Speaking of Spirit

Our ancestors left us so much wisdom...understandings of life and the world around us that, as we "developed," we negated. Interestingly enough, much of that wisdom has been re-discovered by scientists who now can prove the truth of what was once known. In studying about my ancestors and the wisdom that comes from the various cultures in my family alone, I have realized that as humans gained more knowledge and abilities, they lost something.  I lost the teachings of my Eastern European, Irish, German, Welsh and Indigenous ancestors because my ancestors were so indoctrinated into modern society, they did not want to pass the old-fashioned ways onto their children and grandchildren.  In some cases, they were ashamed of what others looked on as backwards beliefs. So, we stopped planting by the Moon.  We stopped nursing the babies in favor of bottled milk.  We stopped growing our own fruits and vegetables in favor of packaged food. We stopped talking to Creato...

  Photo Credit: by Sasha Kopf under GNU license on wikimedia commons Often, we are faced with making a decision that fills us with fear.  Often, the only way to get where we need to go is to have the courage to take a leap of faith.  Often, the courage comes from a tiny spark  - like a satellite sent towards the dark unknown, which finds new universes, our tiny light suddenly is revealed as the brilliant star of hope. The following is by John O’Donohue , a poet and philosopher who is best known for his book, Anam Cara, (Gaelic for "Soul Friend"; 1997). This is a poem about finding that light. For Courage ~ John O'Donohue When the light around you lessens And your thoughts darken until Your body feels fear turn Cold as a stone inside, When you find yourself bereft Of any belief in yourself And all you unknowingly Leaned on has fallen, When one voice commands Your whole heart And it is raven dark, Steady yourself an...