Since I began grad school last August I have been particularly awe-struck by the twins, Synchronicity and Serendipity. Connections everywhere! Seemingly unrelated events, conversations, books, memories, people have suddenly fallen together like perfectly synchronized cogs. My life paths and how they have led to where I am and what I am doing today is the most amazing and surprising of all.
This past week I have been thinking about some pretty deep things regarding God, Godde (thanks to Margaret Starbird), Goddess, Spirit. I was trying to wrap my head around my what I am learning from my independent study and pinning it down to nice clean thesis statement. Not an easy task when I have so many more questions than statements (other than “wow! I never thought of that!”). I won’t attempt to explain some of my thought processes (have to leave something for the book) but while mind-mapping I stumbled upon this idea:
It is CONNECTIONS that heal.
Think about it: Connection with those you love, the touch of a mother connecting to a newborn, the new connections made in the brain each time we learn something new (and that researchers tell us help keep us mentally alert as we age), that intangible inner glow we feel when connecting with nature, a relationship with a higher power, connecting with ourselves during some precious alone time, or the resonance we feel when we read/hear/write something that we connect with on a deeper level.
And then there’s the research of emotions and language. It has been shown by scientists and psychologists such as Eugene Gendlin and Dr. James Pennebaker, that it is (only?) when we connect language, either written or spoken, to our feelings (emotions and sensations) that we get a feeling of resolution and so can begin to heal from traumas or emotional upheavals.
It is said we are not islands. No, we are more like the icebergs or delicate coral reefs: connected and part of a far-reaching eco-system, most of it hidden but supporting much life. And it is only when we acknowledge our connections that we can become personally Whole and part of the universal Whole. Maybe this is what it means to be Holy?
Prompt: What connections in your life have healed/helped you?
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joanna tebbs young 
When you think about it, that is exactly why it is so very important to know yourself. When you know who you are, then you can be more discerning about the connections you make, and it strengthens you to “break” the connections that are harmful to your body, mind, soul, spirit, or bank account… Conversely sometimes ignorance isn’t bliss, so much as the exhilaration of falling (when you think you are flying).
That is what I think this week. I am constantly updating my connections!
Absolutely. Know yourself to love yourself. And ultimately love others. Glad we’re connected!
Please know that I agree wholeheartedly. In fact, I will go so far as to propose that choosing our love connections is choosing God (by any name), and that disconnection abandons us to a more “hellish” experience of Life.
And I will also submit that even beyond our personal intentions, these connections are a manifestation of our universal connection and may guide us to places far beyond our dreams. Seven years of devout intention did not deliver on my goals, yet has brought me to a place of knowing that we are not always privy to our true destiny.
So now my primary intention is remaining connected to my source, my God, my Goddess, and having faith that the free-fall will find me exactly where the Universe has deemed I’m most needed.
You are an incredible woman, Joanna, and I feel privileged and delighted to share in your journey!
Thank you, Mary. I have learned that letting go truly is the most remarkable practice. Even the unhappiness of my life back years ago has delivered me to a place where I can now be happy and helpful. I could have never imagined it, much less planned it.
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