Posted on

“Contrast”

“Contrast”

By James Anthony Curtis

What makes a beautiful sunset? What sets it apart in our heart as something so captivating we are in awe at the majesty, brilliance of what we feel in the experience?

For me there is a deepness of contrast, the feeling of connection in this depth of opposites. There is a vastness within me, yet smallness, a preciousness, like I’ve caught a glimpse of something so wonderful, mysterious, almost like looking behind the curtain to see God.

When I experience a beautiful sunset, not only are there brilliant, radiant rays, tones and colors, but dark parts as well to bring forth the light, tones, in their magnificence.

Without those parts, the beauty that comes forth would have no contrast, nothing to shroud the light in its glory, no veil to humble the heart.

This morning I felt uninspired, dark, gloomy, and as I read the sacred texts I didn’t expel the veil of darkness, but embraced it, allowed it to augment the light, glory shining forth.

Our darkness is not something to cast aside so readily, but is provoking deeper healing, insight, the fertile ground upon which the roots of our heart may grow deep in love.

The dark parts are giving us the necessary contrast, to see, feel, those places in need of attention, love and healing.

Today may we embrace our contrast, the depth we are being offered, in the glory of light, the tones that set upon us.

May we come to our inner chambers, the doors of the heart, offering entrance to all that we feel, for the healing, loving, and ascension of our souls.

May we gaze at God in wonder, awe, for this mystery that has shrouded us, to bring forth our highest destiny, to claim our birthright, our inheritance, as children of heaven, the kingdom within, to be the ones we have been seeking, waiting for, the ones we already are.

Posted on

“The tower”

“The tower”

By James Anthony Curtis

What might be seeming unbearable, the total destruction and devastation, is the prelude to needs being met, reconstruction and healing.

Often the high places must be destroyed in order for the foundation to be laid secure.

Change is never smooth in transition, just as in the cycle of seasons, from freezing to thawing we see upheaval and renting of ground.

Nature moves in her mystery, pushing and pulling, to release the beauty of her fragrance.

What might feel awful, taste bitter, look ugly, is very often deep medicine, reaching down to the inmost parts, procuring the light in our darkness for profound healing.

There is nothing to do, no wrong choices in our lives, only the bittersweet settling of our surrender.

Although destiny will bleed us in her destructive forces, the tearing down of our high places, we may still fall in grace, giving ourselves completely into the arms of our storm, allowing space for our worship in awe of what has come upon us.

Love is still love, even in the most painful of circumstances.

May we allow our destruction to be complete, the falling of ourselves to be held in the arms of the universe for our highest transformation and being.

May we embrace our pain, feeling all that we feel, for the divination of our souls to bring forth their sweet fragrance.

May the high tower be broken, devastated, brought down to the lowest level, in order that our foundation may be laid secure, rooted fast, quickened in our divine nature.

May we come to know the glory of our truth, the love that we already are, that we may be fulfilled, coming forth in our innocence for the benefit of all beings.

Posted on

“Giving”

“Giving”

By James Anthony Curtis

Many mornings upon awakening I’m not very inspired, especially going into the colder months of the year, I’m tempted to pull the covers up about me, snuggle in the warmth of their embrace, and hide from the chilly morning.

I generally don’t drink hot substances over the summer, as the body likes cool, but in the colder months it helps to warm the body.

One of the practices I started some time ago in the morning was an “offering.”

Whether it’s tea, or coffee, or whatever touches you personally in the morning, a good practice that helps to start the day is a “giving” practice.

For me, when I prepare my first cup of hot, steaming warmth, I pour an offering in a cup to my Deity.

Just as if a most precious guest were in my home, I treat the cup, the French press, the water, with all the tenderness, care and love of serving a dear friend. Noticing the details, feeling the cup, the weight as I pour, watching the steam rise, smelling the aroma, all to be offered on a shrine as an act of giving the first cup to that which I love, honor, and adore.

When I first started this practice, the tears would come each morning as I connected in this act of giving. Often deep healing in those tears as I was touched back, within, feeling the great expression of love in this one simple act.

