The Healer Comes

One day, a couple of years ago, this painting happened.  I had no preconceived idea or picture in mind.  I simply put the brush to paper and this is the result.  I titled it, “The Healer Comes”.

Recently, this painting came into my thoughts and, in reflecting on all that’s happening right now, I wrote this:

The Healer comes

Whence shall she come?

Come she must

for we all are dying.

Will we know her 

when she comes?

Will we welcome her

in tearful gratitude

or will she be crucified

as another once was?

Will we recognize

her truth,

welcome her healing powers

or damn her

for her differences?

The Healer comes!

Are we willing?

Do we want to be healed?

“I am not ill”, you say

as your finger points away.

“It is he... or she.

It isn’t me.

How can it be?”

The Healer comes

for she knows

what we do not.

She sees

where we cannot.

The Healer comes!

She brings us Light

to overcome the darkness

in our minds,

   our hearts,

     our very souls

where our true illness lies.

The Healer comes!

It is her time.

It is our time.

We have need of her.

God bless us all!

May we all be healed!

Connie

What Can I Do?

https://eji.org/news/native-americans-killed-by-police-at-highest-rate-in-country/

When I read this article this morning, there was a pain in my chest, a lump in my throat and tears spilled from my eyes.  “What can I do?” I cried out in anguish!  “What can I do to help these people?”  Every time an innocent person is killed or tortured a piece within me dies. 

I would love to be able to rid all police departments of their bad apples.  I would want to teach people about “mob mentality” and encourage each person to think for themselves... to follow their own heart and conscience... to push down that evil hatred that rises up within but is not truly real.  I would insist they stand for what they know is right and not do wrong simply to be accepted by their peers.  

President Trump wanted to “Make America great again.”  Were we ever great, I wonder?  Does hatred and doing evil to others make us great?  Does our own personal greed at the expense of all else make us great?  Does the killing of protected species, polluting our air and water, importing from other countries rather than using our own resources make us great?  Does ignoring the needs of the populace in lieu of making the rich richer make us great?  Where is this greatness?

So where is this greatness our President speaks of?  I venture to say it is not where he thinks it is.  This greatness, my friends, lies within each and every one of US!  WE are the greatness of this country... this world... and we must stand up for injustice.  We must instill, again, the philosophy of our founders put forth in the Bill of Rights... into the hearts and minds of our leaders.  WE must do this through any means we can.  How much will we take before we stand and say, "Enough!"?

“What can I do?”   I can continue to pray for us all.  I can communicate through social media.  I can let my voice be heard in any and every way possible.  And... I can stand out from the crowd and speak my truth!  I can fight for “Liberty and Justice for all”!

What can you do?

God bless and help us all!

Connie

Black and White

Those who come to my classes will tell you that I tell them not to use black in their paintings.  “Black is not a color,” I tell them.  “It is the combination of all colors.  You can make black by combining all or opposite colors.”

I am so insistent about the non use of black it isn’t unusual to hear someone erupt in a rather loud voice, “Black?  You can’t use black!” when they see someone using it.  I am rather proud they have learned that lesson so well and are willing to experiment with other colors.  Eventually someone will come upon something that does require black and I insist they mix purple, or crimson with it to give it life.  Nothing is ever pure black.

As for white... Seldom is white used on its own.  White is usually used to mix with other colors to make them lighter in tone.  It is primarily a mixer.

My thoughts about black and white took me beyond paint to a remark I made just the other day, “It’s hard to tell good from evil when they don’t wear black and white hats anymore.  Remember,” I said, “when, in the early westerns, the bad guys wore black hats and the good guys wore white?  You could always tell what side they were on.”

We have been conditioned to think black is bad and white is good.  Phrases like, “There was a blackness in his soul,” and “She was as pure as the white driven snow.” put pictures in our minds.  Little children might be afraid in the dark and imagine they see monsters in the not so discernable shapes that are familiar and seen so clearly in the light.

Hollywood has done its share, too, of making us wary of the dark.  Isn’t it in the dark of night evil reigns... murder, rape and robberies are committed?  

