"Listening moves us closer, it helps us become more whole, more healthy, more holy. Not listening creates fragmentation, and fragmentation is the root of all suffering." Margaret Wheatley
There are very few places in our lives where we can be listened to deeply without judgement or interruption. Deep listening is about listening from the heart rather than the mind. Some church communities have initiated this practice of indigenous origin to facilitate dealing with difficult or contentious issues. Others have made it a regular spiritual practice where the silence provides a connection that is not felt when questions and words take over.
In my experience personally, and as a pastor, all too often I have seen a person speak up with a need to be seen and heard with their truth and dignity honored, only to be met with quick responses of how they can be "fixed". From a pastoral perspective, as well as a practical approach, what most people are seeking when they share their thoughts and reflections, is connection with their own inner most teacher. It is easy to overlook the healing power of deep listening.
Recently, I experienced a difficult end of employment closure meeting with my supervisor. When I left her office, I needed to debrief, to have a witness to my pain and hurt, someone to listen to me deeply as I began my process. Finding someone who was both available with uninterrupted time, in a private setting, and not distracted by the environment, her cell phone, or other distraction was the initial challenge. Secondly, I needed someone to hold the space with me, to listen deeply in an environment of rest and refuge for my emotional exhaustion. My partner was able to do this for me, but I also needed a colleague to hear me, and ironically, that was the most difficult listener to find.
It appears to me that we need to reclaim the healing power of silence and deep listening. The harder silence is to find, the more we seek it. It is a common human response to expressions of pain and suffering to want to offer an immediate antidote. Having no answer is the answer.
When someone is listening deeply, silently, and not thinking about what to say, you will know it. The profound holiness of such invisible sacred connection can be felt. The Wisdom of the Divine becomes the silent healer.
(submitted by Rev. Dalene Fuller Rogers and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of other members of the Organ Mountain Institute for Spiritual Growth)
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
What's God Got to do With It?
"...One nation under God..." (from the Pledge of Allegiance) "In God We Trust" (printed on our paper currency) The words, "under God" were not added to the Pledge until 1954. The original, written by Francis Bellamy a self-described Christian socialist, did not include these words. "In God We Trust"
first appeared on our coins in 1864. During the height of the cold war, on July
11, 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Public Law 140 making it
mandatory that all coinage and paper currency display the motto. There have been many failed attempts to remove the motto and to delete reference to God from the Pledge.
Addendum: In response to those who have asked for more references from the Christian model of love, peace and justice, Jesus Christ, I offer the following annotated references:
The gospels have a theme of Jesus reaching out to the marginalized in his society; the poor, women, Samaritans, children, prostitutes, lepers and tax collectors. He did not reject those who were of higher social status and who were comfortable economically, but he did make it clear that no one was exempt from the need to repent. This is highlighted in the passage where he invites the rich young ruler to sell all of his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. The richest person in the world is the one who gives it away.
Mark 10:17-30
Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Luke 4: 18-19
Jesus also reinterprets the traditional meaning of the word "neighbor" to include anyone in need, especially social outcasts.
Luke 10: 25-37
In Matthew's gospel, it is clear that Jesus believes God will judge harshly those who have not helped the needy. "Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Matthew 25: 31-46
Although I have strong feelings about the separation of church and state, I'm putting those feelings aside to reflect on what it means to me to be a citizen of a nation that puts its trust in God, and calls for allegiance to it as a nation "under God".
Each one of us, who is not an atheist, has a unique and personal understanding of "God" that may be influenced by our religious affiliation. In my case, I identify as a Christian, ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. But, my personal relationship with "God" and understanding of God's will for our country cannot be separated from my life experiences that reshape and refresh my theology continually, for I believe God is still speaking.
The Judeo-Christian God I have met in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures would surely lament a government that did not include in its interpretation of "liberty and justice for all", helping the poor and correcting injustices that give unfair advantages to certain groups. A biblical "preferential option for the poor" does not reject the privileged, it simply serves to rectify a gross imbalance. Everyone is called to join in correcting the imbalance. No one is exempt or too hard-hearted to be converted, whether from money power like Zaccheus in the Christian gospels, or political power like Nicodemas, or religious power like Paul.
