Experience

This week the Beech card was selected from The Voice of the Trees oracle deck created by Mickie Mueller. This deck is based on the meanings and guidance imparted by trees as interpreted through Celtic tree energy. The beech represents experience and its aspects of learning from the past, experiencing in the present, and sharing this knowledge with others.

One rather apt quote for these times comes from George Santayana: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In the last century, millions of people experienced the horrors of ego-driven tyranny and the result of relinquishing the will of the people for good. For reasons I still do not understand, we are currently living in a society whose leadership is driven by adherence to the belief that money and dogmatic myth serve the masses, while, indeed, these only serve a very few. Those of us who believe in a wider and higher reality are left to gather around the campfire of social media or, if we are lucky, with others in physical community to ward off the worst intentions of the least aware of the true nature of spirit. Experience teaches us not to put our hand in a fire, to avoid walking in front of moving cars, to turn the pot handle inward when cooking.

Experience also teaches us the pleasure of a warm hug, a friendly smile imparted without cause, and gestures of love and solace for others. Our experience teaches us that kindness does more to build connections than any other single intent. To do all things with a measure of kindness forges an awareness of the similarities between us, rather than what might otherwise divide us. The problems we are currently experiencing are caused by the lack of kindness from many in power. Kindness is bred in the spirit, while power of the kind we are experiencing is bred from the ego, that says, “me first always.” Kindness allows us to build communities that are productive for the good of the All and reaches out to the few who live in the darkness and invites them in.

Experience informs us of when we are adhering to our pathwork and when we are veering off into a realm that does not meet our best interests and our highest good. When we do not pay attention to our physical, mental, and emotional needs, we know from experience that we will not enjoy optimal wellness.

This past week I have focused more than usual on my aspect as spirit first. I have remembered from experience that I am here to learn lessons and, in turn, to teach those lessons to others. In other words, I have used mindfulness as a way of centering my focus on my true self and then tried, strengthened by that awareness and knowledge, to connect with and help others see their own spirit and, further, how all of us are connected through the interdependent web. It is hard in these recent days to remember that this too shall pass, that we are spirits first, that we are here to learn lessons and then we will return to our home on the spirit plane. In flashes of memory of that space, we can access our experience there, the peace and love that are the basis for community, and bring that into the physical plane to serve the greater good.

Every experience we have as spiritual beings having a physical experience and while able to remember, if but briefly, the other side, is there to further provide us with knowledge we can pass on to others. My experience is that many people are thirsty for this knowledge, especially with the inexplicable situation we find ourselves in as citizens. The more we can work together to share the awareness gained through the experiences we have had individually, the more we can strengthen our bonds, and, yes, our power, as a community built on kindness, light, and love.
​
This week, please practice mindfulness. Sit, even briefly in meditation. Walk in community with others, if but unobtrusively, and share the feeling of love and kindness with everyone you meet. I like to smile at each person as I pass them on the street. Sometimes they ignore me, but other times they smile back and we say hello. Once in a while, the smile sparks a brief conversation with the other person, creating a connection that would otherwise be lost in the hurry to get to our separate destinations. I share the experience of smiling at others to encourage you to try it yourself. With each smile, you are experiencing this same moment of trust and community and, hopefully, the person you smile at will pass it on. So it is with experience, which can either be harsh and cruel, or delightful and inspiring. Let us all choose to approach experience with an open and loving heart, and then pass it on with a smile. Namaste!

---