Conversations with the Elders ~ The Wind and New Wings

Conversations with the Elders

The Wind and New Wings

July 25, 2011

I arrive at the Elders’ cabin on a day unlike any previous visit, at least that I can remember.  Today, it is very windy.  The winds are not hurricane winds, nor are they gale force winds; they are winds.  I make a mental note of it being windy.  Everything at the Elders’ cabin is significant, especially if I notice it.

I stand at the edge of the road facing the cabin.  I am sensing whether to go in through the front door, go around to the back door, or possible the side entrance into the lower level.  I decide to stand and wait for a signal, while holding on to my cap.  It is windy today.

After a moment or two, I see the front door opening.  The Elder of Fire walks out and waves to me.  It’s the signal I was waiting for before taking any action.  I wave back and walk to the cabin. 

As I reach the porch, the Elder of Fire says, “I waved you in before the wind took you down the road.  I know you are still learning how to use those new wings.” 

I respond to her, “It is rather windy today.”  And I respond in my head, “New wings, she is talking in code again.  Let’s make that item number two on my mental note.”

Just in that very moment, the Elder of Fire smiles.  I know it means she heard what I was thinking.  They have that gift.

I follow as she walks to the table where the other Elders are sitting, waiting.  I see something different at the table, well actually on the table.  It is a round shallow dish two inches deep and maybe eighteen inches in diameter.  The dish is cobalt blue in color, and is filled with water.  The most notable thing of this dish on the table is that it sits in front of my chair.  I add this as item three on my mental note.   In the very moment of my mental noting, the Elders all smile.  They are reading my mind.  They have that gift.

I sit down and wait for a signal before doing anything.  The Elder of Water raises her hand, which has a feather in it.  She waves the feather gently over the shallow dish, just above the surface of the water.  Then she looks at me.  From her eyes, I receive my guidance.

I lean over the bowl and look down into the water.  At first, I see the bottom of the cobalt blue dish.  Very slowly, the blue of the bottom of the dish becomes the blue of a sky.  There are a few white clouds.  I watch as the scene continues unfolding.  I see something coming into focus, something trying to fly as it is being tossed around by the wind.  As the scene continues, I now see that the awkward something is my trying to maneuver with the wings on my back.  The wind is blowing me around, as if it is playing with me, testing me.  But I wonder if it is also helping me. 

I continue flapping and twisting and flapping and spinning and flapping and jerking.  I focus on my face and I notice something with my eyes.  A look of confusion, discomfort and doubt, is now becoming a look of certainty, confidence and clarity.  I begin to beat my wings with authority, purpose and a knowing.  I watch as I fly out and up.  I see myself riding the winds rather than fight them.  I see a smile on my face. 

The scene changes; the blue of the sky is now the cobalt blue of the dish.  The smile on my face now is the smile of my reflection.  I am smiling.  I look up from the dish to see the Elders smiling as well.  They are reading my mind and heart.  They have that gift.

The Elder of Wind speaks first, “With something new, you must give yourself time to get adjust, to get accustom and almost relearn.  But keep going, or in this case keep flapping those wings until it happens.  If you are given wings, you are meant to fly.  The question is not if, but when.  And you now know that the time is now.”

The Elder of Earth continues, “You know that saying about to whom much is given.  Well the truth is, it just seems like much until you stop fighting it.  Then you realize it is just you, and who you are.”

On that note I decide to delete my mental note.  What was a note; is now a knowing.  The Elders all smile.  Again, they know what I am thinking.  They have that gift.

Copyright © 2011 Anthony L. Farmer All Rights Reserved
Conversations with the Elders is a weekly “e-newsletter" that shares my experiences and conversations with the Elders, as I call them.  We meet on the front porch of a log cabin high in the mountains.  They share their wisdoms, life experiences, perspectives, stories, and love.  I listen, learn and share.

Please feel free to forward to others!  If you receive this from a friend and would like to receive Conversations with the Elders, sign up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/conversationswiththeelders/

"...listening to our elders is one of the most important things we can do. I've learned a lot and have had good teachers. You always learn a lot from your elders - its important to sit and listen to them."

