Two of Swords

Blessings to you for 2010.

I have the honor of assisting with a sweat lodge in a community of diverse and loving people. I don't actually go into the lodge as the circle prays and sings. I stay outside with the fire and the stone people. Every time I am there as just another part of something simple and prayerful. One of my duties is to bring the stones from the fire into the lodge. Witnessing the ancient ones glow orange white while they sing with steam always deepens and heals me. I'm grateful for the stone people.

Last night a friend and member of the community stayed out of the lodge to hold space with me. Lately I've been tending the stones alone. So I felt an initial tug of resistance when she offered to help. But that tug let go quickly.

One of the duties of a stone handler is to sweep the stones with boughs of trees. This cleans the debris of the stone before entering the lodge. The more important aspect is one of seeing and welcoming the elders into the lodge. It's also an act of preparing them for their work with the people inside. My friend swept the stones with such solidity and respect. She also brought out her rattle to sing with me outside as the rain poured... as the water and prayers poured inside the lodge of our elders. The clouds whistled through the forest. And the stream danced a burbling song in the distance. Such beauty!!

I dedicate myself this year to release the resistance to working with others. No one said it would be easy or clean to be attending to a task with other human beings. But sometimes it is absolutely divine. In these perilous times our working together seems to be absolutely necessary.

Last night another friend did a tarot reading for our community. One card of interest to me, the Two of Swords, came forward. I understand very little about tarot. But my friend explained that in this instance this card meant that working side by side for something good and right is a necessary aspect of bringing healing and love back to our mother earth.

I'm reminded of the Buddhist thought about the sword that cuts us together. The very thing that you may think is inconvenient or hurtful is often the very thing that will recreate and heal us. There is so much adversity with the uncomfortable shifts occurring in our world right now. And there is so much potential.

I vow to stand with my friends to sing about ideals of freedom and service and being inclusive. These very challenges can bring us together as easily as they can separate us. I guess that is our choice as human beings, either to separate ourselves, become numb or even cynical. Or we can grow beyond our original premise that we are separate and alone. That's a big challenge for me. My friends last night gave me a glimpse of what can be true in our world.

I'm very grateful for a chance to be a small part of something loving and necessary in our challenging world. Here's a link to our community of the braided way:

http://www.peopleoftheheart.com/

RSS