Truly, to hope in this day and age is an act of rebellion. (Parker Palmer and Courtney Martin speak to this and more in an On Being podcast with Krista Tippett - definitely worth a listen!) The cultivation of hope is not always pretty and pink. The process can be quite bleak at times. But through all the despair and heartbreak, may we not lose hope. May we not ever fully give up.
So go ahead, dig into the dark soil made rich with years of death, decay and detritus. Collect dirt under chipped nails. Sweat. Curse. Praise.
Dig deeply into the terrain of Soul. Plant your seeds of hope and truth, power and love, destiny and purpose - your Soul seeds - into this good earth. Weed out that which does not serve and let the sun and wind and earth soak up the life force of those weeds, nourishing new life, new dreams, new ways.
Reveal the unseen, underground, underworld of shadows of life, birth and death in a more expansive, compassionate way. Be willing to see your patterns, and be courageous enough to break them, even if it breaks your heart wide open. Cultivate hope.
In the process, you may find yourself completing relationships with people, places, work and aspects of yourself. These endings are the death and decay that richen the soil. They may not feel entirely “good” but trust that you are opening to a whole new expression of your soul, and you cannot let the fear of pain and heartbreak hold you back. Believe me. I’ve let that fear bind me, and it’s ultimately disheartening and counter to any hope of thriving.
However, consider the possibility that the negativities, the shadows, the lowest of low points, are portals for initiation, transformation and new life, rather than dark holes of despairing self negation. Can you willingly let yourself be taken Underneath? To undermine your limited mind? To find that which nourishes and sustains in the darkest places at the edge of giving up?
In this place, you may find a glimmer of hope, a spark of life, a remembrance of purpose. Find the strength to recommit time and time again to a soulful Life - to dig in and do the Good Work. You are needed! You are beautiful! You are magical!
Trust that every seed, every blossom, every fruit, and every death is drawing us closer to the One Life, the One Vision, the One Heart, the One Dream. The Soul’s Sole Purpose.
Blessings,
Jennifer
* The Guided Meditation this week is the ninth (and last) in a chakra series connecting us with the downward current of manifestation. We reconnect with each of the chakras. Available for the Beauty Love & Magic Makers on PATREON.