My Spiritual Life

It's no surprise that I'm drawn to a spiritual life. I'm the daughter of a scientist/modern day theologian and a stay at home mother of five (can't get much more sacred than a life lived with children). I was raised amidst a large (no, huge) extended Catholic family and attended catholic school and church on weekends until my rebellious teens. Years later, I returned to teach in the primary school which was my own along with other fellow students who also became fellow teachers. I taught alongside some of the teachers that taught my siblings and myself and my Dad continues to play music in the same church I sang at as a young girl. Yet a Catholic I would call myself not. Despite all the familiar faces in all of the schools I taught at, bringing some degree of a sense of connection, I guess my spiritual calling has taken me much farther afield. I would now call my own spiritual journey a colourful and eclectic one. My mind is open, along with my heart. I like to explore and experience. It's not that I'm trying to find that one approach that fits, more that I have come to appreciate a variety of sacred viewpoints. I am learning that for me, it feels right to take what I need and appreciate from a range of sources, practices and ritual. I am learning that I can listen to my Inner voice and be led by that. I am thus in liquid process of an evolving faith. Where I find myself taken on this journey is to places of sacred comfort and unconditional love and kindness.

Inclusiveness has something to do with it too. I am a big believer in the idea that across all faiths and in all the searching hearts of this world, there remains one solid need. I sense one massive beating heart - a pulsing of the whole world's yearning for inner peace and contentment. And in answer to that call exists One, constant and true, pure source of LOVE. I believe that no matter how great our call for love, that there is always enough for us all - if only we can each find it. I think that's why I believe the relationship a mother has with her children is so divine, so spiritual in and of itself. A child's love for her/his mother is probably the closest tangible (in a physical life sense) thing to a relationship with our God/Goddess/Divine/Creator/Source/Spirit/Universe or whomever or whatever we would like to engage with. A child NEEDS this love. We all need it. How it may look and feel like - how it indeed manifests for each of us is unique, but in my mind, we're very much the same in this need for unconditional love.

So love truly felt (in all its lushness, surprise, excitement, fulfillment) and spiritual contentment are for me, one in the same thing. So with this in mind, I'm going to resist the urge to get frustrated at not getting enough "me time" or not being able to achieve something greater than what I can accomplish, and go and enjoy the rest of my weekend - caring for my sick five year old, nurturing my littlest one and lavishing my husband with random acts of kindness and LOVE with as much of myself as I can muster. And I *know* that it comes back to me reflected in the most perfect way. Of course, I also note that I have taken enough time for myself to come and reflect here too on why it is I do what I do; to take a breather; to do what I love; to write and to freely ponder my spiritual life on the go! Don't need church for that.

Essence

Last night we held another of our sacred women's circles.

It was a chance for us to explore a lovely story by Jane Ray called The Apple Pip Princess (Orchard Books). It is a story about three princesses in their pursuit to become the next monarch of an ailing kingdom by doing something special to please their father, the old king. One princess chooses to build a grand tower, from which she can almost reach the moon.... the second tries to better her sister's efforts by building a more beautiful tower from all the shining metal in the kingdom. The third princess, Serenity in all her feelings of inadequacy plants a tiny apple pip. Using contents from a magical box which she inherited from her queen mother, she day by day, took a special essence or elemental, earthy ingredient to add to her budding garden. In her quest to plant, dig and nourish the barren land, she is joined by all the folk from their tumbledown cottages and by the end of the seventh day, her father chooses her to rule the kingdom, for her tiny buds had magically been transformed into a blossoming sanctuary filled with trees and birdsong for the whole kingdom to share in and enjoy.

After our story we tuned in to ourselves and moved and stretched in some gentle yoga. With our focus on the life energy coursing through our bodies, we were able to visualise through meditation, an essence which fills and nourishes ourselves personally. For one it was the lightness of a feather, for another, the calm energy of the forest, another participant chose the nightingale's song, another the sunlit ocean with wind in her sails, and another, pink love-filled light.

Later we had an opportunity to talk about our chosen essence while we sculpted some clay into a vessel..... It was enlightening to explore through conversation with eachother, what was unfolding for us in the clay and in our attunement to ourselves and to eachother. This is what companioning through creative arts therapy is all about. It is the chance to grow our ability to be present in a way which we don't always ask of ourselves...... to learn more about ourselves..... through our creative expression and through the responses and experiences we share with eachother.

I'd like to share with you the song which came to me for this circle which we sang at our circle's closing last night.... enjoy.

