The Season of Light

                     The Birthday of the Light

                   By Thomas G. Digby written 1230 hr 12/25/91

Two people slogging through the crowds of holiday shoppers
pause to ask one another
"Isn't this all supposed to be somebody's birthday?"

Yes, it is.
This is the birthday of the Light.

Different people see the Light differently:
To many the Light is a babe in a manger,
A child destined to grow into a great teacher and healer,
Bringing the light of love to a world lost in darkness.

To others the light is the light of freedom,
Seen in the miracle of a lamp burning
Far longer than its meager supply of oil should have lasted
After the conquerors were driven from the Temple.

And still others celebrate winter sunlight
Bringing the solstice promise of springtime
And reminding us to look at endings
As opportunities for new beginnings.

But even though we see the light differently
And hold different days in this season sacred to it,
Let us all look into the light together
To see opportunities for new beginnings
For a world of freedom and healing and love.

NO, REALLY I LOVE IT

                     NO, I REALLY LOVE IT 

                                                 © Chessie Roberts 2012 All rights reserved
I was having my hair cut the other day and the gentleman in the chair next to me and I struck up a conversation about people in a relationship. He said that he had learned in his life to just say “Yes dear, that is lovely! No, really, I love it.” no matter how it looked. I countered that it wasn't that way with my husband and me. If he thought something looked off, wrong or not flattering, he would tell me so. The man said, “and you get mad and there is a fight, right?”

I took a few seconds to think about it and decided that I could answer with all honesty, “No, we don't fight. I ask for his opinion expecting honesty and I get it. Why should I be mad when I asked for his truthful opinion?” My conversation partner, and the hairdresser were both unconvinced. They decided that I was being duped and that my take on it was all wrong.... this made me sad, not for me but for them.

On my way home and for a few hours after this encounter I pondered this topic. Are all relationships as dishonest and shallow as the one they had described? When I got home, I posed the conversation to my husband and he raised an eyebrow and asked me if I was questioning his veracity at this late date (we have been married almost 19 years) I told him no, that I was wondering about other people.

One of the things that gets promised in most wedding vows is to love, honor, and cherish the other person. I am forced, in light of this conversation, to wonder how one can love, honor or cherish their chosen partner and lie to them on a daily basis. If you truly do love someone you don't send them out the door looking bad when all you had to do was say something like, I think the blue one looks better on you, or no, that hat doesn’t flatter you. By the same token, if you don't want the truth, DON'T ASK FOR IT. If you do ask, then don't get mad at the answer. Stop and think for a minute how ridiculous that exercise truly is. In asking what you don't want a truthful answer to, you are setting your partner up to start a disagreement...why would you do that except to create drama. 

Why do you feel that is a good idea. If you want to fight, why not just ask for your significant other to tell you a whopper of a lie about anything and fight about that? Or to be more honest about it say, “I want to fight with you because our life is peaceful and wonderful and I would rather it be mean and awful.” and start your fight that way? Sounds pretty stupid right? Well, it is no more stupid than the constant lying.

Next time you are about to ask a question, decide whether your question is worthy of the truth and important enough to ask or are you just starting some drama. Do you really want the truth? When it's your turn to answer, you might ask whether the person asking wants the truth or are they just making noise; if you aren't sure, ask them. Try and start a new tradition of truth and respect in your relationship, you may be surprised how easy it is and how much better you feel.

I hope this has given you some insight into something that may make your life more love filled and less dramatic. “May the entire Universe be filled with Peace and Joy, Love and Light. May the light of Truth overcome all darkness! Victory to that Light! Jai!”

Bright Blessings Chessie

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle."

{James Keller, Catholic Priest}

                                                 © Chessie Roberts 2012, all rights reserved

I awoke in total darkness. The only sounds from outside were the crickets, owls calling way off in the distance and water lapping at the shore of the lake not too far from the cabin's front door. My dream had been a bit unsettling, and I was not ready to reenter it, so I decided to get up. The moon was in its new phase, and the only light was from an occasional star that flickered in and out of view as the clouds scudded overhead.

In total darkness I fumbled until my hands found one of the pillar candles that were scattered about the room. I found the accompanying matches and lit the candle. It flared to life and settled into a steady flame, bringing a small amount of light to my searching eyes and a feeling of comfort to my dream fogged heart. My biology decided that it required a cup of calming tea, but the cabin was still too dark for this endeavor so without much thought, I reached for another candle and used the lit one to light the next.