 Herman “TJ” Laffoon

Reverend Anthony Farmer

www.revanthonyfarmer.com

Conversations with the Elders ~ The Sign, It Comes in Threes

Conversations with the Elders

The Sign: It Comes in Threes

July 12, 2011

As I walk into the Elders’ cabin, I say, “Now, I come to share with you my experiences.  Although, I know you will not tell me what they mean; your feedback is appreciated.”

The Elder of Air chuckles.  He always brings that Brother Coyote-trickster energy to the table. 

Hearing his chuckling I respond, “Well, I want to believe your feedback will be appreciated.”

We all laugh.  However, my laughter stops as theirs continues.

I walk to the table to sit with the Elders.  The Elder of Air, the Elder of Water and the Elder of Fire are at the table.  As I get comfortable in my seat, the Elder of Earth walks in from the back yard.  I notice he is carrying a grapefruit-size rock in his left hand.  When you are with the Elders, you notice everything.  Clarity and the connection always come later.

I begin sharing my recent experience; “I took a Mantra Yoga workshop with Andreas Mamet several weeks ago.  The workshop description was intriguing. However, during introductions at the workshop, I shared that I wasn’t clear of my expectations and that I was open to the experience.”

“The workshop,” I continue, “was about using mantras and various meditation techniques.  For one of the activities, each participant was invited to sit and receive healing from a mantra, specifically and intuitively selected for us.  The other participants, guided by the Andreas, spoke the mantra standing around the recipient.  The mantra that Andreas intuitively selected for me was ‘Kyrie Eleison, Kristos Eleison,’ which translates to ‘Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.’ ”

The Elder of Air chuckles, again.

I continue sharing, “I closed my eyes, ready to receive the blessing.  During the healing, I saw a vision.  In the vision, He was in the garden, kneeling as in prayer.  He looked up and at me, and then extended His hand to me.  I felt it was an invitation to join Him. I walked to Him and kneeled next to Him.  He shared with me the message of His prayer.  The group completed the mantra and I opened my eyes, returning to the circle."

The Elder of Earth places the grapefruit-size rock on the table in front of me.  I look at the rock, and then I look at the Elder of Earth.  He is smiling a smile that the Elders, and grandparents smile.

The Elder of Fire asks, “Are you going to share the other experience now?”

Reluctantly I answer, “Yes.”

The Elders laugh.

I start sharing the second experience.  “Last week, a friend invited me to attend a public program and receive a darshan from Amma, a spiritual teacher from India.  I accepted the invitation to have a darshan, or hug of unconditional love, from Amma.    Upon arriving at the place in Virginia, we received our numbered token.  We had to wait our turn.  When it was time our time to receive the darshan, I got in the row of chairs that lead to Amma.   The attendants ushered me, along with the others, from chair to chair.  This was the last leg of the journey to Amma.  I called it the walk of the chairs.”

I continue, “As I got closer to Amma, I closed my eyes for a moment.  In that moment, I saw the image of a cross. It was right in front of me.  I remembered seeing that cross before.  It was the cross resting above and behind my left shoulder on a photo of my aura.  I shuddered.  I then realized all of the energy in the room and wanted to pray to keep myself grounded.  As I closed my eyes to pray, I heard, ‘do not worry I got you.’  I asked who was speaking.  I sensed a response and I smiled.  It was then time for my darshan from Amma.”

The Elder of Air chuckles again.  The other Elders join him.  It is not fun to have the Elders laughing and not tell me what or why.  I know it’s connected to me.  Clarity and connection will come, hopefully soon.  

The Elder of Earth reaches from his seat and pats the rock that he placed in front of me.  He says, “It comes in threes.” 

I look at the rock, as if I was looking for a clue to confirm what I know he was saying.  I shook my head as I recall the time at a retreat center in the Bronx, New York.  This was a ministerial retreat; we were on the path to becoming ordained interfaith ministers.  I was sitting under a tree when this rock seemed to call out to me.  When I picked up the rock, I heard that quiet, yet powerful voice.  

