Welcome.
Welcome to Living from the Heart.
Today's podcast is called Tea in the Garden of Unconditional Love.
So I invite you to get comfortable.
Get comfortable and let the words,
The message wash over you like a warm rain,
Nourishing,
Nourishing the garden of your being.
It is a blustery,
Warm,
Rainbow-filled day and I welcome a moment of quiet reflection to explore more fully what it means to stay present as spirit in body while weathering life's inner storms.
A recurring theme in my contemplations lately is how completely humbling and ultimately healing it is to welcome all parts of ourselves,
Of what it is to be seen in our full humanity.
I ask myself the question,
What is the nature of this great humbling?
First,
There are the physical things like the fact that we need to sleep,
Eat,
And consistently tend to all of the body's needs,
Along with the fact that it's aging,
Vulnerable,
And subject to constant change.
Even more humbling is the emotional piece,
The piece that pertains to the relationship we have with ourselves and others.
Relationship is humbling and it's here that powerful transformation can occur.
The process is akin to making ghee or clarified butter.
You begin by putting sticks of butter into a heavy bottomed pot,
Watching it closely.
And after just the right amount of cooking time,
The milk solids rise to the surface and the butter is magically transformed into a clear golden nectar that you can use to prepare exquisite delicacies.
We as humans engage in various kinds of platonic and intimate relationships.
These relationships purify us.
They point us to our beliefs that are outdated and no longer serving.
You know the ones,
The ones that leave you so tender and vulnerable,
Open,
Wide,
Open to love more than you could ever imagine.
Love.
Love is the golden elixir of life which makes it possible to weather the grittiness and the discomfort that comes up when we're in an honest relationship.
One where the communication includes full disclosure.
One where we are practicing radical honesty.
The road to true intimacy is a holy fire.
When we are willing,
It burns away everything that can be burned.
It humbles us when we become upset with our children for not responding to us when we talk to them because they are engulfed in a game on their iPad.
Or when we feel hurt because we have poured out our hearts in an email to a sibling and they don't respond for days.
Or perhaps when we put ourselves out and we get little to no response at all.
It is humbling,
Humbling to see our old triggers arising.
Thankfully,
They are weaker than before.
Even though we may have been chanting,
Praying,
Or meditating diligently for years,
They're still not gone.
We might be surprised when old shameful parts cautiously poke their heads out from the back of a dark closet hidden away inside.
Misguidedly,
Still operating under the notion that they are not good enough or not beautiful enough or not.
You fill in the blank here.
Perhaps there's a part of you that even with all the therapy,
Meditation,
And self-reflection you've done,
Still feels not enough.
Like it is not enough.
If this is true,
I can assure you that you are not alone.
We all have those parts.
And the possibility is to have compassion for them.
To invite them in and receive them with love.
These are our young parts.
The parts that did not get seen or heard by our parents.
Although they did their very best,
Now we organize around them,
Compensating for these feelings of inadequacy by holding our heads high,
Puffing at our chests,
Smiling widely.
Or perhaps having a stiff upper lip,
Even as our tender feelings are smoldering beneath the surface.
Much like lava in a volcano waiting to erupt.
Sometimes these old parts get so triggered that we may find ourselves falling through a layer of thin ice that catapults us into the abyss of despair.
In these moments,
We are surfing gigantic waves of feeling.
The kinds of feelings that might make you hurl your body onto the ground and pray to God,
Great Spirit,
For a higher power for help.
Whatever you call it,
This is what we turn to in these moments of deep despair.
We may also reach out to friends,
Family,
Or the wise woman on the hill.
Ultimately,
This is between us and God.
It is this connection that makes it possible to emerge renewed and ready to meet the day.
This connection is one of the blessings of being alive.
What I know,
Through my own experience,
Is that when we get lost in a sea of negative beliefs,
Which may turn into despair,
Which shakes us,
That a part of ourselves is calling out for love.
So when you're ready,
When you're ready to heal the old,
Battered,
Shameful,
Arrogant,
And angry parts,
All that's needed is to welcome them.
Welcome them into your heart with open arms.
They yearn to be received in the pure light of unconditional love.
Healing is possible.
Yes,
Healing is possible.
When you open to the discomfort,
Slow down,
Breathe,
And go within,
Healing happens when you are willing.
Willing to access a depth of love that can hold all of you,
All parts of you.
When you can sit down at the table,
Invite them to tea.
Tea in the garden of unconditional love.
So perhaps you'd like to engage in a practice for a few minutes.
If so,
Close your eyes,
Lie down,
Just take a few deep breaths.
Let your body settle and be held by gravity.
Imagine a safe space deep inside,
Where there are cozy velvet-covered sofas,
Luscious,
Soft,
Fluffy pillows,
A large sheepskin rug in front of a crackling fire,
And endless pots of lightly sweetened tea being served in hand-thrown mugs that fit in your palm just right.
And as you drink from them,
They caress your lips.
It is here that you can welcome all of these young,
Wounded,
Once-exiled parts of yourself to come in and have tea.
Welcome these parts home to rest in love.
Welcome these parts home to rest in love.
Taking your time,
And as you're ready,
Place a hand on your heart,
And maybe one on your belly,
Or perhaps give yourself a hug.
And then,
Very gently and slowly,
Open your eyes,
Seeing the world freshly,
Feeling held and loved,
Held and loved.
