The Luminous Path..

The Term "the Shining Path' kept coming up for me the other day. A friend said it sounds so great in Spanish, 'sendero luminosa'. That is literally translated as, "the luminous footpath." I thought Shining Path was some sort of rebel group somewhere, so I looked it up...

... according to Wikipedia, "Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso in Spanish) is a Maoist guerrilla insurgent organization in Peru." Known for it's extreme violence. Hm. In principal I support rebel groups. But not violence. I hold that truth concurrently with being happy about the IRA, ANC, and American Revolutionaries having had at least some limited success.

I digress. Many of my blogs build on previous ideas, especially now that I've been doing it a while, and this one builds on Return of the errand knight (travels in a luminous world)

Life is a footpath, and it is waiting for us.

"The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard."
- the Razor's Edge

It can only be walked on foot - on your own power.

Everything has it's own inner light, and I think the world illuminates the path for you, before you, if you are able to see it. When you peel away our pasted-on view of the world and see everything as magical, miraculous: luminous - every rock, sidewalk square of concrete, dandelion, eagle in the sky, and person, can speak to you, show by its light whether you should go one way or another. Your path glows, and it is living, and it invites you along, you are drawn along by it's luminous and magnetic force, as long as you are able to let go and let God.

Is it a difficult path, like the Razor's Edge describes? Maybe, for who can let go of themselves?

We have everything to gain. We live in darkness. When you really inquire we can never understand the mystery of existence. I believe that we all have a yellow brick road, yes a fantasy road - to our perfect life, our perfect place in the world, it is narrow. There many things you cannot bring.

This entry has taken some time to write, I've been distracted. But through the process of writing it the same themes have kept coming up, talking to friends and people I love and admire - follow your joy, do what makes you feel alive. Also - avoid that which makes you feel tired, hopeless, or grey. Like I wrote in Luminous World (above) - if you just put your foot out and trust, everything will be fine.

It's like there are stones on the path, or... in a field of bricks which look all the same to everyone else, only you can see the yellow brick road. Here's a tip - step on the one's that glow. Avoid the grey ones. You don't know where it's leading you, life is on a need-to-know basis, and you don't need to know.

To follow it requires a total willingness to let go, of where we thought we were going, and what each step was going to look like, and an absolute dedication to following through on following your path. These are the two opposing forces that keep us balanced on the sendero luminosa.

Pentecost / our marching orders / the river's edge

CLEANSE ME
DEEP IN THE FIRE
I HAVE
BECOME PURE WATER

I WEAR MY SWORD
AT MY SIDE

I knew it was out there, I thought it was in Perceval; The Story of The Grail, by Chretien De Troyes. I'm usually pretty good at leafing through a book to the page I want, but could not. I think it's actually in Ywain: Knight of the Lion. I loved that one, but gave it away...

What I was looking for was: when the Knights of the Round Table set out on their quest for the Holy Grail. I thought it was on Pentecost, but in fact it was the day after. They were inspired on Pentecost, when they saw the Grail. King Arthur held a feast, and they said - we must have an adventure before we can eat. Then the Grail, veiled, came to them. They were awed.
Gawain, impetuous, announced he would go on a quest to see it revealed, and the other knights took the pledge. Arthur knew this was the end of Camelot in a way, because it would separate them all. He was right - but it was also the beginning. For this act (whether real or mythical) was the root of the archetype created in western culture; the knight on a spiritual quest, the warrior seeking perfection through a cause greater than himself.
I came across this, from a book called Temple and Contemplation:

Pentecost is the main feast of the Grail Temple. ... and the spirituality of the Grail knights is dominated by the mystery of Pentecost...

I had been thinking to write this entry after Pentecost, about what I did on that day. But the signs said to write it now. In doing so I have learned a lot about the Festival - it's both Christian and Jewish, Moses was given the ten commandments on Pentecost. The Knights of the Round Table saw the Grail on Pentecost and were inspired to their Quest. It is a Catholic tradition, but many other Christian groups also recognize it.

I have had something personal in mind, a ritual, that I wanted to do on this day to celebrate, and emulate, the Knights of the Round Table heading out on their quest. In 2012 Pentecost is on Sunday, May 27th.

The day was drawn to my attention two years ago. I was living in Ontario, frustrated with life, and wanting to live my 'spiritual purpose' more fully. I had plans with friends that Sunday, which was social contact I sorely needed. I felt that something, I knew not what, was more important, however, and stayed home. I did a ritual where I relinquished the past, and past promises, and recommitted myself to my highest purpose. I committed to use my worldly skills and knowledge for good, and I used my sword in the ritual to represent that worldly skill and knowledge. I told a friend about it later, and how the strange urge to do all that had possessed me that Sunday, and she said, "you know it's Pentecost, right?" I had not. I find it's good to re-commit. And that rituals have power to transform.