God's covenant with creation includes a special concern for the poor and the vulnerable. Listed below, are several scriptural foundations for this understanding:
Laws protecting "aliens", widows and orphans--
Exodus 22: 20-22
Leviticus 19:33-34
Deuteronomy 24: 17-18
Laws protecting debtors--
Exodus 22:24-26
Leviticus 25:23-28
Deuteronomy 23:20
Deuteronomy 24:6 and 10-13
Laws providing for the poor--
Deuteronomy 14:28-29
Deuteronomy 26:12-13
Judgment of nations--
Matthew 25: 31-46
Jesus mission to the poor/outcast--
Luke 4:16-21
Reaching out to the poor/vulnerable--
Luke 14:12-14
With just these few references in mind, a "nation under God in whom we trust", would surely have a democratic government that creates and supports a system wherein all people can directly and successfully help make decisions that affect them; where the most vulnerable--the poor and marginalized--are protected.
Relief to the afflicted is a response to the effects of abuse, neglect, and evil. Chronic need and emergencies require unrestrained response. Long-term dependency on relief measures may be avoided by addressing the underlying causes of poverty and institutionalized injustice, and by becoming co-creators of the realm of God on earth. God has promised to protect God's people, but God is relying on humanity, created in God's image and likeness, to partner in this transformation.
It's okay with me to identify the United States of America as a "nation under God" only when we actually behave like one; when being "under God" is more than a motto. Until then, we are still in need of redemption.
(submitted by Rev. Dalene Fuller Rogers whose views and opinions expressed here, do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of other members of the Organ Mt. Institute for Spiritual Growth)
The gospels have a theme of Jesus reaching out to the marginalized in his society; the poor, women, Samaritans, children, prostitutes, lepers and tax collectors. He did not reject those who were of higher social status and who were comfortable economically, but he did make it clear that no one was exempt from the need to repent. This is highlighted in the passage where he invites the rich young ruler to sell all of his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. The richest person in the world is the one who gives it away.
Mark 10:17-30
Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Luke 4: 18-19
Jesus also reinterprets the traditional meaning of the word "neighbor" to include anyone in need, especially social outcasts.
Luke 10: 25-37
In Matthew's gospel, it is clear that Jesus believes God will judge harshly those who have not helped the needy. "Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Matthew 25: 31-46
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The Politics of Healthcare
The Susan B. Komen Foundation announced it will no longer support Planned Parenthood with grant money for breast cancer screening/mammograms for women without health insurance to cover these exams. Apparently, there has been political pressure on the Komen Foundation board to stop funding Planned Parenthood because of a misrepresentation by the conservative forces in American politics that wants us to believe that Planned Parenthood is all about abortions. Reality check from me...
In 1992, I returned to the U.S. after 2 years of parish ministry in Ontario, Canada, where my daughters and I were fortunate enough to receive medical services under the universal healthcare provisions of the province of Ontario. In Vermont, where I was under employed as a pastor, my two school-aged daughters received Vermont medicaid for children. I, however, had no health insurance, and no access to affordable healthcare coverage. So, I turned to Planned Parenthood of the Upper Valley for my health services. They were thorough, efficient, and accepted whatever I could pay. I never felt humiliated by Planned Parenthood due to my inability to pay fully for services, or because I had no insurance. However, when I had to take my daughters for healthcare services under the Medicaid plan, I was frequently treated rudely by healthcare providers, and I learned first hand what it is like to be a part of the American underclass. Since then, and I'm sure, before I utilized Planned Parenthood healthcare services, they have been demonized as abortionists. This is an example of how extreme political views get emphasized in the American media without substantiation, that may lead to a further reduction in access to needed healthcare services to under served, uninsured women in America.
As I reflect on this situation now, older, wiser, and just as passionate, as a Christian leader I feel that the spirituality of women remains an area of concern. We must never let a dominant, patriarchal power structure, diminish the fact that we too are made in the image and likeness of God, and have a right to equal access to healthcare, and to full control over our bodies. God never intended for women to be manipulated and controlled by anyone. We are meant to reflect on our healthcare choices based on our spiritual grounding and personal religious beliefs. It is not the role of government to deny a woman access to any healthcare procedure. Rather it is the government's role to protect a women's access to all healthcare services.
