A Mystic’s Journal Entries: September 26-27, 2005
Dolphins and The Dark Night of the Soul
Monday, September 26
An e-mail from Diana, the Interviews are almost all formatted. She will send them to me snail mail. Then final decisions on the formatting.
I must write those introductions and epilogues.
More fragrances, both in town and at Windgarth. The Presence of Our Lady, the scent of myrrh. Almost in the same spot again at Windgarth, as M. & I walked to and from the Point. The Presence of Our Lady has changed for me in the past few weeks. Before my accident, now - years ago - I felt always surrounded by a Divine presence. Perhaps it was the cloak Our Lady gave me, so many years ago. After the accident, I felt the Love of the universe surrounding and filling me - the Cosmic Soul. And an indescribable Peace. Mystical union. Since then, the Peace and Divinity has seemed to come more from my own Heart. And when I pray to the Father, a Presence entering me from above, a Light and Peace. But in the last few weeks, when the fragrance of myrrh appears - I seem surrounded by a great Peace and Love which descends and then envelops me. Not a cloak, I always seem to be wearing the cloak, the mantle - but this new Presence of Our Lady engulfs me from above. And is very, very powerful. I need only to remember to ask for it, to call on Our Lady. It seems to come of its own, often - especially when I am very sad about the world. This is new, and is not dependent upon the fragrance of myrrh. Although most often the two arise together.
I do not really understand this. Perhaps as time goes on, I will have some insight.
I certainly feel very fortunate & feel unworthy of these Graces. I have always felt that I have been given many Graces only to prove the Mercy of God. And because of my work for others: A Mystic’s Journal for instance. The fragrances first appeared as I did the television show on Our Lady’s appearances in Naju, Korea. And then again, when I began A Mystic’s Journal. The Graces are given to me to share with others ...for the sake of others. I do not take them personally. I wish only to be a pure vessel for God. In spite of my faults, which are many. Because of this - I am given so many Graces, I can barely hold them all. The more I give them away, the more I receive ... The more I ask for them, the greater the Gifts. It is only a matter of remembering to ask.
May all who read these lines partake of what I have been given. Now a whiff, a faint whiff of myrrh ... growing stronger.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
A stack of letters to answer: from Nepal, South Africa, Benin, France, Mali, Ile Maurice ... Beautiful stamps, reflecting the cultures & beliefs of the peoples of these countries. One, from Mali, says “Fete du Balafon”in the lower left corner. The picture on the stamp shows men in native dress playing what look like curved, wooden xylophones. Below it are two identical vertical stamps, a wooden carving, a mask now in a museum. Above the wooden mask is a rough figure of a man riding a mythological horse, holding a spear. The Benin stamp shows beautiful African women looking at a child surrounded by light before them, a vision above them: “Ensemble, luttons contre le traffic d’enfants” - together let us fight child-trafficking. One letter from Nepal is covered with stamps: Buddhist temples on one, & beautiful sculptures of the Buddha in Kathmandu on another; the Himalayas on another. The envelopes all different sizes & shapes & thicknesses, holding various hearts, messages & requests ... Some are for the Living Rosary, others from Save the Children. When I have translated the letters in French, for the Living Rosary, I will write Patti with their requests. Then I will answer all the letters, sending our prayers & giving encouragement where needed. I have an entire manilla downstairs filled with more ... In spite of my trip to the post office last week, mailing off a different stack of replies.
An e-mail asking for Healing. A broken heart, a hopeless love. I wrote back that it sounded as though she was experiencing the first Dark Night of the Soul, the passage to the Illuminative Period, the second stage of the Interior Life. (The third, and last stage being mystical union.) That first Dark Night is very difficult - a leap of Faith. The test is to put God before all else in our lives - people, things, honors. No matter how pure our love for another creature, if we put that love before our love for God - during the first Dark Night, that person will be taken from us. The same for things or honors or any other attachment we have here on earth. If we do not learn this lesson, we will continue to go through the Dark Night, until we can let go of our lower emotions and thoughts, bring them to their higher octaves. Not an easy task. Most people do not get through the first Dark Night, they fall into bitterness or anger, hatred, blame. And/or they do not turn to God. Therefore, many lose the opportunity to progress into the Illuminative period.
This woman does not seem to harbor the lower emotions of anger or jealousy, but she is being asked to get her spiritual life in order. I have given her meditation exercises to do, and suggested books for her to read. Then I will teach her to meditate. She needs to learn to control her thoughts and emotions, and to put her attention on God and her own soul, to the exclusion of all else. Otherwise, she will fall back instead of moving forward - or stay within the Dark Night. A painful and unhappy prospect.
I also gave her the prayer: Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, pray for us, to repeat throughout the day. Our Lady Herself told a visionary that to say this simple prayer will heal our hearts, as well as Hers.
An e-mail from my new meditator in Australia. I had suggested that she keep a journal of her meditation experiences. She is progressing very quickly & well, and sent me the following page from her journal. Her story could have come from my little book, The Spiritual Life of Animals and Plants; if I ever compile a volume II., I will ask her if I can include this story:
Dolphin Song
Hello Laurie! I meditated again today. A beautiful experience. As I went down to the beach a large pod of dolphins was swimming and playing off the shore, very close only 20 metres or so out. I watched them for a while, then they started swimming parallel to the beach. I followed them almost all the way to the end of the beach, then sat and watched them a while longer. It was time to meditate but I didn’t want to close my eyes, I wanted to keep watching the dolphins. They don’t stop in one place long but tend to move about.
However, I had a strong feeling that I should meditate. As soon as I began I felt a great peace and calm surrounding me. I was aware only of the sound of the surf and the occasional calls of the bell birds and whip birds in the bush behind me. Meditating seemed easy, few thoughts disturbed me.
When I was meditating deeply I began to have a keen sense of my luminous self. I felt that a radiant light from within was pulsing outward and shimmering in the air. Connecting me with the energy of all living things.
I felt an incredible sense of calm and peace. I meditated for a long time.
When I ended the meditation and opened my eyes I realised that the pod of dolphins had not swum off as I’d thought they would have. Instead they were right in front of me where they had been when I began the meditation. As I watch 2 of the dolphins left the pod and rode a wave almost in to the shore, they were less than 10 metres from the beach. Then they gave me a little flip of their tails and swam back out to the pod.
A minute or so later they swam back down the beach in the other direction. I followed slowly. I thought about what had occurred. This may sound silly but I am now convinced that when I closed my eyes to meditate they had sensed my presence and had stayed with me deliberately in order to share in the experience somehow. It had been their beautiful peace that I had sensed without knowing it, their perfect expression of Grace. And they knew too, when the meditation was over, they sensed it and moved away about their business.
It was a rare and beautiful experience. My eyes are filled with tears of joy, remembering.
Imogen
A Mystic’s Journal Entries: September 26-27, 2005
Moderator: figaro