Trust the Slow Work

Monument Valley October 2019

Our visit to Arizona and New Mexico in 2019 continues to nourish me spiritually, psychologically and emotionally. While while on retreat in northern Ohio last month, I recalled those experiences as a backdrop for integrating my soul journey I’ve traveled the past five years.

I’ve evolved and grown. I’m different and I see myself differently. I want to say I’m “better” but that seems to be a judgment of some kind which doesn’t always serve me well so I will leave the “better/worse” evaluation alone for now. I’m my harshest critic and sometimes I need to quiet that voice.

My retreat spiritual director provided the structure and the “container” I needed to do my soul work. My retreat time was like packing for trip to a place I didn’t know much like my packing for the journey by train to Arizona. I had to decide what to take and what to leave behind. On this retreat, I had to go through five years of spiritual, psychological and even emotional “stuff” I’d packed away. What should remain packed for unpacking later, what needed to be discarded and released, and what do I need for the upcoming journey.

I chose the photo above to share because I remember taking it in the morning atop a butte just at the start of sunrise. The light in some places is clear and bold. In other spaces it is a bit more shadowy and dark yet, illuminated. Sitting on top of that butte and watching the sunset the night before and sunrise the following morning was an incredible experience in a truly sacred place on this earth – Monument Valley, Arizona. It is the land of the Dine (Navajo) people. I can’t put into words what I felt, as if I were one with Place.

On retreat, I reconnected to Place through reflection with words like play, compassion, love, tenderness, joy, faith and honesty etched in terra cotta hearts I selected at the end of each companioning session. Those words prompted connections to other words, ideas, feelings, and in some cases, images which became SoulCollage® cards. They continue to feed me and nourish my soul much like the experiences of the desert southwest.

I grieve what I had to discard in the past five to ten years. I let go of who I was and the roles I was required to play. Some were good experiences, some not so good. I’ve packed away things some would ask “why are you keeping that, it wounded you?” “Because,” I tell them, “in the wounding is where I learned compassion, tenderness, honesty, faith and love. In the darkness, there is light.”

I feel I’m at the threshold of something I’ve longed for and dreamed of. I sense I’m emerging into a new way of living, and working in the world. Trust the process that voice inside me says. Trust in the slow work of God. I truly love what I do which in a nutshell is share the Light and Grace, help people see their own inner wisdom and journey with them a while by deeply listening and seeing who they are as spiritual beings.

The photo I chose to share with you is an image of what I feel is happening. The Light peaks over the horizon and illuminates the dark places making them less scary for me and more approachable and appreciating the beauty of the wisdom of the shadows trusting the slow process, the slow emergence of the Light. In a minute or two the scene changes ever so slightly and illuminates what needs to be discovered, learned, embraced or discarded.

I am reminded – again – of the letter Jesuit priest, Teilhard de Chardin wrote to his nephew.

“Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something
unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through
some stages of instability—
and that it may take a very long time.
And so I think it is with you;
your ideas mature gradually—let them grow,
let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don’t try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances
acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give our [God] the benefit of believing
that [God’s] hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.”

Try a lectio divina with the words of Teilhard de Chardin. Read the letter. I encourage you to read it out loud. Simply read and take in what was written. Next, meditate or ponder what Teilhard de Chardin wrote to his nephew. Is there a phrase or word which stands out? Why? You may have some strong emotions about a word or phrase and that is okay. Now read the passage out loud again. Reflect and pray how might Spirit be inviting you to respond to that word or phrase that is impacting you. Do you feel encouraged? Challenged? Loved? Finally, read the letter out loud again and this time contemplate. In this step of the lectio divina process we contemplate and open ourselves to change and transformation of mind and heart. I like to add an additional step to lectio divina by looking at how we live our transformation in the world. Through lectio divina we experience Light, Grace and Love. It is important that we share what we have received from Spirit Source with others.

Blessings,

Christy

This blog is not intended to serve as individual spiritual direction. Spiritual direction and spiritual companioning are typically done face to face in a confidential setting or via Zoom or other virtual platform. If you would like to explore one on one spiritual companioning, group companioning, SoulCollage©, the Labyrinth or Reiki, please contact me. If you, your faith group, your church or your book club would like to know more about spiritual companioning, please contact me to schedule an informational workshop. In the meantime, my hope is that the photos and this blog serve as a pause in your day, food for thought, or just a reminder to breathe in and breathe out all that is holy and good. The Divine Milieu is all around us. Thank you all for prayers, vibes, positive energy and support.)

Emerging

Checking in with all of you! How are you doing? Are you now engaging in activities that were shut down last year? It seems we can attend once again attend graduations, weddings, ball games, visit family and friends and enjoy seeing faces again! I have so much joy and hope!

I haven’t blogged much but I continue to engage in my own spiritual practices. I write in my journal and create SoulCollage and walk the labyrinth. I feel we’re finally emerging out of our cocoons like the Brood X cicadas in my locale.

