Growing Towards the Light

Today, September 10th, is the Unity World Day of Prayer.

That might seem like an odd thing to discuss on the blog of an erotica author. However,  although I'm not active in any established religious organization, prayer and meditation are an important part of my life. Spirituality and sexuality are closely linked for me--that's a personal perspective that I often bring into my writing.

So I begin every day with perhaps ten minutes of silence, inspired by the Unity publication Daily Word.  I've subscribed to this little magazine for forty years. Each day it offers a word and a related affirmation, as a jumping off point for personal spiritual exploration.

Sometimes while I'm mediating (or praying, or whatever...the labels are not important), I'm inspired with a new affirmation which feels particularly relevant to me personally.  A few days ago, the following popped into my mind:

I am growing toward the Light. 

That's such a perfect expression of how I feel about spiritual life (and life in general). I've made mistakes (we all do). I have days where I'm grumpy and frustrated and don't appreciate all my blessings. Overall, though, my life is a progress toward greater understanding, compassion, gratitude and joy. The light of Spirit attracts me the way the sun attracts a plant, gently pulling me in the direction of greater good.

The affirmation for the day of prayer is:

As I pray, I connect my highest thoughts with my deepest faith.

I like this. Because for me prayer is a connection. It links me in thought with the ones I love, for whom I pray each day. It binds me to my commitment, often forgotten, to live a life of kindness and celebration. 

You, my readers and my colleagues, are part of that connection. I pray that you have health, happiness and above all, love, today and every day.

~ Lisabet

Illumination

We are channels through which Spirit illumines the world.

Today is a special day. It is Silent Unity's annual World Day of Prayer. I believe I've written a bit about Unity in the past. Unity is a non-denominational Christian organization that focuses on positive spirituality. Among other activities, they publish Daily Word, a little booklet with a word, an affirmation, an inspirational meditation, and a Scripture quote, for each day. Daily Word has been an important part of my life for at least three decades. I'm not big on organized religion, but Unity's messages of life, hope, courage and order really speak to me.

The message at the start of this post is the affirmation for today. It is the focus of prayer for millions around the world. And when I read it this morning, something deep inside me said, "Yes! This is a core truth. And this is what I want to be, a channel broadcasting illumination to everyone with whom I have even the most fleeting contact."

One of the ways I make my living is teaching. I strive to illumine my students. My lectures and quizzes hopefully open their minds to new ideas. The labs I run are designed to let them practice new skills. However, illumination goes beyond intellectual knowledge. I try to serve as a role model for them: to be there to listen, when they have questions; to highlight the importance of giving one's full effort to a task; to reiterate the need for honesty and ethics. Most of all, I want to let them know that I care about them, their success and their future happiness.

In my relationships, it helps to be reminded that I want to broadcast generosity, warmth, patience and tolerance. It's so easy to take out your own frustrations on the people around you. The message focuses my attention on the fact that my words and actions have the potential to encourage, soothe, heal and comfort others. Who wouldn't want to do that?

Finally, it may sound odd, but I like to believe that my erotic writing also qualifies as a spiritual pursuit. I write about pleasure, love and joy - all manifestations of Light. Even when my tales include BDSM activities, they are intended to lift the spirits of my readers. In fact, for me, BDSM offers unique opportunities for transcendence. Surrender to a dominant, total trust - these have a good deal in common with the way I want to approach my Higher Power. (This is the theme of Sacred Exchange, the BDSM anthology I edited in 2003.)

Today's message reminds me that I touch the lives not only of the people in my physical sphere, but also anyone who happens to pick up my stories. Whoever you are, wherever you may be today, I send you Light.

Grace

I'm not a traditionally religious person. I don't belong to any church or assign myself any labels. However I do strongly believe that existence has a spiritual dimension. I'm happy to absorb the insights of any religion or teacher when they strike me as "true".

For many years I have subscribed to a monthly magazine called Daily Word. It is published by an organization called Unity, a non-denominational Christian group that emphasizes the core of Spirit within each of us. Daily Word is a pocket-sized booklet that offers a word, a meditation and a Scripture quote for each day of the month. I try very hard to set aside ten or fifteen minutes every morning to read and ponder the day's word and message.

