Excerpts from:
SEVEN STEPS TO SOUL
A Poetic Journey of
Spiritual Transformation
By Suzan Caroll
THE FIFTH STEP
Creativity ~ Becoming a Vessel of Light
When love has healed our past and calmed our thoughts and emotions, renewed hope enters our awareness. Creativity can then enter our life and we can begin to free the shackles of limitation that were taken on during a life of separation ~ separation from the awareness of our true Self. If we can open up our hearts and minds, we can allow the light of a new beginning to take root in our consciousness and fill us with the light of our creative potential. But first we must confront our fear of judgment, from others and from ourselves, so that we can be the vessel of light that was always our Destiny. To do that, however, we must change. And in order to change, we must face the unknown.
It is through facing the unknown that we are forced to call upon our innate, inner reserves of creative power. Down into our selves we travel to find that which we always had and forgot. Along the way, we can find guidance from the higher realms to direct us to our SELF.
TAKING THE FIFTH STEP
She saw the fifth step before her, but she did not recognize the stairway for some time. It flickered in and out of her reality as her creativity did. Her creative urge had tried to take hold when she was a child, but it was somehow lost when she “grew up”. Finally, the vision of the stairway became clear and constant. They were the stairs leading to the home of her first spiritual mentor. Of course, spirituality and creativity are both expressions of her inner light.
THE FIFTH CHAKRA AND CREATIVITY
The fifth chakra represents our ability to create a life that is representative of our truest self. This chakra calls to us to find the gifts that lay waiting inside to for expression and to shine forth the light from our human earth vessel.
FINDING THE LIGHT
To become a beacon of light, we must be willing to give away that which we seek from others. It is from the act of giving that we can learn to receive. However, first we must connect with our higher guidance so that we can have the courage to be intimate and vulnerable enough to express our inner self.
THE HIGHWAY
I’m sending out my longing
to be what I can be
and opening up my heart’s light
to see what I can see.
I’m trying to become
that for which I long,
to purify my heart and mind
and fill them full with song.
My Soul feels far away,
but its Light lives in me still.
To lay its mark upon the earth
would give me such a thrill.
I know this light inside me
can extend up to my Soul
and communicate with Spirit
to help me with my goal.
But, I fear that in my trying
the “work” will stop the flow.
Instead, I wish to walk the path
I’m sure my Soul will show.
I’ve decided to release now
the effort and the strife
and believe the light of Spirit
will guide me through my life.
As I create a highway
to my Soul and back to me,
my Light can shine on earth
to set my Spirit free.
ACCEPTING THE LIGHT
Accepting the light actually means accepting ourselves. If we are confident and clear within our own hearts and minds, we will not be afraid of what “they” think. Once we have tasted the sweet succor of Divine Love, we can feel strong enough to take the risk of pure, honest expression.
THE CUP
The cup was only half full.
Someone else had been drinking from it. Had the cup been offered to them? Had they asked permission? Feelings of anger and possessiveness rose in me as I observed the half-empty cup. But as I felt these emotions, the cup began to drain further.
“No! No!,” I thought. “Why is my cup emptying. No one is drinking of it!” But, of course, that is the answer I heard from deep inside myself. The cup was emptying because I was hoarding it.
I remembered that when I first got the cup, I was very excited and offered it to everyone. It seemed to never drain. The more people drank of it, the more quickly it refilled. It was almost as if an invisible suction pulled more into the cup the moment that someone partook of it.
But, then someone denied my offer and told me that my cup was no good. That person told me that their cup was better and that mine was inferior. These words hurt my feelings and made me feel insecure. If this person thought my cup was no good, then maybe someone else would also deny my offer and I would get hurt again.
I began to be careful about to whom I offered the cup. I would pause first and think, “Will this person judge my cup and find it lacking? Will I get hurt again?”
As I presented my cup with this doubt, more people became suspicious of its contents and denied my offer. I became increasingly cautious and insecure until, finally, I offered the cup no more. Then I hid it away in a closet to keep it as my secret.
