Staying the Course

Living each day from my commitment to embody uncompromising, steadfast love and live each day with my feet firmly entrenched in that same uncompromising, steadfast love has been an overwhelming challenge in the face of what feels like the wholesale self-destruction of the world.

So much of the destruction is reflective of the vision I had in 1989 of wading chest-deep through acres of the desiccated bones of millions of children left on a flat desert plane extending as far as the eye could see, and I wonder if my commitment is only a sophistic way of doing nothing. An excuse to avoid actively engaging on one side or another.

While in this blue funk I came across this quote from Lao Tzu.
“I have just three things to teach:
Simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
You return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
You accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
You reconcile all beings in the world.”
Lao Tzu from Tao Te Ching

As I rediscovered this quote written so long ago, my moral compass once again swung north, and I heard an oft-repeated phrase from the movie The Patriot: “Stay the course,” which coincides remarkably with Quan Yin’s urging to “Hold Firm the Light.”

And I remember a few basic tenets.
* Only Love creates life, life of every kind; any A-hole can destroy.
* Only human consciousness can choose to wield Love (creation) or wield Hate (destruction).
* Every human can be an instrument of the Love that creates everything.

We can love those we don’t like or don’t agree with, or even recognize as cruel or without “redeeming qualities,” and in doing so, we become what Quan Yin calls “humans-in-being.”

So, I have recommitted to daily, sometimes moment-to-moment, consciously choosing to be an instrument of that Uncompromising Love from which we all come, to which we all return and of which there is no other.

I encourage each of you to join me when or if you find yourselves in those dark moments of helplessness or overwhelm in remembering that:
*Uncompromising Love, while subtle, is far stronger than unending hate.
* That Love embraces Hate and transforms or neutralizes it.
* That Love is our natural state, and is timeless and eternal.
* That Hate is transitional and takes more energy to sustain simply because it is not our natural state.
*And to consciously choose Love each day.

                                                                          Blessings,  Charlotte

Edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

A Letter To Myself

Dear Charlotte,
Here are some things to remember as you navigate 2024.

There is only Perfect, Uncompromising Love, whatever it feels or looks like. Your job, if you will, is to see beyond the events and hold fast to the Love from which everything comes and returns.

Infuse everything you do with the essence of your “purpose.”

No one dies by mistake or too early. When we have completed our contract, reconciled some of our karma, and served our purpose, we are free to go home to Love, from which we came.

Without self-forgiveness there is no justice. Without justice, there is no peace.

Happiness is a habit of choice. Remembering pain, loss, betrayal, anger, brings them forward into the present moment where they are recreated and re-experienced. Remembering the wonder of love, simple joys, the sweet surprise of a rainbow, quiet times with friends and family, brings them forward into the present moment where they are recreated and re-experienced.

Karma is judgment about yourself, or others, in the presence of an experience, event or situation. Self-righteous judgment (karma) is the hardest karma to reconcile. Karma has been reconciled when you are able to experience an experience , event, or situation without judgment of any kind.

Hold Firm the Light

Everything outside of me is a mirror of something similar within me. When I react to an event, situation or person, the first thing to do is ask myself “how do I do that” or “how am I like that”. Second is Self-forgiveness and the third is Gratitude practice.

The practices of self-forgiveness and gratitude are two of the three pillars of 5th dimension consciousness. They provide the field that allows and encourages the 3rd pillar, Love, which as always been there, to flourish, unfold and blossom.

Move from Crusader Heart (principles at the cost of people) to Compassionate Heart (People before principles).

Be Kind. Kindness is a generosity of spirit.

Start and end each day with Gratitude Practice: Thank you for everything, I have no complaints whatsoever.

                                                                                       Blessings,  Charlotte

A Celebration of Love

I have always loved this time of year. The combination of Christmas and Solstice, a time to gather with family and friends to celebrate the end of one year in gratitude and the onset of a new year with hope, has always given me a sense of rightness and comfort.

This year, when the whole world is at war,
This year, when families, friends, and communities are at dagger points clinging desperately to their differences,
This year, when the beliefs that had kept us feeling secure have blown up in our faces and lie shattered on the ground,
This year it is hard to continue to believe in the possibilities of Peace, Joy, Love.

How can I trim a tree, hang and fill stockings, sing carols, wrap gifts for family and friends, plan a celebratory dinner when so many are struggling to avoid being killed, or are determined to kill.
How can I be at peace when so many are in desperate straits with little or no shelter, food, water, security, or peace?

And then I think.
Perhaps it’s my job to act from that which I know in my bones: There is only Perfect Love, and I am called to live that Universal Truth every day, especially in these devastating times when it seems that darkness will take over the world, never to be banished.

It is not “hope” I celebrate this Solstice as the sun begins its return.

This year, set aside your hopes and prayers for peace.
Instead, join me as I
Stand for Peace
Stand for Kindness
Stand for uncompromising Love
Stand for the Light that is never diminished or vanquished, regardless of how dark it seems.
Join me as I celebrate the return of the sun this Solstice day.
Join me as I decorate my tree, light my candles, and put my gaily wrapped gifts beneath the tree.

Celebrate this season with me, in whatever tradition calls to you, with gratitude, forgiveness, assurance, and joy.

Blessings, Charlotte

Edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

Alive Is Where You Find It

I like the car that vi-ba-rates!
The jounce and jiggle stim-u-lates
And starts a lovely fire.

The gentle spring sun pen-e-trates
And warm, the python un-du-lates.
Lo! The flame burns higher.

The chanted Aum that res-o-nates
With showers and ovens ill-u-strates
How Life adds to the pyre.

Healer’s light in-sin-u-ates,
Insistently accum-u-lates,
And fed, the flames inspire.

Each sight and sound persev-er-ates
‘Til senses long to con-sum-mate
And quench the Soul’s desire.

All Life is now, don’t hes-i-tate.
Alive, the body de-mon-strates
The grace of sensual fire.
ct  March, 1990

After what seems like the never-ending chaos of a world in change, it’s time to say Thank You.

After we have grieved our losses, it’s time to say Thank You.

After we have laid to rest the ghosts of our past, and the fears for our futures, it’s time to say Thank You.

It’s time to focus our attention on the small joys and enjoyments, and pleasures of each day in our living and say Thank You.

For so many people around the world and in our daily midst, Thanksgiving will be a hard, hard time. For those of us who can, please hold forgiveness, gratitude for life, and the uncompromising love of which Quan Yin is such a beautiful and consistent example. For those of us who simply can not, I hold you in my heart, in love, and in gratitude that you are part of my life.
                                                                             Blessings and Namaste,
                                                                                                                             Charlotte

edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

Carousel of Time

And the seasons, they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return, we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round in the circle game
                                                                             The Circle Game by Joni Mitchell

One of the reasons the MAGA movement, or any movement that yearns to return to a perceived “glorious past,” won’t work is simple. IF we could return, individually or collectively, we would simply arrive at 2023 exactly as it is (and we are) now.

The oftentimes quote from George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” was made in reference to knowing, acknowledging, and hopefully learning from our historical past; the REAL history of past events and past choices. He’s not saying to indulge in remembering and reliving our past experiences with all of the emotional content such memories contain. This is why MAGA and nostalgia don’t work.

We can choose to stay on the carousel of time, circling round and round in the same old memories and the emotional experiences they bring forward, or we can lift our heads up, say “there must be a better way,” and take the first step on the spiral path toward wholeness and integration. On the spiral path, we expand, we forgive, we choose new perceptions and responses; we learn to love and forgive ourselves and we move forward. On the carousel of time we can only “look behind from where we came” and re-experience our memories as though they were happening in the present, as indeed they are.

It can be valuable to “look behind from where we came,” IF we do so without re-experiencing the original emotions and judgments. When we have healed the past (stripped the memories of emotion and energy through self-forgiveness), it becomes our history, like an old black-and-white movie or a tintype instead of a digital photo or video. As our history, it no longer impacts or recreates the present and certainly not the future.

A healed past takes us off the carousel of time, and puts us on the spiral of ever-changing, ever-expanding present.

Remember, we can choose to remember those past experiences which serve us well, or we can choose to remember those that do not. What we choose to remember is what we create in our present. This month, let us take Quan Yin’s advice and gently, lovingly, and with forgiveness bury the ghosts of our past so we can create a present which is anchored in forgiveness, compassion, excitement and love.

Blessings,
                                         Charlotte

edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

A Practice Not Mastered

“Fly fishing is a practice never fully mastered.”

This simple statement by Jeff Aiello in his travel video “Outside Beyond the Lens” is, at its heart, a Universal Principle brought to life.

Example: Happiness is a practice never fully mastered.
Or: Friendship is a practice never fully mastered.

This universal principle of “never fully mastered” holds true for spiritual concepts like Love or Peace, as well as job skills like cooking or bookkeeping.

Which principles of human spiritual practices that are intended to be “never fully mastered” resonate most strongly for you, and how do they impact your daily life?

How about Relationship, Trust, Kindness, or Life, or any of the concepts on the angel cards created by Kathy Tyler and Joy Drake?

A weekly practice for Autumn Equinox (9/23) and Winter Solstice (12/21):

1. Insert a concept and/or a skill into this statement: ___is a practice never fully mastered.

2. Use it as a focus for contemplation daily.

3. Note how it impacts you mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. You might consider writing your statements and responses in a notebook.

