Friday, January 2, 2009

January 3 - The Tenth Holy Night - The Need for Balloons

We are at the Tenth Holy Night. We are contemplating the tenth need of the soul. I do not begin the Inner Christmas messages with a set of specific topics. The theme is always clear, but the twelve topics are always a surprise and a delight. The topics reveal themselves to me and then I begin to work with them, find the meaning and then the reason for the topic. Yesterday I had planned to write about the need for boundaries and limitations and suddenly, it was “boxes.” I tried to focus on boundaries and limitations, but boxes kept pushing them out of the way. So I wrote about boxes and learned so much about the need the soul has for these ordering containers.

While I was writing about boxes, tonight’s topic floated into my consciousness - Balloons! I argued with this impulse - balloons hardly seem profound - but as I explored the image of balloons, I realized it was another inspiration from the Spiritual World that I could not ignore.

With soul boxes, we focused on the details and categories of our soul lives. Tonight, we grab on to balloons and let them carry us high up in our consciousness where we can expand the horizon and see the vast landscape of our souls.



In a sense, the Holy Nights are a 12 day trip in a balloon. Inwardly our consciousness naturally drifts close to the spiritual world. Filled with the lightness of the spirit, we rise to heights of self-awareness. We see vistas of our inner life from a new perspective. Like a hot-air balloon in the air, we are carried by the spiritual currents in surprising directions. Spiritual forces want us to see our souls from a particular point of view and from a special distance.

From the balloon, we can see mountaintops in relations to valleys, arid deserts in relationship to rain forests, wheat fields to corn fields. In our soul balloon, we can see the relationship of sorrows to joys, questions to answers, forgiveness to resentment, loneliness to friendships, seeking to wisdom and so on.

We can see the course of the river of life as it meanders through the years. We can see the tributaries and riverbanks, the waterfalls and rapids.

Tonight, imagine yourself in a wonderful hot air balloon floating high above your soul life. First, describe your balloon. What does it look like? What is in the basket with you. Do you have guidebooks to the soul’s landscape? A camera or sketchbook. Is your cell phone with you? Who are the people you would call? Or are you taking a solitary flight?

Now look below. What do you see. It would be great to draw the vista. Make a map of your soul life. I have included some of Saul Steinberg’s maps and vistas as examples.

This drawing exercise will help you put your life in perspective. You might put a river running through it to see the course of your life. Enjoy this exercise, let the drawing just happen. If you don’t know what to draw, close your eyes and go back into the balloon flight. Draw what you see.

You can draw from a vertical perspective and make a map of your soul life so far. Or you can draw what you see from an oblique perspective and include the horizon and sky in reverence to the mystery of the future, or look in the opposite direction to the horizon and sky of the past.

You can do a map of all your relationships with others, a map of your work life or your spiritual life. Draw quickly as in a sketch or use this drawing exercise as an active meditation for a few days or a few months. Be inspired and be curious.

And most of all, be willing to be surprised. Find the acres of anger suddenly transform to pastures of love. See suffering become wisdom. Watch hurt become forgiveness. This all happens because from this new perspective, everything falls into place and finds new meaning.

Throughout the year, go for a balloon ride in your soul life often. You will be amazed at what you can see from high in your soul.

20 comments:

  1. ahhh...beautiful journey...into soul plane...

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  2. I laugh. I clap. Balloons = joy. Thank you!

    Reminds me too of "The Powers of Ten" video by Eames, showing perspective from the cosmic to the microscopic. I appreciate how Lynn shifts us to viewing our soul life from a higher perspective. Nice. Very nice.

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  3. Does anyone remember "James and the Giant Peach"?

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  4. Yesterday. Boxes. All I could think of were admonishments: Don't box yourself in. Think outside the box. Etc.

    But this morning as I rifled through my Word "files" looking for something,and then later when I opened up my email box and "filed" some emails to read later, I thought: FILES! Yes. Boxes. Oh,now I get it. Now I can reread yesterday's post and play with it. The difference a word makes!

    Then I checked out today's post. Balloons! From boxes to ballons! Lynn, who can keep up with your galloping creativity?

    We'll try.

    Kate, NM

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  5. I love the Holy Nights, and these meditations will certainly accompany my year. They are too rich to digest in one night.

    Many years ago, my parents returned from 6 years in India. Mom brought along, among other treasures, four brass candleholders, each in the shape of a star. We often used them with our Advent wreath. More recently I discovered she had tucked away twelve smaller, but matching, candleholders. Since I have discovered the sustaining joy of the Twelve Holy Nights, I have placed 12 small beeswax candles in those stars. Each night I burn a new one for a bit as I meditate on that night's "soul need". Then I light what is left of the others which have already burned a while, reminding myself of each night's meditation.

    It is so sustaining to have this Holy period, guided by your inspiration, Lynn. Thank you.

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  6. This has been a wonderful journey, I thought I had looked at life from many directions but nothing has brought in the fullness and the richness of our lives as this 12 day journey. Thank you Lynn. Life is full of surprises and blessings. Terri

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  7. Thanks Lynn... as last year... these 12 Essential "needs" of the Soul... are truly awesome and unique. Like the 12 Powers of Man (Unity) 12 Apostles, 12 Months of the Year... they strike a cord and ring true to the new horizons - Soul's Vista for sure!

    For me they have been a reminder of things I did along my Personal Growth "Life Skills" Coaches Training and Self Awareness Journey. Some I did outside-inward bound as a trip down memory lane - others were revealed to me - inside-out like a glimpse of the future so keep me going... a vision!

