Unexpected Guests

This being human is a guest house.Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes As an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. -Rumi

I read this lesson from Rumi and cannot help but think about how many times in my life I have NOT been the welcoming hostess of the unexpected visitor of life. Over time, I have though. Even when I cringe for a moment at the door looking into the face of what I know will be a trying visit, a test of my graciousness, and a strain on my nerves. I have gotten better at welcoming the unexpected, the burdensome and the tiring. Yet, I have learned so much from their visits.

In life, not every guest is a pleasant vibrant experience. Not every occurrence is filled with joy, laughter and delight. Some are of pain, loss and disappointment. Some stretch us to grow outside of our comfort zone. Some require us to let go and release and we make room where we thought we were not ready to. Some of us cause us to act in faith and take calculated risks that require so much intention and effort.

But these “guests” help us grow. They allow us to lean into who our authentic self is. They cause us to stop and reflect on our truth and walk in it. They are the guests who sometimes push our buttons and we want to bury our head under the covers when we know they are near.

And yet, when they have departed and we sit and pause and assess the visit, we realize that they are some of the most important guests we have. Our life is richer for them. Our souls have expanded because of them. Our hearts are fuller and able to give more than we ever thought possible after their visit. Beauty of what they represent is now visible. Our momentary blindness of all they offered is gone and our perception has evolved. We are not the same person since their arrival; we are more of who are meant to be. We have a new depth to our essence that was not there at one time.

This is not to say our humanness will flinch at times when they knock on our door. They rarely call in advance so we are often caught off guard. But, as it so happens, there arrival is ALWAYS timely and we are ALWAYS ready for their visit. It is just so. Enough of these visits have caused me to gently welcome them. I have learned to look to them as informed visitors who shall inspire me at some point in time of their stay. I just need to remain open, as the loving and receptive hostess. I just need to be considerate of the opportunity. I just need to be compassionate with myself and allow the visit to unfold and listen closely for the beauty whispered in the stay.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

A Coat of Scars and Wounds

Some people wear their wounds and scars for the world to see. The recognition of their pain seems to serve as a justification to them for remaining stuck. They wear their hurt; publicly on display, sharing the story again and again. They relive the sorrow, the wrong doings, the hurtful words, the angst and disappointment for all those who are present to witness. They don’t choose to let go, to move forward, to forgive, or release. Instead, they tend and nurture the pain, in this odd cyclical sort of way, only to be disappointed in the life that they are living. It makes you wonder doesn’t it? How it would be for them if they could see the beauty in their pain? They cannot see the possible miraculous gift being given to them to step into the pain, witness how it flows through them, where it lands, what it says, how it burns and what it needs. If they were only willing to take the risk of looking at it from this perspective, then perhaps they would be able to shed it, like a layer of skin, to reveal the luminescence beneath of fresh and soft vulnerable newness. A newness that is supple and able to be a bit more resilient and glows with a glisten of inner truth and wisdom that has been gained.

Baring themselves this way, we know is not easy, and for some, they believe it to be impossible. They cling to every excuse and reason to stay shrouded in their pain. They hold onto it like a long favored article of clothing that brings them comfort and memories. Only in this case the comfort comes from not being willing to be uncomfortable for a period of time to discover the potential of what is waiting for them. The comfort is in the familiar. The comfort is in the unwillingness to change and to take the risk to move forward into a place of unknown. And the memories, even those that are sad and lonely, bring a sense of safety that they cling to.

Can you shed the wounds like an old coat that no longer fits you? Because it really doesn’t fit any longer. You are ready to be dressed in your vibrancy, not your old and tattered. Are you ready for the vulnerability of the newness and unfamiliar? Let go of the story, the wound and the pain. Step away from the drama and winding tales. Move into the softness of what can be, the release for the expansion of possibilities, and find just how resilient you are and watch your vibrant truth and authentic beauty radiate out. This style suits you so much better!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

The Shift

I have ordered for years a calendar that is filled with poetry and art by women of vision and spirit. I keep these long after the year has passed because I cannot part with them. I reflect on the poetry and the images often, they inspire me and bring me great joy. Today, I came across this poem. Time and time again, it seems as though my spirit is directed to the just right image or poem as it fits so perfectly in alignment with what the day or the unfolding possibilities of my life are. And so I share with you today. "I am dreaming back my sisters Whisper-worn footfalls on the Temple steps Skywalkers Storm dwellers Heavy-breasted cauldron keepers Songweavers Snake sisters Darkmoon dancers

Labyrinth builders Star bridgers Fiery-eyed dragon-ryders Wind seekers Shape shifters Corn daughters

Wolf women Earth stewards Gentle-handed womb sounders Dream spinners Flame keepers Moon birthers

Come home sisters, come home"

~Marie Elena Gaspari

I am ever so stimulated with the work that is transforming around me, with the women that I am blessed to be working with, and with the call to service that the Universe has placed before me! I am woven into a tapestry of beauty. My essence is moving the clouds in the sky and swirling among the stars. My purpose is to continue moving forward into the new way of Being that has begun. I join with others being called. Together, we are all of the above; dream spinners, shape shifters, sky walkers, waysayers and more. And the perceptions of old will burn away with the ash and the new perspectives of beauty will shine brightly in our souls. The healing will transform what once was into what is needed now. And the world will respond to the shift.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

Wild Woman

Born a female in today’s society can mean many things to many women. For some it is a very dangerous first breath. For others it is the long exhale of holding back and not being free; being restricted, being secluded, being beaten, and being lost. For some it is a place of power, of connection, of privilege and great gains of freedom for the present and the future. Being a woman in today’s society, I look to my role with a sense of wonder, honor, and possibilities. I look to my ancestors for their wisdom. I look in my heart for compassion. I look to my peers for support. I look to my global sisters for connection. I look to the earth for Her calling.

It is there that I find much of my sustenance to carry forward my acts of service. I am privileged, I am free, I am powerful, and I am full and ready to shake things up. I am ready to be graceful and of peace. I am ready to dance and chant and sing and rage. I am ready to lie still and be listening, to be open and receive, and to pause and wait. I am ready.

From the great author, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, "Within every woman there is a wild and natural creature, a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. Her name is Wild Woman, but she is an endangered species. Though the gifts of the wildish nature come to us at birth, society's attempt to "civilize" us into rigid roles has plundered this treasure, and muffled the deep, life-giving messages of our own souls. Without Wild Woman, we become over-domesticated, fearful, uncreative, trapped."

I am a Wild Woman who is ready to take on the role of continuance of what needs to be carried forward, the role of releaser of what needs to be left behind, the role of receiver of what is yet to come and the role of being in the moment – for being in the now is where we all need to be to be present to the energies.

The Wild Woman can be in us all. Even if our actions are restricted, she can live in our hearts and souls. Even if we are forbidden, she can dance in our minds. Even if we are lost, she can lead us back. The Wild Woman is a force of her own, she knows when to roar and when to whisper, she knows when to leap and when to be still and she is ready to birth within us the remembrance of who we truly are. She brings our beauty to life and she awakens our inner light. She grounds us when we feel as though we are to be blown away. She cools us when our fire is too hot. Wild Woman reminds us of our connection to all energies of the Universe. She resides within us waiting for our moment of recognition. Once that occurs, there is no forgetting!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade