God Is I Am

Many religions teach that we are made with a soul that has been given to us by God. That soul is the part of us that has been made in God’s image. Spiritually that means to me, I am a Soul/Spirit having a human incarnation. My soul has always been, will exist for infinity and can never be destroyed. It is the part of me/us that has eternal life. My body will decay and turn to dust once my soul extricates this mortal vessel.

We read in the literature, the weight of the body decreases by one ounce or less after death. I have been at the bedside of many people at their death, repeatedly I felt the warmth of the soul when it leaves the body. Sometimes that energy stays in the room as it comforts the people it so dearly loved. Then I feel that warmth leave, and the temperature in the room goes from warm and comforting to cool and vacant. Each time this happens I have felt an overwhelming blessing to be there to aid in the transition.
In the book, The Extricated Soul, I refer to souls as dark souls and white souls. The white soul is recognized by the ego and consciousness of the human it dwells within, as the higher self, the soul or spirit. The ego aligns itself with the soul.

While many people may not consider themselves spiritual or even believe in God, they may sense there is something bigger than themselves. They live to a moral code and listen to that higher self that guides them. In other humans, there is a strong spiritual sense of living their life from a place of love, compassion, joy, forgiveness and truth to name a few of the divine qualities. The white soul is a “wise old soul”, we often refer to people who show compassion and forgiveness as a “wise old soul.” They are the white souls, like China, Eleazar, and the other white souls who experience extrication. They are the ones who travel to the Spiritual Centers around the world to aid in the healing of our divisive culture. They are willing to leave all behind for a calling to serve humanity and the divine creator. They exist in every religion, nationality, and color.

The dark soul is the person who has turned away from it’s “higher self, soul, spirit or energy” it is up to you to name that part of you based on your beliefs. In the book, the dark soul is not a color of the soul, it is the soul living in the darkness of the ego, or in the shadow of the ego. Living in fear and in beliefs of victimhood, power mongering, and hate. It may start for some, as a small thing that happens in their life that moves them into a fear state. And the shadow begins to block the light of the divine soul within. Our soul is not a power monger; it will gently call us back. Yet, the ego starts a new belief, “I must never let anyone ever hurt me again.“ So the fear antenna goes up, and one begins to see situations from a place of fear. When this happens, a person will read into other’s intentions and will stop showing compassion and forgiveness. It may not take long before they are lost in the world of paradigms, power mongering, and fear. Once this happens, the light of the soul is cut off from the human it serves. The Ego’s rhetoric blocks the gentle calls of the soul. The Ego’s attention is now locked into the divisive beliefs that govern the human’s life.

In the book, The Extricated Soul, I take liberty with this belief to build the story of white souls healing dark souls. By the end of the third re-incarnation in a row, if the soul does not expand, it is living entirely in the darkness of the ego. On the fourth or fifth lifetime without expansion, it is much harder to save the soul.

While I am a spiritual person, I recognize many people who are not yet ready to awaken to the truth of who we are, may be more prepared to accept a story of fiction and fantasy to see a new paradigm. Presently, I am seeing an uptick of books, tv series, and movies about witches, psychics and God. I love, “God Friended Me,” a new series that demonstrates the connectedness of our lives and we are called to help others. While the message is very positive, it attracts those of us who already believe in that message. It leaves us feeling good. Can a feelgood story hold the attention of those that think everything is a fight; there is a duality of good and evil, and for them to be right others must be wrong? As we see, in our culture and in countries around the world, there is a rise in this type of thinking that focuses on others religion, cultural background, nationality, and sexual orientation as the problem. They are looking for the fight. It is this population that is less likely to pick up a spiritual book that teaches love and acceptance.
There are many great books, authors, bloggers and spiritual teachers out there. I chose a different path. In The Extricated Soul, I let the characters teach the principles through their life direction, watching the way they live to unfold based on their thoughts and beliefs. The white souls who extricate must heal those in darkness without taking their free will away. This means all free will is protected, including the free will to hurt other human beings. I once thought, “how could God allow that to happen?” That will be another post on another day.

In today’s society, it is rare to find someone who does not know of another who uses their free will to hurt themselves or others. Our political culture is showing us many people who use their free will to hate others based on their color, religion or sexual preference. And others may use their free will to sexually, physically and emotionally abuse others. Many of these acts fall under the criminal and mental health label in our society today. They are not seen as a spiritual illness but as an illness of the mind/personality. Even the most talented mental health professionals have limited ability to cure many mental health issues with a pill, or therapy. If we start to shift our paradigm, we may find a place for spiritual healings to occur. Can a murderer find compassion for his/her victims and their loved ones? Can a victim have forgiveness for the one/s that hurt them? I believe they can, but it does not come in a pill or a prison cell. It comes from the soul that dwells within. When the ego blocks the light of the soul, we see crime, murder, abuse and hate rise. When the soul is free to express, it’s light will shine through the life of the human it dwells. Does the soul serve the human or do we serve the soul?

