"Show me the way God, show me the way."

I recently attended a wonderful concert with chanting by Karl Anthony called “Mantra.”  Very powerful.  I highly recommend that you check out the link (http://www.KARLANTHONY.com) and get thee to a concert!  Karl mentioned a dark period in his life when he found himself sitting in a dark room not knowing if he would ever be able to perform again.  He started chanting which brought him out of his despair and lead to the idea of the Mantra concerts.

As most spiritual teachers tell us the darkness is often (maybe always?) a part of the awakening process.  Perhaps in the dark we can't see as clearly with the egoic eyes.  It seems as if we are closer to our true essential nature when we are in touch with these raw emotions.  I had an experience a number of years ago as I was walking a labyrinth at the CSLCV.  During the first third of the labyrynth I was concerned with whether I was "looking spiritual" enough (the year before when I walked the labyrinth someone said 'you were on fire in there' so I was concerned about doing that again), then as I entered the middle third of the labyrinth my feelings went deeper and I experienced the emotional pain related to the ending of a relationship, and when I reached the center of the labyrinth those feelings had passed and I felt the peace of Spirit. Can we trust the process of our lives...accepting what we are experiencing in each moment knowing that we are being lead back home to God, love, peace?

I have been experiencing a series of reoccurring feelings as I continue with my spiritual practices.  First it was pain, then shame, and now fear seems to be the feeling of the month.  As these feelings arise I am learning to let them be.  I’ve talked a lot about releasing and letting go of feelings based on Michael’s writings.  It is not necessarily letting go of the feeling (and expecting the feeling to disappear) but it is letting go in the midst of the feeling that can allow whatever healing or insight is ready to appear to show up (like perhaps the idea to create the Mantra concerts).

At this point my spiritual journey feels like a dance.  It seems like I am swaying back and forth between feeling the love of God, and, experiencing the uncomfortable thoughts and feelings associated with what life is presenting to me (i.e., samskaras).  I am learning to let go and trust.     

As Karl so powerfully sings “Show me the way God, show me the way.”