May you be blessed enough to never fully master anything you truly care about in your life!

                                                                      Blessings,
                                                                                         Charlotte

edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

Welcome to My World

“It only takes one person to change the world, and you’re it.” Quan Yin

Note she says change the world, not change the events of the world.

One of the misunderstandings about the spiritual path is the idea that the work of spiritual integration will change the events in the world around us. It takes time and practice before recognizing that the events do not change, what changes is how we see ourselves in the face of the events and how we respond to those events. When we claim our independence from the judgments about how events impact us, we begin to see events with discernment, and we begin to live in a world defined by our perceptions, not by our reactions or judgments about ourselves or others participating in the events.

So, how do you create the world you want to live in?

Quan Yin’s answer to that question is pretty straight forward.
“If you want to live in a world of Peace, become peace.
If you want to live in a world of Love, become love.
If you want to live in a world of kindness and generosity, become kindness and generosity.”

“Great theory,” I say to myself. My pragmatic self asks, “How do I do it?” Here are the practices I developed and use.

Every time I choose to engage in the world from a place of discernment instead of judgment,
Every time I refrain from generalizing an action into a character trait,
Every time I stop trying to make someone else believe what I believe,
Every time I take advantage of an opportunity to act with kindness, or listen with compassion,
Every time I find an excuse to say Thank You, or be grateful in the moment,
Every time I offer Light or Love when confronted by anger or fear,
Every time I fill myself full of energy on my breath, take a giant step behind my heart, and simply listen without judgment or rebuttal, I have changed the world I live in.

I live in a world whose essence is Perfect Love, filled with kindness, compassion, and gratitude. Even when I am challenged by my old fears and beliefs claiming that there is something other than Perfect Love, I know in my heart that Perfect Love is all there is, all there ever was, and all there ever will be.

Welcome to my world!

                                                            Blessings,
                                                                            Charlotte

edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

Can’t

Once again, I am viscerally struck by how devastating the use of the phrase “I can’t” is to the person uttering it.

Those two simple words create an energy field around the user of hopelessness, helplessness, and victimhood. Projected into the world each time it is spoken or thought, this phrase ultimately gives away self-will, self-determination, and one’s own inner power to some unidentified, ephemeral “something” outside oneself.

A side result of this phrase is that it appears to be a decision. It is not. “I can’t” stimulates and feeds continuous rounds of second guessing; all of the whys you cannot do whatever; all of the arguments; all of the excuses used to defend your reasons for saying “I can’t.” Perhaps one of the worst effects of using this phrase is that you open the door to others to feel they have the right to demand explanations, defenses, or reasons as to what is, in effect, a kind of refusal to do what has been asked or suggested.

And how easy it is to fall into its use. We have all been trained to avoid declaring “I will not,” or “I choose not to,” “I’ve decided not to,” or “no.” We do not, after all, wish to be seen as uncaring, lazy or selfish in society’s eyes, therefore we claim inability or incapacity.

How challenging it is to walk away from “I can’t,” even knowing the harm this phrase does. And what a challenge to, as a friend of mine was want to say, put on your big-girl panties and say “no.” You might add, as a sap to those who are pushing you, “Thank you for asking me, my decision is no.”

When you declare, “I choose not to…” or “I will not do…” or “I’ve decided not to…” or even a simple “no,” you have claimed your right to decide and have left little or no room for discussion or need to defend your decision with explanations.

It might be well to remember that your throat (5th chakra) is often referred to as the chakra of making. It is also the seat of the blue body, the matrix for the physical body. The vibrations and emotions carried in the words you say (and in the thoughts you think) are actually manifested in the world as your experiences, and strengthen or weaken the matrix. “I can’t” creates the experiences of victimization, of indecision, and of incompetence.

If the only major change you make in your life is to stop using the phrase “I can’t,” you will have come a very long way toward your personal healing, improving your well-being, increasing your self-confidence, and regaining your personal power. Just say “no.” After all, you have only your victimhood to lose.

                                                        Blessings,
                                                                                Charlotte

edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

I thought to stand upon the Hermit’s hill,
Hold high the beacon and o’er light the path below.
Instead I am the Hermit’s star,
The light within the Lamp,
Suspended from the Eternal’s hand.
C.T. 10/94

Woman to Woman

I firmly believe that if women are to free themselves from explicit and implicit biases and abuses, they must come together and free themselves. No one else can free us or give us the equity or equality to which every human being is entitled.

One of the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, attitudes I’ve been hearing is that no white woman can really understand the life of a black woman.