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Through the Shadow a Soul walks,
in darkness that leads us
to a doorway of light.
A path unfolding underfoot,
from tumultuous to flattened stone.
The darkness brings hope,
dim slivers of light excite the Soul leaving the dark night.
The ego celebrates as the path comes into view.
Now, just one more step or two.
Fear is transmuted from darkness to light,
fear of the good things that are all right.
Am I worthy?
Am I an imposter or a fool?
Is this path intended for me?
Or is it someone else’s you see?
The egotic mind in such a twist must re-align.
In the long night,
there is hope for a new life.
In the light, one must live the life they dreamed.
In the light, one must embrace the grace and dignity,
which God grants for our Soul to breath.
The ego once twisted now re-aligned
Is ready to step over the line
And claim its Soul’s divine right.
Each step into the light
is momentum for more
To enter the journey of God’s love adorned.

Written for Sue Vincent’s photo prompt 5.23.2019

https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/3193846/posts/2286814186

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I revived this blog to help me restore my creative flow. When I write poems, there is something soothing happening within me. When I write stories, I feel my mind and energy grow. In the years the blog was dormant I was writing stories, short, long, sad, mysteries, and inspiring. These stories have not been shared. Someday I may share some of them or part of them here. I experimented with a few poems that were intended to tell a story. One thing I felt sure of during this dormant time was the poems I wrote, were in some way the groundwork for my future novel. I was not sure how it would play out, but I had the acknowledgement within.

One such poem I wrote in response to an online poetry class, was called Forbidden Fruit. The assignment was to write about a myth, tale, or fable that has been passed down for generations. It came to me instantly the story was Adam and Eve. It was a story I found confusing as a child. I told sister in first grade, the snake could not be evil because God made it, and it had a soul. She told me I was wrong and off to the corner I went.

While the religious explanation about the snake never sat well with me. I now had an opportunity to make sense of the snake’s, role based on my growing spiritual beliefs. The Universe, God, Spirit was with me on the path as I wrote this poem. I did not realize then, it had a place in my first novel and the theme of the poem was the thread that moves The Extricated Soul, forward.

When I started my novel, it was after many weeks of prayer and meditation for the story to flow. Most interesting around that same time, I was actively doing Reiki for many challenging situations. These were sessions for the dying, very sick, and others emotionally self-imploding. I was meeting people who needed spiritual guidance from their soul, so I delivered the messages. And there were others whose deceased loved ones required me to deliver messages. Occasionally, I found my car ride in solitude, interrupted by an energy telling me who they wanted me to speak with. I was deeply touched and grateful for this service. My prayer and meditation life grew as I felt more and more of my alignment and openness to be a channel.

During this time, my connection with Arch Angel Michael became very important to me. Our communications were daily and quickly flowed. One day before meditation, I said to Arch Angel Michael “tell me what I should write”. And as I was finishing the meditation, the thoughts arose in my mind, ‘write what you know, the Reiki you do, the love you have’. And the story was started.

Back to the Poem, I called it “Forbidden Fruit”. A story of Adam and Eve and how they used their free will. I see the snake in this story as a conduit for God, a manifestation of God through the reptile. It is not evil; it is not tempting Adam and Eve to turn from God. This poem is the prologue for the novel and is the foreshadowing of how the story unfolds, and the characters develop.

Picture found online in 2014,
site information not known at this time.

Forbidden Fruit
Succulent fruit hanging on the vine.
Humans and animals living in
harmony with the Divine.
Beauty of the creating Lord
flourishes in blooms and grasses
across the garden floor.

Adam and Eve strolling among the leaves,
living a life of grace and easy.
Man and women created to celebrate
the harmony and joy of this garden so great,
can pet the lions and play with the hounds,
and live in a world without barriers or bounds.
A garden of love for animals, insects, plants and trees.
A love of one another and the Energy Source.

Through the choice and thought’s, they made,
the Universe gave them the ability to co-create.
Universal Law a gift from God,
says it is your thoughts that create the life
and feelings you procreate.

In contemplation of wanting more
Adam and Eve ventured to the forbidden tree
protected by a serpent of truth.
Eve asked, “What is it you protect in this tree?”

Slithering in silence the snake left his perch,
to look the couple in the eye,
to see what questions
the souls were hiding inside.
As he looked, he saw the souls trying to re-align.

“One choice can send your world in a spin,”
is what this serpent said to them.

“It is our right to know…what it is this tree does grow?”
Responded Eve.

The serpent moved closer to see what Adam didn’t show,
“Why are you so silent and not asking to know?”
Asked the snake then hissed and moved away slow.

“It is my partner’s plight to see the truth in a different light,
and there is no one else for me to love so joyously.”

“Ahhh,” said the serpent,
“A couple so free, in a garden of bliss,
so eager to separate
from the Divine that created all of this.
Yes, it is your choice to taste the fruit.
And, I will tell you it is your choice that
grows the Garden of Eden
or creates a world of fears and hate.
Use your thoughts wisely…
For they will quickly procreate.”
The serpent slide from the tree
to reveal the lush fruit.

In last words he said,
“You have received the message from your Creator,
Who has given you this freedom to choose.
And always, God will sit and wait for you,
Receiving you back regardless of what you think and do.
In re-alignment you will find the Garden of Eden is still divine.”

Further, from the tree he slid,
and one last time looked back to see
the forms of Adam and Eve lose their radiant light
as they bite the fruit from the forbidden tree.
It did not take long for the ego to take hold
and the life of contrast ignite
into a world of illusions and fright.

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They say in threes they come and go.
Three newborns in your circle of family and friends.
Three deaths in a row.

Good books come in a trilogy,
and who can eat just two cookies?
Some people have three marriages
before they find the right one.

Three witches, you say they stand
a reminder of a dark time and land.
Made of sticks and branches,
never falling from the place, they band.

A witch so wicked
A witch so kind
A witch we all are,
with great gifts from the Divine.

Are spells and potions of that God made,
something to fear and hate?
When one falls to the ego’s fight and cuts off the Divine light,
others pay the price.

No different today in our culture of religions and political array,
we see this fear sweeping masses astray.
People once kind now lacking compassion and clarity of mind.

In the Egotic twist, we find,
many chose to cut off the Divine.
It is of free will we build our hate and fear
It is of free will we follow behind.

*Egotic – is not a word found in the English dictionary. I use it here and in other writings to represent the negative twist the ego takes when it turns from divine grace. The ego itself is not a negative energy nor a negative part of our mortal self until the ego’s beliefs block Gods light.

Thursday photo prompt: Wicker #writephoto

      Thank you Sue Vincent for another great Photo Prompt at Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo.

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King calling for service as we arrived at day boarding,  he likes his spa days, pampering, treats, and time away from our hotel room.

“Tell me about you, who are you?” This is a common question many people ask in interviews, on dates, or just getting to know someone. I often start with “I’m spiritual, a nurse, love dogs, divorced, gardener, like to cook, read, write, and ride motorcycles.” Sometimes I go on with other information, other times I give less like I don’t know who I am. Sometimes it feels dull and empty as I recite the list of things without any attachment to them. In our Society, we place a lot of emphasis on the “Labels” we attach to ourselves. The labels define us. Because of labels, others look up to us or down at us. We see the evidence of this playing out in our present day politics and in some religions.
Labels define every aspect of our life, our religion, race, nationality, politics, health, jobs, and sexual preferences. We even label ourselves as our activities. “I am a gardener, cook, writer and motorcyclist.”

We label our pets. Dogs are labeled by their breed, stereotyped temperament for some and the inherent disposition of others. They can be pedigree, mutts, work dogs, a rescued dog, and designer dogs, etc. My King is a rescue, black lab & Great Dane mix. I became attached to saying this over the five years we have been together. I proudly recite, he is a black lab Great Dane mix. Two well-liked dog breeds. And everybody says, that is why he is so big, or why he is so sweet with such a lay-back personality. He is labeled this on his dog licenses in two counties, on his adoption papers, passed on to his medical records, and I have told everyone, even you. What happens if this is not true? Well, I tested that paradigm recently when I did a DNA test for Kings genetic makeup. I was working in Tennessee when the results dinged my inbox at 12:15 am. I was just getting into bed when I heard the email, so I looked to see what arrived, and there it sat. In the subject line, “King’s results are in.” My heartbeat quickened as I thought, do I open it now or wait until later? Yes, I opened it then. As I read it, I felt a little puzzled and odd feeling this can’t be right; maybe they mixed up the test kits. I slept well that night, snuggled up to King.

In the morning, I reread the results to see if what I remember was true. And yes, I was not dreaming; he was still the same mix of breeds as I read the night before. My black lab, great Dane mix had zero black lab and no great Dane in him. In that brief second, the paradigm I build around him had to shift. My King is a German Sheppard, Mastiff, Rottweiler and Terrier mix. The possibility of being Sheppard always sat in the back of my mind, but the others surprised me. He is a mutt. A mutt, I love and adore, and that will never change. He still looks at me with those ‘all knowing’ soulful eyes and with unconditional love that radiates in his heart and energy field.

So many times, we fall in love with the labels that others wear, and we grow attached to the ones we proudly wear. What happens when that paradigm shifts or shatters? What happens when we find out someone we love or admire is not the person we wanted them to be, or we thought they were. They didn’t live up to the labels we attach to them, or they attached to themselves? What happens when our dream job ends or our loved one leaves? It can be life-shattering, end in divorce, loss of identity, depression, anger, or worse for some, it may end in suicide.

If we see our self as created in God’s image, then we see the true self. The Spirit, the Soul, the energy of unconditional love, infinite intelligence, joy, compassion, beauty, peace, harmony, prosperity and all the divine qualities of God. Yet, we lose sight of this as we incarnate into the mortal body, and we take on the identity of labels and enter the dimension of paradigms. It is our journey to find our way back to the truth of who we are. Our Soul’s development will help push us to break down the paradigms and leave the labels behind. Some people will live this life weighted down by their ego’s belief and locked into a paradigm of Labels. It is in this state that they find others less then themselves and feel their own views and life has more value. This sets up the divisiveness we see around the world. This is the breeding ground of hate, oppression, and the devaluing of human life.

To break the paradigm of separation and hate, we need to shift to a belief of mutual respect and honor the Soul/Spirit that lives within each person. Don’t look at the mortal coat they wear or the labels they carry, allow yourself to feel the presence of God within them. Allow yourself to feel and live the presence of God within you. This gives power to others to live and feel the presence of God within. When we live with that presence, there is no space or thought to suppress, hurt or hate.

Living and feeling the presence of God is the common thread in the book, The Extricated Soul. China Hope, the cool RN who does Reiki continues in her mortal journey allowing her Soul to expand with the truth of who she really is. A spirit in manifestation always connected to the Divine presence that creates all is all and is never void in anything.
Join China in her journey through mortal life and her expansion as a Divine Soul.

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Rooted in one place,
is a hopeless thought that lives with disgrace.

Rooted in one place,
a tree with a canape that breeds the moss and mold,
as it blocks the light from the dark and cold.

Rooted in one place,
is a pain that echoes through the night,
holding tight the blight of judgement and the blinders of sight.

Rooted in one place,
a tree with a system of nourishment and care
that penetrates the ground
and breaks through the dark and cold air.

Rooted in one place,
the roots grow in love and grace
though a thick and ominous place.

Rooted in one place,
the endless Spirit of life
spirals far from this earth-bound place,
into the dimension of mortal fate.

Rooted in one place,
the continuous flow of immortal life.
expands the earthly dimensions
into the spiritual land.

Rooted in life
is the expansive flow
without restrictions for all souls to grow.

Written for Photo Prompt

https://scvincent.com/2019/05/09/thursday-photo-prompt-rooted-writephoto/

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In the book, The Extricated Soul, the heroin China Hope, a nurse, a devote mediator, a prayerful person, and Reiki practitioner, juggles her spiritual practices and nursing life more fluidly then I. Throughout the years it has been a challenge for me, especially when I surrendered to the paradigm of healthcare, conditional love, and keeping up with the Jones. Health care as a healing practice is a gift. My problems arise when I have fallen to health care as an industry and as my provider for life and livelihood. It quickly overtakes me when I forget to honour the Spirit within. The workload, the stress, the conflicting values can knock the foundation from my spiritual practices and beliefs until I reawaken again…and again. Each time I restart, my spiritual practices, I say, “I won’t let this happen again”. Yet, somehow it does. The good part is, it takes me less and less time to see my fall from spiritual thinking into the quagmire of paradigms to find my reawaking again.

China is the strong White Soul that I aspire to be. Her thinking is clear and based on the Spiritual Principles. She sees the truth when others see the false thinking of ego. Yet, she still walks in this time, dimension and earth plain with ease and grace. Now, this does not say she has not had challenges because she has. She had to work through paradigms of identity, grief, unrequited love, and conditional love. Yet, as her character develops, I see her with a strong spiritual identity that moves forward and never backwards. What an incredible way to live one’s life. Letting go of the pain, the negative experiences for the metamorphosis of life to happen and for the grandeur that occurs with the alchemy of the Soul. Oh, I so long to be there.

They say there is always an element of truth in all fiction, so this is the truth: I am a nurse and a Reiki practitioner. China and I share in the likeness of unrequited love, question our identity, and continuous work on living a life from the place of unconditional love. She is much better at it then I am. We are also different. She is a mother. I am not, I grieved this loss as my barren marriage dissolved. She is biracial, I am Caucasian. How she became biracial for my story is a post for another day. She is thin and tall. I am plump and short. In my mind she is about 5’8 to 5’10 inches, this towers over my 5’ 2’’. I aspire to be that as well, tall I mean, unfortunately at 58 not much growth occurs in height.

Alchemy of the Soul

Wrapped in a silk cocoon suspended in the Lord’s light.
The journey of the Soul to leave the dark night,
is protected with all God’s might.

In human form when the choice is made
God gives its all for its creation to be saved.

The pain and agony of the dark night
gone as you journey into the light.
The illusions of your thoughts
fade away as if it is ice
melting on a hot day.

The memories of the dark night
a small part of your spirit’s life.
The “you,” of old,
gone with the alchemy of your Soul.

Suspended in light wrapped lovingly in God’s might
Your spirit must rest for God’s will for you
will require your best.

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The Spirit travels for eons and eons,
and lives in the heart of the young and old.

Expressing in buildings, boats, landscapes, human and animal souls.
Living in the voices and laughter that echoes in the hollow halls.

Giving strength to the weary timbers that bend the old floors
and sag in the ceilings, walls and doors.

The energy of eternity is young in the house of centuries old.
It is the flame of light that lives within every soul.

A house, a home, is life itself
a decadent design for the architect of its time.

A structure, a place of harbor for the weary, the love-filled,
the scared and cold.

A place to rest your head and to breath the life of the
loving soul.

A place where human life erodes as the Spirit continues to grow.

Todays post is in response to the photo prompt on: https://scvincent.com/2019/05/02/thursday-photo-prompt-monochrome-writephoto

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Now that I travel with my job all my routines have been disrupted. That includes my prayer and meditation routines. For many years, I awoke automatically at 0400 and started my prayers and meditation. Now that I am working to midnight or 1 a.m. and I get back up at 6 a.m., I have found new times to prayer and meditation.

I am spending more time in my car, so I am using that time to pray. It works well for my affirmative prayer and prayers of gratitude. Over the past two months, I have driven Route 81 from Pennsylvania to Tennessee and Virginia area multiple times. My employer would fly me, but I request the drive. I love travelling with my dog King. So we drive eight to ten hours together along with God.

There is great beauty in a long drive through open lands, farms, towns and mountains. For nine hours I find God in every beautiful scene, I see: In the landscapes, the cows, pigs, sheep and wild animals we pass along the way. The towns and people are the energy of life. I see God sitting in the back seat as my handsome big dog named King. He sits so majestically staring out the windows admiring the beauty around him. Often raising an eyebrow or two when the big steer appears right outside the window. Occasionally, I hear a moan of excitement as the animals are clearly in his view. We pass hills that are so steep I wonder how the cows or horse stand and graze without rolling down the mountain. The flowers have been brilliant in colour and the trees budding with greenery. Our first trip was in the cold of March. We left Pennsylvania with snow on the ground and the landscape dormant. We drove south-west and the closer we got to our destination of Greeneville Tennessee we saw the early signs of winter’s end. I pointed out the first buds on the forsythia bush to King. While it may not have meant much to him, it certainly was the reminder to me of the waking within and the rebirth of Spring.

Spring, the awakening, the rebirth of all that is living in our beautiful landscape is one continuous prayer of gratitude. It is joyous, abundant, and the manifestation of God as life itself. When we returned to PA, I found the first buds on the forsythia bushes awaking. Each trip I find new life when we arrive at our destination and then see it again when we return home. As I acknowledge the beauty all around, I can not help but feel my heart swell, my gratitude grew and my homage for the Divine energy to soar.

Meditation has been more fleeting as I rarely have the time to sit quietly for an hour. Some days the 20-30 minutes does not feel enough. This past trip I found a salt room, Salt of the Earth, in the historic town of Abingdon. For fifty minutes, I relaxed in the salt room and allowed myself to turn within for very peaceful and loving meditation. This was my first experience in a salt room and was not sure what to expect. I am very comfortable working with salts, salt lights and often bath with Himalayan pink salt/ soap. It is a beautiful way to cleans after intense reiki sessions or after very emotional situations. It clears the energies that need not stay or weigh me down. From the salt under my feet, the salt on my lap and around my neck I felt at home basking in the light. I felt my soul calling me inward, and I eagerly surrendered.

I look forward to returning to the salt room this coming week when King and I return to Abingdon VA.

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