When Did Your Spiritual Journey Begin?

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Diana Rankin

Can you point to a time when your spiritual journey began? It’s a question that came to me when an old high school friend and I reconnected on social media.

My friend wrote that one of my articles prompted him to ask the question. The article suggested to him my spiritual journey has taken place over many years. “Did it begin in high school?” he asked. Then jokingly he added, “Not in high school, I hope, where I was only concerned with hormones and sports.”

I haven’t yet answered because I don’t know when my spiritual journey began. Did it begin in high school? Has it been life-long? There are watershed moments, times of purposeful dedication and purposely accepting The Call. There have been times of knowingly jumping off the cliff into the abyss and times of quiet dedication and devotion. Have I led my life in quiet contemplation and meditation? At times, yes, but not always.  

I believe the spiritual journey asks of us more than we think we have to give and give us more than we think we deserve. Often I have banged and barged my way through life often paying a terrible price for my foolishness while at other times experiencing such grace I felt I could not endure the blessing for it burned away all that was unlike itself and there is an agony in that to the human being who, by our very nature tends to cling to the familiar while our souls cry out for the adventure and the growth within it even in the moments of fear.

When I most want to curl up, I am pried open and forced to lie awake, my very being, stretched wide to the limits until the terrible storm that whips across my heart is stilled and I am at peace once more. Why then, you may ask, would any human being take such a journey, and I answer, “Because we are human, and it is the human experience to remember the truth of who we are—the spiritual being having the gamut of the human adventure in all its glory and gore.

And in the end, in the end, some say, we shall all return to enfold ourselves back into the God Head, once again become part of Prime Spirit, evolving forever, washing us all clean of pain until there is only a love so profound and perfect, we only glimpse for the slightest of seconds its depth while here on Earth. Is that then what we strive for? To reach our original home and never leave. Perhaps.

But then again, perhaps we only reach there to leave again. After all, who can avoid the pull of the adventure whether it be the thrill of the open road or the unknown destination of life around the next corner—or galaxy—or dimension? Perhaps then, when we return to this adventure we call life, we begin where we left off, already on our spiritual journey.

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Chasing Rainbows

Posted on July 7, 2022 by Diana Rankin

I didn’t know I was chasing rainbows when I set off. I went to the post office to pick up the mail and wasn’t quite ready to head home. While at the post office, I walked over to the grocery and picked up a Snicker’s Ice Cream Bar and wanted to savor it before heading back home to the evening’s chores. A storm had moved through, and I could still see the darkness in the east as I stood amidst rain puddles shimmering with the sun’s sparkles.

Once back in the car, I headed east toward the storm. I hadn’t particularly planned to. I just kept on going straight instead of turning to go home when the time came.

This is rural country where the barns are bigger than most houses and the fences are built to keep the livestock in and strangers out. It’s where kids belong to 4-H Clubs and their chores begin before school starts and end after the sun goes down. It’s where you may not see much of your neighbors except to wave as they plant the fields or in times of trouble when there’s always a helping hand.

It’s a good place to live where loneliness isn’t a word you have time for, and depression is left to people who can’t watch the corn grow. I’ve lived here long enough that it’s pretty near impossible to get lost, but there are still a few surprises waiting for me as I wander these back roads, some of which are so narrow you can’t get a pick-up truck past a tractor without wheels going off the side of the road.

Not all the roads are that narrow. There are plenty of well-paved two-lane state highways. I live off one, but this night I was more interested in the narrow passages between rows of tall summer-fed corn, broken only by the occasional graveled lane that always piques my interest even though I know that at the end of each one is a house much like my own, which is in the woods at the end of a long lane that probably piques the interest of many a passer-by.

Mist skittered up from the road in front of me. Sunlight bounced against the mist, refracting rainbows of color while rain dropped against the windshield. Ahead of me was the actual rainbow with all her promises. I wanted to follow her arch to the end, but home was calling me back. Behind me was the west with blinding bright sun, and I couldn’t drive east forever, so reluctantly I said good-by to the rainbow and at the next road turned south, and then west.

