A few days ago, while walking in AWE along the rim of the Grand Canyon with my spirit sister-friend, Tracey Heartsun, I lost something precious to my heart!
The vast and intensely colored chasm of the canyon matched the swirl of emotion—loss, sadness, regret— flooding my body as I tried to retrace my steps to find my favorite magical wool scarf. Its brilliant saffron and vibrant pink flowered wool fabric was nowhere to be seen and it soon became clear that I had to let go and go on with our plan to drive to another location for dinner so we would have time to return to the rim for sunset.
Before leaving the site of my loss, I had a very quiet, quick intuitive flash of a woman holding my scarf, which my mind immediately determined as wishful thinking. I walked on down the path with Tracey feeling disturbed and strangely empty. Intellectually, I understood it was “just a scarf,” but it still felt as though a part of me was being left behind. Has something like this ever happened to you?
As we continued to walk to the car, Tracey shared her thoughts and feelings about a recent adventure in Taos, New Mexico where she met up with two ‘spirit sisters ‘ in person for the first time. Distracted by my loss, I did my best to bring my attention back to the present and take in her story.
She told me about a powerful equinox ritual she co-created with her New Mexico sisters. The ceremony included an intention-setting exercise–the planting of sunflower seeds that came from a women’s circle that she and I co-facilitated together. As Tracey and I continued to talk about the power of spiritual sisterhood, my feelings of loss and sadness dissolved in the love light of our sisterhood and shared dedication to discovering the deeper, soul level, truth in our experiences.
After dinner, an hour and a half later, we drove back to the rim. Even though I truly had ‘let go’ of finding my scarf, once again I felt a very strong inner nudge to keep my eyes open for its colors. I saw glimpses in people’s clothing here and there.
Then I saw those brilliant saffron and pink colors. In the blink of an eye my body shot out and climbed down onto a rock outcropping where a beautiful woman was indeed holding my magical scarf! I asked the woman, “Did you find that scarf?” She answered “YES” and reverently, joyfully handed it to me. Then she did the thing that a sister of mine might do in a moment like that: she put her hands together in Namaste prayer and bowed to me.
I remembered that fast, quiet flash of a woman wearing my scarf that I’d experienced at the moment I ‘let go’. Once again I felt the joy of recognizing the coherent thread of consciousness that flows through all experience.
What I realized is this: the love light of sisterhood is a huge support on the journey of life’s ups and downs and most importantly, to find my deeper truth. I felt this from my soul as I wrapped myself up in the joy of my magical scarf that I thought was lost forever.
I possess the ability to give and receive everything that my scarf represented to me: security, warmth, comfort, care, and beauty AND sometimes I need the spiritual support of sister friends to help me remember that.
I wonder what deeper truth might open up if you were to reach out and share the love light of spiritual friendship with one of your sisters today? Make a phone call, say a prayer, send an unexpected gift in the mail, make a date! Above all, teach the girls in your life the value of intentional, spiritual sisterhood. It’s one of the greatest resources for navigating life’s ups and downs that you can possibly give!