    Today we're snowed in again here in Winter Wonderland - history making weather in Metro Vancouver, Surrey, the Lower Mainland, Langley and the Fraser Valley so we cancelled our Treasure Mapping Workshop for safety reasons - driving on black-ice, snow covered roads is not fun!

    However, since yesterday was clear and sunny, last night the sky was bright with New Moon growing and stars galore, sparkling -as we took the Seasonal Light tour - the air became freezing cold before this sudden warm up and new "Flurry" of SNOW adding to the heaps already on the ground - the contrast of the Box to the Balloon is made very so-real!

    What a great concept... like Treasure Mapping in the Pirates Days... you only get one clue at a time - Hidden Treasures revealed from the Soul's journey. Now remake a map of your life (which we did in Life Skills called a Self-Esteem Collage) and you can begin to see the perfect plan "Map" your Life is taking. Oh how this makes everything okay and develops a sense of purpose and belonging - reason for being. I once heard, when we look back with hindsight and can see the perfection, why can't we look forward with the same Faith - insight and foresight are skills we can also develop and this is a great exercise for doing this... Abundant Blessings as we Align with the Divine and Shine in 2009!
    Raywyn M. Erickson, RScP
    "Kiwi" Connector in Canada
    Ambassador of (for) the Divine in 2009
    - Embracing your Holographic Soul*Self
    Be the Star that you are and SHINE, Shine, Shine - Make 2009 Divine...
    A*S*K* Centre for Success!
    Surrey, BC Canada

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  8. I will paint all different sizes large, small and the map of my soul is
    created with a rainbow of colors that describe who I Am... Warm
    colors of passion a quest for purpose AROUSAL. I can dance in, out and around my boxes... Cool colors give CALM to my soul. The boxes
    can nourish inspire the true peace of my soul... I CAN JUST BE

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  9. Lynn thank you for reminding me. Since childhood, I realize that I have had "two spiritual balloons" that are ALWAYS at my ready in my soul. One balloon is for soaring away from losses and grief...to take a spiritual respite. The second balloon is for a "change of perspective"...a fresh outlook. I am certain that there are many balloons to discover yet. My most favorite feeling and words are "UP LIFTING". What a relief to feel up lifted. Lift up your head and feel a little better about life and love of life. If everybody on the planet were in their balloons more frequently, perhaps there would be longer moments peace and calmness?! Namaste from Shelley in Victoria, B.C.

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  10. The balloon is most helpful! I can float up over all my boxes and see what they look like from a different perspective. Blessings!

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  11. Your words gave me a new perspecive on a dream I had 2 nights ago in which I was high in the sky, looking down over the mountains. The trees were in glorious fall foliage and I was taking in the awesome sight. I don't recall my vehicle, maybe it was a hot air balloon I was in. It doesn't matter except for the wonder feeling I had.

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  12. Lynn your balloons are inspirational! Today I will walk in nature outside, alone and view the warm sun, the -20 temperature and 1 foot of bright white snow. There are 9 bucks and 2 does who visit my garden. I can hand feed one of them. I will wrap each one of these lovely creatures in a balloon and bless them for today. Then I will do the same for myself and my family. Such beautiful poetry and thoughts from others, a real joy to read. Blessings sent to all. Lynda in Windermere, B.C.

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  13. Lynn, Thank you for this metaphor of balloons. Having been so deep within my soul for the past year, I needed this reminder that there are mountaintops as well as valleys. SCS

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  14. what a majestic idea, high above in the sky. eagle is flying with me and pointing out all the wonderfull moments of my life; the joy and the sorrow, the relief and the grief...

    thank you Lynn

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  15. I'm floating in a basket under a heart shaped balloon. I have fairy wings and my magic wand. I'm sprinkling fairy dust on the land, transforming pain and anguish into joy and fulfillment. There are fairies everywhere in the air ahead of me. I meditated and that's what I saw... I want a world with magic. I want to transform the world.

    Linda from Sacramento. Have a magical New Year Lynn!

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  16. It struck me that boxes, a real item from our human lives, replaced boundries (a concept)and that balloons replaces perspective. I noticed that in the song the 12 days of Christmas all the gifts are non-human (the first 7) until we cross the horizon of the new year then the last 5 are all people. I wonder why that is?

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  17. Sorry, I'm not inclined to go up in the sky in a hot air balloon, even in my mind, for the same reason I don't ever plan on jumping out of an airplane. Fear? Yes, a healthy fear of gravity.

    You see, balloons pop. Every child loves to play with a balloon; bat it up in the air, it floats down, you tap it again, endless fun. The balloon seems so fragile, but it's tough, it can take all the vigorous smacking until... POP, the fun ends.

    So crawling into a wicker basket, toss the lines and up we go? No thanks. Surrendering to human contraptions like a hot air balloon - maybe it's just a need to control (ya think?) but I'd be too distracted, needing some grounding for a safe sky journey.

    But I do love the idea of the Big View over Soul Valley, and have no trouble inhabiting a cloak of Hawk for a turn around the sky; I can always land wherever I want.

    The best way for me is to find a big fir tree on a ridge, climb it to the top and sway there awhile, all John Muir-like in the wind. Whether for real or in my mind's eye, the view is good, and I know I can find my way home.

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  18. Balloons are birthdays, fun, floating. They are colorful. Hot air balloons are quiet and above. Our spirit sails and floats. We can celebrate who we are as a child.

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  19. As I started reading the comments I immediately thought of the book "The Giving Tree" written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. That's the tree that came to me and when you think about it, I know I have trees in my yard that know me and care about me...
    Wishing everyone more Light, Love and Laughter
    Sue Mohler

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