While this belief, stated or implied, is accurate, it is also accurate to recognize that no black woman can really understand what it is to be a white woman. Actually, no woman from any ethnic, religious, or cultural background can really understand what it means to be a woman of a different ethnic, religious, or cultural background. Every grouping, regardless of how they are categorized, is unique unto itself, just as every woman within a grouping is unique unto herself. While such statements are accurate, they are also divisive. They create walls that can neither be scaled nor demolished, leaving all parties with a need to make a better world together and no way of doing so. When women are able and willing to set aside such divisions, they can honestly understand the “female” experiences which, while uniquely individual, we all have in common.

Let’s start with the two big “M”s: menses and menopause. These two physical, natural events change a woman’s life forever. At the very least, they take her into childbearing and out of childbearing. It doesn’t matter if she is mentally or emotionally ready. And, it is sad to say that many girls/women are not taught (or supported) about either of these physical changes with the attendant mental, emotional, and psychological changes and demands. Woman-to-woman education and support is all too often sketchy at best or absent all together. Ignorance or misinformation of these two most basic experiences in our lives makes us victims, afraid, uncertain, and vulnerable to abuse.

What else does every woman have in common with every other woman? Childbearing, by choice or not by choice, by chance or planned, changes a woman’s life forever. The yearning or not yearning for children, the desire to mother or not to mother is a world-wide common choice shaping a woman’s life. The decision to mother cannot be a substitute for having someone to love or be loved by. It is a 20-year commitment to raise self-confident, healthy, curious, creative, happy children who will discover themselves and make their own way as adults in the world, capable of creating a world in which they wish to live, and perhaps have children themselves.

Every woman has her own personal need or desire for relationship. There is a basic commonality in the ways that women relate to others and each other, and in how they seek and sustain relationships; relationships of ALL kinds that serve and enrich the many facets of their lives.

Like it or not, recognized or not, wanted or not, regardless of what it looks like, the woman is the heartbeat, the central pole of power in every family grouping. She colors the attitudes, ideas, actions, confidence (or lack thereof), and creativity of every member of the family group, for better or worse. She holds the moral and ethical center of a family, of a community, and ultimately of the world.

As a woman reaches beyond any apparent divisions, she comes into her own identity and discovers her own power, and truly become a light to the world around her.

Blessings,
                                   Charlotte

THE LANGUAGE MAGICIAN: Change “Women’s Rights” to “Human Rights for Women” (or people living with disabilities, or people with health issues, etc.)

edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

I thought to stand upon the Hermit’s hill,
Hold high the beacon and o’er light the path below.
Instead I am the Hermit’s star,
The light within the Lamp,
Suspended from the Eternal’s hand.
                           ct 10/94

Un-churched

Unchurched is a term that was used during several Presidential elections referring to those of us who are not officially affiliated with a church or religion. The implication, by tone of voice and physical and facial stance, was that the unchurched were somehow not spiritual or moral and therefore were to be looked down upon. While it may be true that those of us who are unchurched are not affiliated with a church or official religion, we are not necessarily agnostic or atheist. We ARE, in our own ways, spiritual and moral.

Personally, I do not consider myself to be a Christian, or a Buddhist, or a Muslim, or a Wiccan, or an Agnostic, or an Atheist, or even a Spiritualist.

I do, however, hold myself to a high standard of spiritual integrity and morality which, while simple (maybe even simplistic), is a challenge to follow.

* I believe that God expresses and experiences Itself through and as everything; conscious, subconscious, superconscious, and what we think of as unconscious (rocks, whatever we call nature, mosses and plankton, animals (vertebrates and invertebrates), insects, people, stars, black holes, the spaces between atoms, machinery, furniture, etc.).

* I posit every thought and every action from the paradigm that God is all there is. Not that there is only one god but that there is ONLY God. (Say the two phrases to yourself, or out loud, and feel the difference!)

* God is Love; Perfect Love, if you will. Therefore, I look upon the world’s activities as Perfect Love in action, or unfolding, regardless of what it looks like.

* I am a proponent of equity. Not equality, for humans are not equal in skills or capacity, interests or needs. They are, however, equal in value. I particularly like this statement from the Marin Health and Human Services site: “Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities. Equity recognizes that a person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.”

* I claim the right and the accompanying responsibility to be who I am without defending or explaining myself, and therefore give that same right (and responsibility) to everyone else, without judgment.

* I consider that the magical mix of human vagaries, faults, failings, generosity, and creativity of people are what makes them human, humane, and beautiful, and should be celebrated often. (Quan Yin calls them/us Humans-in-Being.)

I follow these paradigms to the best of my ability on any given day, or moment. I am grateful when I do, and forgive myself when I don’t, and am at peace with myself in any case. I wish the same for each of you!

Blessings,
                                    Charlotte

edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com