For reasons known only to the gods of such things, I was suddenly aware of the fact that by lighting the second candle from the first, the light in the room was greater but the first flame was not lessened. I had heard this adage all of my life but had never stopped to consider it before, now I was transfixed in facilitation of the truth of this statement. My quest for tea forgotten, I rounded up all of the candles that I could find and began to study the phenomenon as I slowly advanced one wick toward the flame of the first lit candle. 

As the flame caught the new wick, there was a small flair as both flames burned in tandem for a second then, as I moved the newly lighted candle away they both burned with the same intensity but now they burned separately. Again and again I lit a dark candle from the bright one, just studying how the light spread and grew without taking anything away from the original candle or any one I chose to use as the source.

As I watched, I understood how we are all candles. What source our light comes from really does not matter, what does matter is how we spread and share out light with those around us; those looking for light and warmth. Our sharing will never diminish us; it will only diminish the darkness of ignorance. As a candle of understanding flairs with the light of love and understanding, compassion and faith, so the light of truth will lead our way to the greater truth of what we are all searching for; the way back to what we truly are.

Namaste, Bright Blessings, Truth, Love and Light. Chessie

Being in Your Now

Being in Your Now

 

A group that I was in recently asked why we should be in the moment, in the now. How to get there and how we stay there in our day-to-day life. Some of the responses were things such as, why is this important/” and “it's too hard”. The one the really made me realize that the group was not “getting” the concept was when someone said, “I have to get out of the now to let my mind rest and to stay sane.”

 

The fact is that staying in your now will do just that, allow your mind to rest and keep you sane. Think about it, if you are not into what you are doing, who you are with and/or where you are at any given moment what is going on in your mind? For most people the mind is bouncing back and forth between what you wish you had done, what you feel you should have done in the past and what you are going to do , how you are going to do it and with whom in the future. Because of this unfocused state, what you are doing at the present moment is not done well or correctly, and this gives you something to grind on and worry about later while trying to do something else. Do you see the cycle here? This will create stress, fear, apprehension and distress; all leading to some sort of dis-ease in your biology. This thought state also makes time seem to drag out to uncomfortable duration and keeps you unhappy in your present and fretful about the consequences of your past actions and apprehensive about future plans.

 

Now, if you are attending to what you are doing right now, in this minute, you have no agitation or upset. You are focused on right now. In this way you become consciously aware of the joy of time well spent in purposeful activity. You will be assured that you did your best and you will actually find joy in the moment (because you aren't worried about all the other stuff) You will notice things that passed you by before because you were distracted, you will enjoy even mundane tasks more because of your focus and you will not feel spread too thin. These feelings will occur spontaneously because your mind is free of tormenting “wish I had”, “I should have”, “gosh I could have”, “why didn't I” type thoughts. Nor are you plagued by the “what is next” thing encroaching on your mind and, you find peace.

This is why and how meditation works, as your mind becomes quiet, your body becomes peaceful. When you learn how to live that way all of the time, you begin to live in peace, grace and understanding dawns upon you.

 

Next question is how do I do this “staying in my now” thing? It is an inherent trait; you are born with this ability. Watch a child at play how many times does Mom have to call before the child realizes there is something going on outside his now? In actuality you, as an adult, do it more than you think. Remember a time when you were doing something that made time seem to stand still? You were doing it then. Just become consciously aware of what you are doing, where you are doing it and with whom, even if it is just yourself. That is being in your now. Yes, it is a process; yes, you have to work at it a bit and truly all you need to do is to remember it. Anything you have ever done required the same investment to make it a part of your daily life. Learning to walk, talk, drive and yes to think. This is just a calmer, more productive, satisfying and peaceful way to do the thinking.

 

I congratulate you on your decision to pursue this path and I wish you Love, Light, Laughter and Bright Blessings as well as new things to grace your path. Chessie

 

© Chessie Roberts 2011, all rights reserved

 

HOW TO DIMINISH NEED

HOW TO DIMINISH NEED

                        Traditional Transylvanian house blessing.

“With Faith there is Love,

With Love there is Peace,

With Peace there is Blessing,

With Blessing there is God and,

With God there is no need...”

Have faith that all is being taken care of and love will grow,

As love fills and overflows you, peace will envelop you and you will begin to see your blessings,

As you acknowledge these blessings you begin to become closer to the Energy that is God,

And when you achieve this connection, there is no 'need' for you require nothing more.

