How to be In Tune!

PRUNING (Continued)

(By Karla Wagener, March 23, 2020)

It occurs to me (as we continue with the Covid 19 virus shutdown, which was only beginning when I started to write this) how good it could be to celebrate communion in the weekly Legion of Mary meetings.  This would make a more intimate and productive experience possible meeting with the requirements of weekly masses and also take a burden off of many at this delicate time.  At the same time it makes a harmonious and personalized time which will certainly build the structure of love and mercy in a most exceptional way in small groups.  I believe that by concentrating on smaller groups, the larger congregation will take care of itself!

Another thought I have and would like to share is about Willow trees.  When I was a child there was a beautiful Willow tree in our yard.  The leaves bent down gracefully and it occurred to me that they weeped.  ¨Perhaps they weep out all of the pains of creation¨, I often thought.  Also, the branches formed a cave-like cubicle which we used to go inside of like a place of refuge and safety.  My soul now weeps, as it did as a child, weeps and weeps and this could be what is the most refuge for me now in these trying, particular times.

Perhaps at a time when the whole world appears to be so contaminated, the best thing to do is to find refuge in spirituality.  I feel favored and at an advantage (after a long dedicated life in the working world) to have a refuge where I can offer a part of it, the two cabins, to visitors.

Often the visitors have customs or traits which are different from mine.  Since the visitors are here for short periods of time it seems possible to be more able to deal with the situations.  I believe that by bringing them into my harmonious environment it will help develop a better modality for all and strengthen all of us.  Too much contact could cause conflict since we have different styles of conduct.

At any rate, I feel I need this distance at this time in my life and that a certain amount of contact with others who think differently is also good.  Instead of going out into the World to make it better, I have been facilitated with a manner in which it is possible to bring a little of the World into my spirituality and help it see and experience the peace and wellbeing that is within the best of me.

Similarly, by making Masses in the Legion groups a more specialized attention could be given to the roots of our organization.  This could nurture and fortalize smaller groups already formed and structured, at this time of virus when social distancing is so necessary.

Retreat!  What does this signify?  Withdraw, retire, give ground, pull back.  It is a haven, refuge, resort, asylum, sanctuary, hideaway, hideout, shelter, cabin, den, lair, nest, hidey-hole.  We like to joke that we have a ¨resort¨!  It may be a small one, but we cherish it.

Self-fulfilling Prophesy!  A self-fullfilling prophecy is a prediction that causes itself to be true due to the behavior (including the act of predicting it) of the believer.  Self-fulling here, means ¨brought about as a result of being foretold or talked about¨ while prophecy refers to the prediction.  Unconsciously one makes actions that cause the prediction to happen.  Expectation leads to a result, which becomes real or true by virtue of having been predicted or expected.  There are individual self-fulfilliing prophesy and also collective, social ones!

Humanity has been developing a positive self-fulfilling prophesy throughout history that will one day manifest in its entirety.  This is why prayer is so important.  Prayer is a powerful force to stimulate a positive self-fulfilling action and prophecy.  It is almost impossible to do nothing so we are always taking some kind of action beyond prayer time also.  Prayer, however, stimulates positive action and facilitates greater actions for the future that are not seen presently.  Do not ever underestimate the utility of prayer.  It also comforts us in times we feel situations overwhelm us, until we are able to find and open up to resolutions. 

So, when we pray (and I include meditation, mindfulness, yoga, ceremonies, basically, poetry, music writings, everything that elevates the thinking process and the mind), it seems we are doing nothing.  Actually it is mobilizing a power within us and a consciousness that goes beyond our normal abilities and releases a higher cosmic energy elevating out thoughts.  It turns us into ¨dancers¨ (see Friedrich Nietzche, ¨Thus Spoke Zarathrustra¨).  When we pray as a group this is magnified.  Do not underestimate this.  It has been proven throughout history and I attest to this positive force and energy in my own life!  I find that for me nothing elevates better than prayer, but all of the forms are good!

¨Are we human, or are we dancers¨?

Prayer lifts us up to become dancers with our steps in a higher humanity, bringing out the best and putting us in tune with the vibrations of the stars, the revolutions of the Earth, with fellow beings, with the universe!

Perhaps we do not see the results immediately.  It is necessary to give it time.  The universe has its own pattern of action.  We must do what we can in the meantime to better situations.

¨So I´m on my way, looking for the answer, are we humans, or are we dancers¨?

It could be that rather than be asking and making petitions, we need to be listening more, be in tune, and simply live in mercy and love!  And learn to dance like the leaves of the Willow tree!