Soulbyte for Thursday May 7, 2020

Calm the mind in meditation. Still the heart in calm breathing. Rest the body in nurturing sleep. Take care of the self. Be kind and gentle, and yet keep the intent strong and honed to a positive outcome. A warrior stays attuned to all that is happening in the world, but without attachment. A warrior is aware, but without despair. A warrior is concerned, but without fear, for a warrior knows that nothing can steal away the intent of a loving heart.

Sending you love,

The Soul Sisters, Jan & Jeanne

Soulbyte for Wednesday May 6, 2020

Like the great oceans, the energy of life ebbs and flows, coming and going with changing intensity. Dependent upon the moon, the tides rise and fall, in synch with the energy that plays upon them, just as the human energy is played upon by outside forces, influenced by the planets and star formations. Unknown forces abound and yet the sensitive feel them, know them as real energy influencing life. All beings are influenced whether aware or not. But the intent of the warrior is not influenced by anything other than the inner energy of the heart’s knowing, in alignment with what is right. A warrior remains upon a path of heart no matter what is happening in the universe or upon the earth. That is the warrior’s way.

Sending you love,
The Soul Sisters, Jan & Jeanne

Chuck’s Place: Encounter with Other

Other…
– Photo by Jan Ketchel

Other, is a separate reality. Other is life in dreams. Other is life in a body. Other is life beyond reason. Other is shadow. Other is other.   

Beyond the protective narcissistic wrapping around self lies other, waiting. This narcissistic sheath serves to homogenize other, blending it for inclusion within the familiar comfort of self, a far cry from true encounter with the mystery of other.

The internal dialogue immediately snatches the waking ego to erase its  dream encounters with other. To connect and journey with other from dream, threatens the ego’s hegemony over its world. To include other would require ego to take in a world far greater than its solid grasp on reality.

Even if the ego takes up the dream, it quickly formats it into the known; all characters fit into associations that lead back to parts of the self. Reason ensconces encounters with other safely within the boundaries of known self, reinforcing all the usual dramas. From here the internal dialogue paints the day, a portrait of self, everywhere.

Reason cannot permit the mystery of other. Though drawn to the magic, it pummels it into logic, sneering smugly, as it brands it childish fantasy. All that is known is provable in experiment, repeatable in the light of day; everything else is fantasy.

Characters in a dream are merely the byproduct of neurotransmitters active in the brain, says reason, just as it judges out-of-body experience to be merely dissociative hallucination. How reassuring for ego to transpose the irrational into order. How protective of self to resist the delusion of other.

That which is not-I can shatter one’s world. Perhaps its worldview is far more comprehensive; suddenly one is nothing. Perhaps one doesn’t feel worthy of other; other will never show up. Longing for other, one hides in excuse.

Perhaps the greatest challenge of our time is our reason’s encounter with the irrational other. So complacent we became with the dominating all-encompassing rule of reason that we dismissed the power of nature, whether in the form of a coronavirus, or an emotional virus, that now holds reason in its grip.

Clearly, reason must accept the power and autonomy of this  irrational other. Denial has led to this compensatory rise of impulse over science itself. Modern humanity is responsible for this uprising because it embraced reason alone as its one true god.

Suspend judgment, get to know the fullness of other in one’s whole self. Take up the challenge of life in the dream. Get to know and fully live in the body, as well. Connect with the universe in the synchronicities and agreements that saturate every moment. Talk to the plants, the birds, and the bees.

Encounter other with openness, respect, and loving kindness. That’s how the world will heal. 

Encountering other,

Chuck

Soulbyte for Tuesday May 5, 2020

You live in changing times, times that have long been anticipated, wondered about, feared, and even longed for, a time of great shift for all whom reside upon the planet Earth. Use your knowledge, experience, and abilities during these changing times to advance rather than deteriorate. Use the loving kindness and compassion you have studied and honed to create a more just and fair world for all living beings, and without blame or rancor move on into engaging in intentions that benefit all, equally, keeping in mind that a collective path of heart carries greater intent than a single path of heart, though each individual’s efforts are indeed meaningful and important for the success of the whole. Become part of a loving solution, and through thick and thin stay upon your path of heart.

Sending you love,

The Soul Sisters, Jan & Jeanne

Soulbyte for Monday May 4, 2020

Suspend judgment of self and other as you weather through these turbulent times, as you watch the world change, and as you change as well. For how can you not be effected by the suffering all around you, by the frustrations and needs of the many? What happens to one happens to all. For everything is interconnected in the greater interconnected universe, that which is good and that which is not, that which is kind and that which is not, that which is loving and that which is not. Find your way to the greater interconnected good that is kind and loving, and do your part to spread positive energy within the greater interconnected universe in every breath you take, in every thought and every action. A warrior, no matter the circumstances, chooses a path with heart and anticipates a positive outcome.

Sending you love,

The Soul Sisters, Jan & Jeanne