In the current decision by the Komen Foundation, it appears that Planned Parenthood is being punished for providing free or reduced breast cancer screening services to needy women simply because they also offer pregnancy termination services to less than 3% of it's clientele. Who is really being punished? Poor women without insurance, and most of those women are non-white.
This is not simply a political issue, which is why I chose to write about it. This situation is a commentary of the American spiritual identity crisis. What is the meaning and purpose of government? How do we identify who is needy/worthy of access to free or reduced cost healthcare services? And for those who are Christian identified, it is still relevant to ask "What would Jesus do?" Something tells me he would promote healthcare access for all.
(submitted by Rev.Dalene Fuller Rogers whose views and opinions do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Organ Mt. Institute for Spiritual Growth)
In 1992, I returned to the U.S. after 2 years of parish ministry in Ontario, Canada, where my daughters and I were fortunate enough to receive medical services under the universal healthcare provisions of the province of Ontario. In Vermont, where I was under employed as a pastor, my two school-aged daughters received Vermont medicaid for children. I, however, had no health insurance, and no access to affordable healthcare coverage. So, I turned to Planned Parenthood of the Upper Valley for my health services. They were thorough, efficient, and accepted whatever I could pay. I never felt humiliated by Planned Parenthood due to my inability to pay fully for services, or because I had no insurance. However, when I had to take my daughters for healthcare services under the Medicaid plan, I was frequently treated rudely by healthcare providers, and I learned first hand what it is like to be a part of the American underclass. Since then, and I'm sure, before I utilized Planned Parenthood healthcare services, they have been demonized as abortionists. This is an example of how extreme political views get emphasized in the American media without substantiation, that may lead to a further reduction in access to needed healthcare services to under served, uninsured women in America.
As I reflect on this situation now, older, wiser, and just as passionate, as a Christian leader I feel that the spirituality of women remains an area of concern. We must never let a dominant, patriarchal power structure, diminish the fact that we too are made in the image and likeness of God, and have a right to equal access to healthcare, and to full control over our bodies. God never intended for women to be manipulated and controlled by anyone. We are meant to reflect on our healthcare choices based on our spiritual grounding and personal religious beliefs. It is not the role of government to deny a woman access to any healthcare procedure. Rather it is the government's role to protect a women's access to all healthcare services.
In the current decision by the Komen Foundation, it appears that Planned Parenthood is being punished for providing free or reduced breast cancer screening services to needy women simply because they also offer pregnancy termination services to less than 3% of it's clientele. Who is really being punished? Poor women without insurance, and most of those women are non-white.
This is not simply a political issue, which is why I chose to write about it. This situation is a commentary of the American spiritual identity crisis. What is the meaning and purpose of government? How do we identify who is needy/worthy of access to free or reduced cost healthcare services? And for those who are Christian identified, it is still relevant to ask "What would Jesus do?" Something tells me he would promote healthcare access for all.
(submitted by Rev.Dalene Fuller Rogers whose views and opinions do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Organ Mt. Institute for Spiritual Growth)
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Iraq War is Over?
This week the last of US combat troops were sent home from Iraq. The news headlines heralded this as the end of the war. Let us not forget that the long-term effects of war will be with us for years to come. Many soldiers will have suffered traumatic injuries to body, mind and spirit, and will be faced with the challenge of finding compassionate and successful healing treatment for their invisible injuries as well as their physical ones.
As a VA Hospital chaplain, I was told by combat veterans, repeatedly, that the emotional and spiritual trauma was worse than their physical injuries. The Organ Mountain Institute for Spiritual Growth has a primary focus on outreach to those who have suffered traumatic events leading to PTSD. We believe that healing and improvement in symptoms is possible. Our goal is to be able to provide access to treatment for those who do not have adequate insurance to get the help they need.
We also recognize the impact on families, loved ones, partners and spouses of those suffering from PTSD, and we want them to know we can help them too.
For those who read this blog who feel they do not have the skills to directly contribute to the healing program for those with PTSD, I urge you to do all you can to contribute to the creation of peace: in yourself, in your home, in your schools and community. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with you.
In the Spirit of the Christmas Season, let us all work toward ending war and violence everywhere, as the Prince of Peace, and those who have followed his example, call us to do.
