Month: September 2011

Love ~

Author Shekhina | Posted on

I marvel at love because it reveals itself in so many creative ways. I see the love in the sun when it rises in pinks and oranges to kiss my face every morning. The precious, sweet hummingbird that flies and stops in front me to say hello in the forest.

I am in awe by the ancient sequoia redwood as I open and wrap my arms around its thick earth red trunk. Old sequoias send their loving strength throughout the California Coastline reminding us that time is a much bigger expansiveness as love truly is.

I marvel at love when it shows itself in a mother tenderly holding her child with such caressing hands. Or the person who smiles at me on a busy day walking up a steep hill in San Francisco sharing the knowing of the work it takes to make it all the way up!

I marvel at the love between two lovers who know all their deepest secrets and yet there is always more to uncover as we open our hearts to one another. Love is a place of discovery and rediscovery. Just when we think we know someone, love will create a new surprise, a gift of learning.

Learning how to keep our hearts open is the quest for all of us and a beautiful one to embark upon. It is a constant choosing to love when life brings its challenges and things we did not necessarily seek, but yet, choosing to love ourselves and our Beloved is all of the journey.

Love is a yielding, a deep surrender to the preciousness of each other. When we are vulnerable, sad, angry, happy or in joy and we let go of our expectations we see into the depth of each others eyes, to the sweet soul, and we see the truth of love within each other. This is a gift, the most important gift we will ever be able to offer or receive from one another. Ecstasy is in all of this!

Singing Ocean Prayers

Author Shekhina | Posted on

Some days seem to begin better than others… sometimes I feel in sync with life and other days things just go awry. I wake up and the toothpaste winds up in my eye while I brush my teeth looking into the mirror trying to decide who I am that morning.

When some days are not the best I remember to open to my daily prayers. I see prayers as a way to connect to the All That Is, which is everything in nature for me. So I decide to wash the stinging toothpaste from eyes and take the bus to the Ocean Beach. This is where I will do my prayers today. I make my way to the bus on Fulton which goes straight along the Golden Gate Park. I get dropped off with everyone at the beach. A foggy morning, typical for SF. It is warm though and I am glad for this.

I breathe in the cleansing ocean air and it is wonderful to be here. The waves are extra big today riding high with white caps. The sound of the waves sliding onto the sand is centering and healing. Throughout time there has always been the rhythm of the waves touching onto the beach. Like a heart beat itself. The heartbeat of the Ocean Mother. I start to sing my prayers to Yemaya, Goddess of the Ocean. I sing her name as a chant over and over to Her. I can feel Her presence in the mists and she likes that I am honoring Her. I ask Yemaya to cleanse my soul of all that hurts. I ask Her ocean waves to take away my salty tears back to her salt waters. Let them mix into you I tell Her. Allow your healing waters to renew me.

Yemaya’s waves say yes to me with Her sea foam resting at my feet. The bubbles have rainbow colors in them reflecting like a prism: orange, yellow, purple and blue green. I pray for loving myself more deeply. She answers with seagulls flying overhead and then two children run into the ocean laughing. See how the children run to me She says? You run too, run like you mean it. Let your heart run with my waves as the children do. I start to put one foot in front of the other until I am going faster and faster, running. My heart is beating as the waves beat onto the beach loving the earth. Yemaya I run for you. We run together. I fly with Her.