~~ Gandalf (THE LORD OF THE RINGS)
~~ Alfred (BATMAN BEGINS)
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Yesterday morning, I was incredibly INSPIRED by a speech given by Joel Osteen. I must profess I do not watch his show religiously, but as I was switching channels this day, the moment I turned to his program, he was espousing the importance of looking for the blessings that come with most of our daily burdens. And of course being The New Age Nerd that I AM, I was hooked! So much of what he was saying resonated at a deeply profound level for me. Much of it because of how it correlated very closely with the core vibration of this site, that being The Hero's/Heroine's Journey. And the fact that NO THING that comes into your experience is a coincidence. Be it illness, loss, betrayal, as well as the many wonderful and amazing things that we co-create each and everyday. It is all a part of the DIVINE'S way of supporting us on our true path. It does not mean that these experiences and emotions are easy. In fact, some of them can feel downright painful, and cause us to question what the hell is going on in our lives. Some of us get hit so hard, and in so many ways (often all at once), that we start to lose our faith. That is why his message was such a powerful infusion of Re-membrance for me and I am sure many others.
Mr. Osteen told some powerful and humorous stories about his own life. And the manner in which some quite challenging personal events forced him to face his biggest fears. Many of them becoming the most magnificent BLESSINGS he has yet to experience. For instance, his father was a pastor who actually started the church with his family. Joel was much younger then and was quite introverted and shy. He much preferred to stay behind the scenes and help his family by serving the church away from the pulpit's spotlight. Until his father suddenly passed away. And in the middle of his heavy grief, he had a huge decision to make. In order for the church to continue, he knew he would have to take the lead and become the church's head pastor. Something that scared the ‘HELL’ out of him. But he decided to put his entire faith in Spirit. And so the following Sunday, he gathered (was given by Spirit) the courage and strength to grab the microphone for the very fist time, and get on the pulpit to carry forth the work that his father had started so many years before. And as we all now know, Joel is now one of the most beloved spiritual teachers currently on this planet! He has inspired millions of people to live the Greatest Version of the Grandest Vision ever held of themselves. Now that is a transcendent example of turing a burden into a blessing. Not only for himself, but for the world!
It also brought to mind a powerful story from the life of Napoleon Hill, who is one of the founding fathers of modern day self actualization work. Of all of the magnificent stories he has shared through his many books, none is near as powerful as the story of his second son in his seminal tomb ‘Think And Grow Rich.’ You see, Napoleon Blair Hill was born without any physical signs of ears. From birth, all his doctors proclaimed that due to his physical deformities, he would live a life being both deaf and mute. A devastating declaration for any parent! However, Napoleon Hill was a true Bringer of the Light. He made a vow the very day those doctors told them their opinion, that his son would indeed learn to hear and speak! He has said his steely determination came from a famous quote attributed to transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson, who profoundly stated, “The whole course of things goes to teach us faith. We need only obey. There is guidance for each of us, and by lowly listening, we shall hear the right words.”
To help demonstrate the power of DESIRE, in the second chapter of his book, he outlined his plan to assist his son toward his goal:
Napoleon's plan included:
- renewing his own daily pledge for Blair's wholeness;
- imparting his burning desire to Blair;
- not teaching sign language to Blair;
- mainstreaming Blair's education instead of sending him to a school for the deaf;
- creating bedtime stories for Blair with themes "designed to develop in him self-reliance, imagination, and a keen desire to hear and to be normal" as well as to establish the belief that"his affliction was not a liability, but an asset of great value"
Blair not only made it through a basic education, but later excelled at the University of West Virginia. After graduation, he reluctantly traveled to New York to meet with a company who had heard about his story. They had been developing a hearing aid device inspired by Blair's own deep desire to help himself and others with auditory disabilities. But so many former attempts of introducing such devices into this market had never found their mark. But little did he know his own Hero's Journey was beginning anew!
This new device actually worked tremendously and allowed Blair to hear clearly for the first time in his life. So excited and now doggedly determined to use his father's philosophy of turning burdens into blessings, he asked the company that designed the device if he could work on its marketing plan. His goal was to “render useful service.... to bring hope and practical relief to thousands of deafened people who, without his help, would have been doomed forever to deaf mutism.”
Blair spent a great portion of the remaining of his life on his mission. And DID INDEED help millions of hearing impaired individuals all around the world to live new lives through the use of this magical hearing aide device!
And the next time you feel less than, unlovable, unworthy, or simply are lost in you own darkness, re-member that you are a Superhero. Just being here is proof positive of that. Because not everyone who was asked to come here said YES. In fact, the majority said NO.
Not because any of them are less than in there own making, but because this earthly experience is very dense for the soul. And at times can be quite painful. Some would even say BRUTAL! Growth and expansion at this speed often requires strokes of pain as the catalyst for the birthing process of miracles to occur within this realm. So please be super proud of the fact that when confronted with the choice to make a lasting difference in a world that is in desperate need of superheroes, you did not back down from the challenge! And that in itself makes you a Legend in Training!
Through the moon lit night....
A single Path is now shown...
Dare I step onto its glowful glare...
For the destination is unknown...
I ask Spirit for Guidance and Strength...
As I take my first move into the Night...
Heavy are the thoughts of my mind...
An internal struggle to hide my Fright...
It is then that I Re-member...
That when our Journey is at its end....
We all forge a path and must go alone....
To those before me, much Love do I send.....
Night swept Fog now blinds my way....
A silent whisper like none before....
Asks for my utter Belief and Trust...
As I traverse this foreign shore..
My sight still betrays me...
Tho I surrender to this special voice...
And brave this dreamlike vision...
For I've learned the power of choice ...
We have many gifts to light our darkness..
Yet still so many lose their will...
Giving way to all their lifelong pain...
Shouting to heaven a powerful shrill....
Perhaps this night's Journey....
Will show me that our pain is power...
Perhaps forgotten along the way...
Inspiring others with this night's swept shower...
Is this the Purpose for my dreamlike state...
To assist in my Re-membering of why I came...
A Steward of conscious spiritual Light...
Teaching others that our Path we can reframe....
As I start the process of Knowingness...
The path ahead begins to clear....
My Hero's Journey illuminates this path...
And leaves me No Thing to Fear.....
Written by Jeffrey Louis Martinez
May these words offer you solace in the darkest of your nights. So you may re-member that all of your burdens are no thing less than BLESSINGS in disguise!
BE SUPER HEROIC!
Nerdmaste,
Jeffrey Louis Martinez
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