stand up and show your soul

Mayke Wagner posted this on the Open Space listserv:

As a German citizen I cannot vote - at the same time I feel deeply affected by the politics of the U.S.. A friend of mine asked me today, how I handle this powerlessness and my answer was the following:
I try not to be discouraged by the things happening far away from me. I try to make a difference for the people around me, "to stand up and show my soul", to listen and serve.

i offer these words of inspiration to each of us, not to be infected by the virus of powerlessness but, instead, to stand up and show our souls, making a difference for the people around us, listening and serving whole-heartedly, with our eyes wide open, being guided by a love for life.

here's a couple of excerpts from the book Chamalu: The Shamanic way of the Heart

Western man lives in luxurious prisons built by himself: prisons of rules, prohibitions, dogmas, and his own thoughts, over which he has no control. In this sad circumstance, spontaneity, purity, love, and innocence are sacrificed. He prefers to run in desperation rather than enjoy the walk. Caresses have been forgotten in personal relationships, because tenderness, having no value, has been suppressed. The contact we will eventually have is a call to spontaneity, to purity, a remembering of the beauty of life and the importance of falling in love with it.

There is no better protection than tenderness. There is no better fuel than love. Living with out love is like a car without gasoline. Those who love become powerful, and miracles happen to them daily.

At the heart of each person lives a being that is immensely loving. When this being is free, love flows spontaneously, filling us with light.

sounds a lot like standing up and showing our soul.

Comments:

there is no better protection than tenderness, there is no better fuel than love. i love these quotes so much, as i am always looking for the words that will open eyes and entice hearts out of their prison into accepting a simpler, more loving way. even today, i am on a lunch break from working with some adults, and i want to hold their hands and say, "don't worry, we really can be fully ourselves around the kids, love makes its own way, and there's no one here to intimidate us or get us in trouble, let's just laugh and enjoy one another and be caring, and vulnerable, and alive, and free." chris weaver | 11.02.04 - 1:25 pm | #

did you say it? ashley | Homepage | 11.02.04 - 7:38 pm | #

no, and yes. chris weaver | 11.02.04 - 11:18 pm | #

yes and, let us notice when we assume that we have no influence over faraway events. the widespread public opinion in germany and around europe, against bush administration policies, is tremendously heartening to those of us in the united states who share these views. let's not withdraw into a smaller sphere out of a fear of powerlessness; we are now called to be more public with our showing of soul. jeff aitken | Homepage | 11.03.04 - 1:01 pm | #