Writings: Leonard rings in the new…
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.
Leonard Cohen
Music: Remembering the laughter & the love & the tasks before us
Everyone has something they like about Jesus, the Christ, and I reckon I’m no exception. There’s a lot to like – the Sermon on the Mount, his lessons on love, his direction that we care for those with less – and one of my favourites is the story where he throws the money changers out of the temple.
We have a lot of folks, now, who have turned this beautiful place we live in & love into a robber’s den…and the time has come to call it what it is, and turn them out.
I like the way Jackson’s song addresses this, and like him, I wish you the best of Christmases.
Love you,
Brother Ian, on the side of the Rebel Jesus
++++++++++++++++
All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants’ windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
They’ll be gathering around the hearths and tales
Giving thanks for all of God’s graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus
Well they call him by the prince of peace
And they call him by the savior
And they pray to him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
As they fill his churches with their pride and gold
And their faith in him increases
But they’ve turned the nature that I worship in
From a temple to a robber’s den
In the words of the rebel Jesus
We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why they are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus
But please forgive me if I seem
To take the tone of judgement
For I’ve no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In this life of hardship and of earthly toil
We have need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus.
Intuitives: Alexa tells about BodyTalk & the spirit of Diva…
It’s always fun to find out new things & meet new people, and it was amazing to run into Alexa Linton at the Intuitive Fair in October in Victoria, BC.
Inspired by her horse Diva and a process called BodyTalk, Alexa offers services to help heal mind, body & spirit. I had a session with her three weeks ago, and I’m happy to tell you there was definitely a shift in my approach to the work ahead of me, as well as some of the energy blocking it.
She’s not kidding that she helps you find your spark, which I think you’ll discover when you book a session with her.
Check out this modern day cowgirl – here’s more about BodyTalk, more about Alexa’s services, and more about her. And…she offers a completely free 15 minute strategy session – its a chance to meet Alexa, put a voice to the name, learn more and find out if you & she are a good fit for each other.
And here’s a well-produced segment from Shaw TV that will serve as a good introduction to what she has going on!
Writings: The power of “I don’t know,” with Megan Edge
I have long thought that one of the great days of a kind of spiritual liberation for me was when, as a young teacher, I told a classroom of kids, “I don’t know.” It was great to discover I didn’t have to know, and didn’t have to try & find out everything…and in this, I became more of a student, and in the way it works, more of a teacher.
Here’s a holiday essay by Megan Edge about this – let me know what you think!
Recently I have been in the energy of “I Don’t Know.” It’s a very interesting energy – at the same time both scary and liberating. Not Knowing has me feeling a bit like a boat without a rudder, as though I’m floating along without a firm plan.
The good thing about being in the Energy of Not Knowing is the ability to go with the flow. When there is no firm plan, I find it much easier to adjust to whatever comes my way, with no hooks into how something should be, in my own expectation of it.
Many of the people who come to see me are in this energy; they don’t Know something and so they come to me for clarity, solutions and answers. It might be “I don’t know what to do with my life.” Or “I don’t know how she feels about me.” Or “I don’t know if I should make that move or take that job offer.”
More often then not I will suggest they reframe their question into “I’d like to know what to do with my life.” Or “I’d like to know if she likes me or I should move or take that job.” By changing the way in which they ask the question they instantly change the way the information can come to them. By saying “I’d like to Know” they are letting the Universe know they are ready to hear the answers and to take guided action on those answers.
However, we aren’t always ready to hear the answers or do what is required of us to make those solutions become reality. So we sit in the energy of “I don’t know.”
What I am realizing, beyond the need to not judge ourselves harshly for Not Knowing something, is that “I don’t know” can be a very powerful place to be. There can be liberation in truthfully stating that we do not have all the answers and solutions just yet.
Sometimes being in the Not Knowing opens up space around us for many more possibilities to show up in our life then we would have seen in our conviction of Knowing.
What if you could get excited about Not Knowing – instead of feeling anxious or dumb or uncertain? What if there could be space in the Not Knowing to simply allow yourself to shrug your shoulders and say, “In this moment, I don’t know what is going to happen next! I don’t know if she likes me, I don’t know what I should do with my life and I don’t know if I should move or take that job.”
