There is no loss really as we are all one in Spirit. The essence of Life that animates us is eternal. We simply transform or transition from beings of form to being beyond form. This is beautiful. It is reassuring. And it does not fill the hole created when someone we love dearly moves beyond form. Our hearts become heavy and sometimes feel closed and compressed. We may ache for the physical form which we have associated with the responsive, loving mind we cherish. So, how then do we heal the hole?
Allowing is the most vital aspect of any form of growth or healing. If we plant a seed in the ground, it would not make sense to cover the ground so tightly that the emerging plant cannot break through. Allowing ourselves to feel the sadness and pain are key to the ultimate healing.
We may dress a physical wound to protect it from unhealthy bacteria, but the dressing must be able to breathe, to let air in. In our emotional healing we provide protection by loving ourselves enough to say no to what doesn’t serve us and yes to those things that bring us joy. Healthy boundaries that honor our own healing process will promote the growth of a new sense of balance and wholeness.
The healing of a physical wound occurs because new cells grow and replace the injured ones. The process is not instant. It is a process. Cells grow a little at a time. One day at a time as we heal from loss, new ways of being will unfold. We will be offered opportunities to reinvent ourselves. New people may enter our lives – if we let them. Old friends may take on a different role in our lives – if we let them. And new ideas, activities, and opportunities will rise to the surface like new cells pushing their way toward the outer edges of our skin. Pay attention to these. Listen for what calls to you, inspires you and feeds you. Just as the one you love has taken on a new and invisible form, you too are taking on a new form and a new way of being. One day at a time, love yourself. One day at a time be kind to yourself. One day at a time allow yourself to grow and be the next and beautiful expression of who you are and who you’ve come here to be. Namaste’
© 2017. Rev. Eileen DeRosia Patra
Rev. Patra is an ordained, Unity minister currently serving as the spiritual leader of Unity of Livonia in Livonia, Michigan
The pursuit of happiness is not fulfilled by the freedom to express hate. Hate is a derivative of fear. One hates what one deems an enemy, that which one fears will somehow hurt them or diminish them. Hate is an aspect of the “fight” response to fear. Only when fear is acknowledged, soothed and brought into alignment with the assurance of Divine Love can there be an experience of true happiness. All else is but a shield to assuage a perceived fear.
For those of you who generally follow my posts you may have noticed I’ve been on a blogging hiatus. I’ve found myself on a path I could not have predicted as my husband’s journey of healing has taken the spotlight in our lives. As a firm believer in the power of the mind to create our experiences and of the natural state of wholeness that underlies any appearance of illness, a sudden health challenge should be a simple matter, right? Well, in fact, it is simple, but the mind is a complicated aspect of our consciousness, not easily harnessed. It can be like a wild horse taking flight … in a variety of possible directions. 
HOPE is a doorway to the miraculous. HOPE is our ability to expect a positive outcome when there seems to be little evidence of it. HOPE is the first glimmer of Faith that causes us to take action. The woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment HOPED that she would be healed. After 12 years of hemorrhaging, she saw a glimmer of HOPE in Him and His growing reputation as a miraculous healer. Jesus told her that her Faith had made her well. Faith is HOPE in action. It is HOPE that causes the quickening of Faith, Strength and Will. When we look out into the world and wonder how we can stop the hemorrhaging, it is this miraculous ability to have HOPE that stirs the greater power of the Christ in us to take positive action in order to manifest the peace, harmony and wholeness we wish to see and experience. Through HOPE we know that our prayer intentions are more than just a plea to a chaotic universe. Through HOPE we establish ourselves in the power and presence of the invisible Source of all peace and harmony. We align our minds and hearts with the All-ness of God and our Faith returns us to the wholeness from which we come. Today is the day to have HOPE and move in the direction of this miraculous stimulus for healing
PAINT is a magical, miraculous substance capable of changing the color of an object. A vast variety of pigments and tints can be added to this liquid substance to create a coating of the desired color and hue. Easily changed or even removed in its liquid state, PAINT becomes fixed when it dries. Metaphysically, PAINT represents the thoughts and energy we project into our world and our experiences. We can PAINT our thoughts or experiences in the color or hue of our choosing. We can choose a color that vibrates with joy and harmony. Or, we can choose a color that constricts or vibrates with fear or anger. Thoughts and energies held for long periods of time become fixed and require one or more coats of a new color, or new thoughts. If I have been holding thoughts of fear or anger for a long period of time, it may require numerous affirmative thoughts to change the picture I have allowed to become fixed in my mind. Today, I paint a miracle. I paint the world with shades of Love, Healing, Acceptance, Forgiveness, Faith and Joy and they become fixed in my mind and in my life.
HANDS, a miraculous aspect of the physical body, provides us the ability to grasp, to pull, to push and to touch. We use our hands to type, to fasten our clothing, to plant, grow, harvest and eat our food. Our HANDS give us the ability to open doors and to create, build and operate all kinds of mechanical innovations. HANDS give us the ability to touch. They give us the ability to shake HANDS with others, to join HANDS in song, in protest, and in prayer. With the fascinating structure of HANDS we can touch the soft skin of an infant, stroke the face of a loved one, and wipe the tears from another’s eyes. We can lift weights, tools, and a child who has fallen and scraped a knee. Our HANDS are more than the intricate structure of bone, cartilage and ligaments however. They are also the housing of powerful energy centers. Through our HANDS and fingertips, energy can be received, appropriated and projected. Through our HANDS we can heal, direct, give and receive. With HANDS we bless our food, our bodies and all that we choose to consecrate. HANDS are a miracle and no doubt reflect what we might call the invisible but infinitely powerful HANDS of God.
EMPATHY, the ability to share another’s feelings as if they are our own lifts us into a higher realm of consciousness that more fully manifests our oneness. Aligned with this higher realm of principle, EMPATHY has all the attributes of a miracle. Last night I witnessed an incredible display of this aspect of human consciousness as hundreds, if not thousands of people responded to a prayer request on Facebook. It was clear that everyone responding could feel the feelings of the person requesting prayer. Each person could imagine themselves in the same experience. The outpouring of love and prayer and affirmations for healing was incredible. EMPATHY drew together a massive number of people into a common prayer intention. In the words of Jesus “… where two or more of you are gathered in my name, there I AM…” This drawing together through the power of EMPATHY made visible a conscious communion with the Christ in each responder. The power of this collective prayer consciousness is right now manifesting in right and perfect ways, drawing the wholeness of those involved into visible form. EMPATHY is a miracle that draws together that which is already one, so that our oneness in Spirit is made more visible.
Eileen Patra 