Two threads converged:
One was adding Spiritual Counseling to my services menu…owning a basic part of me. That coming out of hiding thing–leading back to that original question I needed a big answer for when I started …
Some would say ‘coming full circle,’ except that it’s a spiral–because coming around to this now is a deepened, more life-seasoned place of spiritual grace, knowing, awareness.
As a colleague noted, I’ve danced around it long enough. Owning it: I’m a not-so-traditional spiritual counselor…. and I use cards sometimes, too.
“You are a spiritual teacher: You have the ability to counsel others and help them awaken their spiritual gifts and Divine life mission.” (Angel card message, Doreen Virtue)
Holy Cards
The second thread is related in that it’s another example of not-so-traditional spiritual counseling. This one from Julia Cameron, is a story clip from a chapter called “Humor” in her book, Some people say … God is no Laughing Matter:
Fifteen years ago, when I was struggling with single parenthood, I called my high school English teacher, Sister Julia Clare Greene, B.V.M., and asked for her prayers.
“I’m at my wit’s end,” I told her, “trying to juggle motherhood, teaching, and writing.” She suggested I go see an old Jesuit priest who had counseled the spiritually troubled for forty years. I felt a little foolish; so many women were in my predicament. Shouldn’t I be able to handle my problems? The old priest put me quickly at ease.
“We’ve all got problems and we all need help,” he told me. I expected him to counsel me to pray, or perhaps to offer up my suffering. Instead, he reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a pack of what looked like baseball trading cards. He passed the cards across the desk. “These are my friends,” he said. “Some people might call them saints.”
Sure enough, amid the holy cards of conventional Catholic saints, there was a scattering of handmade cards, news clippings, or obituaries taped on stiff cardboard.
“When I’m in trouble, or need a favor, I call on my friends,” the old priest chuckled. “Take the doctor there. When somebody’s got a health problem, I take it to him. He owes me, so he hops right on it. Do you have any relatives who’ve passed over?” he wondered. I named a favorite aunt. “So, talk to her,” he said. “She’d probably love to get involved.” With a merry little laugh, he took back his cards and put them away. “It’s always nice to have your friends around,” he said.
Returning home from this counseling session, I found myself chuckling a little at my own seriousness. “He’s right,” I thought. “Spirituality shouldn’t be so goddamn serious.”
Years later, living in Taos, I went to see a medium … Like that old Jesuit priest, he wears his spirituality lightly. “The first thing I need to tell you,” he said, settling into read for me, “is that there’s some woman here with you. She claims she’s your aunt.”
“That would be Aunt Helen,” I explained, and told him about the old priest and his trading cards.
“Exactly,”… “They’ve got quite a sense of humor on the other side. We could use a little more of it here.” (Julia Cameron)
That’s more my kind of spiritual. And I love those Holy Cards. It is good to have our friends around... I know about mediums; I know about loved ones on the other side–my sister, grandma, dad, friends. I call them in, ask their help. None of us does this work alone.
I love this understanding that leaving our physical existence is not the end of our existence, influence, presence, ability to help when asked. Life deepens and seasons us… in exact ways that another will need when we meet.
These convergings tell me it’s good what I do, all I’ve become…and it’s time…
Hope something here brought what you needed. A smile, maybe; an inspiration; a knowing that you want to talk more about this with a not-so-traditional spiritual counselor like me… ask.
Enjoy this day. – Anne