Sun and Shadow 2
Without shadows
The light would not glow
Tag: Balance
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Balance
In times past, the Goddess was seen as a Trinity: the maiden or virgin, the mother, and the crone.
The virgin belonged to herself and was owned by no one. Sometimes she dedicated herself to spiritual service, belonging to a higher call, rather than to earthly attachments.
The mother was in touch with her creative powers, whether creating new life, art, creatively nurturing her environment, or by fulfilling many other roles out in the world.
The crone represented the wisdom of age.
Both women and men can connect to Goddess. To women, the Goddess represented their inner-self and the nurturing, receptive power within them. The crone represented not only wisdom, but also how all phases of life are sacred. To men, the Goddess represented a connection to female aspects within themselves.
We each have our own unique balance of male and female strengths within us. This balance is not one that can be dictated by others. Our true nature is inherent within us. When we accept our true self, it is, or becomes an instinctive knowing.
We were not born to be carbon copies that meet societal expectations. We each have our own distinct balance of male and female which makes us whole.
What male or female strengths do you have within yourself?
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The Messy Middle
by Beth Haley
Dedicated to my Dear Friend Alysia, who sends me books that make me think!!
I can see them…
…these goals and dreams.
They’re out there, in the distance.
Are they waving at me? Or taunting me?
Some are close, and some are farther away :
sometimes shrouded in wisps of mist,
sometimes shining brighter in sudden bursts of inspired sunshine,
and sometimes peeking out between the clouds with all hope…
At least, they are visible out there in the light, at the end of this tunnel.
At any rate, whether they are waving or taunting, I am trying to keep a few thoughts securely in front of me. One being that:
It is the journey that is of most importance. Not just the “getting there” or “arriving.”
Many times, I think that the major event of reaching a goal, ends up not being all we thought it would be because we put so much emphasis on the end result, and not as much focus on the journey we take getting there. And then once there, we just rush on, toward the next goal.
Or, we may find that upon reaching a goal, the sacrifice and culmination of work, work, work, ends up not really being as climactic as we had hoped. And we realize, life happened in the middle, in the process, in the journey to get there.
I don’t want to be miserable in the messy middle, where the work is done to get from point A to point B or Z. I don’t want to focus so much on the “work” or the end result, that I forget to just enjoy the journey.
“The middle is messy, but that’s also where the magic happens.” – Brené Brown Meeting goals is great, but did you enjoy life while you were getting there?
Did you then, or are you now, finding ways to just enjoy the every-day journey?
Balance in life, is a bit different for each one of us.
I would love to hear your thoughts …
Picture Credit: 3dman_eu@pixabay
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Reiki
by Beth Haley
Dedicated to my teacher Ray
At the time my yoga teacher, Ray, mentioned she was teaching a Reiki level I class, I had never heard of Reiki. Having an interest in healing practices, I wanted to check it out.
On our first day of class, Ray stood, and looking at each one of us she said,
“We all come from different backgrounds. We may all have a different name for God or Deity:
God, Higher Power, The Universe, Jesus, Mother, Father, Lord, Lady, Goddess, Jehovah, Cernunnos, Brahman, Great Spirit…
And, there’s so many more expressions for Deity.
Or perhaps, she continued, you have no name at all.”
We went around the room, and those of us who wanted to share, spoke our name for Deity. Some were the same, and some were different. Some were unspoken, and some had no name at all.
Then Ray looked at us and said, “You are all welcome here.”
By this point in my journey, I’d spent almost 40 years in church, and this was the first time in my life that I’d ever heard a message of acceptance for others who were different.
This message wasn’t delivered under the fake title of “tolerance”. We didn’t have to merely “tolerate” each other. It was seeing each other exactly as we were and accepting that each of us was different. And that it was ok. That we were each OK, just as we were.
To this day, Ray is the only Reiki teacher I have ever had. So, I don’t know if this teaching is unique to all Reiki classes, or just unique to Ray. However, I do know that great teachers are irreplaceable.
During the 1920s, Mikao Usui, who was a Japanese Buddhist priest, rediscovered an ancient practice of working with healing energy, known to us today as Reiki.
Reiki is a holistic approach to relaxation, healing and the balancing of mind, body, emotions and spirit. It also encourages personal growth and spiritual development.
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