APRIL 2024: Geography of Destiny

"Your soul knows the geography of your destiny. Your soul alone has the map of your future, therefore you can trust this indirect, oblique side of yourself. If you do, it will take you where you need to go, but more important it will teach you a kindness of rhythm in your journey.” ― John O'Donohue

The language of the soul is love. Our prime directive is to love one another. As a collective soul, the body of humanity, we are apparently willing to experience anything to get back to divine love and God consciousness. This is our core drive, the need that fuels every single decision we make, know it or not. 

In fact, so badly do we seek this reunification, that we are willing to walk through illusions that thoroughly convince us that we do not have free will, in order to claim that free will with consciousness, so that we can be together, and free to love! 

Let us focus today on love. Love is what alerts us to the geography of our shared destiny. We must come to the altar of every single thing we believe, including lower levels of programming such as religious, family or cultural belief systems, upper level programming such as health, gender and even life and death itself, in order to fully claim our free will. No stone can be left unturned. For under any given rock lies an unchallenged belief system that holds our vibration down, and keeps us separated, and away from love.

“When love awakens in your life, in the night of your heart, it is like the dawn breaking within you. Where before there was anonymity, now there is intimacy; where before there was fear, now there is courage; where before in your life there was awkwardness, now there is a rhythm of grace and gracefulness; where before you used to be jagged, now you are elegant and in rhythm with your self. When love awakens in your life, it is like a rebirth, a new beginning.” ― John O'Donohue

We are so encoded to re-unify in the flesh and to take up form that we have endured billions of years of evolution to do so. That we stand on the brink of being able to make the final walk over the abyss of our lower levels of consciousness and step fully into free will brings us to the altar of a kind of gratitude that makes life ecstatic. It is in this space that we defy gravity, for in the defiance of gravity, we remember our god selves, and never find it sweeter to be able to stand upon this holy, sacred ground.

“Once the soul awakens, the search begins and you can never go back. From then on, you are inflamed with a special longing that will never again let you linger in the lowlands of complacency and partial fulfillment. The eternal makes you urgent. You are loath to let compromise or the threat of danger hold you back from striving toward the summit of fulfillment.” ― John O'Donohue

To stand here on the shoulders of all that has come before, and grab the golden ring, requires us to take the great sacrifices of our ancestors and go for it. But we must never think that we do this just for ourselves alone. The truth be told, if we think that, then we are not totally in free will, yet. For free will understands that all that has come before is a part of us, as well as those who stand now who are not yet awake. For as we re-enter the garden as mature, free-willed, self-realized creator gods and goddesses in the making, we are making the winning touchdown for humanity, and the whole of creation.

Now, entering the garden sounds fine and romantic. For sure it is, but not in the ways that the some would appreciate. Most of all, what it represents is our ability to live with each other, with other creator gods who have gone all the way within their own spirit, feel the strength of their own sphere of influence, touched their own divinity, and forged the will to love and live in peace with their kin. It could be said that there is no greater bliss than to meet your true kin. Kindred Spirits are not just your family, but are the people, animals, and places that speak to your heart, in such a way as to help you remember all that you have been, all that you are, and hints at what is to come.

“Real friendship or love is not manufactured or achieved by an act of will or intention. Friendship is always an act of recognition.” ― John O'Donohue

The soul group is the final stage of the reunification of God/dess in the flesh. This is not something that can be spoken of, nor understood in a logical way. For when we begin to come together with our soul groups, we are moving out of the path of suffering and into deeper aspects of ourself, the parts of us that are longing for a higher vibration so that the anguish of the separated self can be relieved of it's cosmic loneliness. Yet, it is not just a mental loneliness, or even sheerly emotional. It is intuitive and knowing that exceeds the physical senses. It is complete empathy, synthesis and cooperation for the glory of God, the glory of the people, and this entire creation. For the Gift of this Earthwalk, the Gift of God is our Free Will, and the Gift of Free Will gives us the one thing of the great work: the freedom to Love.

“One of the tasks of true friendship is to listen compassionately and creatively to the hidden silences. Often secrets are not revealed in words, they lie concealed in the silence between the words or in the depth of what is unsayable between two people.” ― John O'Donohue

The question here today is, Where am I not free to love? In a nation of gods in the making who were bound to experience the pillars of severity and mercy, science and art, yes's and no's, right and wrong, good and bad, hot and cold, hard and soft, joy and sorrow, will you come to understand your true nature, realize that you are at the top of the tree and that it is finally time to decide? Do you choose the middle path? Do you need the rod and the staff to prod you along? And if so, how hard do you want to be whacked with the stick? Or are you ready to listen to the gentle voice of the beautiful mother within? Your own soul's whisperings that all beauty, joy, creativity, splendor and bliss is available to you here and now.