Some think cicadas are kind of creepy so I chose to not lead with a big photo of one! Here’s a not so large and not so creepy image of a member of Brood X, the 17 year cicada, emerging from his exoskeleton. I think Tony Stark looks better than this guy, don’t you?

Here are some questions for you to ponder, pray with, reflect about, write, sing, dance or whatever!

How are you emerging and shedding of your exoskeleton? What discoveries did you make about yourself during the lock down and isolation last year?

How did you relax, refresh and rejuvenate during the past year? Did you experience a loss of someone or something which made it difficult for you?

What were the joys and the disappointments of the past year? What did you discover was important and what wasn’t?

Did you, experience a loss of relationships over differing views on how you or your family handled the disruption and chaos?

As you ease back into socially interacting, are you more risk adverse or less risk adverse? Do you allow for other people to have their own views, opinions or doubts without feeling a need for confrontation?

How are you know at feeling out of control in situations? What person, place or words of wisdom helped you navigate? Continues to help you navigate?

Were you afraid this past year? Matter of fact? Resigned? Did you become more rigid or more free?

What were the invitations for you? What are growing edges for you?

Where was the One or God – whatever name you identify with – in the past year? Has your faith changed? Are things which used to be important still important or has something changed?

These questions are not meant to be an exhaustive list – just seeds to generate self reflection for you. My hope for you is joy, health and wellness and continued spiritual growth.

***********

GREAT NEWS!

I am so very pleased to tell you I have been able to secure a 36′ Chartres-style portable canvas labyrinth (see the photo above) that can be used for labyrinth events at a variety of locations like schools, colleges, hospitals, hospices, mental health and addiction treatment facilities, sobriety groups, grief support groups, and businesses. I am able to design and plan with you and for you a labyrinth experience to meet the needs of your organization or business. As a trained Veriditas labyrinth faciliator (https://www.veriditas.org/) I am able to meet your needs and intentions for a special labyrinth experience.

The labyrinth is a universal symbol that is thousands of years old recognized in cultures world wide. It has been walked for health and wellness, meditation, or to symbolize a walk to the holy land for Christian pilgrims. The more well known labyrinth is the one located in Chartres Cathedral in France believed to have been built around 1194. https://listening-heart.com/labyrinth/ The American Psychological Association has a labyrinth at their offices in Washington, D.C. So does the Washington National Cathedral. Numerous universities, churches, city parks, hospitals and private individuals have labyrinths. I encourage you to explore where one may be located near you with the World-Wide Labyrinth Locator – Welcome or to contact me about additional information.

Be well. Blessings

Christy

This blog is not intended to serve as individual spiritual direction. Spiritual direction and spiritual companioning is typically done face to face in a confidential setting or can be done via Zoom or other virtual platform. If you would like to explore one on one spiritual companioning, group companioning, SoulCollage©, the Labyrinth or Reiki, please contact me. If you, your faith group, your church or your book club would like to know more about spiritual companioning, please contact me to schedule an informational workshop. In the meantime, my hope is that the photos and this blog serve as a pause in your day, food for thought, or just a reminder to breathe in and breathe out all that is holy and good. The Divine Milieu is all around us. Thank you all for prayers, vibes, positive energy and support.)

Policy Update

Because the government has lifted certain restrictions and mandates in recent weeks, I wanted to update my policies for spiritual companioning, in-person workshops, and Reiki sessions.

First of all, I believe and respect an individual’s freedom to make personal choices. Your medical information is personal and private and not my business. Therefore, I leave it up to you to decide whether you receive one of the emergency authorized vaccines, whether you continue to wear a cloth mask after such vaccination – or even before – and whether you choose to disclose that information to me or anyone else.

I believe it is up to the individual to make their own determination of risks. Naturally, if you are more risk adverse, you might feel you must take more precautions. Similarly, if you are less risk adverse, you might not take any precautions or receive a vaccine. It is your choice and I respect your right to choose. More and more information is being discovered and disclosed about the nature of this current situation. More and more studies are being done. Information which was believed true 6, 10 or even 16 months ago is being called into question.

At no time will I request personal private medical information from you. Your health and vaccination status is your business. My reasoning, based on my research and consultation with experts, is I believe it is a violation of medical privacy laws to ASK for vaccination status of an emergency authorized vaccine and therefore, I won’t ask you!

I properly sanitize meeting spaces and my Reiki table before and after sessions with clients. I value providing a psychologically safe and confidential space as well as one that is clean and tidy.

We have emerged from a very difficult time for all of us. It is vital, in my opinion, that we set aside differences in opinions and views and treat each other with respect, kindness and patience maintaining the dignity and autonomy of the person.

If you have questions or want to discuss this further, please let me know. I will continue to provide companioning sessions and workshops via Zoom if requested.

I am currently accepting new clients for spiritual companioning and Reiki. Message me to schedule an appointment.