Darkness verses light is in religion, the arts, music.  Black is worn for mourning the death of a loved one.  Widows wore black for extended periods of time.  Blackness related to death and Light to the Resurrection.  Hell is illustrated as the darkness of the underworld and Heaven, the bright, sun-shining sky.

I could continue making these comparisons.  My purpose in using them is to share with you my thoughts about how we have become conditioned by black and white.  Both colors, black and white, evoke an emotional response within us...one, I think, which should be examined closely.

But there’s one thing the colors black and white have in common when it comes to paint.  They can both be used to block out and cover over other colors.  They are the only truly opaque colors on the palette and in this they are equal.

I think we can learn a lot from paint... that black is never truly black, but the combination of colors.  White is described as the absence of color so one enhances the other.  Light always shines brighter against the shadows and darkness always has light within it.  We need both. Black and white together result in some pretty dynamic paintings!   

Black and white together...equally...side by side...with all their different qualities, tones and values... create a pretty awesome world!  Don’t you think?

God Bless us all!

Connie

Thimk or Think?

I first heard the terms  “Introspection” and “self-examination” when I entered the Community of the Sisters of St. Joseph back in 1974.  Though the Sisters’ teaching related both terms to spiritual growth and prayer, I soon realized I was more than familiar with their practical meaning.  

As a child, I had been taught to exercise both.  They came under the heading of ‘Learning how to think for yourself’.  

My father was insistent on our learning to think for ourselves.  We were taught, not only to consider and examine “facts”, but to determine whether we agreed with those facts or not.  What did we think about it?  How did we feel?  Had we looked at all sides?  Where and what was our truth? 

Other questions had to be answered too... “Why did you say that?  What did you mean?  Can you prove it or is that your opinion?”  Naturally, these questions would result in debate where thoughts and ideas had to be substantiated.  My brother could offer some pretty strong and valid points and was often forceful about trying to convince me of his viewpoint.  I wasn’t always convinced and, when I ran out of debatable facts, would retreat within myself and look there for my truth.  Once I found it, I stood firm and there was nothing anyone could say or do to change it.

I learned early on where my truth lived but I also learned that the gathering and sifting of pertinent information was necessary in discovering it.  I had to look at and examine the “facts” with my head and sort them out while listening to how my heart felt about it.

I had been taught, too, that God was everywhere and that He created all things.  This teaching of my father usually related to God’s presence in nature.  It was under the Sisters’ tutelage I came to realize God’s presence in myself.  It was in one of those ah-ha moments I realized I find God in the same place I find my truth.

Knowledge is wonderful!  I don’t think we should ever stop learning and educating ourselves.  But... acquiring knowledge isn’t enough.  Knowledge without truth is worthless just as thinking without feeling is worthless.  We must think with both our heads and our hearts in sincere seeking of our own truth.  We can’t find that truth within ourselves without also finding God for God is truth.  “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)

This is a global crisis we are living in and we are being bombarded with information.  What do we believe?  There is only one truth and that is the one we find within ourselves after we have answered the questions in our heads.  The important thing is for us to ask the questions.  The important thing for us to do is to THINK and consider all the facts...not just the ones which agree with preconceived ideas.  The important thing to do is to keep an open mind.  The truth cannot make itself known through a closed door.

And to those who are leaving it all up to God... please remember where God lives.  God lives within each one of us and we need to give Him/Her the freedom to express the truth through us.  We have to do OUR part in partnership with God.

God Bless you!

Connie

Finding the Truth

“You will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32)

What is the truth?  Where is the truth?  Who and what do I believe?  There are some who are trying very hard to convince me of their version of the “truth” and get annoyed when I don’t accept their point of view.  Some have accused me of being confused.  Maybe I am.  The road to the truth is strewn with obstacles, overgrown with briars and vines that grab at me and rip my clothes as I pass.  The way is hard and rocky.  It winds around cliffs where it is barely wide enough for me to step and I can’t see ahead because of all the twists and turns.

Who do I believe?  What do I believe?  Who and what do I trust?  There was once a time when I could look to those in position of leadership roles as true leaders.  I can’t do that any more.  The truth has become clouded with lies, greed and hidden agendas.  Do I believe the politicians who are more concerned with their power and the economy than they are with the American public they are elected to represent and protect?  Do I believe the pharmaceutical companies who are more concerned with profit than public health?

