About Heart and Home

October 13, 2017

The latest reports about the wildfires currently raging across California indicate that as many as 2,800 homes and structures have been destroyed in the city of Santa Rosa. In television interviews with families who have lost their homes, but not their lives, it is nice to see that all of these people recognize that, in the largest sense, life is not about things. It is about love. And even though their houses—and all of the things in them—are gone, each of these families feels extremely grateful to still have each other. They feel blessed, in fact.

The loss of one’s home, however, is not something to be minimized. It is still a very real—and very significant—loss. And grieving the loss of one's home is both understandable and appropriate.

A home, as you well know, is much more than bricks and mortar, wood and shingles, stucco and tile. It is much more than a structure, a shelter, or even—in some cases—a work of art. A home is a box of memories, containing cherished mementos, souvenirs, keepsakes, heirlooms, and irreplaceable photographs.

All of those treasured things are physical symbols of the people and the experiences in our lives that we hold near and dear to our hearts. Although the memories themselves remain intact, it is still understandably tragic when the “memory collage” one has spent a lifetime constructing, has been destroyed by fire, wind, water, or a shift in the earth itself.

To each of you who have recently lost your home, a loved one, a beloved pet, or anything else that occupies an important place in your heart, know that you have the entire Universe working on your behalf to help you restore your sense of wholeness, recover your sense of peace, and rebuild whatever it is that needs rebuilding.

And know, too, that even though it may not appear that way to you right now, with the help of The Divine, it is always possible for great good to come out of this time of great grief.

Steven

© 2017 by Steven Lane Taylor
www.rowrowrow.com
Steven Lane Taylor, LLC

The Devastation of Separation

October 3, 2017

Although there may never be a definitive answer as to why shooting rampages keep occurring in this country and in the world—like the one that just took place in Las Vegas, Nevada—I believe that the underlying cause for many of these recurring tragedies is ultimately the same thing: a feeling of separation instead of oneness.

“Oneness” is about our intimately joined relationship with each other. It is a relationship that arises from the fact that we are all individual expressions of One Spirit—that creative, loving, all-pervading Spirit we commonly call God.

There are times when we sense that holy connection more than others, such as when we pray, meditate, spend time in nature, or hold a tiny baby in our arms. And the natural result of that sense of connection is a wonderful feeling of well-being.

But all too often we feel disconnected, instead. We forget that we are one with God, and one with all of God's children. We feel separate from others, and separate from everything around us. And that sense of separation—of being all alone and on our own in this world—can generate a fair amount of fear.

Sometimes that fear—and the anger that often issues from that fear—can be so magnified by mental illness or negative mental conditioning, we witness the kind of destructive behavior that just exploded in Las Vegas.

Although everything that happens in life is an opportunity for us to discover where our blocks to loving are, it may be quite a while before many of us are willing to feel compassion for the tortured soul who orchestrated that horrific event, which ended the lives of 59 people and injured more than 500.

For now, may we contribute to the healing of this tragedy—and to the healing of the whole world—by embracing everyone on this earth as our brothers and sisters in Spirit.  May we never forget that we are as inseparable from our Source as waves are from the ocean . . . and thus, we are inseparable from each other.

Steven

© 2017 by Steven Lane Taylor

www.rowrowrow.com

Steven Lane Taylor, LLC