Inspiring Stories of Love, Healing, & Empowerment
Inspirations
October 2002
Issue Number 12
Welcome to Inspirations! Global Community For All sends out this e-zine filled with short, inspiring stories of love, healing, and empowerment once every three months. We share these wonderfully inspiring stories to encourage and inspire each other to be the best we can be each day of our lives. Thanks for joining us, and may these words inspire us to ever deepen our commitment to love, heal, and empower; to open to divine guidance; and to choose what's best for all.
The Most Important Question - Author Unknown
During one of my classes in nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, that is until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman many times. She was tall, dark-haired, and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your nursing careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
Look Well to This Day - Anonymous, 50 B.C.
Look well to this day,
For it and it alone is life.
In its brief course
Lie all the essence of your existence:
The Glory of Growth
The Satisfaction of Achievement
The Splendor of Beauty
For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is but a vision.
But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Therefore look well to this day!
A Big Breakthrough in My Confusion Around Sexuality - Fred Burks
In 1997, I found myself looking back on many years of pondering why it was that sexuality was so difficult to understand and deal with in my life. I had been through three very enjoyable, long-term relationships, yet all three ended in some high drama where I found myself being rejected and blamed for something in which I really felt I deserved little, if any blame. Sexuality was the one area of my life where I sometimes felt I really had no idea what was going on.
Then, one day that year, I had a powerful realization. I don't remember exactly how it happened, but I realized that there were two differing aspects of myself which were in serious conflict over sexuality. I became aware that I had what I named a "monk self" and a "horny self," and these two had serious problems with each other.
Monk self represented my deep, spiritual aspect which, if given the choice, would have preferred to have me remain celibate for the rest of my life and focus strictly on spirituality. Horny self at times overflowed with hormones and wanted me to be able to experience the rich pleasures of deep connection with women through the ecstatic energies of sexuality. As I became aware of these two distinct parts of myself, I realized that a longstanding, unspoken conflict between these two was likely the root of my sexual difficulties.
As I explored these two aspects more carefully, I saw that the horny self part of me, though not always pure in his intentions, was willing to explore sexuality from a place of depth, and to bring spirituality into the picture. He got quite frustrated, however, when many times monk self would lay down the law and not allow him to surrender to the pleasure and joys of sexuality. Many times when I found myself attracted to an interesting woman, monk self would convince me to back off from any sexuality, as this could easily end in another story of high drama and throw me off my spiritual path. Monk self was not totally against horny self, but he certainly did not trust him when the hormones were running strong.
So for the first time in my life, I literally invited these two aspects of myself to dialog with each other. I reminded them both of my deepest intention, which is to choose what is best and most empowering for all in all situations. Monk self said he didn't really trust that horny self shared that intention. Horny self admitted that he could get distracted at times, but said he did truly share that deep intention. In fact, he asked monk self to work together with him to remind him whenever he got distracted. Monk self said he wasn't sure how much he could trust horny self, but that he was willing to give it a try. As I facilitated dialog between these two opposing parts of myself, for the first time in my life, they communicated openly and agreed to try to work together to do what was most empowering for all.
From that day forward, my sexual life became much more balanced and fulfilling. I made a deep commitment to get involved only with women who had a strong spiritual base and who would be willing to pray with me even in the most difficult times. I also decided to stop fantasizing sexually about women's bodies and instead focus on the rich spiritual connection I felt when sharing sexually. As I put all of this into practice, monk self came to trust horny self more and more to the point where they even became friends and enjoy working with each other now. The confusion and ignorance around my sexuality that I had experienced for so many years has gradually shifted to a deep trust and understanding.
Since that powerful realization and the wonderful conversation between these two parts of myself, my sexuality and relationships with women have gone on to be incredibly rich and fulfilling. I no longer experience the high drama of my past and have come to understand my sexuality in a way I might have never thought possible. I now find friends asking for advice in relationships and sexuality. I can even be more playful with my sexuality, knowing fully that this, too, can be a wonderful part of connecting meaningfully with my partner.
Thanks to these two parts of myself revealing themselves on that day five years ago, I have now integrated them fully into my life and my intentions, so that all parts of myself are clearly focused on choosing what's best and most empowering for all. Thank you, God, for the gift of this incredibly transformational experience, and for guiding me clearly onto this rich, inspiring path of sacred sexuality.
Thanks for sharing in these inspiring stories with us. We wish you lots of love, inspiration, and all the very best in the coming months.
www.momentoflove.org - Every person in the world has a heart
www.personalgrowthcourses.net - Dynamic online courses powerfully expand your horizons
www.WantToKnow.info - Reliable, verifiable information on major cover-ups
www.weboflove.org - Strengthening the Web of Love that interconnects us all
