I've been collecting epiphanies in my journal for the past week. My desire to write in general has definitely picked up.
Since these thoughts occurred at different times throughout the week, they might seem random and unrelated, but here goes:
Princess Diana + The British Monarchy: What is There to Learn?
First off, wayyyyy too much. I watched a documentary on Netflix about the history of the British royals going back to the early 1900s. If you ever want to true sense for WHO the Queen is -since now she mostly just seems a cold, distant figure to a young generation unfamiliar with her past: Look to her in the early days when she was 20-something. That was HER.
1. Lessons from Diana
In short, she was a symbol. The way Beyonce has come to represent more than just a single life lived for itself. Diana was the feminine divine come to breathe new life into old bones. She shined. She was also a 19 year old who married too young into an establishment that consisted of more than just matrimony. She had an eating disorder and emotional issues. She was human.
I will forever be grateful for who she was in the Nonprofit community. You can say it was a publicity stunt: NO ONE was there for victims of AIDs at that time -let alone a celebrity/government official. NO ONE was there for the LGBT community. These organizations and causes she affiliated with broke the mold by showing the humanity behind the people others wanted to ignore and leave abandoned. That's not seeking out the limelight that's using your light to shine a light on Truth. On people. That's everything.
The palace wanted her to dull it down -up until then they mostly supported pedigree dog breeding "nonprofits". She basically said, "I'll start supporting animal causes when we run out of people." There was compassion there. Period.
Beyond that she was transparent. Why people resent transparency -especially when others are being forced to suffer in silence -I don't know. Transparency and ruling parties should go hand in hand inherently. She was honest.
So if nothing else you have that. And I think it's a ton. I wish more people could live that way. And I think she did inspire other celebrities to know that they could use their influence for that kind of good.
2. Lessons from the Queen
When you look at Diana, a lot of times it's Hero v. Villain. Either you love the Queen and say disturbing sh*t like, "the crash was a solution to Diana being a problem..." or you loathe the Queen and say she ruined Diana's life. But there's a Tale of 2 Women here.
The Queen has had to push back and establish her legitimacy as a Woman in a leadership position for DECADES. My favorite Queen moment was the way she handled the "leader" of Saudi Arabia.
In Saudi Arabia women weren't allowed to drive cars and in general are treated horribly there. The Queen PICKED that guy up in her car and rove around with him while discussing diplomatic topics. And not just in a Lexus car, but her Hummer-like truck. Did she contribute to Saudi Arabia's recent lift on the ban of women driving? I'd like to think she did. When the Queen of England is that forward with addressing your policies head on, it's hard to argue.
So the Queen has had her own breakout moments. She was also raised to believe that you serve the Crown above yourself. For me, that's a mistaken belief. You are allowed to be your own person AND be a leader. And you're not intended to serve an institution, but first and foremost your PEOPLE. People don't need you to be cold and distant and authoritarian to serve them. They need you to be Real and be HUMAN. But I think she was born too early and raised too long with the opposite mentality to grasp that one.
3. Lessons from Charles
Most people don't like Charles because he knew he loved Camilla and cheated on Diana with her. On top of that he was kind of a womanizer when he was younger. But thanks to the documentary I can now appreciate some things about him I didn't know before.
When he was a newly crowned prince of 30-something, he had a vision for changing the monarchy. He wanted to help people in poverty in particular. He wanted to contribute to Britain and its people through various initiatives and even went into impoverished areas to meet with people. He didn't want his legacy to be hiding behind a crown and not doing much of anything.
Unfortunately he's never gotten the chance to reign and as decades passed I think he conceded to the palace's chiding. It's insane that the monarchy was against him making those appearances. They warned him to stop doing it. So now even if he's crowned I don't think much would come of it.
4. The Monarchy Itself
It's simple: REAL Power and change comes from the PEOPLE. The crown doesn't really serve people -Diana + Charles tried at various points and were slapped on the wrist for it. And so, since it isn't OF the people it has no real power. It's a figurehead position. I appreciate the fact that they knighted Sir Elton John though.
Unrelated Thoughts: _________________________________________________
What's Left Here In This Life That's Worthwhile?
I'm not afraid to ask.
People always assume you;re suicidal when you contemplate those sorts of questions. But it has nothing to do with wanting death and everything to do with wanting LIFE.
We get jaded and we feel like we've been here, seen this, done that, and what's more it all now? The rise and fall of a million empires and government abuses and tortures and families and adventures... What is there to do that is of meaning now?
