Speaking of Spirit

(c) 2018 Linda M. Neas Over ten years ago, a gentle physician, poet and dreamer shared his vision of the world with me. We responded to each other's poetry, shared our philosophies, and encourage each other to keep going when life seemed to put stumbling blocks in our paths. Today, as I sit thinking of what to write that will inspire others to keep moving forward, keep climbing or diving or going around whatever obstacle appears to be blocking the way, I hear his words echoing in my head, "Love the world into change!" Dr. Maithri  Goonetilleke is a physician in Australia. He works in Swaziland with people and communities ravaged by HIV/AIDS. The organization he founded, Possible Dreams International , brings "emergency medical relief to those living with HIV/AIDS, malnutrition and extreme poverty as well as providing sustainable development solutions such as access to clean water, agriculture, income generation and housing."   Maithri and I have ne...

This week, as I walked down our lovely tree-lined street, I saw it...the first leaf of autumn.  Everything in me screamed, "NO!!"  I am not ready for fall, not ready for the cold to begin to seep into my days, not ready for the thoughts of blizzards, ice storms, holidays. But, as a wise person once said, "The only constant in life is change." So, no matter how unwilling I am, how unprepared, how unhappy, the season will change in its own time.   Life happens in its own time. We may try to schedule things. We turn clocks back and forth.  We may assign days to various happenings. But, in reality, what will come to pass arrives when the time is right, in spite of all our protests, manipulations or demands. Change has to happen. If a child doesn't grow, it means something is terribly wrong. If the weather stayed constant, plants would fail to grow. If seeds stayed seeds, there would be no flowers, no food. Change has to happen. Change is a blessing. Writer ...

Photo: (c) 2015 Linda M Neas Living in farm country has a way of keeping me balanced - of keeping me from becoming too obsessed with any one thing - because on a farm, everything runs by seasons. "This too shall pass," is lived out without conscious thought. Change simply is. Over the past month, change has hit many upside the head and left us spinning. The unthinkable has become reality. That reality has strained the very foundations of what we believe. Fear and depression has nipped at our heals.  For many, balance is tenuous. This too shall pass!  What I have learned, living in the community of farms, is that the dawn brings a new day, the harvest brings nourishment and once spring comes, the cycle begins again.  Applying that to life, I find that challenges can be overwhelming if I mire myself in the mud of "what if" or "I can't."  But, if I roll up my preverbial sleeves and fearlessly delve into the problem, a solution, a resolu...

Photo credit: Wikimedia Once our sacred celebrations are over?  What happens when the stable is empty, the candles are burned down, or the fire is gone cold?  Do we simply return to our lives as before?  Or, do we take something from whatever practice we follow to begin anew in the new year?  Do we release the pain and sorrow of the past so that we might travel lightly and with strength into the future, believing that we ARE the change we have been waiting for all this tim e?   The following was written by Rev. Howard Thurman.  I first posted this back in 2012, but I think it bears repeating. The message in this poem is universal and we need to consider it more today than ever before. Work of Christmas Begins by Rev. Howard Thurman "When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with the flocks, then the work of Christmas begins: to fin...

In the past, there was a tradition of placing a candle or a light in the window if a loved one was traveling.  Guest houses would also do this, letting the weary traveler know there was lodging within that particular dwelling. As a child, we lit candles (electric ones) in the windows.  We also lit candles on an Advent Wreath. When I asked why we did this, the answer was,"to show we are waiting."   Now, we are in the middle of the Season of Light and Love.  Many people from many different cultures are lighting candles and fires of various types or will be soon. If we look back to the traditions from whence these rituals came, we find that the lighting has to do with expectation, with welcome, with hope. Expectation, we lcome , and hope are empty when we have no idea what it is we are waiting for, welcoming in or hoping to have happen. Therefore, my question is still , "What are we w aiting for?" If we are waiting for Peace, for Love, for Light to retu...

  By Marcusmoseley (Own work)  via Wikimedia Commons Blessed, Holy Source of All, once again we are shocked by the violence - senseless violence. Once again, we call to you to mend our broken hearts - our broken lives. Once again, we search our beings for hope -  for forgiveness. Blessed One,  help us to look at the true cause for this insanity. Help us to see into the heart of such unspeakable evil. Help us to face the demons of our making and stop  that which seem unstoppable. Holy Parent, teach us to stand against those in power that refuse to make the changes needed. Teach us to stand strong against those who live in hate with the world. Teach us to stand in loving-kindness, even when all around us run away. Great Spirit, hold those in South Carolina close to your Heart. Hold those who have suffered from hate and violence in your Love. And, hold us all in your Grace so that we can do what needs to be done  to end this insan...

As the sun shines into my kitchen-corner office, I write about an event that came as a soft whisper after a long day of difficulties and a video sent by a friend. In many ways, the whisper to do something to make things better has always been playing in the back of my consciousness, but on this day after one sad or tragic story after another, it almost reached a shout. So, listening, I created Changing the World , which is a Facebook event. During this on-going event, participants are asked to focus on the positive in prayer, mediation, affirmations, and even actions.  Do everything in Love, as Van Gogh said, and it will be done well.  Some doubt the validity of that statement, but science has proven it to be true! HeartMath was " founded by Doc Childre in 1991 to help individuals, organizations and the global community incorporate the heart’s intelligence into their day-to-day experience of life."  Scientists at the HeartMath Institute have studied how focusing on...