Patience

Patience. A difficult thing to deal with. Yet, it is the gift that one of the spirits I speak with, seeks to teach me. It is an important lesson, especially in this rush rush world we live in nowadays. We rush all over the place, have to run to the mall, have to run to the grocers. Why won't that light change? It seems forever to be red. We become impatient with everything. We snap at our children, our spouses. Nothing seems to move at the pace we wish.
Patience. This is what my spirit guide is teaching me. Relearning the ability to just sit by a spring and listen. Slowly my mindset changed. The frustration of a stop light turned to a time to look around watch a bird on the wires or a chance to collect my thoughts as I watched the clouds float by. I began to feel at peace. It is a difficult thing to find peace in a chaotic world. Patience is the key.
I travelled to New Mexico and performed a ceremony. The ceremony was meant to bring about changes in this world. To bring us together once again. To mend the sacred hoop of Black Elk's vision. Part of me expecting some wonderous event to occur. The removal of a veil and the Anasazzi suddenly appearing. Ancient spirits joining me. All that happened was that some hawks screeched and the wind blew. I walked back up the path, in part gazing at the wonderous sight of nature around me, and a feeling of failure. I must have done it wrong. The spirits were not happy with the way I did it. Or did I do it wrong?
One thing both my wife and I noted was that the weather was perfect. Whereever we planned to go, it was like the weather conspired to make it a perfect event. Even for our journey to Acoma, the skies were threatening and it was sprinkling a bit. This kept other tourists at bay which allowed us to be alone with an Acoma elder who gave us the tour of Sky City. The only time it rained hard was when I had thought about going to Jemez Pueblo. It was like the spirits were saying no. In a way, maybe it was good as I now hold in my heart the memory of Orlando, the Acoma elder, and the pueblo of Acoma.
Patience. Oh, we learned that lesson well on the trip home. It was almost like the spirits didn't want us to leave New Mexico. Our flight was delayed out of Alberquerque. We thought we would miss our connection in Chicago, but it too was delayed. We arrived in Providence only an hour late despite all the delays, but once again, patience, our bags were delayed for almost an hour. We saw three Southwest flights come in while we stood waiting for our bags. I half expected them to start bringing out the bags for the Southwest morning flights while we still waited. Hmmm, maybe I should be flying Southwest.
After a few days of rest, I was visited again. I was told to perform the ceremony once more, here, close to home. This time I was more sure of myself. I performed the ceremony as instructed. When finished I covered the turtle with pine needles to protect it from prying eyes. I was shaking from the feeling of power that went through me. I gave thanks for the honor to be able to perform the ceremony. Then I started to cry. I cried because I felt that I went to New Mexico, and then back home and painted turtles of sand on the ground. I asked how was this supposed to change the world? One word, Patience. I continued to plead as to how this was to bring about the changes that need to happen. One more word, Faith.
Over the next week or so, I continued to wonder how the ceremonies I performed were to bring about change. One word kept returning to me, Patience. So I added to my daily prayers, a prayer for the sacred turtle. A prayer of strength and power to enable it to bring about the changes. I had to have faith.
There is another aspect of patience I should touch on. This patience has to deal with others. We have all heard a parent say, "I am losing my patience". that is the patience that i also need to be aware of. This is the patience that I must learn and make a part of me. It is the patience I have when I am teaching others. I have taught others since I was a teenager. Yet, often times I lack the patience in dealing with people. This is the other lesson the spirits are bringing to me. It will be crucial in the days to come. We have become so disconnected, so in a rush, that we will need to relearn patience. If we don't grasp onto patience and make it an integral part of our being then we will continue to lash out at each other.
I have been speaking on Unity, the coming together of the people. This is why I travelled to New Mexico to perform a ceremony. This is why I went into the woods here at home to perform a ceremony. This is why I have bared my heart to all who will listen. The time is drawing near when we will have to make the choice. We can continue on the current path and possibly face the destruction of all living things. Or we can slow down, take a breath, stop at the stop light instead of blasting through the yellow. Go out and talk to the tree you just made friends with. Or with spring here, stop and watch the bee on the flower. Think about the interconnectedness of all things. How that bee is collecting pollen on its legs and going to another flower and dropping the pollen. Watch the worm crawling along the moist dirt and think about how that worm is providing holes in the soil for the water to get to the flowers roots. Most of all, be patient and just sit. Let everything else melt away for just a little while. Connect once again to the world. It will be refreshing, empowering and it will help you have more patience with those around you.
One last thing on patience when it pertains to others. We have been driven to be pretty self-focused. We measure everything around us by our own place in the journey of life. We think of those that "don't get it", as being slow and we become impatient with them. The thing is, we are where we are, and they are where they are. Each of us in our own place on our own journeys. We must have patience with others and not judge them based on our path. They have their own paths, their own lessons to learn. Be of open heart. Honor all people, all paths. Have patience with those who try to press their path on you. The more we learn patience, the more tolerant we become. This brings peace to our heart and shows the world that we walk in beauty, in spirit.
My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.