Hope: The Inevitable Quest

 

 

 

“Hope”     [ is the thing with feathers]

By Emily Dickinson

 

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

 

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

 

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

 

Oh, in the way the world is today, we see purpose.  We seek fulfillment.  We seek well-being.  We seek authenticity in relationships.  Funny thing “HOPE”:  It is something beyond our actual real ken; It is a way we try to remain open, in case something better might happen; It is some kind of high-leveled trust; It is not in our control but is our mental action (and sometimes, spiritual) that makes things bearable.  It something belonging to the family of FAITH.  Yes, I think that’s what I think. 

Elpis was a Greek Goddess of Hope.  (according to 8^th Century myth-maker/poet, Hesiod).   I am sure you have heard of Pandora’s Box.  Well, it wasn’t a box, although we have been told that as stories warp.  It was a Jar.  See, there were a bunch of negative emotions and experiences all put into a jar:  death, old age, plague, sorrow, toil, war, etc.  But one positive was put in the jar:  Hope.  Well, Pandora, who was like First Woman, opened that jar and all escaped…except HOPE/Elpis, who remained.  She chose to stay in the jar and be a comfort to mankind.  Pandora had been told not to open that jar.  This is said to be how divine grace is not lost in all the chaos that can occur...things of fate...things we choose to find or finds us.  Elpis/HOPE is an enduring spark within us.

Hope is what causes us to be humble, to be open, no matter what comes in our life.  It gets us going on through hard things.  We refuse to give up, when hope is there.  Things will get better…there is a light at the end of dark tunnels, end of darkness as dawn approaches.  And sometimes, we think things don’t get better and they may not, but there is available, a change in us to bear it, to surrender to it, to walk step by step through tough things, uncertain though we may be. 

Oh, there are lots of professional and non-professional fixes.  I think Hope is something about endurance.  It is about, somehow, sometimes in spite of ourselves, that gets us through.  Perhaps it is a spiritual kind of trust.  Perhaps it is a silent but significant force, beyond reality.  Perhaps it is part of healing.  Perhaps it is a bit of all. 

I figure, if we think we do not have it, it can be learned.  Perhaps we need to be patience in the dark nights of our soul.  And, it has something to do with fierce courage.  WE reclaim it, sometimes at the last moment. It is a determined, perhaps, stubborn, stance, part of ego.    It is there when we confront our fears.   When we are attune to our HOPE, it helps us get on with things.  We change.  We transform.

Hope is what comes before action.  It is a sacred gift.  It is optimism wrought from the fires being human can bring.  It withstands outer and inner chaos and tough things.   We are surely complex beings. We want purpose, significance, to achieve, to contribute, to nurture, to seek and have meaning.  These things are under the umbrella of hope. 

This is what keeps us going.  This is what keeps me going.  Sometimes Hope has been a whisper.  Sometimes Hope has yelled at me.  And again…I hope in spite of myself, betimes.

Be attuned to HOPE, sisterfriends. 

 

©Carol Desjarlais 21.07.26

 

Blessed Be Summer Energy

 

 

There is great energy in the world right now.  The light is long; the sun is hot.  Now is the time to light white candles, wear lavender.  Time to find summer flowers that speak to your heart. and bring that aroma of wonderful wild flowers into your home. 

The world is alive and full of natural magic. The heat of the day and the softness of evening engages our senses more than any other time.   We may feel the weight of some carried emotional weight and our dreams may be very powerful and strange, needing to be released.  This is a time of self-compassion.  Our heart deeply desires to blossom with deeper love and peace.  We do, and should, seek it. 

Ancient Chinese calls this the time of excess heart fire.  We may feel obsessive about some things.  We desire connection.  We can be overly enthusiastic, overly reactive, to the point where we can feel anxious and agitated.  In fact, we may be sharp-tempered.  Even the tip of our tongue might be hot and sharp.  We have to watch this in ourselves. 

I wear, decorate with, pink crystal that is a balm to such negatives in things. I weigh relationships, carefully, during this time.  What is more important, peace and love in relationships or a sharp rebuke? Compassion and kindness far outweigh misguided misunderstandings.  Rose Quartz promotes peace, calm and self-love.  It truly emotes unconditional love, if we allow it.  Serenity is more available.  Rose Quartz promotes pure love and compassionate balance. 

