I M Perfect lady

I have been reading about the two kinds of relationships; Friendship vs Spiritual Partnership.  The difference is quite vast. One skims the surface and wants you to remain unruffled…the other dives deep and celebrates when your life is in turmoil, knowing you are in the midst of a great lesson.

I hadn't considered the overall sentiments that separated me from my family and old friends as being a completely new way in which I now operated. It wasn't the simple facts of seeing things differently, but rather being different.

Here is what Gary Zukav writes about in Spiritual Partnership, The Journey to Authentic Power.

"Spiritual partners do not seek allies to change circumstances (external power), but fellow travelers on the journey toward wholeness (authentic power).  Courage, integrity, and commitment to their own spiritual growth attract them to one another and keep them together.  They trust one another enough to explore their fear and love together.  They are brave enough to probe the depths of intimacy.  Multisensory perception gives spiritual partners an impersonal perspective of themselves and their interactions.  They no longer see their relationships as means of masking pain but as vehicles to explore and heal the causes of it.  The limitations of friendship confine them. They want more than company and security. They want to grow spiritually, to heal the frightened parts of their personalities and cultivate the loving parts. They are not content with controlling their anger in order to keep their relationship together, much less allowing it to devastate their relationships and aspirations. they intend to locate and remove the source of it within themselves. For example, when friends have a painful disagreement, each believes that the other causes her pain and that if only she can get away from the other, she will be happy again.  Spiritual partners know that others do not "create my pain" but trigger sources of it within themselves (frightened parts of their personalities) that existed prior to their disagreement and, in fact, prior to their partnership.  Instead of blaming one another for painful experiences, such as anger, sadness, and feelings of inadequacy, spiritual partners see one another as colleagues in spiritual growth who activate frightened and loving parts of one another's personalities so that each can heal the frightened parts of his or her own personality and cultivate the loving parts."

"The bond between spiritual partners is as real as the bond between mature friends, but for significantly different reasons. Friends seek support from one another when they are buffeted by the winds. Spiritual partners want to know where the winds come from.  Friends want to contain the fire. Spiritual partners intend to put it out.  Friends bond to ease the journey.  Spiritual partners bond to grow spiritually. Friends fear painful interactions.  Spiritual partners take responsibility for their experience and use them to learn about themselves. Friends don't rock the boat.  Spiritual partners love to swim.  Friends construct comfort zones.  Spiritual partners align their personalities with their souls."  Gary Zukav

Maybe it is when your life falls apart that you then seek spiritual partnerships.  The exact difference he describes is where I parted ways with my family.  I truly was not interested in "company and security" when all hell was breaking loose.  I wanted to know how I had gotten so far off the mark.  And in seeking more of myself, I naturally was drawn to authors who understood this journey inward.

So I then naturally was repelled away from Friends and was now drawn to those who were on a spiritual journey.

It doesn't take me too long to sort out those who are not willing to have their boats rocked and those who enjoy swimming…

Even though it feels personal, it isn't really so.  We are either drawn to Friends or Spiritual Partners…I thoroughly enjoy traveling with folks who are learning how to be authentic.

A quilt that I layed out yesterday…The fabric was hand dyed a few years ago.  I am trying to do a Dancing Lady!