Once in a while a light shines... with words spoken in true sincerity and compassion like those of Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany,,, and give hope to the world.

That light shines in so many places, through so many people even while those in authority try to make it shine only on themselves and misuse their power...power often without understanding and compassion.  I’m thinking of the woman in Texas who refused to close her salon because those who worked there needed to work in order to feed their children.  Think about that...  She was sentenced to 7 days in jail (where the virus was present) and fined $500 a day for every day her shop was open  until the day it was declared the opening legal. 

Here is a woman, a mother, trying to make ends meet and keep her and other’s children from going hungry being jailed and charged with a fine she could not possibly pay.  Who, then, would feed her children? 

Where have compassion and understanding gone?  What has happened to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?”  Or the commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”? 

Fear has become our enemy and it must be recognized and dealt with.  It is fear which makes us lash out against one another.  It’s not only fear of the virus, but the fear of not being able to pay the rent, the mortgage, the car payment... fear of not having enough to feed ourselves and our loved ones.  Out of this fear comes violence and abuse.  This fear is fed by many sources and it sneaks into our psyche.  No one is immune to it.  The greatest fear, I think, is in not knowing who or what to believe.  My greatest fear comes from not knowing the TRUTH.

Certain videos were posted on Facebook and later removed for being “untruthful”.  I consider myself fortunate to have seen some of them before they were removed.  I agree they weren’t entirely factual...that people were trying to push their own agendas.  However, I took exception to their removal...mainly because I like to think for myself and take exception when someone tries to do my thinking for me.  I agree those videos weren’t entirely factual (I did my research) but there were bits of truth mixed in with the untruths and I needed to hear those bits. 

What is truth?  Where is truth?  The only truth I know and can believe in is that which resonates within me.  I see the truth most clearly when I see it with my heart.  My mind can research, question, investigate and find what I may THINK is the truth but I cannot believe it until I know it within myself. 

THAT is where we find the truth, my friends... within our very selves where it is not tarnished with fear.

Stay safe and be well.  We will come to know the truth at the time of harvest when the weeds are separated from the wheat. (Matthew 13:24-30)  In the meantime, I hope you keep researching, keep questioning,  keep an open mind and Think!  The truth will make itself known.

God Bless you!
Connie


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King of the Hill

King of the Hill is a children’s game... one which some of you may not be familiar but, at one time was fairly popular.  For those who can do with a memory refresher, here’s Wikipedia’s definition:

King of the Hill (also known as King of the Mountain or King of the Castle) is a children's game, the object of which is to stay on top of a large hill or pile (or any other designated area) as the "King of the Hill". Other players attempt to knock the current King off the pile and take their place, thus becoming the new King of the Hill.

The way the "king" can be removed from the hill depends largely on the rules determined by the players before the game starts. Ordinarily pushing is the most common way of removing the king from the hill, but there are significantly rougher variations where punching or kicking is allowed.

Sound familiar?  As I remember it, there was usually a lot of shouting and little thought given to personal injury as we tried to get the king off his/her mound of dirt.  The main objective was to become “king” and hold that position no matter what.  It was not unusual to go home with scrapes, bruises and tears in our clothes.  The thing is, we were children and none of us ever stopped to think if it was worth the price some of us paid.

It came to me this morning that this game is still being played.  Our leaders have reverted to their childish ways and are so intent on the power struggle... pushing and shoving one another... they have forgotten their reasons for being on the “Hill” (pun intended) in the first place.  The media isn’t much better.  They are the children who stand back in a safe place enjoying the battle without participating in it but keeping things stirred up with shouts and catcalls... not caring who gets hurt.

While those we look to for leadership, honesty and integrity are busy playing King of the Hill, the rest of us are milling about in confusion.  We don’t know who to trust.  In fact, trust has become a real issue and fear an unwelcome companion.

This is a time for listening, my friends, not a time for the playing of games.  We must step away from the noise and confusion... go inside ourselves and listen to the one voice we can trust... the one voice which dispels all fears and points us in the direction we should go... the voice of Truth.  

