Recently, in the silent darkness of early morning, I awoke out of a deep dream. Although I could not remember it’s content, I was still in the feeling of it, and it was a strong, beautiful and peaceful feeling, soothing beyond understanding. Still tucked into the softness of the bed, I let the feeling take me on an inward journey. I knew it held an important message.
The Sun would not arrive with his golden torch for a few more hours, so I slipped back into the dreamtime and sank into meditation. Like an underground spring feeding an alpine lake, a favorite song lyric from my youth floated up into my awareness, “Love, love, love... all you need is love.” The words gently gave way to childhood memories of walking the beach and boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. As if transported back in time, I once again felt the salty sea breeze that greeted and wrapped around me to the steady sounds of the surf - so fresh and full of joy... so comforting... and so real and trustworthy. The wind was my dear companion. Invisible, she moved like a Spirit who washed me clean and carried me to new places of consciousness.
Me-as-a-little-boy, in all my sensitivity and softness, then stepped off the boardwalk of my past and into my chest, creating an enormous shift in my meditation. My heart swelled and swelled until I spilled over with unbound love... pure unquestionable love for Dad, Mom, brother, sister, the family dog.... the sky .... the water .... the land.... and all those many others I met in my innocence.... and for all living Beings.
Wondering how this depth and relentlessness of love was making itself known to me, I became aware of a profound and tangible healing energy in the room. Like light pouring in from the Moon and stars, a feminine Being quietly appeared before me. It was as if a part of me that long had been seeking comfort called her to my side.
There was something exquisitely nurturing and primal about her that made me feel comforted beyond belief. Her perceptiveness and wisdom felt solidly seasoned by uncountable years of spiritual experience. There was nothing cosmetic or pretentious about her, which made her beauty even more stunningly soul stirring. Her caring and acceptance was so thorough and so tangible, my entire Being settled into my body like it never had before.
Melting any resistance to remembering what was dear and eternal to me, this Stellar Woman of The Dark Morning birthed me into dawn, slowly whispering, “Love Heals..... Love Heals..... Love Heals.....” Instinctively sensing how to speak into the rhythm of my breath, her words grew into a tender light chant, “Love Heals All........ Love Heals All....... Love Heals All.......”
Unique and very different than who I thought she was, she embodied the cosmic feminine in a manner that touched my every cell and aspect of my soul. With exceedingly soothing joy, and as if we were sitting nestled closely to one another, the sides of our bodies warmed one another with each other’s love. Relieved that such love existed, I joined right in and chanted in unison with this Divine Woman who saw me and adored me for who I am. I could not help but identify her by the name we tend to give her in our culture, Mother Mary, but she did not fit into any religious definition that I had heard before. Instead, she was a mystery with an intelligence and inner richness that went far beyond any human conception of her. Immersed in my love for her, there came a pause in our chanting, and as if answering a question that long had been burning in my heart, she conveyed with all of her Beingness, “Yes, it is that simple, Ken. Love heals all it touches. Letting this love fill you and flow through you continually is your truth. Let it be your joy, your service, your destiny.”
In the bliss of our morning communion, I did not want the chanting with this Beautiful Woman Being to ever stop. My life would be empty without her and her words. She reassured me that she would always be a breath away and the chant will never end. It instead will pulse in my heart and guide me to endless transformation and expanded service. As I pondered this encounter with the ineffable the morning gave way to the light of day. It was a new life.