Creative Fuel for Personal Fire



"All of us carry a cleansing fire hidden inside. It may be banked with ashes, cold to the touch, but a spark of the divine is there nonetheless, ready to leap into life. It is nothing less than love of God. Latent in every one of us, it wants only encouragement before it flares to vibrant life, burning up everything selfish and impure. Once ignited and coaxed with the fuel of love for others, it sheds light and warmth all around."

Eknath Easwaran
Thought for the Day
Blue Mountain Center


As a youngster,  praying to God was acceptable, but if there was any real work to be done, we had to use an emissary such as a priest or minister or patron saint or angel to intercede on our behalf.  In 1983, Shirley MacLaine authored a book entitled, OUT ON A LIMB.  In this writing, one of numerous books, she stated that God was inside each of us and we could communicate directly with the Divine.  Many people labeled this concept as blasphemous.  They were not willing to eliminate the middleman, and claim their personal power.

Currently, it is hard to imagine not communicating directly to God, no matter what image of the Divine one uses.  There is much comfort in maintaining a personal relationship with the Divine.  We are much more apt to maintain awareness throughout our day if we both begin and end our day with Divine conversation.  Even throughout the day, as situations arise, one can automatically ask for Divine guidance. 

There is a great difference going from the status of ' infant born with original sin" like we are doomed before we even crawl or sit up to a spark of the Divine.  It is uplifting to believe we are a host carrying a bit of the Divine within us.  It gives us a sense of responsibility, to strive to honor that which lies within.  It can erase the phrase of denial, "I can't change," to "With God I can do all things!" 

Whatever we want to change we can, but involves a lot of hard work and repetition of lessons.  We will need to discard old patterns in order to prepare for the new.  As in all things, change takes time ... trial and error.  We must extend compassion to our selves and be patient.  Choose healthy ways to support efforts.  Use a journal to express frustration.  Engage in a friendship that encourages and celebrates the journey.  Keep adding kindling to the inner fire!

As we discover how difficult, but possible, it is to change, we may have less judgement and more respect for others.  We may realize we all have our struggles and we all strive to do better. Understand we are loved just as we are, but this is no reason to not try to be better.  So add some creative fuel to our personal fire as we create a better life for our selves, community, and world.

Out of My Grasp

Arrange whatever pieces come your way.

Virginia Woolf

This morning I explored highlighted sections in several of my books.  I had not remained with one theme, rather reading anything and everything.  The results had been overwhelming.  There were so many fragments, each exploded in my mind, and demanded more attention.  So instead of streamlining into one flowing thought, I had been bombarded by every worldly thought.  I knew the best way for me to simplify would be to retreat into the stillness of outdoors.

I settled my lovely self out on the back deck.  I breathed in the crisp spring air while I wished for sunshine on my face and hair.  The birds chirped, the rabbit ran away, and the squirrel dared me to stay.  As I watched the clouds as they floated by, I was reminded of Shirley MacLaine's suggested experiment with clouds.  She instructed the reader to choose one cloud out of the sky and to keep eyes locked upon that one cloud.  Permission would be asked of the cloud for it to disappear.  With maintained eye contact the cloud would slowly dissipate. 

When I first read of this experiment, I grew very uncomfortable thinking I might have the power to ask a cloud to disappear.  Besides, clouds had been my childhood friends, so why would I want them to go away?  Curiosity got the best of me, however, so I chose a very small cloud and asked if it would disappear.  I eye-balled it with great intensity, and sure enough, it began to stretch its shape until nothing was there.  It made me feel sad.  It didn't feel right for me to make a game of something so lovely in the sky.

Somewhere in my thoughts, wisdom surely waited.  Unfortunately, it was either too worldly or lofty to be grasped.  I watched the clouds as they gently floated by, unable to formulate words, but I sensed deep within there was so much more to oneness than what really meets the eye.