Peace, love, justice and joy to all.
(submitted by Rev. Dalene Fuller Rogers)
As a VA Hospital chaplain, I was told by combat veterans, repeatedly, that the emotional and spiritual trauma was worse than their physical injuries. The Organ Mountain Institute for Spiritual Growth has a primary focus on outreach to those who have suffered traumatic events leading to PTSD. We believe that healing and improvement in symptoms is possible. Our goal is to be able to provide access to treatment for those who do not have adequate insurance to get the help they need.
We also recognize the impact on families, loved ones, partners and spouses of those suffering from PTSD, and we want them to know we can help them too.
For those who read this blog who feel they do not have the skills to directly contribute to the healing program for those with PTSD, I urge you to do all you can to contribute to the creation of peace: in yourself, in your home, in your schools and community. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with you.
In the Spirit of the Christmas Season, let us all work toward ending war and violence everywhere, as the Prince of Peace, and those who have followed his example, call us to do.
Peace, love, justice and joy to all.
(submitted by Rev. Dalene Fuller Rogers)
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Hope is a Movement
I CARE ABOUT YOU. These words appeared on a sign being held aloft by a peaceful demonstrator at Occupy Wallstreet. There is a radical message in this statement. To look someone in the eye and say that you care, creates an immediate sense of commitment and connection; a recognition of a person's humanity, vulnerability and interdependence.
Congress is once again in grid lock. They spend hours talking at each other, when they should be listening to the people their decisions may effect adversely. What continues to disappoint me is the inability of public servants to work from a personal moral compass that acknowledges that the power and influence given to them in a democracy is a privilege that must not be abused.
My spirituality and my political views are inseparable. In seminary, I identified how my relationship with God and Christ informed my progressive politics. The historical Jesus would demonstrate with the sign "I CARE ABOUT YOU"--the man of God who stood up to oppressive Roman rule and religion that was leaning too heavily on law and too weakly on grace. The prophetic messenger from Galilee who said, "Come to me you who are heavy with burdens and I will give you rest", is supposed to be the role model for all the Christians in Congress; over 88% of the membership. Imagine if they asked themselves the proverbial question, "What would Jesus do?" I can tell you with confidence it would not be pepper spraying the peaceful demonstrators and balancing the budget by stealing the hard-earned social security and Medicare benefits of our senior citizens.
What would Jesus say about a system that always has money to bailout banks and engage in wars, but can't seem to help 24 million Americans looking for full-time work, or the 47 million Americans who need government aid to eat, or the 15 million families whose mortgages are upside down, or the 50 million Americans who cannot afford to see a doctor when they are sick?
It is time to use our influence, regardless of our place in this American democracy, to show that we do care about each other. A Seventh-Day Adventist pastor in Budapest, Romania, Adrian Bocaneanu, describes influence as "...a privilege obtained on the basis of real interest in human affairs, systemic observation, serious thought, courageous opinion, and responsible interactions with society." I see the Occupy WallStreet movement as the use of influence to give hope to those who feel powerless by exercising the liberty and freedoms we all too often take for granted, and speaking a clear message to financial powers and government leadership that EVERY person does matter, not just a privileged few.
Transforming hope into a morally-driven domestic policy is something we all must support.
Rev. Dalene Fuller Rogers
(The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of other members of the Organ Mountain Institute for Spiritual Growth)
Congress is once again in grid lock. They spend hours talking at each other, when they should be listening to the people their decisions may effect adversely. What continues to disappoint me is the inability of public servants to work from a personal moral compass that acknowledges that the power and influence given to them in a democracy is a privilege that must not be abused.
My spirituality and my political views are inseparable. In seminary, I identified how my relationship with God and Christ informed my progressive politics. The historical Jesus would demonstrate with the sign "I CARE ABOUT YOU"--the man of God who stood up to oppressive Roman rule and religion that was leaning too heavily on law and too weakly on grace. The prophetic messenger from Galilee who said, "Come to me you who are heavy with burdens and I will give you rest", is supposed to be the role model for all the Christians in Congress; over 88% of the membership. Imagine if they asked themselves the proverbial question, "What would Jesus do?" I can tell you with confidence it would not be pepper spraying the peaceful demonstrators and balancing the budget by stealing the hard-earned social security and Medicare benefits of our senior citizens.
