Trust, Flow, Love, Be

By Hedy Minten, Retreat Attendee & Circle Member

~ Surrender, photo by Hedy Minten

In our Spirit Canoe, we sit, ready to embark. The river winds ahead. Large, smooth, dark boulders sit like calm shadows, ancient guardians to guide and protect us. Tall, evergreen trees stand sentinel behind them, alive and dancing in their quiet stillness, whispering sounds of encouragement. The waters are calm…as calm as glass, beckoning us lovingly to glide with trust, with ease, to allow and to be. As we gently lean over the edge of the canoe, we see the reflection of a wolf in the water, reminding us to bow low with humility, to honour one another and work as a team together.

Trust, Flow, Love, Be. We dip our paddles into the still waters and enter this winding water pathway. We Trust. We paddle as light-filled beings, as our truest, highest divine selves. We live our magnificent dream: we Flow, filled with joyful light that radiates outwards from our smiling faces. The water ripples outwards from our paddles, sending vibrations of love and light to our stone guardians, outward to the moss-covered earth, deep into the root-woven earth, upwards into the trunks of the trees, outward from the leaves, sending vibrations into the air, shaping cloud forms into messages of deepening love, messages that fall as mists to hold us in divine embrace. A never ending circle of Love given and Love received.

Whatever comes now, we have been given all we need to see clearly, to face it with strength, courage. We are safe. We can allow ourselves to receive and to then Be.

In Deepak Chopra and Oprah’s current 21 Day Meditation Challenge, “Desire and Destiny,” Oprah says, “When we accept who we are, just as we are, with trust in the power of source energy, we take an essential step along the journey to aligning with our true purpose and destiny.  So here’s another thing I know for sure…uncertainty is certain. Embracing and flowing with that uncertainty is an essential part of the path to freedom, to peace, to love and abundance in our lives.  And it takes courage to surrender, to trust in divine timing, to be in your own flow.  It takes faith and belief to open up and access that which is our deepest truth.  But, when we allow the force of the universe to step in, we access a level of love, strength and abundance that comes from the very capital S source of our being.  Let go to life as it is at any moment, and have faith that no matter what, you will be all right.” 

Two weeks ago, I was kayaking alone on Sharbot Lake. I was floating in stillness, watching a beautiful heron, when I felt something move against my feet. It was a large common garter snake. I have never felt afraid of snakes and as a child I often hiked among rattlesnakes on Rattlesnake Point, but to have one captive with me in my very narrow-fitting kayak was not something I had ever experienced, and suddenly I felt afraid. I instinctively moved my feet away from the snake and closer to my body, pulling my knees towards my chest. Well, the snake then slithered closer to rest on the seat under my legs! I was a 10-15 minute kayak away from the cottage and could only think that I needed to get back and have someone pull me out so as not to alarm the snake. All the way, I felt my fear, talked to myself, telling myself to stay calm, stay focused and sending love to that snake, asking it not to bite me. I had to look fear in the face and trust that it wouldn’t bite me. When I arrived at the cottage, I called my husband to pull me out and as he did so, the snake leapt out along my arm and out into the water. It had not bitten me.

After sharing my snake encounter with a dear friend, she shared with me a Pacific Northwest Coast indigenous teaching about a two-headed mythological snake creature called, The Sisiutl (Si’sEyuL). A picture of this creature hangs in her home.  She told me that when both heads of The Sisiutl look at one another, it is a metaphor for “looking at fear in the face,” and that when one is able to do this, they are rewarded with great blessings.

***

Home Practice: In Search of a Doorway to Spirit Through Visualization

Imagining through visualization can be a powerful vehicle through which we can begin to find a doorway to Spirit.

Listen to song, “Trust” by Hedy: https://soundcloud.com/user-330150118/trust-songmp3_

Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit or lie down. Close your eyes. Focus your attention on your breathing as you inhale and exhale naturally. Now, bring your attention to your heart and feel its rhythm…this internal drum beat that you carry with you.

Now, imagine yourself paddling along a river in our Spirit Canoe…

As you paddle along, observe the time of day, what is above you, what lies beside you, what lies beneath you, what natural elements now surround you, and what creatures appear or enter this space as you glide along.

Suddenly, you find yourself arriving in a place, a space that you notice is sacred and one that you feel deeply connected to.  Feel yourself connecting to this beautiful place through a loving heart that is filled with gratitude for receiving you. As you float on the water in this sacred place, stop paddling and allow the river to hold you in its embrace. Through your loving heart, offer gratitude for being guided to this magnificent place. Feel your love radiating outward from yourself and being received.

Ask yourself,

• Where might I need courage to look fear in the face and surrender?
• Where might I need Faith to Trust that I will be all right?
• Where might I need to allow myself to embrace uncertainty and Flow towards deepest truth, allowing the force of the universe to open me to both give and receive the divine Love that comes as a result?

Wait and listen…What do you hear? Look…what do you see? What do you smell and taste? What do you feel? What message is Spirit sharing with you?

Before leaving your journey, in your own way, express gratitude for all that you have received.

If you feel called, express your experience through a journal entry, a drawing, a song, a poem, a movement or a dance.

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