2000
"A Spiritual Catalyst is someone who precipitates change for the betterment of all." --Reverend Karen Lindvig at Seattle Unity Church on December 8, 2013
This quote struck me not in and of itself, but because of the two questions that Reverend Karen posed afterwards:
Who has been a Spiritual Catalyst for you?
AND
For whom have you been a Spiritual Catalyst?
The first one was easy. Whenever I think of someone who has pushed me to expand, who has opened up the world of Spirit to me, I always think about my sister-in-law.
When I first met her I thought she was bat-shit crazy. She did my numerology at Thanksgiving, sent me on a shamanic journey the first time we went to visit her and gave me a psychic reading for my birthday.
I was pissed. I DID NOT want to have the reading. When she brought her friend "the Psychic" over to our house my attitude was, "Let's just get this over with."
Within minutes of starting my reading, I was crying, and by the time it was over I was hugging them both and making a list in my head of everyone I knew who I wanted to have a reading.
When my sister was diagnosed with Cancer a few short months later, I advised her to call my sister-in-law's friend. That reading gave her hope, and a roadmap for living a life that didn't include dying of Cancer.
I would not be where I am today if it were not for my sister-in-law acting as a Spiritual Catalyst, even in the face of my fear and confusion (and sometimes even a bit of eye-rolling) whenever she introduced me to the latest thing she was exploring.
The second question gave me pause.
I can certainly think of a few people for whom I may have acted as a Spiritual Catalyst - either for better or for worse, since it does often seem to work in one of those two ways - but if I am honest, more often than not, I keep my spiritual side on the DL.
Not many people who know me know the extent to which I am into the woo-woo thing. It's not something I talk about openly or share easily, especially with people who I think may not be into spirituality or God.
Answering this question honestly made me realize that I am wasting a lot of time and many, many opportunities to be a Spiritual Catalyst for others and that this is something I want to change.
I WANT to share what I have learned in the seventeen years since that first numerology reading, or I wouldn't be writing this blog. In order to do that I have to "come out" to my friends and acquaintances, I have to start sharing more of who I really am on Facebook and tweeting more often about what I am up to.
And, I have to get out there in the world and BE that Spiritual Catalyst for other people.
So, in the spirit of being a Spiritual Catalyst I am announcing today that starting on January 2nd, 2014 I will be hosting an event I am calling 30 Days of Forgiveness.
Over the 30-day period from January 2nd to January 31st I will be doing daily forgiveness work using a writing exercise specifically designed for this purpose and I invite you to join me.
I imagine hundreds (maybe even thousands?) of people, all starting off the year with a clean slate, a clear mind and an open heart as a result of dedicating thirty days to forgiving those who we feel have wronged us and to forgiving ourselves for the ways in which we have wronged others. What an impact we could make on the world!
I can't wait to get started and I hope that you will join me. Watch this site (and Facebook and Twitter!) for more information.
[NB Two quick things:
1) This quote has the distinct honor of being the 2000th quote that I have written down since I started writing quotes down in earnest (sometime back in 2005). It took me around six years to accumulate 1000 quotes and about two and a half years to rack up 1000 more so I am guessing I will reach 3000 sometime in 2016...
2) A SHOUT OUT & BIG THANKS to my sister-in-law for being a Spiritual Catalyst for me in this lifetime. There have been countless others, but you were the first and I am ever grateful. Love you!]
This quote struck me not in and of itself, but because of the two questions that Reverend Karen posed afterwards:
Who has been a Spiritual Catalyst for you?
AND
For whom have you been a Spiritual Catalyst?
The first one was easy. Whenever I think of someone who has pushed me to expand, who has opened up the world of Spirit to me, I always think about my sister-in-law.
When I first met her I thought she was bat-shit crazy. She did my numerology at Thanksgiving, sent me on a shamanic journey the first time we went to visit her and gave me a psychic reading for my birthday.
I was pissed. I DID NOT want to have the reading. When she brought her friend "the Psychic" over to our house my attitude was, "Let's just get this over with."
Within minutes of starting my reading, I was crying, and by the time it was over I was hugging them both and making a list in my head of everyone I knew who I wanted to have a reading.
When my sister was diagnosed with Cancer a few short months later, I advised her to call my sister-in-law's friend. That reading gave her hope, and a roadmap for living a life that didn't include dying of Cancer.
I would not be where I am today if it were not for my sister-in-law acting as a Spiritual Catalyst, even in the face of my fear and confusion (and sometimes even a bit of eye-rolling) whenever she introduced me to the latest thing she was exploring.
The second question gave me pause.
I can certainly think of a few people for whom I may have acted as a Spiritual Catalyst - either for better or for worse, since it does often seem to work in one of those two ways - but if I am honest, more often than not, I keep my spiritual side on the DL.
Not many people who know me know the extent to which I am into the woo-woo thing. It's not something I talk about openly or share easily, especially with people who I think may not be into spirituality or God.
Answering this question honestly made me realize that I am wasting a lot of time and many, many opportunities to be a Spiritual Catalyst for others and that this is something I want to change.
I WANT to share what I have learned in the seventeen years since that first numerology reading, or I wouldn't be writing this blog. In order to do that I have to "come out" to my friends and acquaintances, I have to start sharing more of who I really am on Facebook and tweeting more often about what I am up to.
And, I have to get out there in the world and BE that Spiritual Catalyst for other people.
So, in the spirit of being a Spiritual Catalyst I am announcing today that starting on January 2nd, 2014 I will be hosting an event I am calling 30 Days of Forgiveness.
Over the 30-day period from January 2nd to January 31st I will be doing daily forgiveness work using a writing exercise specifically designed for this purpose and I invite you to join me.
I imagine hundreds (maybe even thousands?) of people, all starting off the year with a clean slate, a clear mind and an open heart as a result of dedicating thirty days to forgiving those who we feel have wronged us and to forgiving ourselves for the ways in which we have wronged others. What an impact we could make on the world!
I can't wait to get started and I hope that you will join me. Watch this site (and Facebook and Twitter!) for more information.
[NB Two quick things:
1) This quote has the distinct honor of being the 2000th quote that I have written down since I started writing quotes down in earnest (sometime back in 2005). It took me around six years to accumulate 1000 quotes and about two and a half years to rack up 1000 more so I am guessing I will reach 3000 sometime in 2016...
2) A SHOUT OUT & BIG THANKS to my sister-in-law for being a Spiritual Catalyst for me in this lifetime. There have been countless others, but you were the first and I am ever grateful. Love you!]
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