Essence

There's a place inside my heart

Where glows a sacred light

Through my lens of love

It grows and fills my sight

Here understanding blossoms

Wisdom pools and overflows

My knowingness is openness

My struggle fades and goes

Essence of my nurture

My prayer is to be steeped

Infuse me with all that I need

To walk the path of Peace.

By Melissa Joss 9/1/10

Networks of grace

Recently I received an email through a subscription that I must have signed up for at some point from a man called Andrew Harvey. He has written a book called The Hope A Guide To Sacred Activism (Hay House). It was a book that I felt compelled to buy and read, but didn't.... cos I was in the middle of another email subscription lead .... but that's another post.

Anyway, this email has sent me on a journey over the internet researching into Harvey and I found his recent talk in Copenhagen. His passion and emergency in his speech is overwhelming. Click here to view the speech.

Here are two excerpts from his book which were cited at P2P Foundation

This work is positively INSPIRING!!!!!!!

I know that so many of you out there are conscious beings, with a heart felt concern about the shape our planet is in... and our future....

But what are we really all doing about it? In our own way, perhaps we are all trying to do little bits.... raising our children to be stewards of the earth, to care for each other, making homemade goodies, recycling, reusing, watching our consumption and keeping our footprint a little lighter each day.... the list goes on. But are we really doing as much as we can? Is there stuff we can do together that would make a significantly greater difference than trying to do lots of little bits on our own?

Harvey's vision for success for our future, is activated at the grass roots level.... in small community groups who support eachother in our conscious efforts. I do feel since moving here on the coast that the amazing people in our community are doing this already in so many ways. Maybe though it's time to shift up a gear and grow our sacred activism....so that we may live towards a better world for us all. Maybe 2010 is our year to initiate a more fully conscious, creative network of grace!

Like to join me? If you do, please email me! or leave a comment here and I'll get back to you.

melissa(at)myshatherapy(dot)com

Ego and Soul

After our last women's circle, I am left in awe once again of the experience and of the company I am blessed with ..........the beautiful watery theme of our evening, the impeccably told story, the accompaniment of soulful songs and candlelight, creative exploration through silk painting and the shared sacredness of brave, beautiful women bearing their Inner Truths....together.

Without going into detail of the night's events, I would just like to honour one moment, one experience which stays with me still. It resonates with me. It holds significance to me. Gratitude fills my soul as I allow one of our beloved women's sharing to penetrate my human Being. I'd like to share with you my reflection...

The ego depicted...

striking painted lines of direction

like driven arrows,

ascending way up,

as high as a mountain.

Reminding me

of all my little struggles.

How tired I am !

of climbing

the ladder towards perfection.

Can I for a moment

find a new perspective?

Allow the warmth,

the sun of my soul

to shine on me

....wherever I am?

A New Circle

The next MYSHA Women's Circle will be held monthly in Nerang.

Commencing Monday 12th October.

Leading this new circle with me, from Lavendilly House is

Jennifer McCormack.

Jen is an extremely gifted mama, teacher, artist, and celebrant! Jen will bring her passion for storytelling, sacred ceremony and ritual pampering expertise which will meld with our Meditation Yoga and Self Healing Arts magnificently!

At her new blog http://www.lavendilly.wordpress.com/ Jennifer writes:

I am very excited about our circle – there will be singing, ritual pampering, storytelling and an exploration of a variety of artistic modes through which we will process our experience of the story.
There will be peace, healing, shared wisdoms and creativity to take back home with us into our daily lives until the next circle.

If you'd like one of the candles in the circle to be yours this time, email us to reserve your spot!

MYSHA Women's Circle

For the past nine weeks now we have been leaving behind our busy lives, just for one blissful night in the week..... to join together in circle, celebrating our very nature, our sacred feminine, our lives, ....and each other.

Around our cermonial circle of muslin white and silky blue, adorned in blossoms, we have lit our candles and brought light to the sacred within ourselves and between ourselves. We arranged our yoga mats around the circle so that our energy balled like a sphere of feminine light and shade... and we have gently woven a scaffold together... working toward balance. We warmed, soothed and stretched our spirits and our bodies with the beautiful art of Yoga, enriched and nurtured our hearts and souls with creative expression through clay, pastels, charcoal, paint, movement, collage, body sculpture and more.... And we shared.

We have shared with eachother some of our deep feelings and sensings as we described our experience with the artful materials. We have dipped our toes into this multimodal world of creative possibilities and been invited to go deeper through our Inner Wisdom...

....to flesh out and to make sense of our daily lives through the arts, while massaging our ability to be present to the emergent tellings from within and between ourselves.

I only wish I had taken more photos of the beautiful and inspiring work of these beautiful MYSHA women!

And soon it will be time to close our circle and put out invitation to those who will form the next.

Om Shanti