Thoughts on Epiphany from Marilyn Wolf

Thoughts on Epiphany from Marilyn Wolf

In the Christian calendar, Jan. 6 is the feast of the Epiphany which celebrates the day when the Magi, having followed a star, arrived at the place of Jesus’ birth. Once there, they realized in a flash that this was not only the birth of a child as foretold by the prophets, but the beginning of a new consciousness. 

Today, we use the word “epiphany”  when we experience a sudden insight or realization about something important to us. It occurs without warning, a bolt of lightning cutting through confusion or perhaps simply a parting of the curtains, allowing us to see more clearly what had been obscured. We’re usually energized by it and want to run tell someone about this “Ah ha!” moment we’ve had. 

As we embark on a new year, can we imagine that a new understanding of something baffling us is out there somewhere? We can’t make these experiences happen. But if we’re searching for clarity about anything, let’s fix our eyes on our own brightest star, follow it with a heart filled with hope and faith, infused with trust that illumination, a new way of seeing, our very own epiphany awaits us. 

Autumn: A Time for Allowing

Autumn: A Time for Allowing

Autumn is typically thought of as a season of letting go, a time of transition. If the leaves didn’t die, there would be no necessary Winter incubation of the new growth we experience in the blossoming Spring and then the deep Summer green we rest into. And there would be no return of this bittersweet time of year as we watch the stunning gold and red leaves die and turn brown. The cycle of birth, growth, and transition would end.

Our personal cycle as human beings is no different than that of the natural world. When we allow that which we no longer need to drop away, space is made for what is needed to enter and take hold. Each time we allow this cycle to occur, we transform and awaken a bit more to the life that flows through us.

So, I invite you to use this time to ask yourself, What in me is ready to let go because it no longer serves me?

Notice I didn’t say, “what do I need to let go of.” This is about letting happen, not making happen. When Autumn comes and the leaf starts to die, it is trying to let go of the branch. The tree doesn’t have to push it away, tear it off, or even nudge it. The leaf will let go and fall away when it’s time. It knows that it no longer serves the tree as a source of light and beauty and simply lets go.

What in me is ready to let go because it no longer serves me?

Whatever the answer to that question is, it also knows when it’s time to fall away. That’s part of its job. It served us, sometimes in ways we can’t understand, until it is no longer needed. Instead of pushing it away or trying to rip it out, we can make space for what is needed to come in to serve us. And trust me, it will.

I’m tired of trying to let go of stuff, of the push-pull effort that this requires, and besides I really don’t think it works that way. The idea of allowing this process to happen gives me hope and relief and invites rest. It’s natural and gentle just like the leaves falling from the trees.

So, what in me is ready to let go and fall away because it no longer serves me?

I have some ideas. Like you, I pretty much know what in me has outlived its usefulness. Can I be like the trees I love so much and let nature take its course? Can I let happen and not make happen? I look out my window and the trees in my yard wave their branches, encouraging me to trust their example, to do as they do, to wait, allow and rest until spring when what’s needed shows up right on time.

Blessings for 2022 Inspired by Desmond Tutu

Blessings for 2022 Inspired by Desmond Tutu

Well, here we are at the beginning of another New Year! I looked for an image that would symbolize this particular unprecedented transition but couldn’t find anything quite right. Then I remembered this quote by Desmond Tutu which I used in a class I facilitated about hope last year. And who better to feature than the brilliant, courageous, joyful, and sadly, late Archbishop Desmond Tutu?

Hope is being able to see the light despite all the darkness.

– Desmond Tutu

As many of you probably did also, I saw Desmond Tutu as part of the Bryan Series many years ago. When he walked out onto the stage, I felt a shift in the auditorium. Despite his small stature, from his huge and generous heart radiated an energy which I can best describe as expansive and up-lifting. I knew I was in the presence of one who embodied truth, vision and hope.

In light of the dark years we’ve recently endured, many would say that they refuse to get their hopes up as we embark on another uncertain 12 months. Some would say I’m being naive to be even talking about hope (I’ve been called that my whole life, and it’s never stopped me from being hopeful).

So, what is hope anyway? It’s not the assurance of wonderful things but is a light which illuminates the path that stretches out ahead through parts unknown. Aren’t we all so tempted to walk the path with a guarded heart? Sure, but we can also breathe, drop our shoulders, surround our heart with courage and embark into the unknown regions of 2022. And while we’re at it, let’s invite our brothers and sisters to join us. Hope is a fire much easier to keep alive in community.

I don’t know about you, but I’m going to cast my bet on Tutu’s wisdom and venture into 2022 with hope as my light to guide and bolster me through whatever darkness may befall us. Would you like to join me?

Test post for the school

Test post for the school

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A Conversation with God

A Conversation with God

Hello God,

What a year, huh? I’m sure you’re swamped with prayers and petitions. I’ve come so many times, asking for guidance I need, answers to the same old questions, for forgiveness I probably don’t deserve. I’ve asked for intervention in the lives of people I love and for you to help me be strong, kind and wise. But here I am again with my hand stretched out.

What is it I need now? It’s peace I’m after. And to tell you the truth, I’m not even sure I understand what that means. However, I’m pretty sure I know what peace is not. It isn’t never being troubled or having things go my way. Peace is not a goal, an achievement or a prize. It’s not something I can make happen no matter how many classes I attend, how many books I read, or how hard I meditate.

These days, I hear lots of pithy sayings about peace. It’s every step you take. It’s the space between the breaths. It’s our true essence. I kind of get all that on one level, but actually, if someone asked me to explain how peace is the space between the breaths, I’d have to make something up and hope I sound smart.

In church, I’ve heard the words, “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.” So, I guess it’s okay that I don’t understand it since whoever said that obviously didn’t. Peace isn’t something we can get with our minds anyway, now is it? Hmmm, is it possible that it’s really just a state of being? Being okay no matter what’s going on around me, like a boat with a deep rudder that can ride out the storm? But if I have to wait until the storms pass and the water is smooth to be at peace, then I’m going to be waiting a long time. And at this stage in my life, I don’t have that kind of time.

Now, here’s a thought. Maybe peace is giving up trying to figure out what peace is, to quit pursuing it, and to stop feeling bad about myself because I’m not as peaceful as I think I ought to be. In other words, being okay no matter what’s going on inside me. Being peaceful even when I’m not peaceful? Now, that is definitely a peace that surpasses all understanding.

I like it, God. Thanks for the chat. I didn’t have much hope that I’d leave feeling so satisfied, but what is hope anyway? I’ll be back another day and we can work through that one. For now, I’m good.

This piece, edited for length, appears in the December 2020 issue of O.Henry magazine in their feature article, “Prayers of the People.”
© Marilyn Wolf