This is what trust is about.  We must stand motionless in the darkness which envelops us because we cannot see even ourselves.  Yet we know we are there and we know the darkness will give way to light.  God is with us in the darkness as well as the light and the dawn WILL come!  So we trust in the sun's rising and wait for the dawn.

My prayer is that those who play this game grow away from their childish ways and listen to that voice of truth within themselves.  Only when they listen, hear, and put their trust in the one and only King will they be able to restore confidence and order. 

God bless you, my friends! 
Connie

A Message

What is a prophet but one who hears a message and is told to proclaim it?  This is the message as it was given to me and I am told to share it with you:

“You are connected to the Indigenous... the ancient ones who first populated this earth.  They have told you what you need to know... throughout your lifetimes.  Now it is your turn to tell others.  

We are very real to you and you must communicate that realness.  People need to know this is not your imagination at work... that the message you are receiving is real and true.

Yes, we too originated from the stars and the planets.  This planet you call earth was being birthed and we were sent to care for it.  The plants and trees who were sent before us share with us their wisdom.  They taught us how to live among them on this earth.

Humanity no longer hears us and is bent on destroying that which gives life.  We call on you to speak the truth as you hear and know it.  We will help you and show you how.  We are your ancestors and our message must be heard!

You must return to the past in order to have a future.  I do not speak of ignorance, but of the knowledge you have had from the beginning of time... the knowledge that existed when humans, animals and plants lived in harmony and helped each other. 

Humans have strayed from their path.  It is time to re-connect with all and again become the “one” you once were.”

I am told we...Starseeds, Planetarians, Indigenous peoples and all those who are open to receiving messages from the great I AM... are to join together in prayer on Saturday, April 4th at 6:11 a.m.  I have no idea what these messages might be as they are referred to as “codes”.  Please join us.  I am told the time zone doesn’t matter.  They (messengers) transcend time and don’t see it as we do but they realize we need a specific.  It is time we move beyond our fears and be instruments of Light.

God is with you!
Connie

An Opportunity

It’s been a long time since I’ve shared my thoughts with you in a blog.  Facebook takes over in so many ways... its best use, I think, is the instant communication we have with one-another.  But this is a place to share deeper thoughts... knowledge which comes from within... things known but not necessarily understood.  I am sharing some of that here with you now... things I seem to know but don’t know why or how I know them.  I’m sure, if you let yourselves, you realize there is some of that kind of knowledge deep within yourselves as well.

This time of self-quarantine is a gift... once we get used to living with ourselves and are comfortable in the silence.  We have an opportunity now to listen to our own hearts.  I also see a benefit in the closing of the churches... a hidden message, perhaps?  One which says, “It doesn’t matter how you pray... only that you pray.”  And if we all pray from the heart we are united as one regardless of religious definitions.

This is something the Indigenous peoples have always known and something, I believe, we must re-learn.  We must come to realize our connection with all humanity, our connection to, and dependency on, the earth. 

Throughout history one race has always sought dominion over another... insisting their way was the only and right way.  We were so busy pushing others down because their culture was different we never stopped and took the time to learn from them.  We were so full of ourselves we quickly judged and dismissed those who did not act or believe as we did.   I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.  Indigenous peoples are still struggling for equality and there are still those among us who want to take everything they have away from them... or simply eliminate them because they are “different” rather than work toward understanding and acceptance.

This time we must now spend alone is a time for the uniting of spirits.  It is a time of coming to know God... God within ourselves... God within all others... God within all living things.  It is a time to become reunited with one another and with our earth.

The Indigenous people know that all water is life, yet greed is allowed to continue to poison our waterways.  They know we depend on the plants and trees for life-giving oxygen, yet greed is destroying our rain forests.  They know of the healing powers of certain plants and how they should be used... and greed is harvesting these plants with no thought of sustained growth or proper use and turning them into drugs we must pay for.  Greed is raping the earth through fracking.  Greed is drilling in our National Parks.  Greed is stealing the water from Florida’s aquifer and selling it back to the people in plastic bottles.

There is suffering in this time, yes, and death.  But out of suffering comes rebirth.  It has always been so.  There would be no Easter without Good Friday.  There is always room for hope and this is an opportunity for transformation.

God Bless you, my friends and stay well!
Connie