Extreme Unction

I am not preoccupied with death, but it would be true to say that I have a hyper sensitivity to mortality, meaning to the passing from the current. The reality is that everything changes form, but it does not mean an end to us, it means a new beginning: “…the caterpillar has the heart of a butterfly.”

 

InThe Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing, Caroline Myss writes of the parallels between the sacraments (Christian), the chakras (Hindu), and the Sefirots of the Jewish Kaballah. Growing up as a Protestant, reading her book was the first time I heard the term extreme unction, but I already knew the blessing of prayers for healing and anointing with oil.

Extreme unction today is associated most often the forgiveness of sins and preparation for physical death known commonly as “last rights.” In the Roman Catholic sacrament the anointing and blessing is of the organs of the five external senses (eyes, ears, nostrils, lips, hands), the feet, and, for men, the loins. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the sacrament is done by multiple (seven, five, or three) priests (when it is absolutely necessary it can be done by just one); anointing the forehead, chin, cheeks, hands, nostrils, and breast. You can certainly see why Myss associated the sacraments with the chakras.

The crown (seventh) chakra is located at the top of the head, and is the energy from which our physical manifestation is said to come. It is seen as eternal, having neither a beginning nor an ending, and is the expression of our devotion (as in to a deity or cause), prophecy, and inspiration.

Symbolically it represents the process of retrieving one's spirit from the various corners of one's life that still hold unfinished business. One calls one's spirit back in order to end this world and return to the spiritual dimension complete.

The sacred truth in the seventh chakra is Live in the Present Moment.  

(http://www.englishwordplay.com/myss1.html)

As I organize and pack, in preparation for leaving Pine Island next week, I will hold loving intention for this home on Skipper Lane (and Katey, its owner), the kitties I have visited (Sonny and Hector), the Eagles, the Tortoises, Grandmother Tree, and each of the people I have met. I will remember Dave, from Pine Island Cycles, who brought me an innertube at 9:30 on a Saturday night so I could ride bikes on Sunday with Linda Higbee, visiting from Michigan. I will remember Scott and Diane Lampitt, owners of Earth & Spirit Garden Gallery, where I held a book signing and workshop around Stories. I will especially hold intention for the other members of Pine Island Writers, each of whom have touched my heart.

On my rides, I will sprinkle blessings of loving intention along the bike path just as the priests sprinkle holy oil on the specific areas of the body. I will be mindful of calling my spirit back in order to leave this sacred place and return to Michigan complete.

Cotton Candy Sunset

Nature lets you create a cocoon of silence inside. 

 

In an interesting way, the “sounds” of nature are part of what I experience as “silence.” Today I am listening to the wind. I admit that I love the sound. I am sure there would be an upper limit, meaning I am not delusional to think I would enjoy the sounds of a hurricane. I also value being safe and comfortable inside. To me, Nature is an inside job. 

Last night I was treated to the most amazing cotton candy cloud formation. I don’t think I have ever seen anything just like it. I found myself (I love that phrase!) giddy watching the changing shapes and colors. One friend, humor author Sherri Conor, commented on my photo saying how cool it is that God never paints the same scene twice. Just like the sunsets, we are unique. 

This winter has been a delicious time of self-discovery for me. I have been intentional about that, accepting the healing from surgery to be about a lot more than just having had that tumor removed (along with all of my feminine plumbing). It is not so much what happens to us in life, but what we make out of that. I chose to make this a time to reconnect to my core, and Nature has been the avenue for my doing that. 

So what do you discover when you spend time with Nature in a cocoon of silence? You discover what you forgot: There are no accidents. Your life matters. You are loved. Life is worth living. There are myriad opportunities every moment to celebrate and be in joy.

Seeking nature's truth for your life through quiet appreciation

offers you an important view of your own life

as tied to Nature's support systems

and in turn to the spiritual support system of the Universe.

(Meredith L. Young-Sowers)

Angelic Messenger Cards: A Divination System for Self-Discovery

 

 

Sharing Ideas

"If you have a penny and I have a penny and we exchange pennies,

you still have one cent and I still have one cent.

But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange ideas,

you now have two ideas and I now have two ideas."
- Unknown

It is wonderful, isn’t it, how you can give a blessing and then you have more than you previously had. I was pondering this idea while I was bike riding here in South Florida. The ride truly presented some interesting ideas, so I will share some of them with you.

We saw a tiny carcass on the side of the road. I took a photo of it, unsure what it was. A Google search for baby mouse images brought up one that looked just like this one we found, so I know that it was a mouse.

A grave marker beside the road caught our eye. It marks the spot where a young woman died when her car plummeted into the canal. Her family is raising money (and awareness), working to get a guard rail installed. There have been five crashes at that exact location in just seven years, two of them resulting in fatalities due to drowning. 

As we were looking at a map, and the end of the bike lane, pondering whether to go on or turn around, a motorcyclist pulled over to the curb, hopped off his bike saying something about being stung on his leg. He unzipped his boot and a wasp flew out! It was mad as a hornet, and so was he! His comment was, “Too bad I did not get the satisfaction of killing the SOB!”

That got me thinking… so here is my “top five” list of things it is a miracle any of us survive:

1.    Sneezing. We know your heart stops.

2.    Anesthesia. We know your heart can stop during that, too.

3.    Airplanes. It can’t be natural for something as big as a house to fly.

4.    Slides. Why do they let a toddler climb to the top of an eight foot ladder?

5.    Birth. How does a 7-10 pound baby get out of there alive?

Regardless, of why else, we survive because the highway of life is Miracle Parkway. Give thanks today… and every day!