The Medicine Circle
Salt Spring Island V8K 2X8 Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada

Some thoughts on truth, acceptance, trust and what is essential The world rarely appears as its true essence misleading us into believing we know. Opening our minds to various perspectives is essential. When we really pay attention, we see that the truth portrays itself as elusive and in constant movement. Naturally, we try to grasp it hanging on to notions in order to find security, comfort, peace, answers. ... Life is not a journey or an adventure or an initiation....only a gift to cherish, moment to moment. Gratitude, trust and clear intention in one's life are essential to overcome obstacles. Without gratitude or intention we sink into hopelessness and despair. Without trust we become superstitious and reactive. Being grateful means we give thanks for all of life, and we open to everything that is in our environment without judgment or blame. Maintaining clear intentions drives the power of our heart. Things simply manifest in the world and the mind applies judgment to what happens creating duality. Neutrality is essential especially about people, their behaviour and events that baffle us. Neutrality opens us up to a wider perspective and inner expansiveness. What I expect from life causes me to suffer. Our culture teaches us to expect success, long life, respect, kindness, generosity of spirit, good health, support and on it goes. Expectations lead to disappointment which brings us suffering. Intention rather than expectation allows us to stay with what shows up in our space rather than deny it and say "things should not be this way". Acceptance and gratitude are essential. Walking towards them opens the door to wisdom. Spiritual traditions teach us that to live a good life we need to transform darkness into light. The first step into this transformation is working on acceptance. As we do our work around this gratitude comes. The multidimensional aspects of existence make it impossible to know anything for certain. Yet, we must continue to strive towards enlightenment and inner knowledge. Love in my heart is essential. For now it is the only solid truth I know with certainty. How do we get to know the unknowable?

I posted this in 2015 and it still feels true. Despite all that goes on in the World, I feel a deep hope and light in my heart. It is like a knowing. I know we are going to be okay. I know we will look in and we will change. I see it everyday working with people who are doing their inner healing - I see so much courage. It is hard work, yet people keep going in and transform inner darkness into light....and stepping back out changing the world little by little.... I have faith in us, in humanity. The light of the human heart will prevail. When the soul returns to nurture the heart we realize we need very little. This is truly what these times we are in bring us to - the return of our souls - and it is happening everywhere. We are healing our fragmentation. We are creating wholeness. I have the greatest, deepest faith in our capacity to change the World for the better. Blessings to all - to all my relations. Have a wonderful week!

Creator, Grandmothers, Grandfathers, dear helping Spirits, I know enough to know that I don't know anything of substance. I came to this world to be of service. That much I know, but it is only through you speaking to my heart that I know what to do - the rest is the nagging voice of my ego.... Over the years I prayed to you, daily, to show me the way, to guide me, to help me uncover what my heart says, what Spirit says, and that, THAT has been my work. The pain I suffered showed itself as a heart-teacher. Thank you for the way you helped me embrace all of myself: the embrace of that indefinable, intense experience of feeling and perceiving my world. I know that the inner peace I experience daily rests on my connection to You, my attitude, my thoughts, and the inner work I do, the expectations I have of life, of others - I am learning everyday about the key to my happiness, the simplicity of it; Do not expect. Do not be entitled. Do not think it is owed to you. Do not feel it is personal. You are not in charge. Let go. Enjoy all of life. I cannot force my will on the breath of high Winds in the atmosphere, or the cleansing Waters of rains and oceans, or the fires of the Sun or the life-giving dirt of the Earth mother. The same goes for life, for the people around me, for the community. My peace rests in acceptance and surrender, and I am committed to that. Please help me. Help me continue to listen to myself, help me listen to my heart, give me courage to make efforts to overcome my own resistance, my own selfishness, my own self-absorbed navel-gazing experience. Help me reach beyond myself. Thank you for teaching me every day to pay attention, to be present, to remember that life is fleeting. Thank you for showing me how to enjoy this precious gift. I rest in Your peace. Happiness comes and goes, but peace, Your peace is always there, and I am humbled, on my knees, prayerful, in awe of what you are teaching me. I love You and I surrender. Daniel Léonard 2020

A wonderful, timely visitor today. Hanging out in a tree near my house all afternoon....