But, the cup was draining by itself now and the contents had become murky and sour. What was I to do? What once had been a source of joy had become something that I was ashamed of.
I went to the cup and picked it up. I looked into it, remembering how clear it had been. I smelled it, remembering its former sweetness. As I did so, the contents of the cup appeared to change and to improve in purity and essence. And, even more, it began to fill. I took a taste, remembering how delicious it had been and was pleased to find that it replenished me. I felt better and decided to partake of even more. Again the cup filled and, as I peered into it, the contents were pure and sweetly aromatic.
“Hey,” I thought, “There is nothing wrong with this cup. It is as good as it has ever been, but I allowed the negative opinions and doubts of others to undermine my own confidence.”
I took the cup from its hiding place and displayed it proudly as I had done before. I decided not to offer the cup, but to wait and see if others were interested first. If they were not, then that was their business. “Maybe I had been too pushy before,” I thought to myself.
I decided to enjoy the cup myself. If others were curious, then I would share it with them. As I made this alteration in my behavior I became lighter and calmer. It no longer mattered to me how others felt about my treasure. I felt good about it and I felt good about myself.
More and more, I became the living representation of the cup and its contents. More and more, I became detached from others’ reactions. I carried the cup proudly and many asked to drink of it. I shared it freely, but I neither needed nor acknowledged their approval.
I came to realize that the contents of the cup came, not FROM me, but THROUGH me. Therefore, it did not matter what others’ opinions were because it had nothing to do with me.
As this realization grew, the cup began to be a part of me. What had been external began to internalize. What had been outside of me gradually became a part of me until I was the vessel. All that I had learned about the cup I had to apply to myself.
I was acting as an empty vessel through which purity and sweetness could flow. I shared myself freely, but only with those who desired it. I remained detached from others’ reactions and independent in all my dealings. I was an island unto myself and the cause and core of my own reality.
The essence that flowed through me was replenished as I shared it and remained only as pure as my thoughts and feelings. The only obligation I had to others was to stay clear and detached so that all that flowed through me was the truth. TRUTH ~ pure and sweet ~ in the essence of LOVE!
EXPRESSING CREATIVITY
What is our true expression? How do we know how our creativity will express itself? Does a flower know how it will look before it blooms? If we can put aside our ego, we may be surprised to find how beautiful we are.
THE FLOWER
The flower has just begun to bloom.
It is impossible to see its color
and the fragrance is still a secret.
But, the promise is about to be kept,
the hope fulfilled
and, the reason revealed.
Now is the time
to carefully water and
tend the small bud,
to be watchful – yet patient.
For one cannot force
a flower to open
or an idea to germinate.
One cannot see into that
which has not yet been unveiled.
But, it is beginning.
Soon the colors of truth
shall share their glow.
The fragrance of love
shall waft in the breeze.
The power of a dream,
patiently and lovingly
allowed to bloom,
will bless those
who can remember.
Remember:
Who are they?
Why did they come here?
When will they return and
who shall they take with them?
Long ago a flower blossomed in the desert
and for two thousand years
we have awaited another.
Now it is spring.
The gardens everywhere
are beginning to bloom.
BECOMING A VESSEL
A flashlight is connected to its source of power inside. Then its beam is projected out so that its light can brighten the way. To become a vessel of light, we must first connect ourselves to our inner source and then project that source in a detached and loving manner to our outside world. Putting our egos aside, we remember that our Light comes not from us, but through us. Therefore, our most import task is to keep our vessel clear.
A VESSEL OF LIGHT
A vessel of Light
adrift on the sea,
the truth in the moment,
a Soul is set free
For now and forever
awareness explores
the memory of visions
from the sands of both shores.
The shores of the darkness
and those of the light,
connected together,
their wings can take flight.
They soar above waters
and into the sky
to learn of the reason
and answer the why.
Then bring it back down
to be placed on the altar,
to feel the connection,
hold the truth, and not falter.
To know of the darkness
and surround it with light.
The love in the vessel
can heal all the fright.
The light
can then enter
through the heart
of the sender ~
to create
a beginning
where LIFE
is still winning !
