The Light Articles: Clinging to the Rocks

Several years ago, I found myself on a rainy night in Mentone, Alabama, with a group of spiritual seekers who had come from all over the country. Each one of us was excited about the agreement and commitment we had made to come to this little town on Look Out Mountain to study with Master Prosperity Teacher Edwene Gaines and her then-husband, Bert Carson.

I knew Spirit was leading me to a new experience which somehow would change my life. I was always amazed at the power and wisdom with which Edwene spoke. She would come alive before my eyes and my heart would open, filling me with such energy and an intense longing to do more and be more in my own life.

Here I was, far from my usual surroundings and comforts of home and friends with a group of strangers who seemingly all had heard the gently nudging and calling of Spirit to come to this wonderful, magical place in the mountains of Alabama. Each longing to be filled with a new sense of spiritual power and radical renewal.

Edwene Gaines is a woman short in stature, but oh, so mighty is her presence, a presence which towers far above her human form. Her opening affirmation in each of her seminars is "I AM A WOMAN OF POWER!" I remember the first time I heard her use that statement, I recall rolling my eyes and thinking to myself, "Who does she think she is?" By the end of that first session, I knew she was not kidding. She left me hungry for more; she ignited something within me that had been sleeping, that slumbering something that wanted to spread its wings and soar.

She and Bert created a space that helped make us feel empowered and worthy of standing up and claiming our spiritual birthright. It was a week of intense training and growth for all of us. There were moments of laughter and moments of tearful release, as we would work on letting go of painful beliefs about ourselves and even others. I watched my classmates struggle with their own healing as I did the same. It was something awesome to behold as each of us began to let go of the cumbersome baggage we had carried for so long. Somehow, the presence of God felt so much closer there on that mountain. Was it that God had come closer or was it that we had moved closer to God? I made new friends, extraordinary people that I love and think of to this day on a regular basis. We created a bond in that group, of this I am sure. Though some of us have lost contact with one another, the bond that was formed between us is one that lives on. We remain connected through our experience of that special time, the joy and pain shared and now etched in time.

I am very honored to have lived that Chapter. I am so blessed by having been led to open my heart, to allow it to bloom into something that chiseled away at the pain and sorrows of my soul. I have learned that if I will allow Spirit to do what needs to be done, I will find fewer struggles along the river of life. I have found when I trust more and worry less, it all works out just fine. Sometimes the river seems rough and turbulent and I fight to keep my foothold so I will not drown. I fight the flow; I fight the direction in which the river must rush forth. It is not personal when the water gushes in the direction of bigger things, or the sea. It has a set destination and it does what it must do to get to where it must be. It is when we can relax and let go of the struggle, when the water rises and knocks us down, it is then we need to just flow with the stream, then the river and on to the ocean of bigger and better things.

There have been many times I was bruised by the rocks in my river of life. Often times I would stop flowing and grab on to a rock and stay put, waiting for a safer current or someone with a life raft to come rescue me. Funny, how I can now see that those times of clinging to the rock was when life seemed stuck or slow to move. I was so busy hanging on to my rock, the place I felt most safe, that life, the river, was passing me by.

Sometimes we do need to stop for a rest and cling to a place of safety to heal and rejuvenate our spirit, to catch our second wind and prepare to get on with the rest of our journey.

Edwene Gaines has taught me: life is best when we are willing to step out and live it. It is okay to be afraid at times; it is okay to be a little shaky about stepping out into unfamiliar territory. If in your life there is a feeling of being stuck, a feeling that life is passing you by, let go of the rock you have been clinging to and trust in the flow of the river. The river is wise, the river is guided by the all knowing presence of the universe and when you are willing to simply let go and flow with the cool healing water of its current, you will be guided to that place which beckons to you now. When I find myself clinging to my ole' familiar rock in the rushing turbulent waters, I hear Edwene in my heart affirming her affirmation. It is then that I cry out "I AM A MAN OF POWER!" In trust, I release my hold on the rock and the river gently cradles me as it moves me to my next destination and I am safe. Affirm to yourself daily:

" TODAY I RELEASE MYSELF FROM THE ROCK I HAVE HELD ON TO FOR SO LONG. TODAY I FLOW WITH THE RIVER OF LIFE TO ALL THE GOOD THINGS THAT AWAIT ME NOW."

Until next month, be good to yourself, be good to others and keep spreading "The Light!"