At any moment you have a choice,
that either brings you closer to spirit
or further away from it.
- Thich Naht Han
Dear Wise Women,
Earlier this week I was visiting with our tenant, Sarah, while she came over to do her laundry (Sarah rents the guest cottage located on our property). Sarah was lamenting about the division she is dealing with at her job. It seems she says, that no matter what I decide, I am met with opposition and criticism.
I shared with her how I have made recent decisions in my life and the peace that has resulted.
I try my hardest, I told her, to quiet all the noise around me and I then I ask: “which way brings me closer to love, and which way takes me further from love?” I sit with this question until it becomes crystal clear. I ride the waves of doubt, fear, worry and second guessing. Sometimes the waves are a ripple and sometimes they are a tsunami. Even when they knock me over, I do my best to get back up and greet the wave with forgiveness and compassion. Often I even say out loud: “I see you, I hear you, and I thank-you for your protection. Now tell me, Spirit, which part of the wave’s message is important and which part can I let go of?” And I keep on inquiring with the question “which way brings me closer to love?” I keep on asking and I pay attention to the one that eventually relaxes my nervous system and expands my heart…and then I know I have my answer. Then I work on maintaining this confidence while taking action.
Sarah said that is one of the most beautiful things she has ever heard, and she thanked me.
The next morning, in my meditation, I was reflecting on our conversation, my recent experiences and the division in our world. I asked myself if it could really be this simple? I felt the need for affirmation, so I drew an oracle card. And below is the card I drew. The message not only confirmed what I needed to know but also beautifully wove together where we have been together in our circles and where we are going.
Wise Women, I now share with you the story of the Lakota prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman and the message that I wish to impart upon you today.
“My Heart is a Compass. The Path of Love is True Abundance”
May the compass of your heart guide your big decisions as well as your daily moment-to-moment movements. And may you trust that, when guided from here, you can only add to the field of expanding love in our world.
Always in love,
Patti
Oracle Card from “The Divine Feminine” by Meggan Watterson, image by Lisbeth Cheever-Gesssaman
The Prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman
(Adapted from Keepers of the Earth)
It was a time of hunger. Two young men, searching for game, saw a beautiful young woman approaching from the horizon, her feet not touching the ground. She was wrapped in a white buffalo skin and carried something in her hands.
One young man recognized her as a holy person and thought good thoughts, but the other saw only a beautiful young woman and thought to do her harm. As she approached, he reached out to grab her, but instead he became covered by a cloud. When the cloud left, the young man was nothing but a skeleton.
The White Buffalo Calf Woman told the other young man to return to his people to prepare for her coming. "Tell your people that it is a good thing I am bringing. I am bringing a holy thing to your nation, a message from the Buffalo People."
The young man returned. His people prepared for the holy thing which would be coming by building a medicine lodge and making all things ready. In four days the White Buffalo Calf Woman came to the people, carrying a wrapped bundle and a bunch of sacred sage. She was made welcome and honored by the people. Then she unwrapped the bundle and showed them what she had brought--the Sacred Pipe. She told them what each part represented: the red bowl representing the flesh and blood of the buffalo people and all people, the wooden stem--all green and growing things; the smoke --the sacred wind that carries prayers. She showed them how to offer the Pipe to Earth and Sky and the four Sacred Directions. She told them many mysteries.
"I am going to leave," she said, "but you will see me again." As she walked toward the setting sun, she stopped and rolled on the Earth. When she stood up she was a black buffalo. Then she went further and rolled again. This time when she stood up she was a brown buffalo. The third time she was a red buffalo. The fourth and final time, she became a white buffalo calf and disappeared.
As soon as the White Buffalo Calf Woman had disappeared, herds of buffalo appeared all around the camp. The people gave thanks with the Sacred Pipe for all of the blessings they had received. As long as they followed the lessons they had been taught--that all things are connected as parts of the pipe--they lived happily and well.
- Traditional story of the Lakota (Sioux)
White Buffalo Calf Woman is a sacred reminder that we don’t have to struggle to receive all that we’ve desired. When we join our heart’s longing with action, we find that there’s a sacred way to move through the world. This sacred way is a path of steady, quiet alignment between the heart’s intention and our every step.
White Buffalo Calf Woman is an omen of hope that all will be provided for us when we approach each situation with love. What she wants us to focus on is the intention behind an action because that changes the outcome. She is a sacred, prophetic sign that we can receive what we need without fighting for it or trying to secure it through manipulation.
When prayer joins right action, when we move from that intention of creating only more love, then abundance is inevitable. And when we seek not just for ourselves, but also for the benefit of our loved ones and community, our needs are divinely met. The most sacred path is the one abundant with love.
- Meggan Watterson, The Divine Feminine Oracle Guidebook
“Fierce Love”, by Autumn Skye www.autumnskyeart.com
This is a time for fierce love.
A resilient love that can bridge
the chasm of disconnection
and weather the storm of uncertainty.
A love that meets fear
with unyielding courage,
heals division with humble acceptance,
and comforts suffering with tenderness.
This is a time for love
that is relentlessly compassionate
to ourselves and others as we navigate
this tumultuous journey…
Burn steady, dear heart, burn bright
and shine light in the darkness.
- Autumn Skye www.autumnskyeart.com