Remember Your Greatness

Be the shining light you are-

a beacon that pours forth.

The love that’s always been there,

like a compass pointing North.

Shine brightly, do not seek the light,

for love and light is what you are.

You need not look outside yourself

You are the Great North Star.

~Love Beyond Words

                                                            Sanaya   Compiled by Suzanne Gieseman

I read a writer’s blog recently that had a fun title, “Weird is the New Cool!” I had to chuckle because I’ve often thought some of my very traditional or conservative friends have probably voiced those very words. “Terry has really weird ideas!”

When I was getting back into school each fall, many of the teachers would come down to hear about my newest adventures during the summer going into the Amazon with students. I was always filled with very fun stories and they would especially marvel at some of the kid “stories” I would tell. So many of our students were out of their comfort zone and yet always grew so much from the experience. I remember with such clarity one summer when I came back absolutely bursting with excitement to share my newest learning from the Peruvian indigenous culture… meeting new people and reconnecting with special friends I had made was always my greatest joy.

This particular year I had spent some significant time with a local shaman. I couldn’t wait to share watching a healing ceremony and the subsequent conversation with the man after the event was over. I had already put many pieces of the health puzzle together. I found very healthy and happy folks that were very content with a very simple life. They were growing and gathering their own fruits and vegetables, eating a diet of mostly fruits, vegetables, rice, beans, fish, chicken, and an occasional “mystery meat”. Their sweets were natural from fruits. Think of what nutritionists are telling us now…no wonder I always came back feeling GREAT. Daily life brought ample exercise. But, diseases, farming accidents, difficult births and clean water could be an issue. Like us, difficult health issues or a tragic accident would touch every family eventually.

Then…in comes the local medicine man or shaman. I was describing to my friends their chanting, dancing, smoking pipes over the body, leaves swaying around and being placed on the body, and the healer’s hands hovering over the body only occasionally touching the person. I made the unfortunate comment that the shaman seemed to be in a trance. (My  friends went straight to the idea of drugs.) And all around this ill person was a community of people supporting him, hand in hand, dancing around the circle praying and chanting with the absolute belief healing would take place.

I’ll never forget the words I heard when I asked for explanations and the shaman said,

“ I am not the healer, God is, I am just the instrument for delivery.”

When asked why he needed chants, herbs, and waving leaves, and a group of people, he answered:

“I need sounds and significant words to help bring spirits here to make my own spirit more powerful.”

These words contained amazing secrets for me! They were powerfully related to my deep inner knowing that I learned during my NDE. And today I have incredible knowledge to match with why healing was indeed taking place without the use of modern medicine. Belief and the spirit world was key.

My friends? Well, let’s put it this way, eyeballs were rolling. This was pretty much the conversation:

“Really, do you believe that stuff? Were spirits around him to help? So do you believe in ghosts too? He was probably on some drug.” Yup, confirmation: she’s weird. But, I will say that a few ears were really listening in fascination as well. So, what did I do? I “tucked away” the more intriguing parts of my stories and went within. I had many mystical experiences to share, but I was not sharing too many. I did believe in the spirit world. Now I have a knowing.

I wish I had let myself turn up my light and rise as a beacon of light! Can you relate to this in your life? I wanted to be normal and “fit in” so my growth slowed down. It didn’t STOP my growth thank goodness. I believe our soul yearns for growth and will not allow that to happen! Instead new and different opportunities for growth kept showing up in my life! Like…let sickness settle into your body Terry. You’ll figure healing out!

I would be able to handle this type of situation quite differently now. How? I would easily make friends feel comfortable for the “weirdness” of new belief because I have been in the same place and have total compassion for how difficult it can be to hear something new and different. I had to shed many layers of belief before new understanding moved into place. Each person is in a different place on their life journey.

So as I share new healing beliefs in future blogs, it’s okay to question what is being said, in fact it’s great! That means there is a slight movement in thought.

I’m hoping to convince you to rise to YOUR greatness! I hope you take ownership of the fact that you are an amazing creation of God! When we accept our greatness, we are able to share it with all those we encounter in ways that can bring joy and peace into the life of someone that may be suffering for a variety of reasons. I call it building compassion for others, because our greatness puts us into the path of those in need.

It might help to realize…

• MICHAEL JORDON was cut from his high school basketball team.
• A teacher told THOMAS EDISON he was too stupid to learn anything and he should go into a field where he might succeed by virtue of his pleasant personality
• The BEATLES were turned down by a recording company and told their guitar music is on the way out.
• LUCILLE BALL was dismissed from drama school because she was told she was too shy.
• WALT DISNEY was fired from a newspaper because he lacked imagination and had no original ideas.
• ABRAHAM LINCOLN failed in business twice, had a nervous breakdown, and was defeated in 8 elections.

Wow…I love this list! Greatness begins when we decide God created us to be ourselves. God pushes us to grow in understanding how to grow in LOVE for all. Our greatness is our love expressed and shared with others to make life explode for another amazing soul in our path.

Now I wonder, what was it that bothered me about being weird?

“Be Yourself. Everyone else is already taken. “

~ Oscar Wilde