1. God. God is my reminder of the Unknown Good. The infinite that can't be fathomed. The depth of what there is that hasn't been fully understood or realized.
2. Art. I'm constantly amazed, inspired, and memorized by ALL of the art I come across. So many unique expressions of beauty that inspire me to make more of my own. It's everlasting. It wakes me up to unexpected possibilities that are out there.
3. Nature. Every other day I discover an animal that I didn't know even existed. I saw an aardvark for the first time on Instagram. I had heard of it, but had no idea what it looked like. Orcas ease my soul. There's a guy in Russia who has a pet cougar. It's adorable. I constantly hope that guy doesn't get eaten.
4. Fated Spiritual Connections with People. It's like God telling you, "This was planned, worry for nothing, I'm here for you -including through this person."
5. Freedom. I want to be FREE. It's going to happen in this life. I'm determined to achieve it. Free from worry, blame, judgment, pain, confusion, doubt, and debt. I've been too distracted by "surviving" these past couple years. Survival doesn't allow you to LIVE.
What is going to mean something now and for the next 100+ years? What do you do with your time that lasts beyond time?
God is Home.
Heaven is eternal.
Facilitate that here and bring it through. Found Heaven here. Pave the way.
A Soul FIRST
I'm a soul first and an artist second. If there's another lesson to be learned from Diana it's this: You get DEFINED in this life, but are rarely SEEN/UNDERSTOOD as a soul. She was a "this" and a "that". People like her people don't. And what gets lost behind Mother? And Princess? And Wife? And even Compassionate Humanitarian? WHO is the soul beyond the profession? We are always MORE.
The Kickback
This occurred to me for some reason that was related to someone I knew. Hard to remember the specifics, but it basically occurred to me that throughout my life I've been "kicked out". I was sort of kicked out of my job in California (it was diminished to a lesser position I had no passion for). Crazy stuff at my mom's house led me to make the leap and move out to Colorado with my dad and stepmom. And most recently I experienced what felt like my greenhouse job trying to kick me out every way imaginable.
And I realized: I was praying and bringing God through as much as humanly possible to ALL of those places. And I had been making headway -in some cases without even full realizing it until after. Hell sometimes tries to kick you out of situations you're spiritually meant to be in. When God wants you to be moved and decides your path is better served elsewhere, you'll be kicked out. When God wants you to stay put, you'll make it through and withstand.
And then the bigger epiphany hit: What if you grow beyond a person, a job, or a place? What if it's the WORLD you start to make headway in? I know some spiritual people that aim for the world as a whole. What does the kickback look like then? Historically: Not good. Death mostly. Martyrdom. Torture. Persecution. Not good outcomes... You do good spiritual work in this life, Hell will try to kick you out of it.
Tree Limb Shaken
To go in hand with the "kickback" understanding there is also the "tree limb shaking" phenomenon that's actually happening a lot right now. If someone or something is not meant to be in your life things will get "shaken up" -unexpected things will happen, scheduling conflicts, delays, and so on -and they will be moved out. They're just gone. You can try being resistant to it, but it happens. What's meant to stick around, does.
Zodiac Sign Goal
The ultimate goal of Self in any regard is to move beyond Self. For Buddhists it's moving beyond Ego. For Christians it's moving out of the way for God to come through. For the Zodiac, I maintain it's learning who you are and then growing beyond your own limitations, blueprint origins, and planetary influences. To be MORE than just a "sign".
I was born a Pisces, but that's not ME. "ME" isn't even me. Earth is like Las Vegas, what happens in this life dies with your body and you grow beyond it in Heaven inevitably.
Whispers Through Time
There is a better understanding coming through now that there have been people that weren't blind in their own age. There was a French woman in 1793 in France who wanted: Black people to have equal rights, a public health system to be established, women to have equal rights, and end to regimes/dictatorships, a better economy that led to less poverty... In essence she was Bernie Sanders. She was also killed for her thoughts.
Robinson Jeffers. Henry A. Wallace. Emanuel Swedenborg.
There haven't been many, but there were definitely some.
They knew things.
They didn't hide behind the excuse of, "Well back then we didn't know..." as if human empathy weren't inherent to the soul.
They KNEW.
Consequently they were also very spiritually-inclined individuals.
Truth always arrives first in Soul. It is the truth of who we are. From there, the connection to God and understandings of life flow.
But all of those people kept the candle lit and past on the flame to those who needed some illumination in times that followed. And there's enough light around for us to look back and see that now clearly.
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