Our local deer are helping me to grow spiritually.
How? Well, this is the time of year when all the vegetation is so dried out that the deer begin eating plants they would usually avoid.
So, the “deer resistant” flowers that I was so excited to plant a few weeks ago? The photos tell the story.
Notice the lush growth in the bottom right of the before pic, and how it’s almost entirely gone in the after photo.
Before……and after
I actually caught a doe and her fawn red-handedly chomping on my butterfly bush one day! As a result I find myself more resentful than appreciative when I see deer around the community.
But then I remember that they’re desperate and I do my best to practice compassion.
Which is how the deer are helping me to grow spiritually!
Close to twenty-five years ago (back in the dark ages of actual network television) I happened to catch part of a movie that really intrigued me.
At the time I was part of a small women’s group dedicated to spiritual growth and one of us had shared with the group about St Germaine and the violet flame. I don’t remember much about it now, but at the time I was struck by the way the movie makers used imagery of violet light; it seemed to speak to my heart.
Afterwards, I wanted to see the whole movie but couldn’t find a copy anywhere. Come to find out it was a made-for-TV remake of an old Disney movie and it wasn’t available on video. Darn!
I gave up on finding it but it would nevertheless pop into my mind once every five years or so. Well, this happened again recently, except now I could get on the internet and Google and — amazingly enough, I found it!
It does, indeed, have an admittedly hokey spiritual component to it. In a nutshell the overall theme has to do with the fact that we all come from one source; we’ve (almost) all of us forgotten who we really are; the key is to overcome fear and move toward the light; and the goal is to return to our true home.
Yeah, it was hokey, but I was in tears at the end — not because the movie was well done; it isn’t, really — but because the essence of the message resonated deep in my soul.
So, what is the name of this movie? I’m a little embarrassed to tell you, but it’s the 1995 Disney remake of “Escape to Witch Mountain.” We enjoyed watching it AND I was able to satisfy my decades long desire to see the entire film.
Upon further reflection, it seems like a “which came first, the chicken or the egg” kind of puzzle.
In other words, is my visceral awareness of musical connection the result of my decades of performing experience? Or was I drawn to making music because I already had an innate ability to connect musically?
All I know is that when I’m connecting musically, I feel the flow as something very real, which literally feeds and nourishes me. I feel a sense of unity with my fellow musicians and… well, I just absolutely love it!
But when I’m part of a group where the energetic or vibrational exchange is lacking, I feel stymied and deeply frustrated. Of course, this is major spiritual growth time, as I learn to accept that not everyone has the same dharma or desire or commitment to making music.
Sharing yesterday’s story has me thinking a lot more about my Italy touring experience. That brief period of my life was filled to overflowing with blessings but also fraught with intense spiritual growth. I hope to distill some of that experience into future blog posts, but for now I’ll just share a photo. Can you believe how young we all were?!?
The Ananda Singers in 2002 (from left to right) Bottom: yours truly; Karen Gamow; Cristina Bechis Middle: Frank Monahan; Mantrini Klippstein; David Gamow Top: Lewis Howard; Bhaktan Klippstein
