From The Darkness

From the author Joseph Campbell, from Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living: The dark night of the soul comes just before revelation.

When everything is lost, and all seems darkness, then comes the new life and all that is needed.

I have been with many souls of late who have suffered and still are suffering. They feel lost, they feel as though there is no hope, they feel heavy hearted, weakened bodied and weary minded. They barely are able to hold on, yet they do. They hold on. Somewhere within, their soul knows that this pain will pass, this challenge will be overcome, this heartache will heal and they will move forward.

When we are at these dark places all often seems lost. We turn to others to lean on, to cry to, to vent our frustration to and to be held. It is in this holding, this offering of compassion and tenderness that we find respite. We are able to pause long enough to catch our breath and reassess, to regroup our efforts, to rethink our tactic or to simply just be.

When the soul cannot hold itself in this place, the shaman is of value. She can step into the realms of the energies and she can create the pause, the assessment, the regrouping and reconnecting of what is lost or hidden. She can hold with compassion and tenderness the wounded soul and help it heal. She can bring the guides to the place of need and find the ways to correct what has been broken.

And then with time, the process slowly ebbs its way throughout the entire being of the human form and the spiritual and humanness unite again in a glory of wholeness and wellness. Then the soul can be in a state of expansion and lightness. The beauty and possibilities return to life. The revelations of what was meant to be become known. The stability of groundedness is found. The new life of what is meant to be is born and transformation slowly unfurl itself to the wonder of us all!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

My Valentine

In honor of Valentines Day I have decided to write a love letter to myself. As intimate as this can be, I will share with you in hopes that it inspires you to share a gift of self-love with yourself. Dearest Self,

You are a beautiful and loving soul. You bring so much joy into the lives of others and are an amazing friend. You listen with your heart and give your time to others compassionately. You have grown to trust your intuition and it is appreciated by those you love, as they often come to you for advice and support. They have learned that you give this advice with their best in mind, not for selfish or self-serving reasons.

You are a huge support to the honoring of your body temple. You choose healthy and clean options to fuel your body, you move and exercise in ways that promote your health and keep you energies flowing. You model for your family that this is an important part of being healthy. This means that you will be around to love them and play with them for a long and healthy life. And your choices help in protecting the environment too!

I love that you are such beautiful human being and so kind to all creatures, to the earth, to your peers and fellow beings. I love that you inspire others with positivity and happiness. I love that you understand the importance of self-care and celebration. You are doing a pretty good job at being your spiritual self in that human body of yours.

Your spiritual practices and expressions are my favorite fibers of your being. You walk the world with good intentions and with grace. Even when you are having one of those days, you bounce back quickly and you don’t beat yourself up over it! Thank you. Happy Valentines Day, and know that I truly love who you are and who you are becoming!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

Visionaries of Now

"Today, the reason we haven't found our grail, the key to who we are as women, is because we look for it in worlds of false power, the very worlds that took it away from us in the first place. Neither men nor work can restore our lost scepter. Nothing in this world can take us home. Only the radar in our hearts can do that, and when it does, ... 'We will light up like lamps, and the world will never be the same again.' "~Marianne Williamson Our key lies in our ability to walk in grace as women; confident in our presence, aware that our essence heals, knowing that our wisdom comes from within - not from outside, and that our souls carry the vibration of the worlds, all the worlds and we can call forth the birthing of what this world needs now. We are ready to be of service with our gifts and callings!

Our power as women burns in every ember, it flows through the waters of the land, it is shed in the tears of the weary and we know this, we know this. It is time for us as women to take the stand that it is our time to be no longer the shrinking violet, to be no longer the suit clad woman of business jockeying her way through the corporations…they don’t deserve us! We claim our right to our seeds of this earth, to the right to get dirty and be strong, the right to be beautiful by standards of truth, not impossibilities and to breathe life back into the dreams of our children and the lessons of our ancestors.

We have not forgotten, we have not lost sight of and we have not stopped dancing. We drum with the rainstorms, we rage with the thunder, we listen in the silence of the falling snow, and we sweat in the heat of the sun. We remember. We have not forgotten. And we will not back down, be moved, step away or crawl from. No. We only know how to stride forward, pause to listen, hold with grace, embrace with might and push with intention. We no longer look to false power or imitation hopes. We know the darkness, we embrace the shadows, and we have made friends with the night and its energies and made them our own.

When one knows the darkness this well, then the light is ever ready. The fires burn bright in the heart of every woman and she is ready, ready to blaze the path that connects the worlds of all, to inspire those who struggle and to be the presence needed for the change to begin. We are ready. We are ready to model for those who are still learning. We are ready to be the teachers, the healers, the midwives, the shamans, the dancers, the poets, and the visionaries of now.

Blessings ~ Lisa ©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

Soul Story

“I hope you will go out and let stories happen to you, and that you will work them, water them with your blood and tears and you laughter till they bloom, till you yourself burst into bloom.” -Clarissa Pinkola Estes We all have our stories in life. Some of them serve us well. They empower us, they soften our hard edges, they warm our inner fires, they support our truths or they inspire our passions. We shine brighter for some of these stories. We walk in the role we have been cast with pride and certainty and conviction of what we believe and stand for. Our stories sometimes encourage our bravery. There are times when our story models for others and weaves lives together. A bond is formed when the chapters overlap or the sentences complete each other. We find companionship and fellowship in the union of our stories.

But there are those times when our stories do not serve us well. They become tired and worn out. They are the dried-up excuses that even we no longer believe, but still attempt to use. They become shrouded in fear and our freedom is sacrificed. They hinder our growth and stop us in our tracks, unable to move forward and continually looking back. Some stories get retold and retold so that we lose sight of what our reality is and we play in a role we have type cast ourselves in. Some stores we tell create boundaries between others and us so that we do not have to face resolution, acceptance or disappointment.

The shaman’s role in story telling is to go in between the worlds of our reality and our stories. She finds the wounded part of our being that lies behind this story. She awakens the sleeping part of our soul that has become disconnected and left behind. She heals the suffering parts of our soul that cannot receive our hearts balm of love and compassion because the essence of the story feels impenetrable. The shaman crosses between the worlds through journeys and the help of guides and spirits to recover, return, heal and connect what the story may have affected.

Our soul brings the light to our life; it does not want to hide in dimness. Our soul brings passion to our days; it does not support apathy. Our soul celebrates in joy and strength, it does not quicken in pain or fear. Our soul, when well tended to, is a source for us to tap into, to inspire us, to empower us and to share with others the love and beauty we hold within. Our soul story holds so many possibilities for us. And not one is too small or too full; all possibilities are waiting for us to explore. Be aware of your story and its effect upon your day. Does it serve you?

Blessings ~ Lisa ©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade