Note: Written by Liz Sorensen Wessel

Light through a Gap

Light comes through a gap in the curtains:
The promise of morning.
Light comes through the flaws of our lives:
The promise of love. ~

-Modern Prayer from Berlin, Germany

We humans are wired to count, compare and separate all that we see into categories of like or dislike, black and white, or good and bad; this Fr. Richard Rohr describes as dualistic thinking. Our lives and this world are far too complex for an all or nothing and either-or mentality that can only create divisions. Our culture influences our biases a great deal. We see this theme play out over and over again in movies with good triumphing over evil.

Over time we have veered from contemplative practice to this dualism in religion too. Religious convictions encourage living a holy life and avoiding the imperfections or our “sinfulness” within. An unintended outcome for many of us has been the rejection of parts of ourselves that may seem unacceptable. We grow up with an underlying feeling of guilt and shame that is carried within every cell in our body, yet left abandoned, unacknowledged and stuffed away from our awareness. This becomes our wounding and a secret we try to conceal from others (and ourselves) whose judgement we fear throughout most of our lives. Much of our persona is molded by the expectations of others and we lose touch become separated from our true Self.

I have struggled with this idea of rejecting the shadow side of myself because it seems incongruent with wholeness and healing. I am beginning to see another way to opening the window of my soul and allowing those rejected parts of me to experience the light of day. How? Well, the spiritual teachers of all traditions point the way; through presence, kindness, non-judgment and forgiveness.

What I am noticing most is the barriers I put up that keep people at bay. Just being present, allowing and in essence, acknowledging when these feelings arise creates a shift in energy. Along the way, I am discovering, little by little, sweet moments of surprise as I soften my stance.

Perhaps a bit wiser, a bit kinder, too, 
a little bit braver, a heart that's more true, 
a touch of believing I've not known before,
in joys I'm receiving a little bit more

-Garnett Ann Schultz

We live in a culture that constantly points to perfection, a win or lose mindset of competition and money trumps decisions over considerations of humanity. On a positive note, I see silos crumbling in our workplace as we value more the necessity of communication and collaboration to bring forth positive outcomes. Globally, we all recognize the serious state of our world. Here too, we must begin to let go the notion that we are separate from each other or that building walls is a solution that will keep away danger. We can only solve these momentous problems if we begin to open the window to imagine a new worldview that will benefit all humankind and foster peace within and upon our One precious Mother Earth.

The Extended Family

I sought my soul
And the soul I could not see
I sought my God
And God eluded me.
I sought my brother
And I found all three

-Modern Prayer, Anonymous

We are all of one body. My favorite passages in scripture speaks of the one body such as 1 Corinthians 12. "Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body…"

Together in the Heart

Pray not for Arab or Jew, for Palestinian or Israeli,
But pray rather for yourselves, that you may not divide
them in your prayers
But keep them both together in your hearts.

-Christian Prayer

The world needs each of us to bring our differing gifts to help foster healing and wholeness to the deep woundedness that exists. The Holy Spirit or that inner knowing will guide us. The world is awakening to a new way of seeing and a higher consciousness. Let us bring Love’s light into our hearts, our homes and our world. Let us open the window of our hearts to the power of Love; not fear (Erie Chapman) in the coming of this New Year.

 Unlimited Love

Lord, may we love all your creation, all the Earth and every grain of sand on it. May we love every leaf, every ray of your light. For we acknowledge to you that all is like an ocean, all is flowing and blending, and that to withhold any measure of love from anything in your universe is to withhold that same measure from you.

-Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881,) Russia

Liz Sorensen Wessel

Photo by ~liz, Ireland, 2011