of the enigmatic message. It wasn't until Brenda, one of the wonderful women at Conari Press, said to me, “Why don't you write a third meditation book entitled The Woman's Book of Spirit?” that the message became clear. A resounding “Yes!” careened through my heart and mind, and I fell deeply and passionately in love with the idea of writing about women's thirst for soul.
Although I was immediately riding the crest of a wave toward the creation of this book as soon as the idea was mentioned, by no means do I think I have the answer, or any answers for that matter. To me, Pour water upon my women was an invitation to share with you some of my own, my friends', and my clients' experiences along our very different spiritual paths: to pour the water of our spirits out for you to drink in, relate to, and take comfort in. If our stories are helpful in moistening and revitalizing your heart and creating more balance and harmony in your inner and outer lives, then I will be thrilled.
The Woman's Book of Spirit can be used in a number of ways—as a meditation guide, a daily friend, or the answer to a specific question. You may want to use it as a powerful intuitive exercise by opening it at random after holding it to your heart and asking your inner wisdom to guide you to the perfect, right entry for you at this moment.
Our hearts are the seat of the soul, holding within them the marvelous and mysterious power that spiritual seekers have pondered for ages. Interestingly, the power of the heart is now being measured in scientific laboratories. Recently, I attended a seminar at the Institute of HeartMath in Boulder Creek, California. The Institute's studies are providing compelling evidence that activating heart energy harmonizes the body/mind connection, reduces stress, and increases wellbeing physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. The best news of all is that each of us can choose to activate these healing and reviving heart frequencies. It is my hope that these meditations will help you do just that.
This is a very exciting time in human history. Women everywhere are gathering at the springfed wells of our beings to pour the water of our spirits on each other, to share our hearts, to join hands as we move toward more completely expressing our boundless love, magnificent wisdom, and compassionate intuition. To these limitless wells, each of us carries her own container. Each of us fills her own jar. And, each of us is also called to walk with her sisters along the way providing support, guidance, encouragement, inspiration, and love. All of us, men and women alike, are asked to birth a more soulful way of being, to create a more spiritually harmonious way to live, and to open our hearts in order to spread love, compassion, care, and healing.
Re-Greening Arid Places
It's essential that we understand that taking care of the planet will be done as we take care of ourselves. You know that you can't really make much of a difference in things until you change yourself.
—Alice Walker
THE GREAT ELEVENTH-CENTURY CHRISTIAN mystic, scholar, and physician, Hildegaard of Bingen, defined sin as spiritual dry-rot, aridity, and refusal to grow. She believed that the opposite of sin was to be gloriously and outrageously alive—green and moist, like nature. Water, a common metaphor for both spirit and femininity, is our most obvious greening agent. In order to grow into the beautiful women we were created to be, we must pour the waters of spirit upon our arid places.
All of us have draught-ridden areas within us that need watering and reclamation. The wonderful news is that even a desert wasteland can be turned into a lush oasis when irrigated with enough water and planted with the right seeds. The same is true of us. No matter how dry or barren some aspects of ourselves or our lives may feel, they can be reclaimed when sanctified by the powerful feminine waters of compassion, forgiveness, right thought, acceptance, and gentle guidance.
Paying Attention to Your Soul's Garden
PLANTS ARE WONDERFUL SPIRITUAL TEACHERS. When we pay attention to their simple needs, they respond by growing and bringing beauty and lifegiving oxygen into our presence. Plants silently make us aware of their needs by wilting, yellowing, or failing to thrive. Equally silent, but often less obvious, our soul-needs can go unnoticed for long periods of time. If the needs of our spiritual self are ignored too long, drought conditions occur, leaving us feeling dried up and lifeless.
Luckily, both flowers and spirits are very resilient and respond beautifully to a little nurturance. Recently, I was all wrapped up in my work and totally forgot that my potted geraniums and impatiens were sweltering in a heat wave. By the time I noticed them, the impatiens were already crispy. Plying them with fervent apologies and much needed water, I urged them to revive. Miraculously, they did. Given a little attention and tender loving care, our spirits are just as forgiving and equally as anxious to re-green and bloom as were my flowers.
What does your soul garden look like? Are the plants and flowers green and happy? If not, what will quench their thirst? What attention do they crave? What tiny little step can you take right now? What miniature bloom can you attend to soon?
When you listen attentively, you'll know how best to serve your soul's needs. It's very important, however, that we don't try to do too much at once or we set ourselves up for failure and become discouraged. When we consistently sow one small seed, water a single vase, till a square inch of soil, the entire garden reaps the benefit. Taking little soul-seconds—one small prayer, a few-minute meditation, a short burst of gratitude while appreciating nature—helps immeasurably to revive our thirsty spirits.
We don't have to join a convent or live in a cave to attend to our souls, although I admit that it sounds appealing sometimes. Luckily, our souls flower and grow when nurtured with consistent rays of attention interspersed among the busy hours of our days.
I pay attention to the needs of my spirit.
I make time to quench my soul's thirst.
Loving Self to Life
AS WOMEN, WE'RE OFTEN TRAINED TO LOVE others a lot, and ourselves a little. Unfortunately this is a backward concept because we're better able to love others when we first love ourselves. I know this idea has been harped on, but that's because it is absolutely true and truth deserves a little harp serenade. Just because the idea of selflove is widely accepted doesn't mean it's easy to do. But no matter how hard it may be for us to practice, it is essential, because lack of self-love and acceptance is the basis for most emotional problems, including the feelings of lifelessness and depression that plague so many women.
Fundamentally, loving ourselves is the best way to re-green our lives into the luxurious and creative lushness that we deserve. Unfortunately, there is no quick-fix, easy answer as to how to do this. Some of us were lucky enough to be taught to love ourselves when we were kids, but, for the rest of us, commitment to loving ourselves and a hundred daily decisions to “take ourselves to heart” are the only ways I've found that work. And they are by no means instantaneous. That's why I firmly believe that becoming consistently and compassionately self-loving is one of our lifelong spiritual tasks.
It seems easiest for most women to begin the self-loving process by loving their younger selves first. Picturing the little girls we were at about three years old and then showering them with the love that they needed and deserved is a great place to start. If you can't bring yourself to love this little one, call in a marvelously maternal and loving being to cherish and cuddle her for you. When I feel especially needy, I hug a large teddy bear and pretend that it's the “little Susie” inside me who feels unloved or unlovable.
Since
