Our Deepest Fear
By Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us;
It's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

This reminded me of the song "One Hand, One Heart" from the musical
West Side Story: "Make of our hands one hand, Make of our hearts one heart...Make of our lives one life...Now it begins, now we start..."  I feel that many such songs can be understood on another level than just the personal.  In this case, the interpretation could be, "Make us understand on a deep level that we are all one heart, one hand, one life."   

And it strikes me that the song "Somewhere" from the same musical, is a re-membering of our true Home: "There's a place for us, Somewhere a place for us, Peace and quiet and open air, Wait for us, somewhere."   I first heard that song when I was at the drive-in watching the movie with my family, and it blew me away, though I didn't make those kinds of connections about its meaning,  at the time.

There are many hints, codes, lifelines, hidden in plain sight, helping to wake us up to the truth of who we really are.  Maybe to access this information, we need to be coded, ourselves...

My heart beats with the heart of All.

...This is powerful.  People often allude to the Great Mind, or the infinite intelligence--but rarely to the Great Heart, "the heart of All."

All the posts are inspiring!  Sowelu, thanks for sharing your lovely poem.  Trust and Surrender--truly words and concepts to live by. 

You reminded me of a prayer-poem I wrote myself.  I haven't used it as a Lifeline so far, but maybe it's time I did: 

Finding Myself

I am aware of myself,
I am aware of my radiating impact.
My heart beats with the heart of All.
I love and have faith in myself
as I navigate my self-created experiences,
and my thoughts and actions
dance and flow together inseparably.
I respect and honor my emotions and heart-felt desires,
holding the Vision,
knowing it is full-filled, in the spacious Now.
It is done, it is done, it is done,
in pleasure, ease and exhilaration.
I am each day growing closer and closer
to who I am and who I can be;
I am a dolphin jumping for joy
In the ocean of life.

Hey, Jen, nice prayer-poem.  I think people tend to neglect those lifelines that remind them of moments of inspiration.  It is these moments of enlightenment that serve the basis of my hope; instead of what could be, I realize what can be.  These moments don't have me create a constructed, and, secretly, doubted, vision of what is possible.  Instead, they help me to remember what I know is possible, because I experienced it myself.  I don't know if that was your intent, but it certainly reminded me of that.

As for this being too personal to write about--maybe you mean you don't have enough distance from it emotionally at this point, and I can understand that.  Creative nonfiction is generally very personal writing, however.  Perhaps you could just jot down some notes about the experince, at this point, and some day you may feel ready to put it all together in a finished work. 

Anyway, thanks again for sharing that, and hope you have a wonderful birthday celebration next week.

Are you still in touch with this girl, Andy?  I lost my hearing too, when I was 7,  so I know something of what a challenge that is.

No, there was no real happy ending unfortunately. The last I heard from her was in February 2004. To be honest I don't even know if she's still alive. It's my 30th birthday next week and it's not beyond the realms of possibility she'll get in touch, but I'm not expecting it, and even though I'd love to know she's ok it's probably for the best I don't hear from her. I think I've expended enough loosh on her already.

Unfortunately not. The damage was to her brain, not her ears. Her ears were fine but her brain was scrambling the signals so a Cochlear implant would not have helped.

I'm actually partially deaf myself in both ears so I can relate to the deafness thing too. It was something I was born with, but it's not too serious. I wear a small digital hearing aid in my left ear and  through that my hearing is just about normal.

I've thought about it several times and maybe I will one day, it's certainly an interesting story but perhaps a little too personal.

Andy

She would be a perfect candidate for cochlear implant surgery, which I had myself.  Modern medicine does have its points, in some ways...

I think it would be great if you wrote more about that experience--an essay, if not a book.

Looking back with the awareness I have now, I think it could well have been some kind of lovebite scenario. It certainly sucked a huge amount of energy out of me, but at the same time I'm incredibly grateful for the experience because of the lessons I learned. And boy were there lessons!! I could easily write an entire book about what happened in those years.

But on to the topic of lifelines. Not long after she first lost her hearing I emailed her "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach, which is a lifeline in itself. She really loved it, and then many months (or maybe over a year) later she sent me this poem she found. She didn't write it but I know it summed up exactly how she felt about me and I still use it as a lifeline when I'm not feeling so good about myself:

My Jonathan Seagull

My dear friend....
You came into my life so unexpectedly..
Little did I know what was to lie ahead
For the longest time you were a click of a mouse, words on my screen
Hugs that warmed my days.. and secured my nights

Within the many hours of our private room,
You showed me strength, when I showed you my weaknesses.
You taught me the importance of believing in myself,
When I thought there was nothing to believe in
You taught me so much, in ways I never knew
You stood behind me when I began to fall.

Along side of me when I needed a friend
In front of me when I needed a guide
You showed me my ability to fly...
How to reach places I had only dreamed of
You saw me with your heart and not your eyes
But more importantly you gave me a piece of you
A gift worth far more than money could buy.

You gave me a floor to dance on..
A song in my heart that I finally understand the words to
And a peacefulness in my heart...where you will live forever..
I hope everyone finds a "YOU"

You reminded me of a prayer-poem I wrote myself.  I haven't used it as a Lifeline so far, but maybe it's time I did: 

Finding Myself

I am aware of myself,
I am aware of my radiating impact.
My heart beats with the heart of All.
I love and have faith in myself
as I navigate my self-created experiences,
and my thoughts and actions
dance and flow together inseparably.
I respect and honor my emotions and heart-felt desires,
holding the Vision,
knowing it is full-filled, in the spacious Now.
It is done, it is done, it is done,
in pleasure, ease and exhilaration.
I am each day growing closer and closer
to who I am and who I can be;
I am a dolphin jumping for joy
In the ocean of life.

This is one of those, that I have certainly felt and used as a lifeline many times since it first came through:

Trust and Surrender

Oh! But for the shadows
cast by self-made fears…
The despair borne
of self-made limitations…

This universe bursts
with unending potential!
Any conception takes form if permitted,
if unhindered,
by the heart of its very creator.

Most cannot conceive
beyond previously set borders;
Their minds and spirits so ingrained
with outdated notions of What Is.

There’s so much more
to see and feel and know…

Shed Light
on your self-perceived darkness
by opening your heart
to the unbounded, all-consuming Love
that gave birth to your own existence.

Chance letting go of all self-control.
Give yourself over
to the whim and fancy
of a single, unfettered moment.

Dive into the unknown
with Carefreeness and Freedom!
And feel the life-sustaining support
of Love’s Truth, warm and tender…

… All life is eternal
Trust and Surrender

~Sowelu