Water Dove

I wish I knew who to give credit to for this beautiful print. I keep it on the wall above my altar as well as the screen of my phone. 

The concept of pouring fresh water - positive outcomes - out onto the planet in times of struggle with life situations and tragedies gives me something to focus on other than what is actually happening. 

She is magical, powerful, confident, peaceful, and compassionate... all the attributes that make me feel safe. 

She is bigger than any problem the planet and I might be facing.

She represents hope.

It's been especially difficult hearing recent news that one friend's husband passed away and another friend's daughter passed away. In past years, an acquaintance's daughter passed away, a woman I used to work with passed away, a neighbor's husband and son passed away. While I believe they are not gone, just in another dimension, I am affected by the grief of those left behind.

Do you have an altar? I do. It's especially helpful in dealing with the above circumstances. I have a shelf in my bedroom with various artifacts that represent my beliefs. I don't practice a particular religion. I think I made one up of my own that includes bits and pieces of all of them. Some artifacts, photos, and written words represent dreams, healing, a photo of my 5-year-old self (who sometimes needs extra love and attention), my spirit animals, and images that represent my spirit guides. 

I keep a small vessel of water for them to drink when they are thirsty... and the water often disappears, especially after I request healing and assistance for the people I care about. 

And I am surrounded by books that provide comfort.

Last month, I read The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe. He and his mother both love books. While she is getting chemo treatments for cancer, even though she doesn't have long to live, he sits with her while they discuss the books they are each reading. I can't imagine reading as many books as they did, but now I include, "What book(s) are you reading?" in conversations.

I recently finished reading Soul Mind Body Medicine by Dr. Zhi Gang Sha. He stresses the need to heal the soul first which will then heal the mind and the body. The book is loaded with brief prayers and chants for just about everything, right down to the individual cells of our bodies. I put a sticky note on the front of my mobility scooter that says, "Thank you for unconditional, universal service." I've been thanking everything I come in contact with this way. This is a book that requires more than a one-time read-through. 

The content of this book adds to all the other healing modalities I've been learning over the years. I caught myself wondering out of all the different healing programs I've participated in, which one do I focus on? But the answer I got was to focus on one tiny particle at a time until it is assimilated. Then tackle another one. Trust my intuition in each case because each case will require something different.

I open some books to a random page to see what I find. One of these books is Lead Me, Holy Spirit by Stormie Omartian. The word synchronicity comes to mind as I see the same words in multiple books that relate to what I am thinking about. 

I am just about done reading Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness by Dr. Fred Luskin. The words renting space in your mind to one or more grievances hit home. Luskin teaches a course in forgiving that focuses on gratitude, love, and appreciation of nature. 

I've written about how much I like the knob on the door of Howl's Moving Castle. When I don't like what I'm thinking about, turn the knob. Luskin teaches a similar concept as channels on a TV. Are you watching the grievance channel or a story about a heroic act of kindness? Are you blaming someone else for your inability to be peaceful and happy? Are you renting space in your mind to unenforceable rules?

This morning, I also opened Thriving as an Empath and found, "Everybody deserves the dignity of their own path. I will respect someone's healing process without trying to fix them." Good message for me. I want to fix everyone.

In the theme of reading a little out of several different books, I am also working my way through The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore by Alan Cohen. I opened it up to the next chapter one morning after reading from another book. It just happened to be on forgiveness.

In the meantime, the words that came through my fingers as I wrote My Quest for Healing still demand my attention. I seem to have amnesia about what I wrote. Each time I read it again, it is as if I am reading it for the first time. 

Perhaps I rent too much space in my mind for all the words to all the books I read.

I'm still not sure where all this education is leading me... I just feel like it IS leading me somewhere. I will be starting another series on healing in two months - not sure what it is yet.

Mysteries.

The other night I saw flickering lights in my peripheral vision. I was told to pay attention when I notice them - that these are spirit guides. The following night, just as I closed my eyes to go to sleep, the back porch light came on. It was so bright, I saw it through my closed eyelids. I got up and turned it off. I wonder if it was related to the friend who just lost her daughter. Many years ago, at about 9 in the evening, a large round mirror that was hanging on my bedroom wall crashed to the floor and shattered. I found out the next day that my son had been mugged in a parking lot at the time the mirror fell. They just took his walkman and left him unharmed. I wish my friend's daughter was left unharmed.

Water Dove, let's pour out peace over all those who are grieving.

Let's replenish the earth with resources.

Let's replenish the atmosphere.

Let's have a peaceful night's sleep.

---

January 14. Update. This morning, I opened Forgive for Good to Chapter 10. Then I opened The Dragon Doesn't Life Here Anymore to The Way Out. Same message. Perhaps you can get both of these books to read side by side.