I’m not sure where I first heard this particular story… though Columbia Theological Seminary, back in the late 1980’s, seems likely! Eavesdrop a bit with me, please…
We’re leaving worship, one Sabbath morning, somewhere in the southern USA. An older woman, likely in a flowered hat, lifts an eyebrow as she shakes the pastor’s hand and says, “Preacher, you done quit preachin’ and gone to meddlin’…
Two things are true… None of us at CTS wanted to grow up to be that particular preacher. And, most of us did… for brief moments, now and then!
Gone to meddlin’ becomes a more useful phrase, though, when it’s claimed ahead of time, in conversation with someone struggling with one issue or another, and hoping for a bit of perspective.
This is me, doing that! First, though, I need to tell you about my day…
As you may have read, I’m making Wisdom Cards. Some of you have actually shared your early experiences around such tools with me, which was hugely helpful!
The project started out as being homework for my #Quickening journey and has become a whole new perspective for me, on one of the most vital things in my Medicine Basket… Filters!!! (And, yes… the photo, above, is a glimpse from my #Cura painting. The arrowhead, to your right, is all the billions of bits of info coming at you in this moment, through which you are reading these words!)
And, this is the bridge where preachin’ crosses the river to empowering meddlin’!
I roughed out six of those cards in my 15 minute Get it Done gathering today. Then I did about a dozen more, just as quickly. And I had a blast!!!
They’re not pretty yet… they’re probably not even spelled right. What they are is some of the best stuff I know, externalized so we – you and I and the world – can interact with it differently and be inspired in new ways!
Here’s a sample… The photo on the front of one Wisdom Card will look like this:
Triangles. Layers of them. The Greek letter Delta. A symbol for (gulp!) change!
The back of the card will begin with a question…
What did you learn to feel about change?
Then there will be another question, designed to help reclaim what’s working and to edit what’s not working so well…
Yes… I’m thrilled!!! And I am, indeed, hatching a plot for meddlin‘! First, though, I need to tell you what happened just after I got those first cards blocked out.
It was lunch time, so I fixed a plate of left-overs, put my feet up in the magic chair, and flipped on Madam Secretary. (It’s a Filter! One of my favorite ones!)
Season 5. Episode 16. Filmed in 2018. There’s a devastating storm bearing down on a tiny island nation and Bess, as Secretary of State, is trying to send aid. Not everyone agrees on how to help!!! Here comes the punch line…
We have to define Truth and agree on a shared reality before the real work can even begin.
We do, too. It’s powerful, essential work and it needs to start with me. And you. And on and on and on.
Shortly after that, as my day unfolded, I was on the phone working on plans for an upcoming Filters experience I’m leading with the Intentional Creativity Foundation in April. Someone – who ignored the big sign – banged on our front door and, distracted by my conversation, I opened it.
And, yes… the alarm is REALLY LOUD. The heart-racing kind of loud. So, after a bit of time out for recovering my ability to actually think, I called my buddy again, and we did some more hatching. And, whether you’re an old hand in IC land, or just curious about this whole Filters thing, you’re invited! I promise… you don’t even have to believe you’re an artist, yet. You simply need to be determined to walk your conscious best path in this world. Now. (Details to follow, SOON!!!)
Bill Harris didn’t mention anything like this, when I was first learning about Filters about 20 years ago. Now, though, in this place and time, I know more. We know more. Well, many of us.
And we can put that wisdom to work when we claim it consciously and make intentional choices about our futures!!!
ps… ironically, in the next episode of M Sec, just after lunch, there was a major measles outbreak!
pps… another surprise! I’m being interviewed about storytelling for the Grandma Magic Podcast! Stay tuned…
ppps… FierceArtwithHeart.com Books and Art and Surprises, oh my!