Anam Cara - Watching The River Flow

I love rivers. I have for many years lived away from rivers. Yet, when I ever felt unhappy or uninspired I would seek out a pathway along the nearest river to my home.

I have returned home to Ireland following many happy years in England. I am blessed now to live close to the River Shannon near to the first village on the Shannon. This is the village called "Dowra." In Irish the name is an Damhraith, which translates either as "the black stream" or "the stream of the oxen."

I live near the source of the Shannon. This is called "Shannon Pot". This place marks the beginning of the longest river in the British Isles. This is a place where the beauty of the land and myth come together. This is a deep place not just symbolized by the deep, dark peaty waters of the pool.

The Shannon Pot is a place of placidity. It reminds me of how I am to move in the world. It reminds me to go placidly amidst this noise and haste of 21st Century living. It reminds me to deepen my connection to this extraordinary flow of energy we call "life."

Here at this place of beginning I am reminded of the timeless. I am reminded of the boundary between the now and forever and our everyday social reality. This river is where the maiden Sionann devoured the "salmon" of wisdom and then dissolved into this great river. It is a place of magic and mystery.

Rivers flow. They are feminine. They are powerful beyond measure. They do not force but find a way past any resistance. They are eternal. Yet, they come and go. You cannot ever say where a river truly begins. Is it in the raindrop? Is it the cloud above the ocean? Is it the dew upon the grass? Is the ice cap of the Antarctic?

Hermann Hesse in his wonderful book Siddhartha tells us that Siddhartha Gautama became enlightened when sitting contemplating a river. Rivers are like life ? they have no beginning and end. You cannot hold them. The life of a river is in this flow to the sea and its' return.

The Shannon Pot is a physical place but in truth it is not the source of the River Shannon. Our bodies are a physical reality but they are not the source of our being. Like a river, our bodies are a flow. Like a river, they are mostly a flow of water. Water is the symbol of our feeling energy.

Like a river, we sometimes hit rough water. Our fixed ideas are the boulders that block the free flow of our feeling energy. We all have boulders in our Pandora's box of "bad thoughts." Some are big and some are small. Some are so huge that we dam our energy and we become damned. We block our life force and we become dis-eased.

When this happens we need to return to the source. We need to return from the exile of our feeling selves and go home to the homeplace of our heart. We have to stop trying to make the river contained. She has power beyond our limited knowledge. She is contained in the wisdom of your body and when you allow her to flow you let the healing begin.

A very dear friend is currently feeling stuck. When he wisely returned to one of his sources, she told him to make a beginning. First, he was to turn off the television for one week. Second, he was to go to the sea.

When he is at the sea he will be at a place where the end and the beginning meet. The river flows to the sea and turns towards the sky. The clouds pass over mountains and fall upon the land. This water flows to pools, streams and rivers in a cycle of forever becoming.

Return from exile. Come home to your "being." This is your true source and what we call in Ireland "The Homeplace." This homecoming will be a delight to your heart.

May the river of your life flow with blessing for you, your family and friends, so allowing the return to the source of all love. This is God. This is the Beloved. Yet it is beyond all labels and words. This is the dance of life, ever becoming everlasting. No beginning. No end. Only the ever present flow of now.

Tony Cuckson is an Anam Cara. This Celtic term means "Soul Friend." He specializes in providing insight for the spiritual journey, Blessings for YOU, words of wisdom and finding inner peace. Visitors to Irish Blessings Matter website and Tony's Blog get the opportunity to develop a purpose driven life through articles, newsletters and other programs.

Get your free report called "7 ways to it's a wonderful life" at http://www.irishblessingsmatter.com/, or go to Tony`s Blog at http://www.irishblessingsmatter.info/ where you will find links to information related to spiritual parenting, spiritual coaching and spirit in business.

---

Getting Your Feelings Down on Paper

Journal ExpressionsIf you haven't already done so, please start keeping... Read More

Jesus The Great Comforter! When Life is not fair!

We see it all the time in people's lives some... Read More

The Traitor Within

Life is like an obstacle course in which we run... Read More

God Lives and Heals Today

I have a confession.I used to have doubts about God's... Read More

Angel Connection ? How the Angelic Realm is Interacting with Humanity at this Historic Time

Angels, those divine beings of love and light, are here... Read More

The Shamanic Approach to Healing for Animals

On Shamans and Shamanism ... Shaman, a Tungus (Siberian) word,... Read More

Is The Person You Think About The Most Missing Gods Point?

Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus said unto him, "Thou shalt love the... Read More

Abandon Religion

Why Abandon Religion?It is so commonly believed today that religion... Read More

Do You Have Hot Buttons?

You may ask, "What are hot buttons anyway?"Hot buttons are... Read More

Spiritual Clarity

Who is the more spiritual person? The woman out on... Read More

If I Were Satan: Medicine and Faith From Hell

If you were Satan and your goal is to destroy... Read More

Esoteric Sexual Secrets

AN ARISTOCRATIC UPBRINGING:There are many people who write about sex... Read More

The Gratitude Toll

I very often see rants, complaints, wishes and dreams that... Read More

Selfishness is a True Declaration of Lifes Purpose

In your quest for enlightenment, always ask what's in it... Read More

What Does It Mean To Hear Gods Voice?

Excerpt from The Journey That Never Was: a guide to... Read More

Reasons to Fast and Pray

Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the... Read More

We Fall Down -- But We Get Up

When I first heard Donnie McClurkin's song, "We Fall Down... Read More

Dimensional Shifts

"Spirit is beyond the void of space. This realm, beyond... Read More

How Long, O Lord? A Meditation on Habakkuk

In Habakkuk, the prophet cries out in a lament complaint... Read More

A Celebration of Life

As human beings it is inherent to want to self-actualize... Read More

Creating a Support System That Will Change Your Life

Chaos: "complete confusion" and "the formless void before the creation... Read More

A Crash Course in Tarot for Newbies #2: All About Tarot Decks

If you would like to learn to read tarot cards,... Read More

Thinking Out Loud (Answers) Part two of a two part series

(Channeled) Spirituality is about everyday life, which includes getting up... Read More

Coming to Jesus

2 Corinthians 6:17-6:17For God so loved the world, that He... Read More

Spirit to Spirit: A Letter to My Friend

Good morning beloved,I always feel a need to let people... Read More

How Old Are You?

Some of us might hear from time to time that... Read More

How to be Led by the Spirit of God

The Bible tells us that we need to be led... Read More

Hold On!

Job was a spiritual man who loved and obeyed God... Read More

Let Go and Let God

As a child growing up, whenever I was worried about... Read More

The Spirituality of Pigeons!

I was walking down the street the other day, walking... Read More

Animal Totems - Accept the Gifts They Have To Offer You

You can think of your Animal Totems as imaginary guides... Read More

Good News from Mars (Part 1)

Those of us, who are familiar with Apostle Paul's sermon... Read More

Unfinished Woman

I'm at that place in life many refer to as... Read More