There is so much loss in the world, so much pain, but when we practice giving we freely acknowledge the love that we are, surrendering to our greater sense of self, that all things are connected, and our heart is safe, held in this love.

We are creating an opening for expansion instead of a closing to the cold, a place of warmth within ourselves.

And so I’ve found as I go to enjoy the “second” cup it is not the cup that warms me, but rather the contentment in connection, the love that lights my dharma.

May we allow space for connection today, embracing the beautiful act of giving, in some small way, that we may open warmth in our heart.

May we be with all that arises, feeling deeply into those parts, that are asking for connection, love and healing.

May we bring forth the one we have been waiting for, allowing our innocence to be our guide, fulfilling the love we already are.

Posted on

“How is your heart?”

“How is your heart?”

By James Anthony Curtis

Sometimes it’s hard to acknowledge just where our heart goes. From the feelings that arise, to the healing that calls out for attention, even the simple peace that resides in the steady beating of our chest.

It’s the organ that knows, capable of guiding us with great wisdom, abundance and joy, yet can ache, suffer, and feel the depths of such sorrow.

The heart is the great gatekeeper, we often think of the will as being in the mind, but truth, direction, and clarity of will originate in the heart.

The heart knows.

Often it’s easy to confuse our partnership of the heart with the meanderings of thought, the wonderful mind that is there to carry out guidance from the heart.

We try to figure things out, solve the puzzle, create space, and the heart waits, patiently, observingly waits for our attention to gaze back upon it’s feeling, depth and wisdom.

Love is the key that unlocks the sacred doors to the inner chambers. Some locks may be rusty, old, unused for some time, but love will find the tumblers, gently releasing the heart to open, share, expand upon us it’s many wonderful blessings, teachings, and awareness.

Let us make our home a lovely one, wherever the heart goes, let us follow our bliss, breath, beating of grace.

May we open ancient doors, secure in the safety of love, that all that arises is being given for our highest destiny and well being.

May we tenderly hold the heart in all that we feel, loving ourselves as we have never loved before, as we manifest our deep healing.

May we come to know the one we have been waiting for, and in our innocence may we come forth, entering through the heart, to be the one we already are.

Posted on

“Who are we really?”

“Who are we really?”

By James Anthony Curtis

The other night I photographed the moon, and although it was still light out, darkness surrounded it in the photo. I thought, “how strange that even in daylight the dark contrast comes through.”

Much like life, we walk around, doing what we do, work, paying bills, driving, interactive with one another, by all appearances doing so fully conscious, but how dark is our unseen darkness?

How awake are we really?

There’s a side of the moon that we never see, it doesn’t face the earth in its orbit. Always dark to us, yet by all appearances we see a full moon once a month.

The mind is funny, in how it gauges what we comprehend, filling in the gaps of what we don’t see to create a picture in its entirety.

In my own experience once I started to look in those dark places, feel the things I had closed off, or wasn’t capable of seeing, it was easy to be overwhelmed and ignore those parts in need. To try and feel better, looking at what was pleasant to the eye, rather than face the darkness of what had been crying out to be known.

I was incomplete.

And oh how we try to complete the picture with what the mind readily is willing to “fill in” to the gaps.

The delusions, things we tell ourselves to bring small temporary comforts to ease what we don’t know, and fear.

Loneliness, terror, abandonment, rejection are just a few of the dark depths that greet us in our exploration.

But we are not alone.

The darkness only seems dark until we begin to explore, cross over, abide in it.

Coming to know ourselves, all of us, allowing space for the dark side to be amidst the backdrop of the stars, the universe, we find illumination.

Who we truly are, the wholeness that we have been seeking in our attempts to fill in the gaps.

True fulfillment through the revelation of feeling all that we feel, allowing ourselves to love the pain of those parts crying out in the darkness.

May we embrace all that we feel, all that arises on the dark side of our moon.

May acknowledge the deep pain, the healing that is occurring in the revealing of our feelings.

May we come to know the one we have been waiting for, the one we already are, for the love of all beings.