What would Jesus say about a system that always has money to bailout banks and engage in wars, but can't seem to help 24 million Americans looking for full-time work, or the 47 million Americans who need government aid to eat, or the 15 million families whose mortgages are upside down, or the 50 million Americans who cannot afford to see a doctor when they are sick?
It is time to use our influence, regardless of our place in this American democracy, to show that we do care about each other. A Seventh-Day Adventist pastor in Budapest, Romania, Adrian Bocaneanu, describes influence as "...a privilege obtained on the basis of real interest in human affairs, systemic observation, serious thought, courageous opinion, and responsible interactions with society." I see the Occupy WallStreet movement as the use of influence to give hope to those who feel powerless by exercising the liberty and freedoms we all too often take for granted, and speaking a clear message to financial powers and government leadership that EVERY person does matter, not just a privileged few.
Transforming hope into a morally-driven domestic policy is something we all must support.
Rev. Dalene Fuller Rogers
(The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of other members of the Organ Mountain Institute for Spiritual Growth)
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Not Knowing As Spiritual Practice
It's difficult to live in the midst of ambiguity. Most people seem to thrive on a sense of security that comes from having a "black" or "white" view of every situation. If "this" is happening, then "that" is the response. This type of thinking leaves no room for the gray areas: not knowing, not having a solution, an answer, a reason, a cause, a scapegoat to blame. To simply be a witness, to be present to our places of not knowing, sitting as a companion to our ambiguity, is a spiritual practice that can move us beyond fear and attachment to outcomes.
My current hospice ministry places me in a healthcare setting, heavily managed by government regulations and expectations. Though we have "patient-centered/patient directed" plans of care, every intervention must be attached to an outcome, even spiritual care. If we cannot measure the success of our interventions based on outcomes, the argument goes, then how can we assess the quality of our care? How can we design and implement changes and improvements? Whoever decided to apply these standards to spiritual care had grandiose (if not co-dependent) ideas of how to control another human's behavior, decisions, relationships, and spiritual discernment process.
Many of the people I have accompanied on their spiritual journeys, as both pastor or chaplain, have been suffering from some degree of fear of the unknown. Uncertainty and attachment to outcomes exacerbates our fear of failing. Holding hands with this fear is hope--the two are inseparable colleagues. Hope is the spiritual state of non-attachment to outcomes. It is the ability to shift from fear of the unknown, to a place of curiosity and openness. Hope arises from our soul.
Czech poet Vaclav Havel described hope this way: "It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out." Moving towards this understanding of hope sets us free to seek what gives meaning to our suffering and struggles.
I have learned that it is relationships that give meaning to my struggles. As long as I stay grounded in my interconnectedness with others, I can endure all difficulties. Partnered with those who support me, listen deeply to me, offer me comfort and celebrate my happiness, I will not despair. My invisible lines of connection with God, with nature, with family and friends have liberated me from most fears, anxiety and expectations. I face nothing alone, and that's all I need to know.
My current hospice ministry places me in a healthcare setting, heavily managed by government regulations and expectations. Though we have "patient-centered/patient directed" plans of care, every intervention must be attached to an outcome, even spiritual care. If we cannot measure the success of our interventions based on outcomes, the argument goes, then how can we assess the quality of our care? How can we design and implement changes and improvements? Whoever decided to apply these standards to spiritual care had grandiose (if not co-dependent) ideas of how to control another human's behavior, decisions, relationships, and spiritual discernment process.
Many of the people I have accompanied on their spiritual journeys, as both pastor or chaplain, have been suffering from some degree of fear of the unknown. Uncertainty and attachment to outcomes exacerbates our fear of failing. Holding hands with this fear is hope--the two are inseparable colleagues. Hope is the spiritual state of non-attachment to outcomes. It is the ability to shift from fear of the unknown, to a place of curiosity and openness. Hope arises from our soul.
Czech poet Vaclav Havel described hope this way: "It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out." Moving towards this understanding of hope sets us free to seek what gives meaning to our suffering and struggles.
