Listen to the PodCast of "Light a Fire Under It!" with Rev. Karyn Bradley
The Burning Bowl is one of Unity’s most honored rituals. It brings spiritual ideas of release and affirmation into physical manifestation. We physically write down what no longer serves us (ideas, ways of being) that we want to release. We then take the walk of faith, in community, and physically release that bit of paper carrying our wishes into a cleansing fire. How I need that ritual to solidify my highest good for the coming year.
2012 seems to represent, for a number of people, a desire for a deeper, more authentic and more conscious way of being. Rev. Karyn Bradley shared her desire to “release whatever holds her back from living authentically.” That is my desire as well. Being authentic is all we have; it comes from the deepest most sacred part of us. Taking off the masks of who we think we should be or what others think we should allows us to connect in a deeper way. The masks keep us separate. Trying to be something we are not is difficult at best. Being vulnerable enough to be truly seen seems like the harder road but in the end it turns out to be the easier, softer way.
It takes courage to be who we are and when others see it and feel it, they feel safer and more able to be vulnerable too. A common fear if that if others really knew us they wouldn’t like us. The opposite is true. When we are open, vulnerable, authentic we are coming from a different place-our sense of integrity, our hearts, our Spirit. That is inherently lovable. It is the masks that cause our problems. How can we connect if there is nothing real with which to connect?
This year for me is a call to action, to be authentic, open-hearted, vulnerable--seen. My wish for all of us is to come out of the shadows of fear and doubt and step into the sunlight of Spirit. My wish is that you know how amazing you truly are, how magnificent, how worthy.
Happy New Year!
Rev. Margaret Flick
Posted on
Fri, January 13, 2012
by Rev. Margaret Flick