Richmond, VA

Merry meet Friends!
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!

"The wise do not buy into other people's perceptions of who they are and what they are capable of.  Instead, they bypass a person's public persona and see who they are in their highest expression.  When you see actions taken with integrity, instead of words only, you will then know a soul's worth."   ~ Shannon L. Alder

"I am aware that I am less than some people prefer me to be, but most people are unaware that I am much more than what they see." ~Douglas Pagels

I work in a substance abuse treatment center for women.  Each morning and evening the women recite the philosophy.  At the end of the philosophy it says: If you treat a woman as she is, she will stay as she is.  But if you treat her as if she were what she ought to be and could be, she will become what she ought to be and could be."   These are powerful words which we all need to live by. Each day that I work I am reminded of these words because at work and outside of work, I see people treating people as they are instead of who they can be and in reality who they really are.  We are all expressions of God/Goddess/All That Is, whether we believe it or not.

When we continue to treat people with the illusion of who they present, they continue to act that way.  We don't allow people to step into their highest expressions.  It is up to us to see ourselves and others in the way the Creator see us.  How do we do this?  We begin by realizing that we are one with the source of all life.  I know that some spiritual traditions believe that we are not all children of God if we don't adhere to certain ideologies.  However, we were all created by the same source.  Are my children no longer my children if they don't follow my beliefs?  Of course not!  Regardless of their actions, they are my children and so it is with The Creator of ALL!

As I grow in consciousness, I notice things about people (and myself) that I had not noticed earlier.  When we vibrate at a different energy level, everything changes or rather our "eyes" are opened to the masks that are worn.  People can appear to be very superficial; only concerned with looks, money, titles, etc; surface things.  Quite often those are their concerns.  I have discovered that people are afraid to be who they are. Kurt Cobain says it this way: "I was tired of pretending that I was someone else just to get along with people, just for the sake of having friendships."   People have a need to fit in with others and to be liked.  So, often they hide themselves from themselves and others.

I see clients at work reciting the philosophy yet continue to act "as she is" because she has not seen herself as she can be or ought to be. Part of my job is to help them see themselves differently because I see them differently; because I treat them as they truly are and not as they present.  My oldest son is in recovery and I notice that he is still treated by some as if he is using.  The thing is, he has relapsed several times and may do so again, but I choose to see him as he is divinely created to be.  Do I forget sometimes?  I most certainly do; I forget to see myself that way sometimes.  However I am aware that there is another way of seeing. Over Thanksgiving I noticed some behavior that was very superficial but when I look into the hearts of the people and not listen to their words, I see the essence of who they are.  And who they are is generous and kind. 

We are so much more than we and other people think we are. I realize that seeing people as they can be, or I really prefer saying as they truly are and not the illusion they present, can be daunting for some.  We have all been hurt by trusting or "seeing the good" in people; we have hurt others as well.  There comes a time when we must understand that we are one and we all carry parts of ourselves and others to each person that we meet.  That time is now.  If each person would help someone else know and see his or her worth, and that person in turn does the same thing, we may not be on the brink of a world war.  Sure we have different cultures and beliefs but we are still one race; the human race.  May we allow ourselves to be seen and to see with the eyes of compassion and love?  May we honor the journey that we are each on separately and collectively? May we know a soul's worth and our own?

Until next Sunday,
Merry part and merry meet again, 
Blessed be!
Gypsi Mama Michelle

Richmond, VA

Merry Meet Friends!
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!

"...your life is not a puzzle to be solved but rather a journey to be lived.  You can rise above your mundane concerns and greet the profound with awe and admiration.  You can rest in the benevolence of the great unknown.  There are no mistakes, only lessons; whatever road you choose will eventually lead you home."
~Victor La Cerva, Worldwords


Funny How Time Slips Away...
Willie Nelson

"Well, hello there
My it's been a long, long time
How am I doin'?
Oh, I guess that I'm doin' fine
It's been so long now but it seems now
That it was only yesterday
Gee, ain't it funny how time slips away"

These are the words I heard when I knew I was going to start my blog posts again.  I didn't realize my last post was August.  Life has a way of getting in the way of your life sometimes.  Between working and moving, I've felt too tired to think about writing; but writing is a love of mine and I intend to do what I love.  So let's see, what has been happening?