As roads out here are wont to do, it twisted and turned back on itself until I was traveling with the sun shadowing my back and the rainbow coming up on my side. Soon the road came to a stop, dead ending into the state route I live on, although miles from my home. I turned west again, toward home. The sun had moved nearer its night setting. It was still big and bright, but more orange now, with its rays starting to color the clouds off to the south.

Once home, I stopped at the end of my land before heading into the woods that held my house. The sun was bumping into the horizon spreading with orange and pink, red and yellow, blue and purple. The western horizon filling and spilling across the sky with all the colors of the rainbow and filling my life content with those colors too.

The next afternoon I set off down the lane to pick up the mail from the mailbox on the other side of the lane. Droplets of rain dripped off overhanging branches, reminding me of the rain that had fed Mother Earth. As I looked ahead, a rainbow grew across the Eastern sky, its pastel colors sparkling in a sky of pale blue and clouds not yet sure if they wanted to be white or gray.

As I neared the end of the lane, I could see that the rainbow spanned the southeastern sky almost as far as I could see. And…and on the other side, the northeastern side, the end of the rainbow was right in front of me. It sparkled on the leaves of the trees and branches of the bushes and spread itself over the field. In splendor, I watched its dance of glittering pink-yellow-blue-white-golden sparkles as they swirled together in nature’s secret. Indeed, I had found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

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The Balance of Giving and Receiving, a Story

Posted on June 30, 2022 by Diana Rankin

Giving and receiving is one cycle just as the in breath and the out breath are one.  Breathing in we receive, breathing out we give, one breath inseparable until the final breath that separates us from our body. When we live with a generous heart, we live in the balance of giving and receiving as one, neither only being the giver nor shutting down our ability to be the receiver.

Without giving and receiving as one, there is no balance. There is only the breath in without the breath out or the breath out without the breath in.

When we give without receiving, we feel safe. As long as I am giving to you, you are beholden to me; you must love me, because look how much I give to you; you can never leave me, because I give you so much, etc.

When we shut down our receiving, we also feel safe. I don’t owe anyone anything; no one ever wants to help me, but I don’t need their help; people always expect something in return; I don’t like feeling beholden to anyone, etc. When we treat giving and receiving as separate, we are not free to have healthy, balanced relationships. We are not living with a generous heart.

Recently, I was entering the checkout line at the grocery store when a lady pushed her cart in front of me. I veered and moved over to the next aisle. She then pulled back and also veered to the same aisle so quickly that I had to jump back. For some reason, she needed to be in front of me at the checkout lane, and I could either accept that and live with a generous heart or spend the waiting time in frustration. In that moment of time, I chose the former and stayed in the peace and harmony of a generous heart.

When we choose the generous heart, Spirit works through us in miraculous ways that are beneficial to us and to others. As it turned out, the lady did not have enough money to pay for her purchases. She was 66 cents short. I’m sure you know what happened next. I was able to give her $1, something most of us would do, but there’s more to this story.

Only moments before, I had been in a place of lack, feeling frustrated because of the need to watch what I spent because of a low cash flow. When the lady cut in front of me, my frustration intensified. When she cut in front of me a second time, I made the conscious decision to change my experience by moving into a generous heart. When we move into a generous heart, life becomes lighter and brighter, and our awareness heightens. (How many times has someone in front of us needed help, but our awareness was not lit by a generous heart, so we were unaware of the other’s need?) When I moved into a generous heart, I became aware of the lady’s need, and I was able to help.

“Thank you,” she said. Without looking at me, she asked for my name and address to repay me.

“Pass it forward,” I said.