So I chose to do this entry beforehand, to share this plan with you, because we're all...  one. I will keep what I do on Pentecost to myself and my inner circle. I invite you to have your own Pentecost, to set out on your own Holy mission, to set your own Quest for the highest good in yourself and your world; to accept your marching orders from God.

Again I'll say - it's 2012. Whether that means anything other than what we make it - why not make it mean something? I dare you to commit to your highest good.

To me the image of a river plays a part, like a baptism, but down to the root of it: water washes us clean, and passing under it is symbolic of rebirth. Leave your old self behind, and become your next incarnation. In whatever river you choose to immerse yourself, whether it's water or air, real or symbolic, let it take away all the old lies and deadwood about who you are, and then rise up from it to be your best expression on this Earth. What is that? Holy Warrior, High Priestess, King, Magician, Bodhisattva, Servant, Mother, Artist, Creator?

And it's good and it's true, let it wash over you
Untethered and without a reason

You and all of creation

A friend said years ago to me, regarding dating; just be yourself, then you'll find someone that fits who you are. Why should it take almost forty years to get something so simple? Other friends said, after I became single again a few months ago - that I should just play the field and stuff, but really - that's just not my bag, baby.

When you are yourself and just act naturally, you fit into all of creation, and accept yourself as a part of it. You can only act naturally if you love yourself, because you have to consider yourself worthy of being you in the world. And if you do that, I think it becomes easy to see that we are everything, and in loving ourselves and acting on that in the world - the world loves us back.

We saw two eagles, while driving, they were beside the road and flew up in front of us. But instead of getting away from the car, they both swooped as close as they could to it, unrealistically huge in our windshield, eyes, and minds. Huge in our hearts. One was a juvenile (all dark), one had adult plumage. It's Spring!

I recently googled the eagle mating dance (check it out if you haven't). Some of the shots of it are of a juvenile and an eagle with adult plumage. They can be just one year apart, and I guess that's when they pick their mate for life, hm..

In March life was a pile of blessings, and still some challenges, and I was blissfully happy. I was thankful, for the place I live, for my work and the opportunities it brings, for my friends and family. And I asked for one thing: Love, that was just simple and natural, with no barriers or holdups or wierdnesses, someone that loved me and that I could love, and we could just move into the future together.

As I mentioned in my last entry - I met a wonderful woman recently. I gave her a bracelet with two eagles on it for her birthday last week.

Tonight I stood on the deck of the house I was house-sitting at when I started this blog. Thinking about how much I love the world, and this new love I've found, I watched the light fade from the mountains surrounding me, and a million, billion, guhzillion stars come out. I've become convinced over the last year that our entire notion of reality is wrong. Miracles are the norm.

You and me and all of creation, these are the things I love.

my love
bird in the sky
angel of the sea
a merman's destiny

you found me

April showers and the faery princess (maybe I'm crazy)

I told you I love March. March saved its greatest gift for the last, and April has showered a few more on me..

All my hero's had the courage to lose their life out on a limb

March planted the seeds, as I wrote about in March and Human Spring (not like I'm smart, just opinionated), and in April (as I also said for 2012, that things would move fast, (well, I thought it..)) they took off,

So let me take you, take you to the movie. Can I take you, baby, to the show.
Why don't you let me be yours ever truly. Can I make your garden grow?...

I Met someone. On the ferry. Capital M. March 31. See http://errandknight.blogspot.ca/2011/10/51.html , 13 lines from the bottom. Check.

AND, in Joseph-Campbell-esque-mythology there is a moment in life called "the call." If you don't answer it, you're pretty much fucked. If you do - you are set out on a path, where many paths, "and errands" meet. I got that too. May I be up to the task.

Because,

... all I remember is thinkin,
"I wanna be like them."

April fucking rocked. Ask the Universe to bring love into your life, see what happens. Ask the Universe for work of meaning. This blog has evolved way beyond what it was intended, but it is still about those fundamental things, fundamental to me - meaning love travel art nature the environment.. you know. It's all here.

In life, love, work, I want to have the courage to risk my life out on a limb, because if it ain't worth risking, it ain't worth having. April 2012 - gave me the chances to do so. Out of my 900 months of life, there'll never be another. Things are speeding up, "battle lines being drawn." I think we are all getting 'the call.' Have you heard it? I heard it..

it's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

Love. Yeah, battle too. For Love. Good thing I found a faery warrior princess.

Good thing I'm in the company of eagles.