Image: neighbors at Windgarth House this weekend - from our dock, facing south.
Wednesday, March 10
Today as Priscilla folded laundry we began talking about inwardly turning people and situations to the Divine Light: she has been angry at someone for the last few months, and I keep telling her to turn herself and him to Divine Light. At first she argued that this fellow was mistreating others, and I had to agree she was right: and more the reason to turn him to Light. First of all, imaging him as the Divine Light will help transform, heal him - and his behavior should improve. Secondly, Priscilla’s outrage will dissolve, and she will not keep getting colds and stomach ailments. Thirdly, coming from a place of calm and peace - she will better know what to do about his behavior.
Still in a bit of a turmoil about this fellow’s actions and words, she turned to me and almost angrily said, “And what about the earthquake in Chile? Should I turn Chile to Light?” I said that of course she should - it would bring healing to that devastated country. Moreover, the Divine Light is the Truth. The rest is not. She stood there in my kitchen puzzled and thinking, wordlessly staring at me.
I am not quite sure where her puzzlement comes from, and will try to remember to ask her when she comes again on Friday. It could be that she feels turning a suffering country to Light means a lack of feeling or compassion - but nothing could be further from the truth.
Friday, March 12
Today Priscilla came, and after going down to the basement with a basket of laundry to put in the washer, she launched into a monologue: “Last night my husband woke me because I was tossing and turning in my sleep. He asked me what the matter was, and I mumbled: ‘Laurie told me to turn him to Light’, and my husband said, ‘There’s no light on in here, what are you talking about’ and I said ‘No, Laurie said I should turn him to Light and I’m trying to but I can’t ’ and my husband said ‘There’s no light on in here, go back to sleep’ and I said ... ” and Priscilla and I began to laugh long and hard.
Saturday, March 13
An e-mail message from Diana asking for the Introduction, Preface, Dedication and Epilogue for We Meet in Dreams. She already has the Table of Contents. I suspect she is preparing the graphics for those special pages. We also had a conversation about the subtitle for the book, A New Interpretation of Dreams. Diana feels the word “new” is a bit prosaic and overused - but I can’t think of a better word. A Daring Interpretation, or A Clairvoyant Interpretation, An Unusual Interpretation, A True Interpretation - none of these seems like a good idea to me, and those are the only ones I can come up with at the moment. My original subtitle was The True Nature of Dreams, but that seemed - well, a bit dismissive of all other interpretations. And there are many layers and levels of interpretation of dreams ... Of course “new” is not the best word either, because I am not the first clairvoyant or mystic to understand the meaning of our dreams. Although I might be the first to write an entire book on the subject from a mystical point of view.
All that aside, I e-mailed Diana the sections she asked for.
Another e-mail from Diana with ‘Sections, subsections or chapters’ in the subject line. She is having trouble understanding the Table of Contents. I asked her to phone me in ten minutes - it will be easier to slog through this confusion on the phone. Gone are the days when we sat next to each other on the downstairs couch, with her laptop computer, sorting these kinds of problems out together ... And I miss those days.
I am sure she feels the same way.
Sunday, March 14
Spoke with Diana on the phone last night and we discussed the Table of Contents and overall organization of We Meet in Dreams. I think we came up with some good solutions. However, I left one or two pieces of the puzzle for her to figure out, decide on.
Friday, March 19
Another beautiful day in the sixties. Sunny. I spent hours in the gardens here in town; after work M. And I went to Windgarth House, to work in the gardens there. Endless leaves that need to come out of the flower beds so the spring flowers can flourish. Luckily at Windgarth most of the spring flowers are in the lawns - so most of the leaves can be left to protect the perennials in the flower beds. The lake was so silent today that the clouds were perfectly reflected in it ... Saw Larry and Nancy, sitting happily in the sun, on their porch. Larry has a new cat, one that adopted him some months ago, named Elin. He chose the name and spelling carefully. Raking leaves with the lake as a neighbor is quite different from raking leaves in town ...
Earlier today Priscilla was sweeping the kitchen just after I had an unsettling encounter with someone out on the street. Priscilla said: “Turn them to Light. That’s what you always tell me to do”. I laughed and said I already had - and also had sent angels.
Someone new came to meet me this week from Chicago, wishing to learn to meditate. He is a high soul and has much Light. And I think he is going through the first Dark Night of the soul; college student, just lost his girlfriend, seeing a psychologist, living at home for a semester; sad, almost despairing. It is very possible that he is going through the first Dark Night of the soul - and in that case he is very fortunate. Between the therapy and understanding of the psyche he is now receiving, the self discipline and humility of living at home, and all his personal grief over his girlfriend (which will open his heart). Later, when he returns to Cornell and learns to meditate - he will undoubtedly enter the second stage of the Interior Life, the Illuminative period. Very few get there!!! Most people unfortunately either stay in depression, or become angry and bitter - instead of seeking the soul. If we search for the soul and God during either Dark Night - we will find them. And then the Dark Night ends.
In any case, I am sending him healing and will continue to.
I encouraged him to treat this period as living in a monastery and being trained in the basics - i.e. obedience, humility, understanding and compassion - if he possibly can view it that way. I have often written about the Dark Night of the soul in these Journal entries - but I have also found that repetition can be a good thing.
If we do not treat the Dark Night as an opportunity to find the soul and God - then it is very difficult to come out of it. And even if we do, we fall backwards instead of forward on the spiritual path - and will have to face the Dark Night again at a later time. In my experience, those that are fortunate enough to reach the Dark Night of the soul are meant to eventually make it through to the Illuminative Period, the second of three stages of the Interior Life.
Since the Dark Night of the soul comes upon us in mundane ways - the loss of a loved one or a failed marriage, financial losses, illness - we do not judge the test to be a spiritual one. But it is, and possibly the biggest spiritual challenge we will ever know. The first Dark Night is very Dark - and it takes a very large leap of faith to get through it.
I also gave my new meditation student a short speech on the difference between true Humility and humiliation. We suffer humiliation when we are standing in the ego, and comparing ourselves to other mortals. In true Humility, we are comparing ourselves to God, and bowing before Divinity Itself. In that instance, the power of the universe comes through us - and we feel stronger, not weaker. We are stronger, not weaker, and we are at peace. The Peace Love of the Divine Itself fills us. In essence, God fills us with Himself.
Saturday, March 20
Went to Windgarth again today to work in the gardens. Cooler, in the high fifties - sunny and some wind. Worked almost the entire time we were there; M. built a fire and burned the leaves down by the shore. Someone has put up a new martin house - now there are three. They must have used a row boat to install it; a man was repairing Larry’s dock. An e-mail from Diana: the graphics are done. She wrote: “ I've been working on the graphics for We Meet in Dreams the previous few days and the results left me feeling happy as I looked at the pages of Star Strips strewn around my desk. There are about 25 of them now ready for placement on the page layouts. These starry graphics are in the same etching style I used for the cloudy sky graphics inside Realms of Light, for the angels in Visits with Angels and for the cover of Realms of Light. ”
Diana also wrote that she will send me samples of her graphics for the title pages soon. We are still discussing ideas for the cover, and I sent her a photograph of Windgarth at night. She is still considering an altered night sky - my idea is that an altered night sky could also represent a dream nightscape ... However, in the end, the decisions are Diana’s, not mine.