What The Mystics Know
1.1) Repeated Journey
The Conversation
Elements From The Conversation
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In the growth process there are so many aspects that we have to work through, things we have to let go of, insights we have to come to, resistance, surprises - the journey of a lifetime. The big breakthroughs come when we start to focus on the fine detail and texture. It is a process that involves the finest facets of our humanity. "Repentance" is the overarching description, but without the finer detail it does not lead to change and true insight into God's way of working. If we were to merely say "repentance", we would not be telling the half of it.
Janet Rebhan describes it very well:
In this season of growth,
may you have a deep understanding of your true value and worth,
an absolute faith in your unlimited potential,
peace of mind in the midst of uncertainty,
the confidence to let go when you need to,
acceptance to replace your resistance,
gratitude to open your heart,
the strength to meet your challenges,
great love to replace your fear,
forgiveness and compassion for those who offend you,
clear sight to see your best and true path,
hope to dispel obscurity,
the conviction to make your dreams come true,
meaningful and rewarding synchronicities,
dear friends who truly know and love you,
a childlike trust in the benevolence of the universe,
the humility to remain teachable,
the wisdom to fully embrace your life exactly as it is,
the understanding that every soul has its own course to follow,
the discernment to recognize your own unique inner voice of truth,
and the courage to learn to be still.
~ Janet Rebhan
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Awakening is messy
You don’t transcend
into some paradisiacal,
elitist inner garden
It doesn’t perfect you.
You first come into
all the reasons you’ve so wanted
to stay asleep
And there are many
very good reasons.
We awaken to all the reasons
we’ve so wanted
to disassociate from our bodies,
those storehouses of pain and God—
to enter through either door
is to have stripped from you
the illusion of smallness.
Sleeping was relatively painless,
in its numbed way.
To awaken, really,
is to begin to feel.
As we feel through more pain
we feel more compassion.
Awakening is bit by bit
coming out of denial
around all the reasons you’ve needed
to wield
that terrible tool of “othering”—
because so much
was unbearable
inside of our own self.
Awakening is staying
in the fire
of what used to be unbearable
as we burn off judgments
about ourselves.
It is diving into the cracks
in our hearts
rather than mortaring them
It does not look like being
perfectly empowered,
seamlessly composed—
It’s to commit with all your heart
to no longer take out your helplessness
on anyone else.
Awakening has nothing to do
with stern, stoic spirituality
It has nothing to do
with finally being aloof enough
to not be impacted by the gifts
of your beautiful feelings
Awakening doesn’t come
from spiritual mastery defined
as overcoming enough of our shortcomings.
It’s found in doing our fumbling best
to grow into arms strong and loving enough
to hold and hug our aching humanity.
Awakening isn’t only for special people.
We’re all on our way
toward coming out of the sleep cycle
Awakening is the at times compass-less
and often inglorious
inner odyssey
toward the rough ruby of all that is bruised
and true in our hearts
through a tangled history of acquired conditioning
of all that we are not.
Awakening is messy.
Be not fooled:
the myth that awakening
looks anything like spiritual perfectionism
is perhaps the best sleeping pill.
- Chelan Harkin
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Music
Is the inner journey easy, always enjoyable? No.
Will it ask you to change and sometimes bring you to the point where you want to give up the whole process and settle for the least amount of effort? Yes.
But your life will be small and your true, unique "voice" will not be heard.
If you want to do nothing else, choose to be brave.
With lots and lots of loving encouragement.
George & Matilda
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