"A Rose By Any Other Name..."

The power of words. This quote from the play" Romeo and Juliet" was written 400 years ago. It is still quoted today for how powerful it is. These were words that Juliet said when confronted by the fact that because Romeo was a Montegue, she should shun him and her love for him. His name mattered not to her, what mattered was the love they felt for one another. "A rose by any other name  would smell as sweet". What infinite wisdom did this young woman have. She knew that a word/name had no meaning to the power of Love. She was willing to die for her Love. Imagine having that much faith today.

I relate this to my faith. My long search for meaning. I have been a traveler for truth. I have always known I was guided. I have always known there was a power greater than myself. I have known It to be named God, Goddess, Spirit, Universe, Buddha, Allah, Hu, Angels, Jesus, Yahweh, Creator, the Divine, Father, Mind, Soul, Life, Grace and more. God, by any other name, is still God. A Power beyond ourselves.I care not which one is used. I am open to that Voice inside me now.

We are guided. He is the tiny voice inside us that says, 'Yes' when we are unsure. She is who affirms our right decisions with a swish of sweet feeling in our hearts. He is who we called to in those events when we think we cannot take another moment and we cry out His name and ask for help. And are answered. If only we would ask more often and sooner and avoid unneeded  fear, sadness and pain. 

In the depths of sadness after my Mother passed, in the middle of a snowstorm with my heart filled to the blink with confusion, fear, sadness, resentment, blame, anger, I stepped out into the storm and raged. I cried, I screamed, I asked the universal question , "WHY?!?!?" until I had no more in me and I asked for help. "God, help me", I said, "please help me, I cannot do this anymore, I cannot go on this way, with this burden of unhappiness and misunderstanding. Help me, please God". I walked inside, I took off my clothes and I went to bed. I slept as though I'd been through a storm and I woke cleansed. I felt that a great weight had been lifted and that I was finally seeing Light in my darkness. Within the week, I was introduced to the opportunity to begin The Course in Miracles. She'd heard my prayer.

Maybe I have told this story before. It is important in so many ways. Miracles happen. We have to be open to them. If we carry the burdens of the past along with us everyday, we are blocking all the possibilities today. We can say the words, we can remind ourselves of the past  to pretend that we are getting the Now, but, ultimately, to be healed and whole we must let go. I had to let go of the grief, the misunderstanding, and see past the behavior to the true essence of the Love in all of us. At first, it took tiny steps. Looking at small grievances and looking for understanding there. Trying to see each situation through someone else's eyes. How would my mom look at this? How would a friend advise me on this? How would Goddess want me to see this? What if how I was looking at it was wrong?

There is a purity that came from this time in my life, what I call my three years of grief and growth. The studying of The Course in Miracles brought understanding. The connecting to the Divine through prayer, contemplation, study and yoga were the steps. The re-examination of past events and finding the Grace in them, showed me what I missed by being attached to the meanings I gave them. And then forgiving myself or the others and moving on. I would ask myself, "why should I forgive them?????' and the answer would come. "Because it is time, the weight has been much to bear and it no longer serves." It reminds me of the fabulous pictures of the people of India releasing the flower and candle bouquets to the Ganges River. Or blowing a Dandelion to the wind. Or writing a letter and then burning it and burying the ashes, like old lovers, in the yard. Creating ceremony for the past and letting it go so I can make room for a more peaceful approach to my Life. 

Roses are in bloom here. I smell them and find the small differences in their scent. I see the beauty and light in them as part of God's plan for salvation and peace. I stay away from that which does not serve the greater good. I pray for the children. I pray for Love to overtake those in need. I send Light and Love to everyone who reads this blog. And to the million of women who walked their talk in Washington in funny pink hats! God Bless!!