“Blooming Hoya… Widow’s Tears”
Happy Last Day of May All You Wildly Illuminated Souls!!! The sun is shining… the sky is blueing… the birds are singing… the frogs are croaking… the bees are buzzing… the flowers are blooming… the gardens are growing… so much wonder and awe with eyes to see. We are at the salad bar of all creation and the feast table stretches as far as our eyes can see. Hallelujah!
One of my daily spiritual practices is smudging with sage. I offer thanks with the smoke to my feet, hands, heart, throat, mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. When I smudge my eyes, I ask Spirit to open my eyes to the signs and wonders all around me. I also pray that my eyes be protected from things they don’t need to see. This practice helps me to see the things that really matter. I am reminded of a hymn entitled “Open My Eyes That I May See” with these words,
“Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit Divine.”
Yes, indeed “open our eyes, illumine us, Spirit Divine!” There are so many signs and wonders wanting our wondering eyes to really see them. Everything is connected, glowing with light and frequency… all a part of the web of life… the internet of love and grace. We are invited to see… to really see… to open our eyes.
I would like to share a short story that reflects this. As many of you know my mother recently passed. My family is continuing to grieve and heal each in our own unique ways. Over the years and the losses, I have noticed that there is a blessing that Spirit offers to support our grieving.
It is the gift of being able to see more deeply as we are given signs and messages from our beloved one. It is a way for us to feel the love connection through the veil of separation. It helps us to trust in the awesome mystery of life and death. Most importantly it aids in the healing of our broken hearts.
My mother was given a cutting from a Hoya plant when she immigrated to Canada in the early sixties. Over the years my family has taken further cuttings to keep this family plant alive wherever we might be. It is an unusual plant in that it takes a few years to bloom, and it needs to be root bound first. Once it decides to bloom it is very beautiful with clusters of small, waxed flowers that drip nectar. The nectar is yummy… like honey. My brother is the caretaker of our mother’s Hoya plant. He has been watering and caring for it for a few years with no sign of it flowering. We had talked about how hard it was to get these plants to bloom when I was with him in April. This past week my brother sent me a photo of it in bloom. With eyes to see this flowering Hoya gave immediate solace to our hearts with the strong message that “Mom is finally blooming!”
My curiosity was ignited as I wondered about the symbolism of this plant. I learned that another name for this plant is Widow’s Tears. It has been known to bloom after the death of a loved one. Wow!!! With eyes to see we are illumined.
May your eyes be open to the signs and wonders and your hearts to the messages. There is such healing around us all the time. As the psalmist writes,
“Open my eyes, so I can see what you show me of your miracle-wonders.”
Psalm 119:18 (The Message)
Here is piece of music and video to initiate more wondering. The lyrics invite us to reflect on our longing for freedom and simplicity. We have become so distracted and entrapped by our human devices… devices of seeing and moving. We are blinded by our phones, TVs, and screens. Our eyes are starving and longing to bring sight back to our souls! One of lines in this song asks a profound question, “Can you kill me all these phones, so it’s like it used to be? Throw a rock at a window instead of you calling me… my ride is with the wind… no boat… no aeroplane.”
May we open our eyes and be illumined as we journey into June together.
See you on Sunday for Wild Seeds of Light Church!
With Joy, Jacqueline
***Great News to share!!! Maddy became a grandmother to a beautiful baby girl weighing in at 8 lbs 4 oz on Tuesday, May 28th at 6:33pm. Her name is still waiting to present itself.
What’s Happening in the Neighbourhood
Wild Seeds of Light Sunday, June 2 at 11am. The weather looks wet, so we will meet in our indoor space at the yoga studio – 8140 Cedarwood Road in Halfmoon Bay. Free will donations are appreciated. Upcoming Gathering Dates: Sundays June 16 and 30.
Wild Yarns… at Teresa’s house at 6:45 pm this Monday.
Sacred Play every Tuesday morning from 10-noon. We are meeting outside again. The new location is on the field at Connor Park in Halfmoon Bay. Bring a tarp for your yoga mat and water to drink. We will meet at the yoga studio on Cedarwood Road on rainy days.