Issue of the Week Aug 4 - Aug 10

Acceptance

We are living in challenging times, when we feel we must act, but may be confused about what is right. I am reminded of the Bhagavad-Gita a great epic of Hinduism. The warrior hero Arjuna, in the heat of battle realizes his kinsmen are among those he is fighting against and thus he might even have to kill his own brother. He knows murder is wrong, fratricide even worse, yet what can he do? Events are in motion that he has no control over. God in the form of Khrishna says to him - Your job is to do your duty. Act and leave the fruits to me.

Those of us alive today did not create the whole problem that is before us. We are the inheritors of generations of people who made poor choices. This does not mean we should do nothing - for we should do what we can. I believe we should do our duty toward Nature and humanity. Recycle, cut down our use of resources, change our habits. And then we must leave the rest to God however you envision him/her/it. Nature is much greater than we can imagine. Becoming emotionally or physically ill trying to do too much is not appropriate.

During the time of Transformation and upheaval, The Serenity Prayer used in AA is quite useful for us all:

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Khrisha also says: "You have the right to work, but for the work's sake only. You have no right to the fruits of work. Desire for the fruits of work must never be your motive in working."

"In the purely physical sphere of action, Arjuna is, indeed no longer a free agent. The act of war is upon him; it has evolved out of his previous actions. At any given moment in time, we are what we are; and we have to accept the consequences of being ourselves. Only through this acceptance can we begin to evolve further. We may select the battle-ground. We cannot avoid the battle."

Taken from the Bhagavad-Gita - Song of God translated by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood.

At first, this might seem to contradict the "Law of Attraction" that is so popular these days. However, what it says to me is that while we may not necessarily be able to control events, we can choose to control ourselves and how we perceive things. Only then, can we hope to change the external world.


Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum morifolium (red brown)

Positive qualities: Shifting the ego identification from one's personality to a higher spiritual identity; feeling oneself as transpersonal and transcendent.

Patterns of imbalance: Fear of aging and mortality, identification with youth and lower personality; mid-life crisis.

The soul-spiritual part of ourselves is immortal; it chooses to continuously grow and evolve by incarnating in a particular body and expression of personality. If the soul loses connection with its true immortality, or if it over-inflates the importance of a particular life, there will be great fear and avoidance of physical death. Such a soul has a psychological need to firmly establish its personality in the world as a defense against death and mortality. He or she seeks fame and fortune and falls too deply into the forces of materialism. The spiritual part of the soul is often obliterated or blocked, although it will attempt to make its presence known through a strong awareness crisis (for instance at mid-life), through a life-threatening illness, or through death itself. The Chrysanthemum flower gives such souls the ability to contact the true spiritual ego, and to contemplate the impermanent nature of earthly affairs in the light of the Higher Self.


Fawn Lily Erythronium purpuranscens (yellow with purple)

Positive qualities: Accepting and becoming involved with the world; sharing one's spiritual gifts with others

Patterns of imbalance: Withdrawal, isolation, self-protection; overly delicate, lacking the inner strength to face the world

Souls in need of Fawn Lily have very highly developed forces of spirituality, so much so that is is difficult for them to cope with the stresses and strains of modern society. Such persons are naturally inclined to states of contemplation, meditation, and prayer. It is easier for them to stay in these modes of spirituality, rather than to be involved with the world. However, the soul can become overripe and overdeveloped in its spirituality. Such persons need to disseminate the great gifts which have accumulated in their beings in order to evolve and progress; otherwise they become too introverted and spiritually cold, lacking the ability to draw strength and vitality from the physical world. Fawn Lily stimulates the natural healing and teaching capacities of such individuals, so that the soul evolves from its archetype of cosmic virgin to world mother, or world-server. (process of Virgo)


Impatiens Impatiens glandulifera (pink/mauve)

Positive qualities: Patience, acceptance; flowing with the pace of life and others

Patterns of imbalance: impatience, irritation, tension, intolerance

The souls who need Impatiens find it difficult to be within the flow of time; their tendency is to rush ahead of experience. In doing so, they deny themselves full immersion in life, even though they may appear very busy and engaged. In particular, these individuals miss the more gentle and subtle exchanges which can occur with others, or with the world around them. Their overabundance of fiery force flares up easily into irritation, impatience, intolerance, and anger. Although quite mentally agile and extremely capable, the great inner tension and excitability of such souls leads to various physical disease states or premature aging due to "burnout." the Impatiens type needs to experience not only the powerful flaming of life, but also its gentle flowering. Through the Impatiens essence, the soul learns to still the attention and deepen the breathing so that the inner Self becomes more receptive to the unfolding moment. The precious flower of life is then experienced in all of its fleeting fragilty and delicate beauty.


Scotch Broom Cysisus scoparius (yellow)

Positive qualities: Positive and optimistic feelings about the world and about future events, sun-like forces of caring, encouragement, and purpose

Patterns of imbalance: Feeling weighted down and depressed; overcome with pessimism and despair, especially regarding one's personal relation to world events

We live in a time of great uncertainty, transformation, and upheaval. These powerful conditions can predispose many souls to feel very anxious and depressed about their lives and the future of the Earth. Such persons may be morbidly attracted to apocalyptic scenarios of the future, or exposure to mass media portrayal of world events may arouse intense feelings of pessimism and despair. These feelings burden the soul with extreme emotional weight so that the soul becomes heavy and "deep-pressed." At the core of such illness is the feeling of "What's the use?" or "Why try?" The depression such persons experience is characterized not only by feelings about their personal lives, but about the world as a whole and their relationship to world events. Thus the soul is paralyzed in the positive use of its forces, unconsciously adding to the darkness of the "world-psyche." Scotch Broom gives tenacity and strength, enabling the individual to move from personal despair to impersonal service and concern for the welfare of the world. This essence helps the soul to meet the challenges of our times as opportunities for self-growth and for helping others. In making this transition, the soul shifts from its unconscious identification with world darkness to the vision of a more hopeful, positive world future.

Taken from the Flower Essence Repertory by Patricia Kaminski and Richard Katz

It is interesting to note that in California in the last couple of decades there has been a proliferation of Scotch Broom to the extent that it is considered a pest that must be controlled and eradicated. Perhaps, instead, it is Nature sending us the medicine we need to help us through time of Transformation.

All images are from The Flower Essence Society website