Blessings and good health to all,

Christy 

Being a Wounded Healer

I often contemplate these wise words from spiritual writer, Henri Nouwen in my practice as a spiritual director/companion and SoulCollage facilitator.

How do I lean into and allow my own woundedness to be a source of compassion for those I companion and share SoulCollage? I think by recognizing our own pain and shadows we can be vulnerably present to others. It’s by standing along side our wounds and doing the work with them, we are able to be the containers and hold space for others on their journey.

I recently facilitated an in-person labyrinth and SoulCollage workshop with a small group. By creating a safe and confidential space, the participants were able to share tender areas of their souls. I was in awe and felt incredibly blessed to bear witness to the unfolding of spirits as I always am in these situations.

Being vulnerable enough to share tender areas takes courage to not only share but also courage to hear and hold without minimizing or pushing it away. Hearing my own wounded heart in another’s words is a gift of companioning and a gift of sharing SoulCollage. It is sacred and holy work.

How do our wounds heal? Wounds don’t heal the way you want them to, they heal the way they need to. Some wounds heal on the surface and can be re-opened in ways we least expect and re-heal. I’m learning again and again to trust the process.

Today I invite you to do a brief meditation calling up aspects of your woundedness. I urge you to do this gently and with a great deal of self compassion. It’s too easy for this to drift into a self blaming exercise. Be kind to yourself. Trust the process.

Briefly begin by focusing on your breathing, noticing areas in your body where you feel tension. Breathe into that tension. Send compassionate thoughts and gentleness to yourself and your body. Let yourself breathe for a few minutes by allowing the breath to come and go naturally. 

Now turn your attention to a wound that comes to mind. It could be physical, emotional or spiritual. Gently breathe compassion and Light into that wound. Allow yourself to see the wound as you would see it in a dear friend. What do you notice? 

 Do you recognize your wounds? How do you process your woundedness? How do you see your woundedness – as a weakness to hid in shame or as an opportunity for self growth and discovery?

Perhaps you feel invited to journal, create poetry or create a SoulCollage card in response to the breathing meditation and questions. Whatever you choose to do – be gentle with yourself and trust the process of self discovery.

Blessings- Christy 

(This blog is not intended to serve as individual spiritual direction. Spiritual direction and spiritual companioning is typically done face to face in a confidential setting or can be done via Zoom or other virtual platform. If you would like to explore one on one spiritual companioning, group companioning, SoulCollage©, the Labyrinth or Reiki, please contact me. If you, your faith group, your church or your book club would like to know more about spiritual companioning, please contact me to schedule an informational workshop. In the meantime, my hope is that the photos and this blog serve as a pause in your day, food for thought, or just a reminder to breathe in and breathe out all that is holy and good. The Divine Milieu is all around us. Thank you all for prayers, vibes, positive energy and support.)

Seeking Opportunities

Hello Friends and Followers!

I’m reaching out because I need your help and assistance. I’m working on becoming a certified labyrinth facilitator through Verditas, a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire personal and communal change and renewal through the labyrinth experience.

I received my initial training in January 2020 with the expectation I would facilitate at least 3 workshops in 2020 to show I can apply what I learned to create labyrinth experiences for others. This will allow me to complete the certification process. However, with the disruptions in gatherings throughout 2020 due to the virus, I was unable to hold the three required events. I’ve been granted an extension until the end of 2021.

I’m hoping to hold a facilitated workshop for a larger group of people around 20 to 30 before the end of this year. I’ve facilitated for a group under 10 and a group under 20. This group can be comprised of members of a church, synagogue or sangha, faculty and staff from a school, a sobriety/recovery group, prayer group, a book club, a group of artists looking for ways to tap into creativity, a group of moms who desire a way to manage stress, a grief group – the possibilities are endless.

The labyrinth is a centuries old symbol with one circuitous path from the outside edge to the center. Unlike a maze, you cannot get lost on a labyrinth. It is a tool for a sacred experience for some. And for others a way to meditate and reduce stress, to walk with grief and loss, to inspire creative processes, or be a part of recovery and sobriety. Still for others, it’s a relaxing walk outdoors in nature. For me, the labyrinth provides a way to balance my right brain logical and linear thinking with my left brain creative and spiral like inspiration. In a word, the labyrinth gets me “out of my right mind”! It is a prayer and meditation practice. When I combine walking the labyrinth with SoulCollage, I have some profound and creative experiences.

I am located in Southwest Ohio near Cincinnati however, we can talk about my coming to your location to facilitate an experience for your group. Contact me. Don’t have access to a labyrinth? Please contact me to discuss possible resources.

Several years ago, a friend told me to not fear making my needs known. She encouraged me to “put things out in the Universe” trusting my needs will be met. In trust and faith, I’m putting this request out there. And if you don’t the ability to hold a workshop, please hold this intention in prayer and positive energy with me.

In trusting hope – Christy

Please contact me using the form below.

%d bloggers like this: