Other realms.  Spirit can feel nebulous--indistinct, vague--unless you can describe a personal experience with spirit.  As many unique snowflakes as there are in the sky and as many individual people who inhabit Earth, that's the infinite number of experiences possible with Spirit.  For some nature is the equivalent of Spirit.  Or Spirit can show up for you in a beautiful piece of art or in music that stirs your soul and takes you to another realm.  Perhaps you've felt Spirit in the quiet moments of worship or meditation.  Maybe you've heard a 'still small voice' of intuition or guidance.  Maybe you've witnessed or experienced angels. 

 

My birthday story.  Every year on my birthday, my Mother would take me to her bedroom where she kept her beautiful cedar chest that my uncle built for her.  The lid would come up and my birthday memories are flooded with both the earthly and heavenly scent of cedar.  From its depths she would produce two identical blue satin baby books with "The Story of Our Baby" printed on the front.  We always had to open both of them to find mine.  Together we'd sit on the floor and my Mother would tell me my story.  I was born 10 weeks premature, at home, because after several miscarriages, she was confined to her bed.  When she realized she was having me, her friends in the building came to assist and an ambulance was called.  At some point someone realized there was another baby, probably when she got to the hospital, and my identical twin sister, Vickie, was born 23 minutes later (very unusual for twins to be born so far apart in time).  It must have been a slow news day because in the photo album that appeared with the baby books, Mother had pasted several newspaper accounts of this 'amazing' delivery: "Funeral Director on Ambulance Call Delivers First of Twin Girls" and "Ambulance Driver Helps in Rush Birth" and "Then A Second Baby".  We'd look through the books and the photo album and I'd read about my birthdays and first Christmas.  Then I'd turn to my sister's book and read my Mother's loving summary, in her exquisite cursive, of my sister's short life and death.  The rest of her book was empty.

 

A Visit with Spirit.  After high school and college and Ouija boards and reading and shared 'spirit stories' with friends and roommates, I began to wonder if my twin sister knew I existed; if she knew I thought about her and missed her.  Shortly after my marriage, my husband and I were talking about our families and our lives growing up.  I told him I heard that if you looked in a mirror long enough, you could 'summon' a spirit, so we decided to summon Vickie.  We lit two candles, and he sat behind me as we both looked into the mirror.  Soon I tired and was ready to be done.  We moved across the room, watching the candles flicker, continuing our conversation.  I had looked away from the candles and mirror for just a moment, when he said "Look at the candles."  When I looked up, both our candles were still lit, but nearly two feet away, another candle was burning.  Surprised, I asked him, "Why did you say that -- look at the candles?"  A skeptic at best, he replied "I didn't say it.  It came out of my mouth, and I heard the words, but I didn't say it."  We both knew Vickie had heard me and responded.  We watched her candlelight flicker and shared our spiritual beliefs and 'angel' stories.  Quite some time went by and we were tired and ready for bed.  "I'm not blowing out her candle," I said.  "Well, I'm not blowing it out," replied my husband.  A split second later a miller moth appeared out of nowhere, lit on the wick and extinguished the candle. 

 

Inviting Spirit.  Whether or not you ever experience a physical encounter of Spirit, like mine, the act of inviting and being ready to feel Spirit, however it presents itself, is available to all of us.  In quiet meditation, on a walk, in a kayak, doing dishes, in the grocery store, we can each summon Spirit and know that it will respond, when we clear the clutter, when we are quiet, when we are available, when we are present, when we are open and willing to listen. 

 

This week consider how you might invite Spirit to visit you.  Clear some clutter and determine how you would you like to hear Spirit's voice.  How would you like to feel Spirit's presence?  Perhaps Spirit's visit will be as gentle as a whisper on your heart in the few minutes you have purposely set aside to just be still. 

 

Until Next Week

Sunday, January 26, 2014

9-10:30 a.m.

St. Andrews Methodist Church

(Registration info available mid-Dec)

Whether you're looking for a simpler lifestyle, downsizing to a smaller home, or determining what keepsakes to hand down, conquering clutter is the first step.  Come learn why conquering clutter is more than just getting rid of stuff; it's about letting go of what no longer serves you--body, heart, mind, and spirit--and making 'room' for inspiration, possibilities, and opportunities.  We'll explore why it's hard to let go, steps to get started, and motivational tools and resources to keep going.  Make this the New Year to get in the spirit and conquer your clutter.

 

USING ART THE FENG SHUI WAY: The Year of the Horse

Birgit Whitelaw, art instructor, and I will once again be offering  our annual art workshop for Lunar (Chinese) New Year which begins January 31, 2014.  Come paint with us and learn how to set intentions with art and basic feng shui principles. We will help you create your own unique piece of art designed to fill your feng shui intentions for 2014. Watch for the date, location, and further details in the next few weeks.

The Holidays are just around the corner!  Make 2014 a great year  with a gift to yourself or someone's stocking

• Feng Shui a room or two
• Organize your home or office so you can find anything and everything in 30 seconds or less