LSD 10/2008 - Hope as Gratitude
September 17, 2008
New Breed Healers - Letter of Spiritual Direction by Willow Tequillo
Hope as Gratitude
Dearest New Breed Healers,
It is so wonderful to sit quietly for a moment in the stillness of the in between worlds. As I sit in silence, two doves come a perch themselves on the tip of the highest tree outside my window. Like me they take a moment and say thank you for the day as the sun sets in the direction of the West.
A great sense of strength floods into me as I experience the settling in of the energies which have come and renewed us this spring and summer. As we prepare for this time of harvest, I recall my grandmother telling me this is a time when the whole world kneels in gratitude for all that we have been given. In our home, this is the time of year when double boilers and steamers worked around the clock making canned jams, chilies, and stewed tomatoes.
I remember this particular day when it was time to clean out grandmother’s refrigerator, which was ‘scary’. She had all of these potions and chilies and remedies and what not......only the bravest were allowed to enter. Well, I think it was part of my test as a firstborn daughter, to see if I would live after cleaning it out. Live from the wrath of grandmother if I were to throw out something that was ‘really important’ or if I lived from whatever would be in there that might kill me.
Anyway, here I am, 9 years old, and the Virgo 5 that I am, starts tossing things. I have the garbage disposal on and the hot water going and things are just moving through at a really high rate. Well, I hit the ‘hot chili’ that only grandmother could make, and the fumes started flowing. Everyone started choking, eyes burning and the house had to be evacuated. Well, from that day on, it was my job to clean out grandmother's refrigerator, because I made sure that I had the patience to ask her what each thing was, and I believed her when she said, don’t throw that away.
It is fun to sit and recall this time in my life. A simple time, not so complex with thoughts of where I ought to be, how I ought to be there, what needs to be done. Just a time to relax. These times of shucking corn and making masa. Cornflower and mud. Laughter as women gathered and the relief of the men to find a place away where they could do the outer circle thing. A wonderful time of simplicity in the humus of soil, gatherings at large tables, meat cooking in the ground, sunsets taking on the dampness of the coming of Fall.
As I sit here today, writing this Letter of Spiritual Direction, I am internally moved by thoughts of Divine Power continually providing for our needs and the needs of our children. I am in awe of the Divine Body of Mother Earth to continually provide sustenance for us, of herself and both together as ONE, their Divine Hope that we and their children might know that we are loved and cared for and appreciated.
I think about how little I give back in adoration for this call to communion. How my desire for cherishment might get caught up in my lack of attention or distraction upon 4th world chaos. I remember grandmother sitting everyday in silence, there was never a question of her devotion and absolute intention of sitting in gratitude with her Source. I recall the lavender scent that she wore and the neatness of her everything. I remember most of all her voice and her saying, "I hope that you remember to say thank you."
From some I have heard this saying, and in some way it has felt as if it were a command, or an order. Yet when grandmother said it, it came from a place of inner light, like her teaching me that somewhere deep inside lives Divine Hope. It is here that 'thank you' comes as adoration for living, and the depth of our life, breath, existence is fed by the inner most spark of this inner adoration.
I never heard my grandmother raise her voice, though I didn't receive that trait. I remember her small structure was carried in the single intentional silence held within the glance of surety.
When I think of the contemplation today, Divine Power embraces Divine Body through Divine Hope, I remember and share this with you:
There is a trust that we can fall into called Divine Source. This Source has the Divine Power to embrace all that it is as Divine Body. Divine Body, being all that is. It is through its own Divine Hope that it is fed and sustained.
New Breed Healers, I ask us to consider these things:
- What would it be like if we chose to 'believe' that there is a Source which holds the Power which holds our Bodies in Hope?
- What would it be like if we fell into trust in this Divine Source?
- Would we change our minds and listen?
- Would we choose to pay attention to our own thoughts of being right and sure?
- Can we allow ourselves the freedom to just be, to relax, to be happy, to move from the inner most center of our light?
- What would happen if we allowed others to share their secrets of being happy?
Note: Before your meeting on Saturday
I set before you the task that Grandmother gave me when I was 11 years old.
Find 3 people and ask them what makes them happy.
Repeat and validate for them what you have heard.
Take one day and use their technique for happiness in your own life.
Come back to the group on Saturday, and share the experience that was most meaningful to you. Each person gets a total of 5 minutes.
Sharing is structured in the following way: a. Tell something about this person. b. What made them happy and how. c. Personal experience.
I would like to challenge the NBH to take this month to redirect conversations into messages of HOPE. If you are in a conversation with another and there is a tendency which is moving toward something (-), how would you redirect that conversation into HOPE?
I would also like to take time painting as a group this Saturday.
If your group has time and desire, please do this together, if you must get together at a different time, please make it a point to do so.
Paint 'Hope as Gratitude'
Paint in 20 minute segments then turn:
- Paint your supreme quality and it's color in the center of your canvas.
- Begin .1 direction and paint Divine Power using the following color and symbol
- Direction 2 paint Divine Body
- Direction 3 paint Diving Hope
- Direction 4 paint open up your heart and allow your free expression to fill in the blanks.
- Post your picture in your OPEN to Share Gallery.
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