is the inability to forgive oneself
or another person.”
Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing, by Caroline Myss
On May 30, 2018, Joel had hernia surgery. Since his son and daughter-in-law live in Tennessee, surgery was scheduled for a time I could come from St. Joseph to be his designated driver. For this procedure, Joel did paperwork granting me permission to receive information about his medical condition. This event brought to mind the need we all have to be proactive about our lives, including attending to the remnants of our hopes and our dreams, and having our affairs in order.
It has been almost 20 years since SCS Matters (Subtle Communication Systems) was born. Writing, teaching, training, inspiring, learning, traveling, sharing all we could absorb and articulate became our way of life. The format, the venue, the materials morphed and changed dramatically along the way. Over and over we found ourselves poised at a gateway.
The Gateway Rune shows that there is work for you both inside and outside of yourself. We benefit by waiting at the precipice before passing through the gateway, because decisions made in haste can be regretted in leisure. Sufficient contemplation, patience, and taking the time to review where you have been can allow you to appreciate what you have already accomplished and lay the path before you.
Our peers are rapidly becoming the “older” generation. In some cultures elders are respected—their wisdom recognized as having been born of difficult experiences encountered along the path. Especially because reverence toward aging is not the normal attitude of our current culture here in the U.S., it is vital that we honor ourselves and all that we have experienced.
In Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing, Caroline Myss pairs each of the seven major chakras with one of the sacraments performed in the Christian tradition. The seventh, located at the top of the head, is the Crown Chakra, paired with Extreme Unction. Extreme Unction is commonly known as “last rights” in the Catholic Church.
When someone is perceived to be near death, to prepare the person’s soul for death, they are first given Penance, then Anointing, followed by the final administration of the Eucharist, known as “Viaticum.”
Symbolically, Extreme Unction represents the process of retrieving one’s spirit from the various ‘corners’ of one’s life. It is an opportunity to take care of any ‘unfinished business’ to ensure that one leaves this world and returns to the spiritual dimension “complete.” (p. 266)
Meditation is a wonderful tool for taking care of any unfinished business. In January, 2018, I posted a blog titled “Corpse Prayer” based on Jarem Sawatsky’s book, Dancing with the Elephants: Mindfulness Training For Those Living With Dementia, Chronic Illness or an Aging Brain (How to Die Smiling Series, #1).
For many years I used various forms of meditation and visualization. I still enjoy a good guided meditation, provided it is sufficiently “artfully vague” to allow my unconscious mind to decide what it finds helpful, healing, hopeful, and happy. My preferred meditation form for my daily practice and deeper insight is Vipassana. I appreciate not having to try to quiet my mind. For most people thoughts pop in on average every 17 seconds. I am glad when it comes to meditation, you do not need to “do it right.” In fact, a meditation jam-packed with thoughts is a perfect teacher as you are able to observe what your mind obsesses about. Bringing your loving awareness to your mind allows you to tie up the remnants of your life. This is a perfect time to let go of any painful thinking and distorted beliefs.
Deep Spring Meditation Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has meditation instructions on their website, including Vipassana instructions, if you would benefit from those.