As well, our world, today, is in chaos, and divisive, and we are tempted to crawl down the rabbit hole of the internet and find all sorts of conspiracy theories to all things.  This can cause us to be hyper-negative and discouraged.  Look for seeds of peace and serenity to add to your country, community, home, family, and self.  Be that improvement to calm, compassion, and peace in all areas.  Be that peace amidst chaos. 

Safeguard your inner peace by practicing mindfulness.  Keep control of where you body, mind, heart and soul wander.  Sit outside in the early mornings and see Mother Earth awaken to bird songs, butterflies and hum of people beginning their morning chores. 

The way to safeguard your serenity is to set good boundaries.  If you are, like me, a professional people-pleaser, define what you are doing as people-pleaser versus, seeking personal serenity.  I made a huge decision a year ago.  I closed the door to people-pleasing and began my journey into self-care.  I am making it a priority to walk, to write to experiencing the circle of life bringing me back home.  It was tough, believe me, to abandon someone I was caring for.  I have to fill up my own time with love and things I enjoy, and spending time being loved by my children and old friends.  Practicing gratitude and staying away from negative people, what I call soul-suckers) is part of it all. I am releasing my need to control things and learning to surrender.  I do a great deal of self-talk.   I am reconnecting with nature of home.  I am developing new ways of recharging and reconnecting to new space(s) and soothing the angst that even came from my childhood. 

This means there is a great deal of forgiveness happening.  I can not weigh down all this positive energy with past. I am learning to live what I value most:  family.  And being the true ME.   Yes, there are lots of times that I feel challenged and uncertain because I have spent a lifetime pasting a smile on my face and feeling guilt and rejection over and over.  Summer is my high-energy time and all my energies are going towards finding beauty, peace, and a sense of grace.  I feel it beginning to radiate from me, as have others.  Blessed Be.

©Carol Desjarlais 13.07.26

 

Integrity: Gossip And The Whole Truth

 

 

 

“We say what we mean and we mean what we say.”  – Dr. Seuss

I am one who speaks my truth.  I do not seem to think things through as to how they might be taken, how they might be construed, and how it may become gossip fodder.

I was involved in an incident where I told my truth to someone, to ask forgiveness for my misunderstanding.  In the telling, I had told where I had gotten information (misinformation) that led me to need to tell my truth to the first.  I needed to clear the air.   I had told where the misinformation came from, in the first place.  It included another lifelong friend that had, without knowing of the original truth, confirmed the misinformation, with no fault to her.  The person I confessed too, twisted the incident and words and created great discordance with the third.  I was attacked, verbally, by the third person because of gossip.  It ended a lifelong friendship.  Actually, the friendship had had another dent in it.  She had believed someone else’s gossip about me and confronted me as if it were true, but closed the door, for a time, to our friendship.  I was so hurt that I did not defend myself.  I had not tried to defend myself in this last gossip event.  Why do people choose to believe gossip as truth?  I cannot figure out why I was not asked about it all before judgement was made.  I cannot wrap my head around it.  I have, after a few years, spoken to the third and said we needed mediation because she had not been told the whole truth.  I have, since, decided to let it go.  I opened the door for mediation, and now I will simply leave the ball in her court.  I cannot say that I wish we could clear the air, still. 

This all comes down to integrity.  I am, pretty much, an open book.  I am not unaware that things can be taken in a negative way.  I have been misunderstood before.  And, because of that, I really try to have integrity and be credible with what I speak of.  I am a practice what I preach type person, as well.  If I say something is my truth, it, also, I am aware, that it is my truth at the moment and I might become aware and change what I have said is my truth.  I think truth can be a learning thing.  The more experiences we have, the more our truths become clearer.  I will admit when I am wrong.  I will apologize, even if I did not have to. 

I am a promise-keeper.  If I say I will do something, I will.  I have learned, as well, to be careful with what I promise to do.  I am a really transparent person.  I spent my whole career, looking at the WHY of things, rather than the what.  I have to keep in mind that I have to consider the certainty of truth of things.  I have, and continue to have, the awareness of what I am going to say is necessary to be said.  And, I really try to make sure that what I have to say is kind, purposeful, and authentic.  Lesson learned:  no need to defend self, one’s truths, one soul-speak.  How it is received, is received as such.  I no longer just accept that people are honest, authentic, compassionate.  Sometimes, they are not.

©Carol Desjarlais 09.07.26