She then turned and looked at me, and I saw her, saw the woman I hadn’t seen when I was caught in my frustration. Now I saw her truth, a woman beaten down by life. One side of her mouth drooped by Bell’s Palsy or a stroke. Her tee shirt was misshapen and hung loose around her neck and shoulders, which were hunched over in weariness. Our eyes met, locked, and love entered. I felt her gratitude in my heart, and my heart was lifted and filled with gratitude, gladdened that I had been at the right place at the right time to give $1 to someone who gave so much more to me in our Divine Dance.

Giving: out breath; in breath: receiving. Giving always comes back to us ten-fold. In the mail that afternoon, there was a generous check from someone who wanted to say thanks for helping him along his spiritual path. That evening a friend bought me dinner to say thanks for helping her through her dog’s illness. The next day, another friend paid my way into a festival, just because.

I didn’t say you shouldn’t have. No, I said thank you. I received graciously, which is as important as giving graciously.

It always comes around, this giving and receiving. Always.  Whatever we need, whenever we need it, is ours to receive and we are always in the right place at the right time to pass along that which we are to give. Always. As long as we live with a generous heart receiving and giving graciously.

Breathing in and breathing out; giving and receiving. One.

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 Creating a Home Altar 

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Diana Rankin

An altar is a focal point for your daily meditation and prayer. It is for the placing of sacred objects that have meaning to you and will aid with your devotion by holding the energy of your intent. Your altar does not have to be large, but it should be in a space that will be respected by all family members and where you can sit quietly and undistributed.

What should you place on the altar?

I have three altars, one in my home, one in the Eagles’ Nest where we hold workshops and gatherings, and a traveling altar for Sacred Circle and other away programs. My home altar is a small table on which I honor the two sides of my heritage-Celtic (Irish and Scottish) and Native American (Delaware). In the center I have a candle that represents fire, flanked by representatives of the wind (a feather), water (a small decanter of water from the sacred well of Glastonbury), stones from Ireland and the sacred land where I live, and a deer to represent those who live on this land and all animals. Placed around these objects, there are various items that hold special meaning.

For your altar, you will want to find those objects that are sacred to you. For example, if you are a Christian, you might place a photo of Jesus or a statue of Mother Mary on your altar. If you are a devotee of a guru, you would have a photo of that person; a Buddhist might have a statue of the Buddha. You could leave mala beads, a rosary, or other prayer beads on your altar. You might add a medicine bag, tobacco, and sage if you follow Native American tradition or a sword, Celtic cross, or Bridget’s cross to honor the Celtic tradition. You could add stones that came from sacred land, crystals, and seeds. A shaman’s altar includes replicates of the power animal(s). If angles guide and protect you, place statues or photos of angels on your altar. Whatever items you place on your altar should be used only for this spiritual purpose.

You may choose to cover your altar with a cloth of natural fiber. I use a piece of leather for two of my altars and leave one without cover and use the natural wood of the table. Burning incense or sage cleanses and adds a focal aroma to your meditation.

Once you have your altar set up, you may wish to spread tobacco over it, burn incense or sage and ask the Divine Spirit to bless your altar. As you sit at your altar in meditation and prayers allow your heart to heal any sorrows you hold in your heart, whether private sorrow or that of the world.

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Are the Words You Say to Yourself Helpful?

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Diana Rankin

Words have a powerful effect on us, especially those words we either use against ourselves or to show love and acceptance of ourselves. To be loving to, and accepting of, ourselves begins with the words we say to ourselves. Do we use kind words or harsh ones? Do we tell ourselves how well we’re doing or are we always berating ourselves for not being enough?

To use words in service to yourself –

  1. Listen for any words you use to beat up on yourself and change them to positive words.
  2. Every day make a point to give yourself positive reinforcement. Tell yourself how pretty/handsome you are, how perfect your body is, how bright you are, how helpful you are to others, how successful you are, what a positive influence you have on the world, etc.
  3. Let the last words you say to yourself before falling asleep and the first words you say when awakening be, “I love me, and it is/was a beautiful day!”
  4. When angry or disappointed with yourself, stop and breathe, and then ask yourself, “Are these the words I want to say to me?”
  5. When you hear another’s hurtful words, remind yourself that the other is speaking from his/her world view. Refuse to allow the other’s words to hurt your heart. Keep strong boundaries, but do not respond in kind or defensively. Instead, respond firmly and kindheartedly. For example, you might say, “Although I respect your opinion, I feel hurt by the choice of words.” Make a point to speak to all others with kindness, even when disagreeing.
  6. Make sure you don’t take in any harmful words others may say to you. Just rewrite their words in way that reinforces how great you are.

