Scripture Writing Plan - Day 1...Let the mind open!

Scripture Writing Plan - Let the mind open (and the heart too)!

OK I'm going to do this and I'm going to blog about it.

I very much feel like a fish out of water and the wording is very Shakespearean which I actually don't mind. What I'm finding the hardest is reading the text in my bible as its so bloody small that I think I may need a magnifying glass lol. Because of this I may end up googling a modernized scripture.

Psalm 121 - A song of degrees 

I actually had to ask Mark to teach me how to pronounce Psalm properly...the P is silent, just in case you don't know either.

Day 1 - Psalm 121: 1 - 4

1. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

2. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

3. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepth thee will not slumber. 

4. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 

Before I write anymore I am going to apologise in advance if the words I say cause offence to anyone, please know it is not my intention. Something I believe that I need to do when giving my interpretation of what the scriptures mean to me is just say what comes into my mind without filtering it - which for those who know me on a personal level, know that can be a very scary and dangerous thing for me to do.

OK here goes...

My Interpretation

1. I will look towards the horizon - towards the place where the hills stop and the sky starts and ask Where does my help come from?

2. My help comes from God the creator of heaven and earth.

3. I will be steady on my feet and God will not sleep, rest.

4. I think this one is just repeating No. 3 except personalising it towards the dwellers of Israel

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Honesty...

"Advice is difficult, even when it comes from ourselves. Even if we can't put our advice into action, we don't need to beat ourselves up about it".

If I had a dollar for every time I heard the words "what would you tell your clients?", I would no longer need clients.

Isn't it funny how we seem to be able to give our honest opinion and advice to others, but when it comes to being honest with ourselves there seems to be an invisible barrier? Why do we choose to listen to the counsel of others when we know ourselves better than anyone?

Do we really need to be so perfect that we cannot just be honest about ourselves to ourselves? Why do we fear the beauty in the raw and formidably imperfect us?

It's time to be refreshingly, humorously, tactlessly honest with ourselves; to shed ourselves of the mask that hides the truth we refuse to acknowledge. To take the advice we give to others but only if the shoe fits, of course.  

"I give myself sometimes admirable advice, but I am incapable of taking it". - Mary Wortley Montagu

Photo by Natasha Hurst Photography

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Opening my mind, my heart, to something new....

Opening my mind

Opening my heart

To something new

Now before I continue I should probably say that the concept of GOD is not totally new to me, I have in the past had several in depth conversations with theology teachers (my ex husband is one of them) about the topic, I believe that Jesus was the very first light worker / healer, I've even attended church and Sunday school, although that was mostly because I loved school and wanted to go every day and well if it was on a Sunday even if it was about religion, I wasn't missing out. In saying all that I also nearly became a Hare Krishna too, Oh the memories - I love it when my Mum tells the stories.

I did however, have more faith in God up until meeting a person who claims to be a Christian and preaches words from the bible and attends church and has so many people believing lies but she is so hypercritical in her actions that my faith has been diminished. I have more of a higher standard of morals in my little toe than she has in her entire so called Christian body and yet I am apparently ungodly because I do not go to church and pretend to be someone I am not. Then again I also don't allow my child to be repeatedly traumatized in the most despicable of ways and yet turns a blind eye to it all - GRRRRR she makes me so mad, it is any wonder I question if the GOD they speak of truly exists?  I guess the fact that I am unforgiving towards her and the ones who hurt a person I love deeply makes me unchristian but that I can deal with.

Anyway, despite that little spat, I do actually hold a belief of my own, although I would describe my belief in God/Goddess as more of a 'Spiritual' belief, drawing bits from my Maori culture, Shamanism, Paganism, Buddhism and other 'new age' areas; for a lack of a much better word as I really do not like the stereo typical stigma connected with it. I also think that if we were to strip back all the dogma associated with religion that we may actually believe in the same thing, although in a different concept of it.

Recently I told my partner that I believed him to be very 'close minded' with regards to delving deeper into what I believe and making a judgment based upon a preconceived notion. This I think is in part due his beliefs being something he grew up with so is an ingrained part of him, also because he studied it at university (in order to question and reaffirm what he believes) but mostly because of his past manipulative and narcissistic partners doing. Actually, when we first starting 'hanging out' together he believed that our difference of opinion in 'our faith' would be a point of no return AND yet here we are, crazily in love and very honest and open with each other and both with differing and yet somewhat the sames views on God. 

As fate (synchronicity) would have it, I stumbled across an awesomely colourful site (HERE is the link for you to check it out yourself) that just so happened to have uploaded a 'Scripture Writing Plan'.

What is a Scripture Writing Plan? Well from what I can gather its a guide to reading passages of the bible - which surprisingly I do actually own as I was given it as a gift from my Dad's neighbor when I was 10 and never felt that I could/should get rid of it; despite only really flicking through the pages and not really being open to reading it....because let's face it, really good stories can be written by anyone right? It's just a glorified fiction novel? Hmmm, Maybe, Maybe not - I am about to find out and put my cynicism to the test - ooh I ran off track again ummm what was I saying? Oh yeah reading passages from the bible, writing them out and reflecting on what they mean to you and in doing so it helps understand and gain a better knowledge and connection / relationship with..., yes you guessed it GOD!

As I called my partner out on his 'close mindedness' I thought hmmm, perhaps he is reflecting something within myself and so in order not to be hypercritical, I have decided to give this scripture thing a go (with his loving support) in order to allow myself to be open to what he believes God to be? In return, he is going to be open to my 'spiritual' interpretation.

I don't know yet whether I will be sharing it here or not, I most probably will though as blogging seems to be keeping me sane and gives me something to do when I have a million thoughts running around in my head. Who knows maybe you will find it interesting, maybe you wont and really it doesn't matter because this is my journey towards knowing God - well the one that is spoken about in the bible anyway.

One of my fav songs - I thought it was appropriate!

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Alone Time

August 31

"So you see, imagination needs moodling, - long, inefficient, happy, idling, dawdling and puttering." - Brenda Ueland.

When was the last time you just sat and looked out into a great expanse of nothing and allowed your mind, your body to be still?  Just breathed in and out, completely still in your thoughts and movements?

I used to do this on a regular basis but lately I have been so caught up in the hustle and bustle of dealing with life that I had forgotten my coping strategy, forgotten to allow my self to breathe and to trust in the higher power; be it GOD, Buddha, Brahman, Allah, Great Spirit....whatever your belief - a higher source of power, out there in the universe.

It was nice to be reminded about my alone time today, especially as winter draws to a close - waking from our hibernation state to open up a new season, embracing new growth and new beginnings.

Today I got some really good news. I have been approved for my university funding. YAY right? Well, it was for about 30 minutes and then the feeling of euphoria faded.

Unfortunately, my mind has been racing overtime with what ifs and indecision over which course I really want to do and whether or not to do the course which appears to be the easy way out and yet not the one that ultimately fulfills my hearts desire and it has left me feeling lost and confused and deflated rather than elated.

SO after opening up my book tonight and reading today's meditation I made the choice to take some time out and be still before I make a decision.

I really wanted to just rush in to enrolling into a course and getting started because as you may of read in my previous post, patience is not one of my strong points and I had been impatiently waiting for aaaaggggeeeeessssss to hear the amazingly wonderful news that I was given today; but instead, I decided to take some time to just be still. To stop over analysing everthing! To stop trying to figure it all out! To trust that internally I know the answers and if I don't then I will be guided in the stillness.

This is an awesome song that says it all perfectly!

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