Today, at the table with the Elders, this rock is much larger.  I did not want to touch it; what if the larger rock comes with a quiet, yet more powerful voice. 

The Elders laugh.  Again, they are reading my thoughts.

The Elder of Water stops laughing, looks me in the eyes and says, “You are invited to the garden, you see the cross again, and now there is a rock sitting in front of you.  Three signs, in addition to the many other signs you’ve received.  You are not thick of the head; willful, YES, thickheaded, NO.”

The Elder of Air chuckles once again.  I look at him.  He says, “It comes in threes.  Three is the magic number.  Need we say more?”

Trying to change the subject, I ask, “Is there any pie left?  I am a bit hungry.”

The Elder of Air says, “So you want pie with that denial.”

We all burst into laughter.  They never let me get away with anything.  I hope she cooked apple pie.

Copyright © 2011 Anthony L. Farmer All Rights Reserved

Conversations with the Elders is a weekly “e-newsletter" that shares my experiences and conversations with the Elders, as I call them.  We meet on the front porch of a log cabin high in the mountains.  They share their wisdom, life experiences, perspectives, stories, and love.  I listen, learn and share.

Please feel free to forward to others!  If you receive this from a friend and would like to receive Conversations with the Elders, sign up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/conversationswiththeelders/

"...listening to our elders is one of the most important things we can do. I've learned a lot and have had good teachers. You always learn a lot from your elders - its important to sit and listen to them."

 Herman “TJ” Laffoon

Reverend Anthony Farmer

www.revanthonyfarmer.com

A Battle's Brewing in the Not Too Distant Present

A Battle’s Brewing in the Not Too Distant Present

Sometimes, I call it a storm.  Other times it feels like a war.  And at other times it swirls and twirls like a dance.  Whatever I call it, it is coming.  This battle is upon us. 

It is not a battle between the haves and have-nots, or a battle between men and women.  It is not a battle between Christian and Muslim fundamentalists.  It is not a battle between the Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, or the tax-and-spend camp and the cut-and-spend camp.  It is not a battle between those holding steadfast to an entrenched religious dogma, and those who embrace an expansive and organic understanding of said philosophies.  It is not a battle between those who believe in equal rights and human rights for all, and those who believe such rights are for those who can afford them.

It is not a battle between those who preach that everyone should pull themselves up by their bootstraps, and those who want to ensure that everyone at least has boots.  It is not a battle between those who believe punishment is for those who break laws, and those who believe punishment is for those who get caught breaking laws.  It is not a battle between those who believe in living in harmony with the natural world and those who believe the natural world is here for their consumption as they dictate. 

 

It is not a battle between openhearted, closed-minded people and closed-hearted, open-minded people.  It is not a battle of ideology, political perspectives, personal interests, religious beliefs, cultural aspirations or economic opportunities.  It is not even a battle between good and evil.

The upcoming battle, war, storm or dance is between love and light, and fear and the fruits of fear.  On one side is love and light.  Love being the ultimate vibration of universal energy, the essence of all that is; as above so below, as within so without.  Light is that universal energy and is the consort of love.  Light is the channel by which love flows, and love is the breath of light.  

On the other side of the battle are fear and its offspring: hatred, bitterness, despair, separation, hopelessness, and anything and all things that keep us from love and light.

We are at the threshold, about to enter into the ultimate battle for the souls of humanity.  Some may argue that this battle has not just begun, but is a continuation of the war for man’s heart and soul sense man’s inception on this world.  We may be entering in the last battle of this great war, before a victor is declared.

With this battle at the doorsteps of the hearts of humanity, we have choice.  If we believe the battle is forthcoming, we can choose our side.  Do we choose the side of love and light or the side of fear and its children?  Understand that our choice is not based on our old political views, family understandings, or cultural and societal norms.  Our choice is based simply on what kind of world do we want for ourselves, and those who will come behind us.  Our choice is based on our desire for something different then what currently is.  Our choice is rooted in the knowing that the side we select now sets in motion events of our lives, our individual life and our human collective life.  Our choice must emerge from the cosmic knowing, but forgotten truth, that love and light are the highest vibration of the divine, and it is within each of us.

