It is a holy time in your life today. Let’s take the time to relish in this holiness right now for a few minutes. Just imagine that you are going to visit a huge cathedral, a place of holiness. Picture yourself walking into the big darkened cathedral when no one else is there. The doors are huge and solid and move slowly like old men, You peer into the darkness and first are greeted by the stained glass windows shining a rainbow of color on the darkened pews. You peer into the distance and see the white cloth on the alter and the white lilies in vases gracing the altar behind. You move up the huge empty aisle and find a place to sit in one of the massive wooden ornately carved pews.
It smells like a heavy incense, perhaps frankincense, left over from a ceremony earlier in the day. The sun is bright outside but the cathedral is dark except for the windows brightly shining down from above. There are 10 windows on each side of the church along the pews working back from the altar. You take the time to look at the windows, to make out the scenes and the people represented there. What do you see?
The organist has arrived in the loft and begins to practice the music for next Sunday. She plays in soft notes and obviously knows the music well enough to not need a practice. Perhaps she is playing just for you. Can you hear the music? Can you make out the hymn she is playing?
Again you smell the incense and wish that there were more. You would like someone to light some more as it barely touches your nose but smells so sweet!
You look again at the altar, white linen and white lilies all around in beautiful golden urns. There is a cross there but without a figure of Christ on it. It is a symbol of the resurrection rather than of the crucifixion. A symbol of hope and peace and you remember the story of Christ’s resurrection and the women who were shocked when his body was not found. Was it true? Was it a story?
You look up above the altar and see a beautiful large round stained glass window with a picture of a descending dove on it! It is gorgeous and the dove fills this 12 foot in diameter stained glass artwork with colors of white and blue and gold. The white and blue shower down on the altar and now you see the myriad of colors present on the white linen tablecloth.
I invite you now to release something in your life; something that may have been hanging over you, dragging you down; something you are still holding on to and really don't know why; something from your past that you can't seem to forge; some responsibility that you should not be yours but that you have accepted for too long now; even a negative judgment that you know is not true.
Find that paper lying on the pew next to you. It is an offering envelope and there is a pencil there by it. It says "Make an offering. $1.00, $5.00, $10.00. Other"
Under “other” write your intention, write what you want to release. Take just a moment and write that down now. Read that intention back to yourself out loud.
Now get up from the pew and walk all the way down the huge long aisle to the altar. As you walk, it reminds you a wedding, a bride walking towards her groom. What an awesome church to have a wedding in! Very impressive indeed! There is no one watching you, no one around, just you and the organist practicing, unaware of your presence.
Walk up the three steps to the altar table and lay your offering envelope down there. Stop for a moment to think about what you are doing. Ask Spirit to take this offering, to release this issue, give it to God, to Spirit, to the Universe, to the One, to the I Am That I AM. Give it away.
Feel the release. See the lilies there in the golden vase right beside you on either side of the altar? Take a lily. Pick one out of the vase and fell the long green stem and the smooth whiteness and put it to your nose and breath in the smell of Easter, the smell of spring, the smell of release and newness. Take it with you as you return to your seat.
Look again at the altar in the distance; in the darkness; in the light of the stained glass picture of the dove descending. You can't see your paper on the altar from here. It is gone.
Feel the release. Feel the lightness of being that surrounds you. A smile creeps over your lips. You don't know why you are smiling but you are. You can't help it. Say goodbye to the descending dove. Walk out through the big heavy wooden doors.
At first it is hard to see due to the strong sunshine of the day. But then you can see the steps leading down into the street and the people walking by on their way to work or school or home. Go join them in your day, your life.
All Blessings are yours!
[All work by Shaman Elder Maggie is copyright protected. If you would like to use this article, please contact shaman@shamanelder.com for permission.]
