My Mother Mary Advent altar with nature items from Gentlewood. The two candles are lit to represent the first two weeks of Advent: HOPE and FAITH.
It’s the second Sunday of Lent and this week’s theme is FAITH. On Sunday’s I meet with Thoth in my daily meditation time. The theme is the law of Dharma or sacred purpose. The mantra is “We are one and we are in harmony.” The symbol is an open circle. When I was told this originally, my bullet points from that point forward became open circles.
I think about everyone who works at a hospital. In the past, I took their day to day work for granted. They inspire me. I have great faith in scientists. We have vaccines now.t. (Guides speaking or looking like famous people became a common strategy for the Spirit world early on to makes things easy on me!)
I am in his chamber where there are three rooms. The room on the right is black. I usually receive a wisdom lesson from him there. When I enter the left area, it represents chaos regarding whatever topic he is speaking on. The forward chamber represents order. There is no judgment between these two polarities. They are living metaphors. Today, we talk about FAITH.
Thoth, sounding like Patrick Stewart:
What would like to share today, Sally?
Me:
I’d like to talk about faith. It’s been such a hard time for so many people.
Thoth:
Throughout history, plagues rise and then fall asleep. It is part of the natural uprising of the hidden microbial realm. It’s highly intelligent but it is hard to appreciate that when you are on the receiving end of its wrath. We in the Spirit world hope it will mobilize the people of earth to come together. Seek new solutions for living.
Me:
That is very hopeful.
Thoth:
How do you find faith in this time?
Me:
Well, they are still stuck in their own world. Their expressions are the same. The cyclones are gone.. They inspire me. I have great faith the scientists who working on this problem. We have vaccines now.
Thoth:
Most humans see faith as a connection to something unseen. That is not the way most in the spirit world see it. We see faith as relationships. Working together for a common purpose.
Me:
Huh. So…dharma in community.
Thoth:
That’s right.
Me:
The vaccines give me great faith. Eventually, we will be protected. But I don’t see us going back to normal. I believe a new normal is evolving.
Thoth:
Let’s hope so. Sally, things weren’t working. Inequality is rampant. The earth as an organism is suffering.
Me:
It worries me to hear you say this! How do I grow my faith in a desperate world?
Thoth:
Step into the chaos chamber and tell me what you see.
I turn around, step through the entry area and cross a threshold. I am now behind the checkout stands of my local grocery store, Island Market. The scene is in every shade of grey. People are walking with their carts down the aisles and spinning around them are energetic cyclones.
Me:
Wow, is this all because of the pandemic?
Thoth:
Yes. And no. Most of the time people are in their own world so this is how it normally looks to us. It’s a rare person who tends to their daily chores with a clear mind. We notice you like to hum in the store. Keep it up! What is different here is that the tornado is a color. It’s very grey. It is hard to see the world for what it is if you are looking through a dust storm of thoughts. Walk into the other chamber.
Well, they are still stuck in their own world. Their expressions are the same. The cyclones are gone.. But there is something around people’s heads. Like a cloud that distorts what I am seeing.
Thoth:
What you are seeing is the same day two years ago. What are your thoughts?
I can’t help but feel this is a trick question.
Me:
Well, they are still stuck in their own world. There expressions are the same. The cyclones are gone.
Thoth:
Yes. What does that tell you?
Ok. So, there is no “universal wind.” So maybe the wind doesn’t belong to the person? It’s part of the collective that attaches onto the psyche of people?
Me:
This tells me that in actuality, there isn’t much difference between the two scenes. People are animated by what is happening in the world of chaos because they are choosing to keep it activated in their thoughts, somewhere?
Thoth:
That’s right.
Me, still lost:
So…what does this have to do with faith?
Thoth:
Ok. For whatever reasons, humans tend to envision faith in the unseen: as an example, that prayer actually connects them to their God, yes?
Me:
Yes.
Thoth:
So, you have “faith” that this virus can infect you, even though you can’t see it. Faith is about directed thought. You have power to choose what inhabits your thoughts. What isn’t being talked much about is TRUST. There is a lack of trust in humanity. Like faith, trust is an internal muscle. It needs to be used to grow. To multiply. Faith is the belief that even though you may feel alone, in your heart-when it is still-you trust that you are not alone.
I’m still a little lost.
Thoth:
You are making a judgment here that one chamber is better than the other. They are two sides of a coin. Two scenarios.
In one scenario something is happening and in the other, you sense that something is happening “to them.”
Sure enough: he is right. Neutrality. The difference is my interpretation. My lens. And the collective.
Thoth:
If you want to help people, if you want to be truly helpful, it is important to get beyond the empathy. Maybe it is easier to suggest that the pandemic is either happening to everyone equally or it is “just happening.”
You are in charge of what you see and how you see it; no one else is. Don’t take on what isn’t there.
The point is to have faith in yourself, first. Trust yourself, first. Start at your heart. Clarity comes from neutrality.
REFLECTION QUESTION:
Think about a recent time when something bad happened to you. In your recollection, did it feel like it was happening "to you," or did it seem like it was "just happening?"