Holy partners in the heavenly calling

That is a line from one of the texts today - Hebrews 6: 1
We are holy partners in the heavenly calling.

Friday and Saturday I went to a workshop with the writer Mirabai Starr and spent time learning about and contemplating the women mystics.  Mirabai is "interspiritual" which means that she drinks from the well of many religions including Christianity.  Here are some of my notes from the day. 


1. The importance of Sabbath.  "Build a temple in time and enter it" (quoted Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel)  Sabbath is a time to "lay down your burdens" .  "Allow what is to be what is."  She said that by being present to "what is" the field expands.  In other words - we think we don't have time to let go and just be with God.  We do.
Here are some components of Sabbath:
 - unplug - cell phone, computer, TV
 - minimize carbon footprint - limit driving
 - don't buy - refuse consumerism
 - do what is life giving
 - walk

2. The image of the Goddess and the invitation to take our compulsions to her.  She will transmute them.  But only if we freely offer them to her.

3. Spoke at Julian of Norwich who had a visit from Christ who showed her every detail on the cross as brutal and beautiful.  She taught about the motherhood of God and the unconditional love.  when we miss the mark "Sin" we suffer already for our actions.  Therefore sin is NO THING and the spiritual life is nothing but love.  She was the one who said "All will be well, all will be well, every kind of thing shall be well."

4. She spoke of the "restorative root system underneath your life. " When you breathe into the pain of your losses there is alchemy.  Shit becomes compost, lead becomes gold

5.The big question:  how do we open our hearts in hell and become loving midwives to what is being born?

6. Part of what we did was each write a letter to Mother God and then write a letter from her to us.  It was pretty powerful.

7. What can we do when the world is a mess?  Each of us is perfectly equipped with our own part to play.  The feminine lens is - it doesn't have to hurt.  Your prophetic path is hiding in plain sight

8. We will find happiness whenever we engage in loving kindness

9. Reclaim the feminine - circles and not stratification of leadership; cooperation and not competition; working together - not individualism.  We're all in this together

10.  Can we stay in the journey until all sentient beings are free.  "Promise ot stay until every last blad of grass wakes up."

11. four vows
   - free creation
 - transform delusions
 - perceive reality
 - embody the awakened way
12.  To claim beauty everywhere.  Beauty is the face of God

I am glad I went thru my notes this morning.  There was more there than I realized.  She sort of dropped ideas and wise sayings along the day for us to contemplate.
There is so much here that gives me hope - like the restorative root system under my life.  God is birthing something new.   It truly is a heavenly calling.