If we believe that we are not in the beginning but in the middle of an ongoing drama, possibly ready to engage in the last stand for the hearts and souls of humanity, we now have the opportunity to see which side we have already chosen.  We have already made a choice, either we have chosen love and light or chosen fear and its minions.  When you take a moment to look beneath the varying and often conflicting paradigms that govern your life in order to seek the basic understanding for what you do, is your life embedded in love and light, or fear and the many faces of fear.

Whether you believe we are a few breaths away from this battle, or you believe that we are continuing a war that has been fought since man’s first steps on this earth, or you believe it is just another spin and dip within the dance marathon of life, which side are you choosing:  love and light or fear and fear? 

It is your choice, it is your soul, it is your heart, and it is your life.  What is your choice: love and light or fear and fear.    From the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the last Knight guarding the Holy Grail said, “choose wisely.”

Copyright © 2011 Anthony L. Farmer All Rights Reserved

Reverend Anthony Farmer:  http://www.revanthonyfarmer.com

Conversations with the Elders: Sacred Space

Conversations with the Elders

Sacred Space

June 17, 2011

I was having one of those weeks.  You know the kind of week that is filled with wonderful moments and not so wonderful moments.  When I say, “filled,” I am not talking about one or two moments.  There were several telephone calls with clients and friends that were more than idol chitchat, a radio interview about my relationship with my father, a stimulating conference call with my students, and a powerful weekend retreat.   Collectively, those moments were uplifting and inspiring. 

And then there was the one telephone call that singly turned that smile in my heart upside down, well almost.  Life is an up and down ride.  This week just happened to be one of those rides at warp speed.  Did I mention that there are two days left in this week?

It is times like these that I remember the blessing of the Elders in my life.  Today, I am choosing to visit them, not to cry on their shoulders.  They will not support that behavior.  However, I am going so that I am in the sacred space of, in and around their cabin.  I am going, to be in their loving and caring and non-judging and nurturing presence.  It is time for a journey.

I arrive at the Elder’s cabin on a morning that feels like the touch of late Spring.  There is the scent of new flowers, a gentle warm breeze, and the music of baby birds singing “feed me, feed me” to their parents.  Yes, late Spring. 

Today, I am drawn to enter the cabin from the rear.  I walk around the cabin and stop at the base of the stairs leading to the deck.  I pause and look out into the woods beyond the cabin.  I don’t think I am being called there; however, I sense something.  I smile, knowing that clarity will come soon, very soon.

I walk up the stairs, and then in the cabin through the back door. 

I am greeted with “Hello, young –old man,” from the Elder of Air.  He plays the role of the trickster of the group.  And he enjoys it way too much.

“Hello,” I reply as I take my seat at the table.  The four Elders are seated around the table, I sense waiting for my arrival, as usual. 

The Elder of Earth sips from his cup of something hot and says, “So you are having one of those weeks are you.  What makes this different than any other week for you?  You love drama and chaos and creating such situations in order to figure things out.”

I just love it when they speak truth, straight to the point, and with no sympathy.

The Elder of Fire responds to my thought, “You do not need sympathy.  You need to go where you are truly being called rather than come here.  We love to see you.  However, this visit is really a distraction.”

I just love it when they speak truth, straight to the point, and with no sympathy.

The Elder of Earth looks me dead in the eyes with that stern but we love you look and says, “You can go to the cave or go to the garden.  You have a choice.  Either place is a call for you to be authentic, and connect to your highest self.  Either place is a call to be the light.  Right now you are trying to hide.”

The Elder of Earth continues, “Young-old man, go stand in your light.  This, the Elders’ cabin, is a refuge for you and will always be a safe and special place for you.  But, the cave or the garden, either place, is your sacred space.  It is the place where your highest self is fully realized.  Go and be the light.”

I just love it when they speak truth, straight to the point, and with no sympathy.

We rise up from the table, and head outside.  The Elders walk with me, in silence, to the edge of the woods.  This is where they stop; and, this is when I enter the woods. 