Light, Love, Laughter and Bright Blessings, Chessie

© 2011 Chessie Roberts all rights reserved

TO SEE AND TO BE SEEN IS UBUNTU

TO SEE AND TO BE SEEN IS UBUNTU

 

In the movie AVATAR the Pandorains greeted each other with the phrase, “I see you.” I felt that resonate deeply within me and wondered why that might be. Then one day, many months later, I came across what I feel may be an explanation for it.

 

The Zulu People of Africa use this same greeting. The article broke the meaning down into 4 parts and I will examine them here. The first part of the greeting is for the people to look deeply into the eyes of the other. This is a difficult thing for us in the west to do because we seem to avoid eye contact as often as we can. Looking directly into the eyes of another creates a very deep and intimate contact, closer to a contact between souls than just between the surface of two people. Because of this, the deeper, clearer and more honest the communication will be.

 

The second part is the response to the initial greeting, it is “I am here to be seen”. This is a calling for the inner spirit of the person, the bare “I am” of the individual to come forward and be in the moment. To take an active and responsible part in the verbal exchange. Not on the surface but deep down inside, where it truly matters. Sort of a statement of intent to be honest, naked before you, nothing between us, no judgment.

 

To announce that you actually see the other person is deeply powerful for both parties, It allows and offers the ability to see the other person as they are, as they were intended to be, as the Creator made them, that they exist in a world that is usually rather narrowly focused on the self rather than on those around us. This simple statement: “I see you” denotes respect and equality; authenticity and dare I say it? Love. Love and acceptance that they too belong on the earth with us and have the right to voice their truths too? It also seems to invite us, all of us, to be here now, to be present in our lives with conscious awareness and honest, open, clear intent.

 

Here is where ubuntu comes into play. It is a Zulu word that speaks to the Zulu doctrine of belief. The word ubuntu closely means “humanity toward all.” this includes a support system that edifies everyone, that creates a coming together of people as equals and important in their own right. It bestows value and worth of everyone, it requires that each truly see the best in both themselves and in the other. This is true unconditional love. Love is, after all, the driving force of the universe. It also invites us to be. To be in our own lives, the lives of others and to participate in all that entails. You can't live your life if you aren't in it and now, right now because “I see you”, step up and “see” those around you and live.

 

Love, Light, Laughter, Bright Blessings and Ubuntu Chessie

© Chessie Roberts 2011, all rights reserved.

JUST WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HAUL AROUND

JUST WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HAUL AROUND
AND HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU WANT TO WALK THROUGH IT?

I have had an occasion to speak to a group of people who told me that they felt compelled to do some rather nasty things to others because some rather nasty things had been done to them.

OK, let’s talk about that. Use your imagination to take all of the nasty, mean and ugly things that have EVER happened to you and see them as a huge pile of manure. Your pile may be larger or smaller than other persons’, but it is your pile therefore it is the most important for this exercise.

Now you have a few choices. You can choose to haul it around for the rest of your life while it gets larger and smellier hoping someone will ‘fix’ it for you (good luck with that one). Or you can choose to use it as an excuse to be mean to others and that is the first aspect of this question we will discuss today.

Every time you use your pile of manure to be hateful (that word means ‘full of hate’ by the way) this it what you are really doing. You are choosing, with great effort, to pull your pile of manure around in front of you and then you are choosing to walk through it one more time. Each time you choose/decide to do this, you get some on you, making you relive the whole nasty business over and over again. Because of this practice, your life is probably not getting any better, is it? Now ask yourself, is that what you really want, to be stuck in Manureville for the rest of your life? Somehow, I don’t think so or you wouldn’t be here.

So, as the second aspect of our question; what is a good, positive, healthy choice for getting rid of your pile?

I strongly suggest that you choose to go through your pile and get rid of it by using it to

1.) Fertilize your learning (as in what not to do again), 

2.) Deciding what you can choose to forgive and thereby dismiss, (i.e., let it go) and

3.) Then decide what is just not worth your notice or worthy of you so you truly let it go (it wasn’t worth keeping in the first place).

Simple? Yes. Easy? Not really but if your goal is the choice to be whole and balanced it is well worth the effort. I did it; others in the program have done it, so can you. I promise you that when you decide to truly look at your life and choose to begin to raise your vibrations to match the vibrations of the Energy of the Universe, this task will not seem as daunting as it might right now.
So, Bright Blessings and Good Choices, Chessie

© Chessie Roberts 2010, all rights reserved