Thank you for this beautiful quote, Anne. I was recently hired as Executive Director of a Montessori school, and almost immediately felt compelled to post a quote of the day as a way of revealing my soul to my new community. This quote from Clarissa Pinkola Estes is a beautiful description of the insistent internal nudging that I experienced, and that compelled me to reveal myself in this way.
It took me a bit of soul searching to submit to my internal nudging because revealing myself made me feel vulnerable to criticism from my new community. As I was working my way through these feelings, I couldn't shake the idea that posting these quotes was another way of walking the circle, of providing a focal point for slowing down externally and raising awareness internally. Every day as I take one quote down and tack another to the bulletin board, I'm walking the circle with my community. The wisdom that flows through the words flows through me, reminding me to walk slowly, slowly, gracefully, mindfully, holding safe and open space for everything and everyone, whispering greetings of "namaste" in my heart to everyone I meet. Just as when I walk a circle, I can already see faces and bodies begin to relax. Already, I've seen conversations begin to open, and rifts begin to heal. Already, I feel the sprouting of seeds of right-relationship, of self-empowerment and self-determination, of mutual respect and trust. It's really quite an exhilarating experience. Julie -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of anne stadler Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2004 3:18 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Here you go... Soul Mates! "We have been in training for a dark time such as this... We have a history of being gutted, and yet remember this especially--we have also, of necessity, perfected the knack of resurrection. Over and over again we have been the living proof that that which has been exiled, lost, or foundered can be restored to life again. One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires, and causes proper matters to catch fire. To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these is to be fierce and to show mercy toward others, both are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity. Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do." ~Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D, author of Women Who Run With the Wolves YES! I say Yes! And gratitude, gratitude, gratitude! * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html