I have learned that it is relationships that give meaning to my struggles. As long as I stay grounded in my interconnectedness with others, I can endure all difficulties. Partnered with those who support me, listen deeply to me, offer me comfort and celebrate my happiness, I will not despair. My invisible lines of connection with God, with nature, with family and friends have liberated me from most fears, anxiety and expectations. I face nothing alone, and that's all I need to know.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Unexpected Visitor
Last weekend, I led a retreat at the San Patricio Retreat Center. The focus of the weekend was healing from traumatic loss. I always prepare for leading a spiritually-based retreat by meditation and prayer, and express my humility and gratitude to God for calling me to minister with whomever God sends to the retreat.
Suffering, in body, mind and spirit may be intense for those who are feeling powerless to help themselves or those they love. Re-discovering the healing power of God inside themselves, that was given to them at the time of their creation, may require exposure to many different, or new, forms of spirituality. With this in mind, when I create the altar for a retreat, I always use diverse symbols of spiritual pathways, including the native american healing wheel.
One of the most powerful guided meditations I led with the participants of this retreat, took place on Sunday morning before our "Wilderness Meal" healing communion ceremony. I began with a reading and teaching from the second creation story in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew scripture. In this story, we are told that God "breathed" life into Adam. In the Hebrew, the word "ruah" is used in this story for breath. This is the same word in Hebrew used for "spirit". How empowering it is to recall that we are created by the breath and spirit of God entering into us. With this in mind, we practiced a breathing meditation, imaging God/Jesus standing before us, breathing new life and healing spirit into us with each breath. With each exhalation, we left our pain and sufferings at the feet of God/Jesus.
I had not planned this particular guided meditation. It was a gift that came to me upon arising Sunday morning, after experiencing an unexpected spiritual presence as I prepared for sleep the night before. Keep in mind, as I share this story with you, that the San Patricio Retreat Center is believed to have been built on land in San Patricio, NM that originally belonged to the Mescalero Apache.
Saturday night, I returned to my room about 9:30pm, after a long day of teaching and spiritual counseling. Almost a full moon filled the grounds around my casita with light. Stillness blessed the night. I put out the light at my bedside and closed my eyes, relaxing into my nightly prayer of gratitude. I had not been in my bed three minutes, when I was startled by the sound of something moving in the bushes and the sound of lightly jingling bells. I sprung from bed, asking myself "What IS that?" I did not feel fearful, only curious. I gazed out the windows, scanning the area outside the casita for some sign of a person with bells. There was no person, no bells, no windchimes. Nothing. I returned to my bed wondering to myself what it could have been. I felt that the jingling bells reminded me of a sound I had heard before. Yes! It reminded me of the sound of the jingle dress dancers I have seen at many Native American pow wows. Could I have scared off some native spirit I wondered?
I returned to bed, closed my eyes, and no sooner had I begun to relax again, the sound of rhythmic, light jingle bells returned, only this time, they were in the bedroom with me. I decided not to open my eyes or move; simply experience the sounds of the Jingle Dress Dancer in my room. She danced for a few minutes and stopped. I said, "Thank you", and fell asleep. When I awoke the next morning, my first thought was to use the creation story as entry into a guided meditation about the Spirit of God that was given to us at birth. I also knew I needed to research the meaning of the Jingle Dress dance. I was unsure if this dance was part of the Apache tradition.
Mescalero Apache women do perform the Jingle Dress dance for many of their ritual ceremonies. The origin of the dance comes from the story of a tribal elder whose granddaughter was ill. One night, he had a vision of a spirit in a dress that told him if the grandfather made this dress and put it on his granddaughter, she would become well. The medicine man made the dress, put it on the child and brought her to the dance circle. The first time around the circle, the girl had to be carried because she was too weak to walk. The second time around, she could walk, but still needed help from some of the women in their community. The third time around the circle, the girl walked on her own. After this, women adopted the jingle dress as a healing dress. When they dance wearing the jingle dress, they recall the healing medicine.
I believe the spirit of the Jingle Dress dancer was present at San Patricio that night. It was a blessing for me to hear her, even without seeing her. Maybe she inspired my Sunday guided meditation. Maybe she blessed the healing ministry God called me to offer that weekend. Maybe I needed healing at some level before I could continue. Now, as I reflect back on the experience, I do not feel that I need to know anything about why she was there. I simply accept, with deep gratitude, that healing for the soul comes in many ways, if we are openhearted.
