The consistent grandeur and beauty of the cosmos is present with us, wherever we are, as it is throughout the whole universe. What a privilege it is to know that this same beauty and grandeur is an aspect of who we are and that it’s ours to bring into our worlds through the way we live our lives. By bringing the fullness of our being, we magnify what is creative in the world; we let our attention be taken by opportunities to bring a positive influence to circumstances that present themselves, and to have some discernment as to how and where we invest our life energy.
I have developed the habit of spending a few minutes under the night sky just before I go to bed every evening. Far from giving me a sense of my smallness in that grand context, I feel part of the greatness and feel the presence of infinite abundance as I locate Orion’s Belt and move from there to explore again everything I can see from where I’m standing. It’s new every time! And to have some experience of the magnitude of the design in which our beautiful blue-green orb has its rightful place can transform whatever it is that might still sit with me from my day, that feels less than creative and satisfying.
It’s clear to me that this precious world of ours, as beautiful as it is, has aspects that really need care and blessing. Most of these needs relate to human beings. There are many aspects of human experience that are longing to feel heard and understood, acknowledged and empowered, trusted and supported and, above all, to know a depth of assurance that all is well, no matter how the circumstances at hand might seem to be suggesting otherwise. The perception of lack, hopelessness and negativity loom large in the human psyche but, actually, humanity has all it needs to ensure a fulfilled life and a home-planet restored to its full glory. We can feel humanity’s longing because sometimes we feel it in our own hearts. There are times, no doubt, where we all lose touch with our own beauty and greatness, the fullness and depth of our own being. So we know only too well what humanity in general thinks it lacks, feels it lacks. With that awareness we are in a good position to offer some answers to the perennial problems in human experience, primarily through extending an invitation to the discovery of oneness and wholeness that is naturally inherent in all people.
I discovered this poem the other day that I think describes the ability that we have to provide a supporting presence to those in our world. It’s called “When Someone Deeply Listens to You,” by John Fox.
When someone deeply listens to you
it is like holding out a dented cup
you’ve had since childhood
and watching it fill up with
cold, fresh water.
When it balances on top of the brim,
you are understood.
When it overflows and touches your skin,
you are loved.
When someone deeply listens to you
the room where you stay
starts a new life
and the place where you wrote
your first poem
begins to glow in your mind’s eye.
It is as if gold has been discovered!
When someone deeply listens to you
your barefeet are on the earth
and a beloved land that seemed distant
is now at home within you.
(http://poeticmedicine.org/
To the degree of the reality of our own personal authentic experience, there are gifts that we can bring to assist in filling the gap in people’s perception regarding who they are and what their life is all about. And it’s not always necessarily soft, encompassing, gentle energy. Sometimes there’s something more direct and more penetrating that’s required. I was working with a friend the other day on a home maintenance project and we were discussing what the next step should be. There were various options; it could be this and it could be that. I noticed that we were spending a lot of time in discussion and I knew that at some point I needed to say, “This is how we’re going to do it.” And very quickly there was an agreement and the job was done successfully. It just took a viable solution, offered with confidence, to allow a stalled process to regain momentum.
I believe that we, as people in service to the other people in our world, have to be able to sense what the potential for their lives could be and what it might be that is blocking them from realizing the fullness of that potential. Surely this is a big part of what true leadership is about: to be able to bring direction when it’s needed, to empower and encourage people to be everything they could be.
When our own capacities for thought and feeling are aligned with Cosmic Consciousness and when we do listen deeply to the needs of our world and the people in it, we are in a better position to be able to appeal to the deeper aspects of that person, beyond culture, background or personality, to connect directly with the essential beingness of that person. With all the uncertainty in people’s lives, a clear invitation into assurance from someone whose authentic expression and experience is one of genuine assurance cuts through the constriction of agitation and stress to a state from where the possibility for a creative outworking can be seen and accepted. There is great relief in realizing that no matter what the circumstances might look like, there actually is a much greater outworking of which we’re all a part. The parts that are ours to play may not always be discernible in the midst of the circumstance itself. But as long as there are those on hand who bring the support, the encouragement, and the assurance that all really is well, that larger outworking can continue to emerge and the people concerned can be an integral part of that outworking.
I’m aware of the line in Paul McCartney’s song “Let It Be”: “There will be an answer, let it be.” There is always an answer. At a Cosmic level, there is always an answer to every challenge, a creative outworking for every circumstance. And if there is enough assurance in the picture, and the provision of some care and support from someone on hand, who already knows assurance in their own lives, then it’s possible for each one to find their way through the issues, whatever they might be. It’s likely that this is our most effective way to transform our worlds—the empowerment of the people in those worlds by raising their confidence in the larger creative design and accepting their active role in how it all works out. They can count on us to be there, willing to do what it takes to ensure victory—theirs and that of everyone who would join together in that grand endeavor.