping floors. I also slept for 11 hours. My body was extremely grateful for that!

    One of the tools I use to stay connected to Higher Guidance is symbology. I choose symbols (or they choose me) that confirm the Universe is not only Loving but also invested in my personal journey (yours, too).

    The symbols I choose are not picked randomly, although they could be and the connection would work just as well. I’ll give you an example of the process of choosing a symbol and its consequent significance.

    Perhaps I see a man in a store. Something about him draws my attention. He is an outsider. As I begin to observe him my heart fills with compassion. I am suddenly feeling an incredible sense of Connection and Presence, which can only be described as the Oneness of Being.

    Time passes. Perhaps I am having a difficult day. I pray for a miracle. I ask to be returned to a state of spiritual wellness. I leave the house. I see the man from the store pass by. I am astonished. That feeling of Oneness returns. I am immediately restored to a State of Love.

    One of my strongest symbols is the three-legged dog. Whenever I am in need of Higher Guidance a three-legged dog appears out of nowhere. It is the most marvelous thing.

    I have been in a real time of transition these last few weeks. Spiritual growth can be extremely challenging. I went on poustinia to all at once give myself a break and dive deeper into the process.

    Within the first hour of my arrival at the cabin I had a couple of visitors. There I was, chopping wood for a fire, when two dogs came bounding around the corner full of vim and vigour and looking for a friendly pat. One of them had a broken paw wrapped in a booty. It was walking on three legs.

    I scrubbed that dogs ears and it kissed my face and nuzzled my neck. It stared up at me with pure, unconditional love. It was as though the very Energy of God had come right into my arms to say, “I love you. You’re doing great. I’ve got your back. No matter what. Okay?”

    Okay.

    Inspiring Message of the Day: Do I have any symbols that reassure me of a Loving Presence in my life? Today I will experiment with this practice and expect a miracle.

    Dive In To You

    • August 21, 2010 8:31 am

    Dearest Readers,

    Today I am going on poustinia. I have friends with an empty cabin on a lake and they’ve given me the key. I’m only going for 24 hours but 24 hours in the desert can be quite a stretch.

    What I’ve discovered since the laptop got fried is how addicted I am to the distraction it provided me. This iPhone on which I now write has the same (false) power. The loss of the computer is not so deeply felt because I can use this hand-held device instead. The temptation to always be online or plugged in is very great.

    I’m not bringing the iPhone with me to the cabin. That would defeat the whole purpose. But I’ve thought about it more than a few times. Come on, just to watch a movie?

    It’s shocking to discover the depth at which I have come to depend on these machines. They provide a great feeling of escape (most of the time). Poustinia is just the opposite. There is no escaping. I have to face my Self with no distraction.

    I’ll let you know how it goes.

    Inspiring Message of the Day:     What would happen if I turned off all the noise in my life? The radio, the TV, the phones, the computer, everything I use as a distraction? I would be left with Great Silence. Despite my fear I am willing to dive in with both feet!

    Not To Be Confused With Poutine

    • August 11, 2010 8:42 am

    Dearest Readers,

    A few years ago a friend introduced me to the concept of poustinia, a word originally meaning a cabin where one goes to pray and commune with God. The way my friend described it, the word embodied the entire retreat experience, not just the cabin. So instead of saying, “I’m going to a poustinia,” one might say, “I’m going on poustinia.”

    I’m going on poustinia.

    Yesterday I had a session with my spiritual director and that wise decision was one of the outcomes of our session. After a two-month adventure and a couple of weeks back in full-swing mode I need some really focused time to reflect, to integrate, and to discern.

    What I realized yesterday is that the time in the morning that I take, the time in the evening that I set aside, the Sunday “sabbath” I do my best to practice, are, of course, all good. Just not presently cutting it.

    And it’s not enough to just “take a day off”. Inevitably I’ll end up engaged in some kind of activity that takes me away from the Quiet. To retreat from stimulation of all kinds, to experience the Higher Connection, I need to go somewhere, a cabin or a campground, and be in the Silence.

    So I’ve committed to going on poustinia not this weekend but next. Thank you to my SD, who is so very good at helping me to see what I need.

    So going “to” or going “on”, it don’t matter, I’m going period.

    Inspiring Message of the Day: How do I feel about the idea of going on a personal, silent retreat? No distraction, no interaction, no noise. Just me and the Great Silence. I will explore my feelings around the idea of poustinia and see if one might be in order in my own life.