Compassion for others begins with compassion for ourselves. Watch what you’re saying to yourself and let the self-love flow.

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Phillip’s Wisdom on The Power of Words

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Diana Rankin

A word, or phrase, chanted over and over imprints on the human brain and becomes the person’s reality and truth. This takes place at a subconscious level, so the person is not consciously aware of the programming of the brain that is taking place.

This chanting effect increases in intensity when done in a meditative state when the mind is quiet and receptive; when chanting in a group where the group energy increases the intensity of the chant; and when spoken aloud because audio input is perceived more strongly by the human mind than is thought alone. This is true regardless of whether the human mind perceives the word or phrases to be positive or negative as judged by your society.

Each word or phrase carries within it an energy vibration that seats within the human at a cellular level and is passed along via the DNA from other life experiences and through family lineage. To change the energy of the vibrations of the words that are already seated requires transformation at a cellular level. The body and brain must be rewired, which requires a conscious desire, a spiritual reawakening, and a cooperation between the human and spirit. All three must be undertaken by the human in a conscious effort to improve the individual’s life awareness and the collective’s. What this requires is an awareness of one’s self, an acute appraisal of one’s thought, and an honest monitoring of one’s words.

This undertaking is not easy for many individuals but eventually at some point within the eternity of the multiple life span the task will be taken on for this is the way of evolution if the human species is to receive the full spectrum of the human experience.

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Living Life as a Prayer

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Diana Rankin

For years my prayer was to live my life as a prayer. It took many more years to come to understand what that meant, and had I known, I just might not have prayed so hard . .  . or even prayed that prayer at all. Yet I’m deeply grateful I did.

Although I can’t say that I live my life as a prayer all the time, what I can say is that I’ve come to some glimpse of understanding of what it means to live my life as a prayer, and in those precious moments of grace, I feel the beauty and experience the divine ecstasy of Being, and it brings me to my knees in gratitude.

What does it mean to live life as a prayer? It means seeing the Beloved in everyone by looking beyond the human flaws and seeing the other’s spirit. It means knowing the other is there because we have called them to us to help us heal worn-out patterns and move into a greater self. It means having reverence for all nature and respect for all beings. It means finding sheer joy in the simple movement of every day and living with gratitude for that which is. It means living with compassion instead of anger, trust instead of fear, and truth instead of drama. It means living and breathing and being Love.

It means living fully the human experience from the deeper spirit with a profound knowing that all life is unfolding as it is to unfold, and although we may not understand the bigger story and may even suffer in our not understanding, we know, we know there is something so much greater than we are at this moment and we are content to sit quietly within this great mystery and just be full and complete.

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Calming the Violence

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Diana Rankin

Violence is erupting as you read this, and violence will continue to explode today, tomorrow, or the next day. There is a seething anger, fueled by fear across the US and the people have had enough.

What does this have to do with me? you ask. It’s not my community. It’s not my neighbors. It’s not_____.Yes, it is. We are all connected. We are all human beings, and we all have a responsibility to help stop the violence and just as importantly to stop the cause of the violence.

What can I do? you ask.  I am only one person, you say. One person. You are enough.

Following are thoughts on what you can do. Not one person is to do them all. Find the ones you are to do and get started on creating peace; get started on creating fairness among all peoples; get started on adding to everyone’s life. Your act may be simple and it will be enough if done with heart.