Today's word (I'm writing this on Friday the 27th) is "grace". This is one of my favorite messages. Grace is the goodness that we all experience, without having to earn it. It's a continuous flow of blessings that rain down on us, which we can discern clearly if we really open our eyes. In particular, it's comfort in the time of trouble, healing and peace in the midst of turmoil.

You've probably heard the term "grace under fire". This is a different side of what I think is the same concept. "Grace under fire" means acting with strength, power and integrity when the situation makes it really difficult. I have a friend who just finished her radiation treatments after a radical mastectomy. She's smiling and sent me pictures of her family's mountain vacation. That's grace under fire. I recently read a post by a fellow author about her struggle to write even when she's in the grip of clinical depression. That's grace under fire, too.

That kind of inner certainty is something I aspire to.

Of course, "grace" also has a physical meaning, in the sense of elegant, flowing, economical movement. As a dancer, I aspire to that sort of grace as well. Sometimes I achieve it, and when I do, I know that it's because I've tapped into my inner reservoir of beauty.

Years ago, I was soul-searching (a lifetime occupation) and decided that I needed to articulate a vision for my life. What was I trying to achieve? How did I see my few decades on earth. My answer was the following poem, which touches on this same concept of grace.

Vision

My life will be a dance.

I will try to tread lightly,

buoyant

joyful

touching but not trampling.

I will trust my partners

and be trustworthy in return,

Follow through, complete the steps.

I will dance abundance

accepted and shared;

Faith, power,

peace and wonder,

And always,love.

Remember the dance

flows from inside out,

spirit to body

and out to the world,

And that all, spirit, body and world

are sacred.

Even when solo, know

that I dance a part

in a larger pattern.

Leave behind

some increase of joy,

some greater beauty.

I guess I found some kernel of truth then, because when I read this now, this is still my vision: to walk lightly - gracefully (i.e. full of grace) - through the world, focusing on the positive, celebrating love and beauty wherever I find them.

Seeing and Believing

We may hear "I won't believe it until I see it," yet wise people know that we won't see it unless we first believe it.

I found these words yesterday in my Daily Word, the little inspirational book I read every morning. I was struck by the truth of this simple observation. Our reality, our vision, is profoundly shaped by our expectations and beliefs.

My mother was a brilliant and talented woman who by any objective measure had a successful life. She was married for fifteen years, had three healthy children, brought them up to be decent, self-reliant, basically happy people. She graduated first in her high school and college classes. She had careers as a commercial artist, a dancer, and a teacher. She was politically active, supporting liberal causes and even running for the state legislature. She could sing like an angel, cook like a professional chef, and create a dynamite Halloween costume from scraps.

Alas, she believed that nothing good would come to her, that she would always get the short end of the stick. So she focused on the negatives in her life: the fact that she went to a state university rather than an Ivy League; the fact that she didn't become a lawyer as she had dreamed; the fact that she lost the election; the fact that my father divorced her. She expected to be disappointed. She believed that she was unlucky. And thus, in her eyes, she was. Instead of celebrating her achievements, she was bitter about what she felt had been stolen from her. She saw what she believed.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are people who have handicaps, physical or mental, yet still manage to press on and make a contribution to life. I've encountered quite a few of these brave, cheerful souls on the 'net. Some of them write romance. Recently I read a guest blog by a woman who was paralyzed from the neck down by a stroke. After watching television and being bored for a year, she decided she would try to write. She learned to use the computerized tools available now for the disabled. She is now a successful children's author with several books to her credit. She believed that she could move past the tragedy of her stroke and create something new, and she did.

Being an author certainly requires belief in any case. Otherwise we'd never dare send our stories off for anyone to see. You have to be able to imagine someone else reading and enjoying your words. You have to believe that you're good enough.

Actually, I think some excellent writers get stuck at this point. They spend years polishing a novel, worrying it like a dog with a bone, but can't quite get up the courage to submit it to a publisher.

The lesson is clear. Believe that you can succeed. Believe that you can realize your dreams (though you have to be ready to accept some detours that the universe might throw in your path). Look for the good in your life and you will find it. Expect the best and you will not be disappointed.