Do you ...?

The Mirror reflecting white roses that one of my friends gave me at the ceremony

For the wedding, I and those of my friends who were present in person (local) and spirit (international) each wrote a vow ... something to which we would each say "I do" ... knowing that even though we may not be able to suddenly do it overnight, we are making the effort. The first step is the beginning of the journey.

Each vow was read to me by 'the officiator' (one of my friends, Deidre). While looking into my eyes in the hand mirror I had bought for the occasion, I said "I do" to each. There were some where the wording didn't resonate with me 100% ... so I said "I do, but ..." (and amended accordingly).

Afterwards, I passed the mirror to the friend next to me and he to the one next to him, etc. All around the circle, each of my friends looked into their own eyes and silently made a vow to themselves.

A few days later, another friend and I read and burned each vow one by one outdoors. The rationale for this is: fire = transformation and purification; the smoke = a vehicle to carry the written sentiments up to the heavens to be blessed. There is no need to keep the written vows. They are within.

Below are the vows we all contributed. They are open to all. You may or may not say "I do" to all (or none) and you may or may not feel like amending some of the wording to resonate with you specifically.

Do you _____________________ vow

1. ... to honor your divine calling by courageously probing deeply into self-awareness, stepping out of comfortable patterns and into the great unknown of positive change, to uncover all of the glory that YOU are, and above all, do you vow to uphold & maintain acts of highest SELF-LOVE
for your highest good and the highest good of all concerned ____? And do you vow to strive to discover the JOY in EACH "now" moment?

2. ... to forgive often and always?

3. ... to behold the Beloved in self and others, to be tender hearted and kind and to see beauty in all?

4. ... to give each other your attention, acceptance, appreciation, affection and allowance. (from a couple)

5. ... to taking your own soul as your soul mate and learning to love yourself in life, whatever that may require of you?

6. .... to strive to be gentle to yourself no matter what?

7. .... to take care of yourself lovingly every day for the rest of your life?

8. ... to strive to believe in yourself ... and in striving, to actually believe more and more until you fully do?

9. ... to BE YOU. Boldly and Proudly and Truly.

10 ... observe your thoughts and gently return to your still centre of Love in each moment of recognition?

11. ... to honour yourself always?

12. ... to be honest in all you say and do?

13 ... that from this day forward you shall remember that you never walk alone. May your heart be a shelter for the fearless princess living inside you. May you walk together through all things. May you feel deeply loved, for indeed you are. May you always see your innocence ...

14. ... to always be true to yourself?

15 ... to continue to seek your own twin soul and weave a tapestry of love, bliss and service to others while embracing the will of the love of those in whom other parts of your soul reside, for a time?

16 ... to be true to yourself with breath and peace?

17 ... to be more confident in yourself as a creative being?

18 ... to open to Love and Healing?

19 ... to be your own best friend and open your arms and heart gently for love to enter. To never chase love. If it is for you it is already waiting with open arms and heart. If it isn't, you wish it safely home. May the blessings be.

To Thine Own Self

Heart shape on stone at Maracas Bay

I do something symbolic and interactive for my birthday (7 October) every year. I didn't go into detail in my last post, but for this year's birthday, I got married to myself. It was a beautiful late-afternoon-into-evening outdoor ceremony under a large tree in Wildflower Park. This "Oneness Celebration" (which is what I called it) was attended by about 12 friends (locally) and some international ones (in spirit). The dress code was white. The weather was fantastic.

After the ceremony and the vows, as night fell, we picnicked on a large piece of tarpaulin, under the stars and moon amidst many fireflies. Even though it was my 'wedding'/Oneness Celebration (becoming one, True Self) it was also everyone else's. We all married our True Selves that evening ... or at least acknowledged and embraced the importance and magnitude of it.

Without this acknowledgment and effort, how easily "Self" can unwittingly be forgotten, ignored or avoided as we habitually focus, depend on and give our energy away to externals.

No matter who or what comes or goes, I will be with myself for the rest of my life. I intend to get to really know, love and respect her, seek her best interests, enjoy being her and make a great life of it.

In my next post I will share the vows from the ceremony.

One for my Birthday

My birthday gift to myself is "Oneness".

The above photograph is of my feet and my footprints on the beach sand. It symbolizes me standing face to face with the Self and committing to the process of becoming One. The "empty" footprints are not really empty. They are full of every aspect of myself that I am consciously welcoming, embracing, merging with in my True Self.

By extension, the 'empty' footprints also represent standing face to face with and seeing/reflecting the external other (i.e. the various reflections we encounter around us in our daily interactions). The intention is to see, be and reflect our True Selves, from a place of Love = Divinity (non-duality) within and without.

Using this photograph as a template, I invite you to create (as a personal meditation for yourself) a symbolic photograph of your own bare feet and your footprints. If you don't have sand, you can use your empty shoes, chalk marks drawn around your bare feet, impressions on the ground made by your bare wet feet ... or anything else you can think of. In your own time and space, stand face to face with your Self and recognize, welcome, embrace, merge with all that enables you to be the full and true "You".

Sat nam

I will close with the words in the birthday card that Daddy made for me:

You deserve the best birthday on Earth ... not to mention the Moon, the Stars and the Universe.

... and yes, it already is the best.

Elspeth