Good Morning, and blessed Palm Sunday to you. I hope this finds you well, remembering the truth of who you are, and keeping your heart wide open to Life.
~ The Weekly Word ~
"Taking Palm Sunday Within"
I am so very grateful to all of you who wrote in response to my recent newsletter with my "thoughts on leaving." Your prayers for my mother and family were felt and appreciated. I want to let you know my mother (at nearly 95) has rebounded from her "medical incident" and is getting stronger. She has an in-home caregiver now, and tomorrow I'll be continuing my journey from Chacala, Mexico, via Mom's here in southern California, to my other home in Sonoma County, CA. Thank you all for your love and support. It means a lot to us here.
By your blessings you are blessed.
I wrote the following thoughts on Palm Sunday for my apprentice list this morning, then posted it on Facebook, and now I realize I want to share it with you all here:
Yesterday I asked some church going folks around me here at my Mom's what Palm Sunday meant, and the people I asked realized they really didn't know. So I did a bit of reading and thinking about it, and want to offer you this:
Palm Sunday represents the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Up until that time he had discouraged his disciples from talking about his work and miracles, but now he told them (after recently raising Lazarus from the dead) to go and proclaim his power. He told them where to find a donkey, and her colt who had never been ridden. They put their cloaks on the colt and he used that "virgin" animal to ride into the city.
Donkeys represent peace. Warriors who are conquering or
celebrating conquests ride into a city on a decorated prancing horse. Jesus rode a young donkey draped in humble cloaks. He came as a King, celebrated, not to conquer by force like earthly kings, but by his love and grace demonstrating the truth of who we are as Spirit, Life, God, Love. He goal was to conquer hearts and minds, not nations.
Of course most everyone misunderstood Jesus' mission, still wanting him to be the powerful king that would liberate them from the occupation and rule of the Romans at that time. When they saw he wasn't going to use his power to meet their earthly needs, they turned on him, and the result was his trial and ultimate punishment through crucifixion.
If we receive this story as a metaphor for the Christ energy (force of Life) within us, we can use it to ask ourselves, "How am I receiving and using the power of Life within me? Am I at war with my world, using my power to try to change and control the outside world to my liking? Or am I using Life to bring myself into harmony and loving acceptance with What IS?"
Miguel's Ruiz' Circle of Fire Prayer ends with: "I will respect all creation as a symbol of my love communion with the one who created me." For me this says that when I accept and actively love every person, event, institution, emotion, and thought that appears in my world I am in a loving communion with the Spirit of Life that has created and animates me and my world. The prayer then finishes with, "To the eternal happiness of humanity."
The goal is to be happy. It is up to us to bring those qualities of Spirit (Christ Consciousness) into our own personal life - love, acceptance, and gratitude for What IS.
I wish you a very special day today. And invite you to ask yourself: How am I using this power to be the king in my own inner life? Am I charging in on the horse of war fighting and wanting to conquer (change) my self and my world? Or am I gently riding the donkey of peace in love and acceptance?
As I write that line I hear church bells ringing in the distance. God Bless Us One and All.
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In the meantime, we're booking lots of appearances for me when I get home. Santa Rosa, Cotati, Reno, Sacramento, online, the radio. Full moon dreamtime mitotes. Church talks. A weekly Conscious Relationship Circle in Sebastopol, CA. Teotihuacan, the Toltec pyramids, September: "Dancing at the Edge of the Dream." Wow!
Check the Joydancer events calendar and this newsletter for details.
Allan
