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.

Wish for Thee ...

And so may it be for thee,
And so may if be for me,
And so may it be for all of us.

Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes



Over the years, as women grow into their wisdom, they are able to look back over their lives and see previous struggles as lessons rather than misfortune or other personal recriminations.  They begin to understand the greater purpose or the bigger picture that was not as apparent earlier on.  As a tree's roots grow gnarly securing it into the ground, so does a woman's history. 

Experiences carve out greater space for compassion, tolerance, and pain.  The depth of feelings embolden, create passion, and determination.  The true strength of women is not gauged by physical abilities, but by the use of intelligence combined with intuition, creativity and a spiritual bond with the sacred.

Women, especially those I call sisters of the heart, have taught me so much about my self.  Through kind words, encouragement, and sincere relationships, I have been able to accept my faults as well as my strengths.  They have carried me when I could no longer walk.  They sheltered me until I was strong.  They shared their stories and listened intently to my own.  The memory of their songs will forever lift my spirit and their dances and drumming will keep beat with my heart. 

It is through this feminine energy that I learned to embrace all of nature and to see God in all things.  I find glimpses of holiness in the small song birds, the heavy fragrances of the flowers, and the wind blowing through the ancient trees.  I witness it in  the kind acts of others and the warm embrace of a friend.  I experience the sacred as we honor one and the other and find freedom through respect of diversity.
What I wish for me, I do sincerely wish for thee ...

Humble Exchanges



There is a wisdom of the head,

and ... a wisdom of the heart.

Charles Dickens

Wisdom tends to awaken our minds and pierce our hearts with common words.  These common words vibrate within us, resonating with deeper meaning than what may appear on the surface.  The wisdom may even be words we have heard or read previously, but for some reason, this time they strike with certain significance.  The words seem to come alive, filtering emotionally throughout our body.  We receive insight, inspiration, or perhaps comfort. 

We all have friends we turn to when we need courage or understanding.  These friends are not necessarily trained to be therapists, but somehow they always find words to make us feel better.  It is during these humble exchanges, wisdom often appears.

Words awaken our minds and pierce our hearts during humble exchanges with words of diversified origins.   Wisdom is shared in humble exchanges, as well as passed down through history in storytelling, singing, and the written word.  There is something about being out in nature that calms our minds and opens our hearts to bits and pieces of wisdom. There are so many ways for wisdom to slip gentle words within our hearts and mind.

Wisdom can be attributed to Divine Spirit speaking through each and every one of us whether we are aware or not.  Friends may thank us for sharing something with them while quite honestly, we don't even remember saying it.  Or words may suddenly flow out of our mouths and we have no idea where they came from, but the listener is ever so grateful.   

In this way, we are all messengers.  Divine Spirit uses us as vessels to deliver what needs to be heard just as words written upon on a page can jump alive.  So we must open our minds and our hearts to receive humble exchanges that will deepen our insights and experiences.