This acknowledgement could open up a world of possibilities and ways of thinking that have never occurred to you before this moment.
The need to Know reflects a need to be in control, which in and of itself is an Illusion – being in Control is not possible; being Responsible and Accountable is possible, but not being in Control. You release the Illusion of being in Control when you say “I don’t know” and allow this to be a good thing.
The need to Know also reflects a desire to orchestrate the Future. The Future is a nebulous place, hard to pin down in any moment and always in motion and flux.
We can certainly be Responsible and Accountable for the plans we make for the Future and we can affect our experience of the Future through our intention but we cannot control the Future. There are far to many variables. The point is to flow into and out of and around our experiences – not to control them.
This Holiday Season I encourage you to Not Know a few things, such as how someone else is going to behave or how Christmas dinner is going to turn out, or what gift you might receive. Allow your life to reveal itself to you as the best gift you can give to yourself and enjoy the possibilities that are presented.
I don’t Know what will happen when you do this but I think it could be good!
Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for 2015!
Love, Megan
On her website, Megan says: “I have always had an interest in the Metaphysical. As a child I constantly questioned the world around me, seeking answers that made sense to me. I considered my ‘Big Book of Fairy Tales’ to be my first textbook on the subject of the Metaphysical and Supernatural.
“As a child I would pore over the detailed and intricate pictures, always delighting in finding the hidden fairies and other woodland folks within its pages. This early fascination provided me with a sense of there being something more in the world around me.”
You can find out more about Megan Edge at http://www.psy-chick.net/.
Thoughts: Where we’ve been & where we’re headed, with Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall has perfected the art of patience. The world-renowned primatologist, now 80, spent decades of her youth calmly stalking wild chimpanzees through Gombe Stream National Park, including long stretches of frustration — and a bout of malaria — before the astute apes let her close enough to study them. That persistence paid off, of course, as Goodall made historic discoveries about chimpanzee behavior that changed the way we see not just our closest living relatives, but also ourselves.
Patience isn’t the same as complacency, though. The diligence that helped Goodall shed light on Gombe’s chimps in her 20s now nurtures a sense of urgency in her 80s. She defies her age by traveling nearly nonstop, campaigning to protect the habitats and well-being of not just chimps, but wild and captive animals worldwide. Goodall spends 300 days a year traveling for various speeches, interviews, conferences and fundraisers, leaving little time to pause and reflect on her inspirational career.
Read more: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/blogs/jane-goodall-explains-empathy-and-why-kids-need-pets#ixzz3LhwlbC8n
Thoughts: Ready for the holidays…
Thoughts: We play this game together…
Guy gets hurt in a game. Guy on the other side checks on him & says he hurts, too, that the guy who got hurt is like a little brother to him.
It’s more than class & sportsmanship…it’s the way people really do. More real than the pretend stuff on the highlight reels….humans actually caring about each other, the way we do.
(Here’s the story…)
Poetry of music: Hallelujah!
You’ve wondered, and I have too, how in the world our Trappist brothers get things done when they have a vow of silence. (Pretty sure they get more of the important internal work done, without all that talking. Spirit within, you know.)
Perhaps you’ve seen this before, but you get the idea. I especially like the monk who picks up the sign with his feet…gotta love football-loving monastics.
Writings: Thank you, thank you, thank you….
All year long.
That’s real Thanksgiving, hey – surrounding each kindness shared, each hug, each smile with a stranger with a quiet “thank you” each day, even each hour, each minute.
Let there be no doubt that Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday, if only because it’s one we all agree on. We can come together to share thanks, and to share the stories of all the things & events & people & animals & nature that we give thanks for each day, all year.
Whether you celebrated Thanksgiving last month in Canada, tomorrow in the States, or a moment ago because you are where you are, I hope, with you, that the celebration never ends.
Glad you’re you, and glad you’re there.
Love, light & hugs –
Brother Ian
About Brother Ian
Over the centuries, Brother Ian has been collecting stories & information & discourses for the purpose of elevating the human condition as needed, dissecting it when necessary, and building the case for hope.
In the spirit of noting that organized crime, organized baseball, organized labour, and organized religion tend to engender controversy & occasional discord, I promise to be neither organized or critical of those who are.