“Your noble friend will not accept pretension but will gently and very firmly confront you with your own blindness. Such friendship is creative and critical; it is willing to negotiate awkward and uneven territories of contradiction and woundedness.” ― John O'Donohue

The choice is not yours, until you say so. You are not wrong. It is "thy will be done". So it is up to rach of us to decide our world's fate. How do we choose to be in the world? We must not choose love and then continue to suffer. We must realize that we need to go to the root of the cause and get right with the choice to choose. If we believe in free will, then we can open the doors to a whole new world. If we do not, then knowing this is a point of power. These are not simple choices.

Our entire life experience is designed to help us remember who we are. We must keep listening, and allow ourselves to experience the proof of life. One day we each will decide to choose another way. In that moment our gratitude will come into its fullest measure of abundance within us. That is the day when we are truly abundant, for that is the day that we are fully free to love.

"An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break. May you be open to each thread that comes into your life, the golden ones and the course ones, and may you weaves them into a brilliant and beautiful life." - Chinese Proverb

Sunday Talks with Rev. Renee Bledsoe

April 07 - Geography of Destiny

April 14 - Life As Story

April 21 - Lead With Your Heart

April 28 - Forgiveness & Soul Family

GEOGRAPHY OF DESTINY

I honor my power of choice.

I fully claim my free will.

I know that I must first be free to be free.

I notice where I am not free and open to more love.

I ask what would love see, what would love do?

Help me see through the eyes of love.

There is always a story behind the story.

Soul friends and beloveds are part of my god self.

As I move closer to my higher self, I reunite with my soul group.

My soul group is here for me in ways I cannot imagine.

Love is an action, resulting in more love.

Love moves my soul to greater creativity.

As I seek to express my soul, my communication improves.

As my communication improves, what I say heals myself and others.

My words and creativity inspire other souls to express.

Love is the highest art form.

My kindreds are my chosen family.

I recognize the divinity of my kin, and my soul friends.

Through my kinship with my soul friends, I heal my relationships with my family.

My family is healed and restored to dignity and honor.

Any deep family wounds are brought to a place of at-one-ment within my being.

I honor the sacrifice of my family in our spiritual partnership, and elevate this relationship into a higher vibration.

My life is a response to the prayers of my ancestors.

God and Goddess now live within me.

I manifest the Mother and Father God force within me for the greater good of my kindred.

Humanity is the Living God.

I am connected to the Light of Creation.

I am awakened to sacred love within my heart and soul.

True love reveals the geography of my destiny.

Rev. Renee Bledsoe

Tithes, Offerings & Donations are greatly appreciated. You may do so here ---> https://square.link/u/zekOceSC

MARCH 2024: Creative Life

“I never made one of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking” ― Albert Einstein

If knowing thyself is the key to life, one of the most important bits of knowledge may very well be to know what inspires us to create. What moves our souls? Sparks our creativity? Gets the ideas flowing and the heart glowing? Even if we don't exactly know, the next most important question would be... is there a willingness to explore?

“Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”  ― Walt Disney

All too often when on the spiritual path, especially as mystics who thrive on our connection to the mind of God, we sometimes don't focus on the heart of God. We forget about the Goddess. The Spirit, the lightning bolt of inspiration might fuel our visions, fill our senses and portend the ineffable, but in order to truly capture the essence of God in the physical senses we must have a sacred container to be able to connect where it counts... right here on earth! For the mystic there is truly only one logical conclusion to this conversation, as we go deeper and deeper into the divinity, we find that some form of art gives us the outlet that we need to express the inexpressable quality of the divine in the physical.

“Creativity takes courage.” ― Henri Matisse 

The role of myth and archetype, as well as angels and masters can become a tremendous influence for our creativity. These are fantastic jumping off points into the mystery void of creation, as they contain universal themes and also hold clues about ancient memories. Go with what tickles your fancy. Don't be afraid to allow whimsy and nonsense to tease out some serious art! The wonderful thing about art, contrary to popular opinion, is that you really can't do it wrong. For it is personal expression, and art does not live in time and space. Art is the language of the soul.