I was in the woods for what seemed like a few moments and several steps.  Yet magically, I emerge in a distant land.  I stand at the base of a mountain just beneath the cave.  I guess my higher self chose the cave.  I climb the mountain to the entrance of the cave, my cave.  Once I reach my cave, I sit down at the edge and look out over creation and the world.  I begin to feel his presence, him being the personification of my higher self.

I look out over the land, breathing, embracing my light, breathing, reflecting on my week, breathing and knowing that the sun will rise tomorrow.

Copyright © 2011 Anthony L. Farmer All Rights Reserved

Conversations with the Elders is a weekly “e-newsletter" that shares my experiences and conversations with the Elders, as I call them.  We meet on the front porch of a log cabin high in the mountains.  They share their wisdoms, life experiences, perspectives, stories, and love.  I listen, learn and share.

Please feel free to forward to others!  If you receive this from a friend and would like to receive Conversations with the Elders, sign up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/conversationswiththeelders/

"...listening to our elders is one of the most important things we can do. I've learned a lot and have had good teachers. You always learn a lot from your elders - its important to sit and listen to them."

 Herman “TJ” Laffoon

Reverend Anthony Farmer

Visions of the Heart

www.visionsoftheheart.org

Oneness. Call it a Dream or Wishful Thinking

Oneness.  Call it a Dream or Wishful Thinking

Several days ago as I recall, I was engaged in something important.  And as I do from time to time, my mind drifted away from that “something important” to an intriguing and engaging thought:  wouldn’t it be nice to have everyone at the table to have “the” conversation?

Everyone means everyone in the world.  And the conversation is the conversation of getting to the heart of the matter, clearing and cleansing and healing from all of the cultural expressions, philosophical and political points of view, perspectives on life, morals and societal norms, religious traditions and spiritual paths, varying view of sexuality, rules and regulations and laws, and all other beliefs and behaviors that separate us from each other and from the Universe Divine. 

This conversation will be to release, clear up and clear out, let go, grieve and say thank you and goodbye to all that keeps us from truly loving our neighbors as ourselves.  Having this conversation does not mean we must abandon that which makes us unique, individual expressions of light. 

This conversation means letting our guards down, individually and collective such that we can see the light in each other, the true essence of each other and possibly see our own true self for the first time in many, many, many years.  Having this conversation does not mean we no longer embrace and honor ourselves, and all that supports our own conscious growth. 

This conversations means that we open our hearts to the possibility that just because you look, act, believe, behavior, think, talk and walk differently than I do that I am better than you or you are better than I am.  Having this conversation presents an opportunity to create a masterpiece, bringing together our best selves and heart selves and true selves and all our selves as an expression of the expanding consciousness of humanity.

This conversation means we bring the dogma, rules and regulations, and spiritual laws and religious doctrine together to see them out in the open and understand how they have been misused if not abused to keep us separate, hidden and cloaked from Truth and Love.  Having this conversation invites a sacred, open space in the Light for us to create together a new conversation about Love and Truth, and its influence on humanity and the heart of humanity and the hearts of each of us.

This conversation is an opportunity for each of us to share of our life experiences and spiritual journey, and to ask those questions that reside deep in our spirit, and to possibly realize that the essence of our journey is so much like that of the person sitting to our right, to our left and across the way.  Having this conversation, after releasing all that separates us, could be the beginning of each one of us truly seeing, feeling, knowing, experiencing and being connected to one and another.  Having this conversation will be “that thing” which allows us to really and authentically feel “oneness,” together.

You may call it a pipe dream, a misguided vision, wishful thinking, fat chance, over-active imagination, or highly improbable and totally impossible…

I call it the inspiration for my ministry.

What's In Your Heart?

What’s in Your Heart?

“God knows what is in my heart.”  I cannot fathom the number of times I have heard this from folks.  I may have said it a time or two.  Generally, I have heard it during heated discussions with friends about behaviors, or with clients when talking about the nature and content of their prayers.  “God knows what is in my heart.”

