Wedged over in the bottom corner of my most recent Apothecary painting, there is a small collection of books.
Books are vessels for words which mean they really do belong in this vision, beside the medicine basket, the alabaster jar, and the beloved stock pot you can’t quite see!
It’s kind of an exercise in seeing with new eyes!
My message, this evening, is a lot like that, too!
New eyes for you, perhaps. New eyes for me, assuredly!
It’s a poem I wrote as part of the Red Madonna journey for 2023 – 24. And I’m really grateful to Dr. Havi Brysk Mandell for sharing this process, which was new to me. (More on that to follow…)
I’m going to ask you to read my poem, first. Then, I’ll tell you how we got there! Deal???
I call upon my strongest children to aid those in need.
There are warring opposites trying to find a way to be together in peace. To obtain that treasure, you will need courage, trust, and faith.
I hear your innermost thoughts, feelings, and prayers. Tell me even that which you are frightened to admit to yourself, and know that I will never judge you. For now, beloved, it is rest time. Receive my message of comfort and peace, now.
My peace be with you now, my child. The energy of Caterpillar appears, heralding a time of transformation and opportunity. Perhaps your journey has made you tired just before reaching the proverbial finish line. A part of us, hidden in the vast expansiveness of space, wants to sabotage our progress. Come to rest again in the sanctuary and safety of your soul and be at peace. If you also keep reminding yourself to be flexible, you will be amazed by how well things play out for you. Surrender to the Fool’s Embrace, allowing the truth to envelop you in love and compassion.
Surrender to this truth and know that you are getting a passport to bliss, even when it feels that you are being consumed by the fire of the Beloved. Can you keep your heart open to what is coming towards you, without surrendering your experience of this moment by becoming too future-oriented? Those legs will become remarkably power-full in time, but the process of growth and maturity has to take place, and that requires some wobbly first attempts. It is so much more wonderful to imagine there is something yet to find. As unlikely as it may seem, the invisible help from the universe is often more power-full than the physical efforts of a thousand [humans]. Perhaps we have conditioned ourselves to believe that getting what we want is for others, not us. This oracle comes to you because you have become swept up in thinking things through!
– slb, Feb 3, 2024®
So… before I tell you how this works, I have a question. How does it feel???
It feels exciting and encouraging to me! And intriguing!!!
It kind of feels like a prize for staying on the path! You see, the directions for this adventure involved pulling 7 cards from each of 3 Oracle Card decks. Then, the 1st sentence of the 1st card becomes the 1st sentence of the first stanza of the poem. The 2nd sentence of the 2nd card, same deck, is next, and so on until all 21 cards are arranged into 3 stanzas, as you see.
Now, if you’re wondering if, perhaps, I’ve lost my to-do list, the answer is decidedly not!
You see, even though Havi didn’t explain it this way, this exercise is totally an experience of what I call Filters! What gets into our consciousness from the onslaught of our context? (Even when the WordPress elves won’t arrange it quite the way I told them too!) What catches our attention in the arrangement of the thoughts? What help do we find that we might have missed had we not taken time to explore?
And, no… I didn’t exactly learn this in Seminary… which is a conversation for a different day!
For today, though, an invitation… to another encounter with Filters! And you need to hurry… we start Thursday, and we’d love to have you join us! Just click here for all the info…
ps… the top photo is, indeed, a close-up of Apothecary, aka Revelation! The Hebrew word on the “raised” hand says, “Here I am!” (I’m just sayin’!)
pps.. the card decks I used, in order of the stanzas are Mother Mary Oracle Cards, The Shaman’s Dream , and Sacred Rebels Oracles.
ppps… nope! You don’t need any experience as a painter to join the adventure! Here’s a glimpse of my first-ever painting… other than walls with rollers! We’ve got this!