“The painter has the Universe in his mind and hands.” ― Leonardo da Vinci

We are all artists. We may not have fully discovered our art, but that doesn't mean that it isn't in there. And if we have discovered something of it, that does not mean that it won't change or evolve. The artists touch  is something to apply to every single aspect of life. Art is not only beautiful, touching and inspiring, it is also deeply healing. In many ways artists are healers, especially if they can get in touch with their own soul through their art. There is nothing like that moment when we see a work of art and feel the recognition of a kindred spirit resonating with us. This is true joy as our own soul is reflected back to us in a way that articulates somestimes something lost in ourselves. We are so grateful when our deepest, innermost soulful notions can find expression. there is a soul satisfaction in this, an understanding of the kindred spirits, that might well be an art form unto itself. The art of Kin.

“There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.”  ― Pablo Picasso

One of our biggest blocks to creativity is what we think about how we feel. All too often I have seen serene, happy people become critical, anxious, and self-effacing during the creative process. Some of that is an over-active inner critic, or triggers from childhood, but much of it is discomfort with long suppressed sexual energy, as the creative process is re-engaged and re-routed into the form of creating art. For sexual energy and creativity go hand in hand, and often the baby has been thrown out with the bathwater. As we have repressed and misunderstood sexuality, as we have been immersed in the world of control, we have metered and rationed the very energy that we need to create with.

“The chief enemy of creativity is good sense.” ― Pablo Picasso

Working with our artistry is crucial to ultimate healing, and our soul's emergence and evolution. No matter what we are creating, the very act of relaying that creative energy into a new channel sends a powerful message to the psyche. Even the smallest project could have big energy opening impact on other aspects of our life. Allowing the soul this expression pleases the Goddess within, and the muse will smile upon us, as one flash of inspiration gives way to a whole series of lightbulb ideas, and then another, and another, as we continue to give ourselves creative license.

“If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.”  ― Ken Robinson, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

As we develop the courage, the strength and the confidence to tap into our imagination and activate our imaginal cells, that part of us that looks like a question mark, we influence the power of our soul to come forth. They mystic within, the part of us that braves the mystery of our own selves is never happier when the fear of going into the void of creation is richly rewarded with synchronicity, divine conversation and inspirational wisdom. It is through this way of being that we can turn our entire lives into a masterpiece, especially if we allow ourselves to keep finding new avenues or going deeper with the artistry of our self-expression.

“To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.”  ― Osho

It is through this trust in ourselves as creator gods in the making that we truly can come to know God, and actually find expression for divine love. As we allow the mind and the heart of the higher powers of the universe inspire and guide us, our creativity takes on new meaning even to ourselves, offering brilliant, out of the box solutions to long standing issues and concerns not only in our lives, but in the world, as we tap into the prodigy within. He or She is in there. We have only to keep exploring and allowing that one to emerge into the light of our soul, and fearlessly enter the unknown. As they say, keep on until you surprise yourself.

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.” ― Martha Graham

Sunday Talks with Rev. Renee Bledsoe
March 03 - Creative Life
March 10 - Unlocking the Soul
March 17 - Courage to Co-create
March 24 - Soulcoming
March 31 - Sacred Altar Church in Circle - Easter Service

March Affirmations

As I go into the depths of my soul, I am inspired and restored.

My true creative powers come from the realizations of my God Self.

My soul is a Great Mystery to me.

I am comfortable with mystery and excited to learn more about who I am.

I am curious about the world and enjoy experiencing this creation.

I am willing to step out of the box with my creative endeavors.

My life become a masterpiece of my divinity.

I see beauty in everything.

As I look through God's eyes, I witness miracles of creation every moment.

I allow myself to be inspired by others and their art.

I inspire others with my art.

I bring the sacred into the artistry of my life.

I create with my hands something beautiful.

My hands are the extension of my heart.

I address the critic within by making art anyway.

I identify where the critic is coming from and send lovingkindness.

I listen to suggestions to improve and further develop my art.

I collaborate to create art.

I look for inspiration in unexpected places.

I stock my life with chances to be inspired by other creative people.

I soak in the beauty of life.

I am moved through my emotions to creative expression.

I allow my emotions to heal through my creativity.

Art infuses my life with creative solutions on every front.

Every day is an opportunity to create something beautiful.

I enjoy sharing my art with the world.

Art can heal my life by putting me in touch with my soul.

Art reveals the mystery of my soul.
My art and the art of othes helps me connect and communicate with my own great mystery.

I am a creator God in the making.

In truth I am creating all the time.

I am willing to look at what it truly is that I am creating.

Do I create joy and beauty, or do I create suffering?
The more I understand my powers of creation, the more I am inspired to be creative.

I am willing to become responsible for what I create.

I am a creative expression for the divine Will to Good.

My life is my art.