Well, for starters, I fell again...this time on the treadmill.  I was jogging and I placed my hands at the top to steady myself and the next thing I knew, the speed was on 10.  It didn't occur to me to jump off.  It did occur to me to hit the stop button but I didn't want to lose the time and calorie count, sooo I just tried to lower the speed.  I forgot to mention that I didn't have lights on which meant I couldn't see.  As I'm jogging "faster than a speeding bullet", my hands slipped and I fell to one knee.  Then somehow, I was flat on my stomach with my feet extended past the edge.  I had a horrible bruise on my thigh and I tore the skin from the front of my ankle. It took several weeks for the sore to heal and I have a scar to remind me to: jog in light. not to place my hands at the top, and to not be concerned about losing time.  We can start over; lesson learned.

A few weeks ago I was going to the grocery store traveling down Leigh Street.  I had to pass an elementary school and school was being dismissed.  The school bus had the stop sign out to load the children.  There were two cars in front of me.  At first I had the usual reaction we humans have when a wrench is thrown in our plans but there was nothing I could do but wait.  While waiting the car in front of me backed up and made a left turn.  Before he was fully in the turn, the bus pulled off.  Had he waited he would have been down Leigh Street sooner than his turn around.  That incident caused me to think about life.  I thought about the way people give up right before the breakthrough.  No, we don't know when it's going to happen, but patience and perseverance wins.  We give up before we see the light at the end of the tunnel.  We stop our blessings.

Sometimes on this inward journey I get discouraged.  I'm not sure where I'm being led or I know the end result but I don't know how to get there.  I question myself and the decisions that I make or don't make.  I am on a quest for myself and I have been for some time.  I feel as if I don't know anything.  But according to the quote above, that's okay.  ...there are no mistakes, only lessons.  I will get there.  I just don't want to miss what's in front of me.  Sometimes we aren't aware that there is a lesson.  We are blind.  Lord, help me to see, really see!  

The Southeast Wise Woman Fall Conference was in October.  I attended last year as one of the workers.  I was doing the same thing this year but with an added bonus.  I was asked to do a workshop and was identified on the brochure as one of the teachers. I was excited and nervous at the same time.  My topic was: Embracing Our Natural Beauty.  This is a subject that's dear to me. The conference took place on the same weekend as that terrible storm.  I was nervous about driving in the mountains and I kept going back and forth as to whether or not to attend.  When a state of emergency was declared in NC, I chose not to attend.  I really do wish that I had braved the weather and gone anyway.  It was wet, muddy, damp and cold but those who were there, felt the energy that I experienced last year.  

Speaking at the conference would have jump started, what I believe is my purpose: empowering women.  I feel this was a missed opportunity but there's nothing stopping me from doing a workshop here in Richmond.  "Bloom where you're planted".  As I empower myself, I am able to use what I have learned and experienced to aid others.  Kifu Faruq, whom I met at the conference last year, is the woman who asked me to speak this year.  When I asked her why, she said it was because she heard my passion in May when we were together in NC and she also heard me say how I stop myself from going forward.  Once I committed, she felt I couldn't/wouldn't back out.  If not for the weather, I would not have; at least that's what I tell myself.

As I approach the Winter Solstice and my 65th birthday, my desire is to "be all that I can be".  If not now, when?  I wish to be the expression of God/Goddess/All That Is that I was created to be. Hopefully, this is the year that I will.

Until next Sunday,
Merry part and merry meet again, 
Blessed be,
Gypsi Mama Michelle