Yes, God knows what is in your heart.  It is written in the Gospel of Luke 16:15, “But Jesus said to them, ‘You are the ones who make yourselves righteous before men; but God knows your hearts.  For what is highly esteemed among men is disgusting in the presence of God.’”  It is written in Psalms 44:21, “God will look into this thing. For he knows the secrets of the heart.”  It is written in Acts 15:8, “And God, who knows what is in the heart, has testified concerning them and has given them the Hold Spirit just as he did to us.”  Yes, God knows what is in your heart.  But, do you?

Do you truly know what is in your heart?  Do you want to know what is in your heart?  Do you feel that in order to know yourself and be whole, you need to know all of yourself including the secrets of your hearts? 

Dr. Howard Thurman wrote in his meditation God Knows the Heart, “Often we are reminded that the heart has secrets which it cannot share with anyone, not even with itself.  This is true because there is in each one of us lingerings of desires that have long since spent themselves in overt or direct action; there are the throbs of impulses that have not become sufficiently articulate to define themselves; there are vague reactions to experiences that are so much a part of our very substance that we cannot distinguish them from our true selves.”

Do you know of these secrets, these lingering of desires, these throbs of impulses or these vague reactions to experiences?  Yes, God knows the heart, God knows our hearts; but do we know our own hearts?

It is written that the longest journey that we can take is the journey from our head to our heart.  I believe it is the longest journey, but it is one of the most important journeys we are to travel.  To reconnect to that which is whole and complete, to that which is true and divine, and to that which is precious and sacred in life, we must take that journey from our head to our heart.

Yes, it is not an easy journey; yet we are capable.  Yes, fear and anxiety will present themselves during the journey.  They appear when we just think about the journey to know your heart.  However, there is one thing that will address the fear and anxiety.  It is the will to know your heart, the will to connect your head and heart, and the will to know thy-complete-and-whole-and-divine-self.    

And there is something else that can alleviate the fear and anxiety.  That is the Love of God, the love of the Creator, the love of the Universe, the Love of Spirit, the Love of Love that will call you, and guide and direct and nurture you on the journey from your head to your heart.  

Dr. Howard Thurman continues in his meditation, “In order for the deepest things in us to be touched and kindled, both fear and anxiety must be wiped away.  This we can do for ourselves, sometimes, but not often.  The thing that they (fear and anxiety) cannot abide is conscious exposure to the Love of God.”

Let the Love of God, the Love of Spirit, the Love of All things Whole and Holy, and the Love of Love guide you on your journey to know your hear.  Allow Love to accompany you as you learn, know and embrace yourself through the heart; and to realize who you are from the heart.  Then you can say, “Yes, God knows what is in my heart…and so do I.”

Copyright © 2011 Anthony L. Farmer All Rights Reserved

Reverend Anthony Farmer facilitates the Way of the Mystic Heart: Path of Transcendence of Wisdom, Mystery and Discovery.  The personal growth and spiritual development program is a “spiritual journey reconnection and rediscovery through your heart space.”  For information:  www.revanthonyfarmer.org/MysticHeartInfoRev.pdf

Being Open to Receive a Message from Pops

Being Open to Receive a Message from Pops

Remember, be mindful of what you ask for; and, make sure you are open to receive it.  This is one of the lessons from my experiences of the weekend. 

 

Before I knew what was happening, I was sliding down an emotional spiral heading into the dark depths.  Either someone said something that I did not like, I missed interpreted something said, or an action by another lead to a flashback in my mind.  Whatever it was, my reaction to it was a ride on the most dangerous ride outside of an amusement park, the emotional spiral heading down. 

While spinning, I thought about seeking some professional help.  I wondered, “Who could I call for support.”  I decided to try and handle it myself.  I tried comfort food (the good food lift lasted for two hours) and a workout at the gym (the endorphin high was about three hours long).  The old ways did not work this time.  I decided to try something new.  I reached out to colleagues, my ministerial support group.

 

This was new behavior.  Normally I am one who tries to be there for others, supporting them through some tough time.  However, I was the one to open up and share with others; I was the one being vulnerable.  I shared with my colleagues that I was going through a tough emotional time.  This action, being vulnerable with friends, set in motion a series of events that lead to awareness, shifting, and healing.