  1. Stop supporting movies that glorify and perpetuate violence. We take in the violence we see and with surround sound and big screens we take in the violence at deeper and more destructive levels.
  2. Deal constructively with your own anger. Anger energy destroys if not dealt with constructively. Instead of stuffing your anger until it comes out in a rage, deal with angry feelings by recognizing them and voicing them effectively.
  3. Exchange living in fear with living in love. Fear is contagious and so is love.
  4. Don’t let children play violent video games and don’t play them yourself. For children especially it’s often hard to discern where a game ends and life begins. There are enough scaries hidden under the bed. Don’t add more.
  5. Reach out to others, especially if you notice a young person is lonely or is being bullied. If you do not feel safe reaching out, then don’t, but if you can, do.
  6. If you notice a person who is being approached by police and they seem frightened of the police, become a witness. Get your camera out and film if possible.
  7. Report to authorities, and teach your children to report, any suspicious activity you see or suspicious posts on social media. If the authorities don’t take you seriously, make the report again and again until they do. You can also report to another agency.
  8. Be aware of what you are posting on social media. Are you adding to the problem with angry posts or are you adding to the solution with informed, verified, helpful information? Is there a balance with your posts, or are they only angry rants?
  9. Stand up for peace. Attend peaceful rallies.
  10. If you own a gun, look at why you know you are able to take another life. Guns have one purpose—to kill. If you have a gun, you must know you are capable of killing another human being. Maybe it’s time get rid of your gun.
  11. Speak up. On social media or in person, when you hear/read someone spouting false propaganda that promotes violence, speak up/write. Use facts and truth to back your argument, and of course, speak up/write in an assertive but civil and respectful manner.
  12. Write, call, and write and call again and again each government official who takes money from organizations that promote violence. Voice your opinion for sensible gun safety laws or for police to stop racial profiling, for example. Speak, write in a strong, assertive, and respectful manner.
  13. Donate to causes and politicians that support peace and human dignity and fairness for all citizens.
  14. Vote with your conscious. Use your vote to put local and national people into office who care about human life and are willing to stand up to politicians who are name-calling bullies.
  15. Say a prayer, meditate, laugh. All are powerful energies that can add love to our world.

Violence is epidemic in the US and in too many other places in our world. And it’s up to each and every one of us to make a choice. Are we adding to the violence or are we doing our best to add peace to the world.

It’s our choice. It depends on what kind of world we want to live in and create for our children.

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3 Easy Ways to Spread Love

Posted on May 23, 2022 by Diana Rankin

 Here are three simple ways to add love to our world.

Mail someone a card. The art of sending a note or card to someone has nearly gone by the wayside, replaced by the ease of emailing, texting, and other electronic communication. Yet sometimes it’s nice to find a card or note in the snail mailbox. Take a couple of minutes to write to someone special just to say I’m glad you’re in my life. Then add a stamp to the envelope and drop it in the mail. They’ll be glad you did. So will you.

Say thank you. In the busyness of our lives, we may forget to say thank you – two simple words with such big meaning. Take a moment to say thank you to everyone who crosses your path today – your family members, the grocery store clerk who rang up your purchases, the waitress or waiter who brought your food, the teacher who teaches your children, the valet who parked your vehicle . . . you get the picture. Everyone wants to feel seen and valued. A simple thank you lets the other feel appreciated.

Listen. We are so often busy trying to be heard that we forget to listen. Show someone you are grateful for them by listening to what they say, really listening without judgment, really listening without forming your comeback, really listening with your ears and with your heart. You just might be surprised by what you hear.

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Phillip’s Wisdom on Respecting Our Differences

Posted on May 16, 2022 by Diana Rankin

You pull into your life that which you must experience. All that is within your life cooperates to give you the experience. This is not to say you control the experience or how another cooperates. Although we all are connected, we are also separate manifestations of the same substance. Your left hand may act independently of your right hand, or they may act in cooperation of one another. Either way they are both of the same body. A hand will act in the way of a hand while a cell that was organized as a liver will act in the manner of a liver, not a hand.

Why do you ask another who is a hand to act as a liver?

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