I often use the blessing that begins, "The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God...". God's powerful peace is often beyond our understanding, but to receive it we need only keep our hearts and minds on God's love that manifests in many, sometimes mysterious and unexpected ways.
Suffering, in body, mind and spirit may be intense for those who are feeling powerless to help themselves or those they love. Re-discovering the healing power of God inside themselves, that was given to them at the time of their creation, may require exposure to many different, or new, forms of spirituality. With this in mind, when I create the altar for a retreat, I always use diverse symbols of spiritual pathways, including the native american healing wheel.
One of the most powerful guided meditations I led with the participants of this retreat, took place on Sunday morning before our "Wilderness Meal" healing communion ceremony. I began with a reading and teaching from the second creation story in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew scripture. In this story, we are told that God "breathed" life into Adam. In the Hebrew, the word "ruah" is used in this story for breath. This is the same word in Hebrew used for "spirit". How empowering it is to recall that we are created by the breath and spirit of God entering into us. With this in mind, we practiced a breathing meditation, imaging God/Jesus standing before us, breathing new life and healing spirit into us with each breath. With each exhalation, we left our pain and sufferings at the feet of God/Jesus.
I had not planned this particular guided meditation. It was a gift that came to me upon arising Sunday morning, after experiencing an unexpected spiritual presence as I prepared for sleep the night before. Keep in mind, as I share this story with you, that the San Patricio Retreat Center is believed to have been built on land in San Patricio, NM that originally belonged to the Mescalero Apache.
Saturday night, I returned to my room about 9:30pm, after a long day of teaching and spiritual counseling. Almost a full moon filled the grounds around my casita with light. Stillness blessed the night. I put out the light at my bedside and closed my eyes, relaxing into my nightly prayer of gratitude. I had not been in my bed three minutes, when I was startled by the sound of something moving in the bushes and the sound of lightly jingling bells. I sprung from bed, asking myself "What IS that?" I did not feel fearful, only curious. I gazed out the windows, scanning the area outside the casita for some sign of a person with bells. There was no person, no bells, no windchimes. Nothing. I returned to my bed wondering to myself what it could have been. I felt that the jingling bells reminded me of a sound I had heard before. Yes! It reminded me of the sound of the jingle dress dancers I have seen at many Native American pow wows. Could I have scared off some native spirit I wondered?
I returned to bed, closed my eyes, and no sooner had I begun to relax again, the sound of rhythmic, light jingle bells returned, only this time, they were in the bedroom with me. I decided not to open my eyes or move; simply experience the sounds of the Jingle Dress Dancer in my room. She danced for a few minutes and stopped. I said, "Thank you", and fell asleep. When I awoke the next morning, my first thought was to use the creation story as entry into a guided meditation about the Spirit of God that was given to us at birth. I also knew I needed to research the meaning of the Jingle Dress dance. I was unsure if this dance was part of the Apache tradition.
Mescalero Apache women do perform the Jingle Dress dance for many of their ritual ceremonies. The origin of the dance comes from the story of a tribal elder whose granddaughter was ill. One night, he had a vision of a spirit in a dress that told him if the grandfather made this dress and put it on his granddaughter, she would become well. The medicine man made the dress, put it on the child and brought her to the dance circle. The first time around the circle, the girl had to be carried because she was too weak to walk. The second time around, she could walk, but still needed help from some of the women in their community. The third time around the circle, the girl walked on her own. After this, women adopted the jingle dress as a healing dress. When they dance wearing the jingle dress, they recall the healing medicine.
I believe the spirit of the Jingle Dress dancer was present at San Patricio that night. It was a blessing for me to hear her, even without seeing her. Maybe she inspired my Sunday guided meditation. Maybe she blessed the healing ministry God called me to offer that weekend. Maybe I needed healing at some level before I could continue. Now, as I reflect back on the experience, I do not feel that I need to know anything about why she was there. I simply accept, with deep gratitude, that healing for the soul comes in many ways, if we are openhearted.
I often use the blessing that begins, "The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God...". God's powerful peace is often beyond our understanding, but to receive it we need only keep our hearts and minds on God's love that manifests in many, sometimes mysterious and unexpected ways.
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