The Destiny Cards

The first event occurred the morning after sharing with my friends.  As part of my morning ritual, I select a card from my deck of destiny cards for inspiration.  On that day, I chose the card representing “clarity.”  The commentary for this card read, “You will experience a detoxification process of releasing old emotional issues from the cells, experience a more clear and exact thought process, and experience a deeper sense of renewal.”  I sensed this was part of an explanation of my emotional spiral ride.   It provided a different perspective of things.  Maybe I was not spirally down, but experiencing old emotionally issues rising up.

The Wisdom of the Flicker

The same day I drew the “clarity” card, I noticed a bird in the backyard.  This bird was different than the usual cast of characters in or around the bird feeder.  The next day he was back.  With my trusty bird book, I identified the bird as a Flicker, a type of woodpecker.  Reviewing my bird book and animal wisdom references, I learned that the color pattern of the Flicker is important.  What resonated strongest in the research was the patch of black feathers located on the bird’s chest.  It symbolizes the moon and is located on the center of its chest, over the heart.  I made mental notes: the color of the feather patch is black (feminine energy), is in the shape of a moon (feminine energy), and is located over the heart chakra (the secret chamber of the emotions).  I concluded that this meant, “emotional healing of the heart chakra.”  Additional commentary said that when the Flicker appears “you may experience new sensitivities around emotions.”  This was the second piece of the puzzle.

Bones

While having tea at a local tea shop, I was writing in my journal.  I wrote, “What are my dreams?  Is there something my heart longs for, a desire that I have buried deep in my heart, so deep that I have disconnected from it?  Do I have a dream in my heart?”

After the opening myself to my colleagues, selecting the clarity card, receiving the open hearted wisdom of the Flicker, and questioning myself of suppressed and unrealized dreams, I was ready.  At the time, I did know realize I was ready, or ready for what?  

I was watching the television show Bones on TNT.  This particular episode dealt with Booth, the lead male character, choosing to open his home and care for his grandfather, whom he called Pops.  Pops raised and took care of Booth when he was young; and, Booth felt it was time to repay the favor.  However, everyone realized that it was best for Pops and Booth if Pops returned to the senior home.  

At the end of the episode, Pops and Booth stood in front of the senior home.  Pops shared that this was the best decision and that he knew Booth loved him.  Then Pops placed his hand on Booth’s heart and said, “Remember, it is all in there.  Just follow your heart and you will never go wrong.”  [I paraphrased a bit.] 

I watched this scene standing less than five feet from the television.  I was almost there.  And that was the final straw.  It was the match thrown on a gasoline soaked pile of flammable material.  The explosion was eminent.   I turned from the television with tears in my eyes and a scream in my throat.  I burst into “all my life… I wanted to hear those words and feel those words… and to hear them on television.  God this is not fair.  All I ask for, all I want is to hear…”  I could not take it anymore.  Hearing those words spoken by Pops with his hand on Booth’s heart was too much; I cried.

I call my biological father, “pop.”  And I called my grandfather’s, “Pop Willie” and “Pop Roy.”  So “Pop” is my name that represents “the energy and essence of the masculine elder in my life.”  My heart has longed to feel those words spoken with the same elegency and authenticity and love that I witnessed between Pops and Booth.

After my breakdown came the breakthrough.  I realized, either a later that evening or possible the next day, that I just experienced “Pop elegantly and authentically and lovingly say to me with hand over my heart that everything I need is in my heart and all I need to remember to do is follow my heart.”  On one level, I was watching a television show.  However, on another level, a level of higher vibration, a level beyond time and space, a level where truth and love exists beyond the physical…I felt Pops’ hand on my heart and heard the words he spoke.  And most importantly, I received them the words.  My heart was open to the point where I could feel and did receive what I longed.   

The masculine elder spoke to me and I heard it, he touched me and I felt it, he connected with me and me with him.  One of the lessons from my experience:  To be mindful of what I ask for, and to be open, willing and ready to receive it.  It may not come as I want it or expect it, but it will come just as the Universe divinely provides.  Just be ready.

Copyright © 2011 Anthony L. Farmer All Rights Reserved