Committed to Heart Based Living

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A busy, busy week was a reminder to reconnect with my North Stars this weekend. It was a blow-me-off-course kind of week, if you know what I mean. So here I sit with candle light and restorative music playing, sweet Yogini and hubby, both snoring softly beside me, and I'm beginning to feel a bit of nostalgia for a woman in history who helped me tease out one of my primary North Stars--establish compassion as the #1 condition. In 2008 I authored a book, Child of God: The Humble Beginnings of Joan of Arc, that in the writing and creation truly helped me formulate the metaphor of North Star--one's personal highest ideal. It was Joan's inspiration that enabled me to identify and then strengthen my personal North Stars so they could shine brighter and brighter in my life.

I'd like to share a few quotes from Child of God that were monumental in my own personal development. In this first quote, Joan was struggling to understand the devastation and suffering she saw all around her as a result of foreign occupation, and her Voice posed this pivotal question, inspired by a journal entry I had written earlier that day:

“Where do you permit your mind and heart to take you?  Do you allow the vice of discouragement to wind its way inward, or do you allow the Voice of guidance to provide sweet consolation? Do you listen to language of sad earth, or language of hope?”

Like many, I came to the spiritual path after a tremendous amount of suffering. After years of drowning in it, I deeply desired to pull free and chose a more peaceful existence. Compassion often has its roots in suffering and my early beginnings indeed laid the ground work, cracking me wide open. I didn't know how to repair the situations around me, but I knew I didn't want to perpetuate more suffering, and in fact, I yearned to lessen suffering in whatever way I could. But how to do this? As Joan's story progressed (and mine too, as it's prone to do when authoring),  the question of how to alleviate suffering was answered, the wisdom of this next quote from Child of God was also extracted from a journal entry I recorded at the time:

My Voice explained the three steps thus, "Child, cast down your doubts. Why do you limit yourself? Limitation does not have its root in the Divine. Commit three things as your focus:

"Firstly, every day position your heart toward the good; then, be still and listen. Spirit will instruct and guide you. Next, fill up with holy and virtuous things. Allow nothing to disturb your peace. Lastly, end each day with thanksgiving so the spirit of discouragement finds no home in you. No matter what situation you find yourself, or your country, come with gratitude and thanksgiving."

These three steps seemed like a tall order at the time, however, I must say, since putting into practice what I wrote as Joan's formula, suffering has been alleviated, and one of my brightest North Stars shines with crystal clarity--establish compassion as the #1 condition--establish, meaning to set it firmly. Resource a state of compassion within myself: build it, sustain it, anchor it above all else, no matter what outward source might present otherwise. The choice to exercise love over the need to be right, choosing love over impatience or overwhelm has been my prescription for a happy life. Where do I permit my mind and heart to take me? I listen to and speak the language of hope. I allow and nurture the Voice of sweet consolation. Thank you, my dear sweet Joan, for your never ending inspiration.