Spirit’s House
Being new to Vision Questing, I began to rest increasingly into the matters of Spirit and its meanings. One such matter was from a teaching I remembered from A Course in Miracles. I vaguely recall the lesson describing how we, as a humanity, are part of one body or a greater whole and however we treat our brother or our sister is how we treat ourselves. We are all parts of a greater whole in the house of Spirit.
“Vision quest, supernatural experience in which an individual seeks to interact with a guardian spirit, usually an anthropomorphized animal, to obtain advice or protection. Vision quests were most typically found among the native peoples of North and South America.” –Encyclopaedia Britannica
Despite our seeming separateness, we’re quite connected. Whatever we withhold from others we ultimately withhold from ourselves. Sharing the light of our presence, kindness and compassion only amplifies it, deepens it and permeates it throughout the whole. If a single cell whose bright light seeks to warm his surrounding brother and sister cells with healing light, it becomes a domino effect in healing the whole body they make up.
We might call the body we are all a part of the Christ Consciousness or it may be the Universe—whatever the name, it’s spiritually the same thing with different names according to the spiritual language you use. As I get older, I find spiritual matters less about doctrines/dogma and more about embodying the qualities of Spirit—cultivating that light within oneself.
This is not an easy road all of the time. I’ve had my fair share of slip ups, mistakes, passing on unnecessary judgements and withholding love in the face of adversity.
Part of the Quest for myself is maintaining a strong sense of personal honesty, awareness, taking action where appropriate and doing my best in living in a loving way—working to be mindful to tend to my own inner fire first before I tend to others.
Point being, I wish to illustrate how we are all reflections of one another as children of Spirit, God, Christ, the Universe or the Great Mystery. Also, that loving others and sharing the light with others is a form—an art—of loving ourselves while bringing about our own personal healing as well as the healing of the whole. If we can see that—feel that—we may be able to create a more compassionate and loving world.
Note: Below’s poem uses the word ‘brother’ but it’s both brother and sister.
Spirit’s House
if Spirit’s presence
lies warm in your palm
make company of the
weary hearts, not the strong
press to your breast
those who need to lean
bolster them with strength
the light within you
that gleams
if Spirit’s love
is withheld at
the gate of your being
it is withheld from you—
as your brother is you—
a sacred meaning
cast out all darkness
the judge within
seeks no justice
surrender to Spirit
letting love move through
lift up your brother
for he is you
