Most every day I take a walk through the piñon-juniper forest surrounding my house. On today’s journey, I relish the quiet. Finches chirp and flit among the treetops, puffy clouds skate across the broad sky, and the azure Sandia Mountains stand tall in the distance.
As I pass some horse stables, where the air smells beer-like from the manure, a dog races over a hill straight toward me. He is mid-sized with a blue-merle coat. Head down, hackles raised, tail flagging, he means business. My heart pounds and my palms become damp. Immediately I call on the Beloved and hold my hand up in front of me like a traffic cop signaling “stop.” The dog pauses, paces sideways and growls.
Through the years of my spiritual path I have learned to use my mantra as a means to ward off attacks, whether from animals or people. In dreams, a simple uttering of my Beloved’s name dismantles all adversity. Similarly, in my waking life, if a colleague, family member or neighbor comes at me with anger and I chant my mantra, the situation diffuses. Either love come in and calms all or the person suddenly hangs up the phone or leaves.
I am protected.
Today, however, the dog stays. I keep my hand up while I silently chant. He circles me, bears his fangs. He backs off, lunges at me. I yell for an owner to call him away but no one answers. I walk backwards, my front always toward him. He circles again, and again I chant my mantra.
For an instant I consider that he actually might bite me. The image crosses my screen—torn flesh, blood, pain. A tremor of fear runs through my body.
I have to take more extreme measures, I realize. Without even making a decision, I suddenly envision myself as the Beloved. My posture straightens so that I feel over six feet tall. My being settles into a state of loving strength.
Within seconds, the dog’s tail lowers. The fury in his eyes softens. He turns and slinks away, his back curved in submission.
I’m astonished as I continue to walk, glancing back every few steps. His eyes track me, but now he stays lower to the ground, making his way over the hill from where he came.
It occurs to me that these days my lessons are like this. Where once it was enough to simply call for help, now I am asked to be the help, to own my true power, to wear it, walk within it, live it. (To read more about this, check out We Are Gladiators.)
When I return home, I recognize that for much of the day I have been under attack, not from a dog, but from myself. Since my recent health challenge I have chosen to relax more, to rely on the Beloved. But this day, my mind has its own agenda. It wants me at my computer, writing, editing and corresponding. Rather than stand up to this force, I’ve avoided it, hoping the pushy, biting vibration would leave.
Of course the dog manifested as that vibration in physical form.
Once I recognize its more subtle presence within, I call on the Beloved and chant my mantra. The dark force growls just as loudly as did the dog. It does not want to leave. In its presence, my heart beats fast. Still, for a half hour, I stand tall before it and own my Beloved strength.
Suddenly, it disappears over some inner hill.
I move into a state of pure love. I know that all comes from the Divine power, not from my little efforts in the material plane.
I am all the power of all creation. Any time I own It, I am It.
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Again, beautiful, Lesley. We can’t let those fears of attacks keep us from the adventure of our true lives. God is with us! Your strength is always an inspiration! Blessings to you!
Thank you, Sherida. It’s great to “see” you. And you are so right. Fear has no power in the presence of the Divine.
What a powerful, head-on message, Lesley. Your levels of bravery seem to know no bounds. Your life may appear as rather normal, but your interpretation of your life is almost overwhelming as we, your readers, realize that our own lives are also stacked with beautiful lessons in this “dream” we have created. To me THAT is the inspiration your blog offers. Your writing is so clear and lovely, and the message so poignant — that eventually we all need to “grow a set of horns” and fight our battles bravely as we become what we need to be in the moment. What a beautiful and worthy challenge. Gratefully, we always have Help. Thank you so much for this post.
Beautifully said, Rudy. Our lives really can keep us completely entertained with all they offer as inspiration, as long as we do grow those horns and wield them. Your contribution to this blog always adds bold new dimension. Thank you!
Winner! Well said, Lesley! Gosh, what a remarkable incident on what started to be a lovely nature stroll. To “BE” the Beloved is difficult, if not impossible for me. I remember the Sat Guru saying, many moons ago, that FEAR is our greatest teacher. Why, I wondered and still wonder? To be in a situation where one’s physical existence is acutely threatened triggers a whole bunch of physical/emotional/mental reactions…none of them very pretty! All of them poignantly uncomfortable! Aren’t these experiences the ones that stimulate us to GO TO HIM…urgently? Of course they do!! And we see His Grace and Protection like never before, do we not? Thanks for sharing your “stroll with the Master” with us, Lesley. I have had many, many types of fear visit me and the net result has always been that my mind (out of necessity) calls for help pointedly and repeatedly. This is good! That you were flooded with the Love and remembrance it takes to “become the Beloved” is absolutely priceless.
Thank you, Al. I have to say that fear has been a very prominent emotion on my journey Home. Over time I have come to see how absent the emotion is, or how little power it has, when I remain in the present moment. Coming to know that the material world is but a reflective illusion over which, with the Beloved, I have power, has helped greatly to ease it. I appreciate your priceless observations.
You are a fund of inspiration and wisdom, Lesley! I exist in quicksand, from crown to toe! But I hold tenaciously to His Rope and everything is more than OK. The knowledge of the “illusion” is not a help to me at all. Rather, the irony of existence here is exacerbated by this wisdom, which leaves me flummoxed. What IS all-important to me is the constant Grace and Protection afforded me, without me asking for it…this, to me, is the priceless treasure of having been taken into the custodianship of the Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent One we know as our Master. Blessed are we on our individual journeys inward. Blessed are we with our numbered pursuits outwardly.
So true, Al. I am coming to rely more and more on grace. Thank you for the beautiful reminder for the day. I will hold close to it.
Lesley this post is beautifully articulated. It parallels my journey which is no surprise.
Purusha
Out manifests
With
Every
Revelation
Keep Loving Big dear friend.
I love it, Karina. Power = Purusha. That is fantastic. Thank you, dear soul, for journeying with me.
WOW…I will be re-reading & contemplating this for a while ! But wanted to acknowledge this remarkable journey you so vividly addressed….thank you Lesley for your writings, sharing your journeys with us all…& the insights ….”Being” is so much effort & at the same time natural & effortless.(..where have we heard this before ?!!!)
<3
So true, Susan, and thank you right back for sharing your journey with me. What you say about effort is completely true. The mind thinks “being” is hard, but once it does it, nothing could be easier.
Another beautiful piece….no slumps or lulls in your writing, my my my…what is your secret? 🙂 <3
No secret really, It Is always all over your writing and your self as well…The Beloved.
This experience with the dog is so all encompassing in many ways. Out of the blue and as Al wrote "while taking a nature stroll" So true how these things can come to us and one has to be alert and prepped with where one is to take it, for you never know when these things will occur. However The Beloved is more instantaneous than a breath of air.
Once again thank you for sharing this loving experience through you, I am sure it is synonomous with what others go through and will pass through as well.
En sus brazos descansamos como los ninos que somos.
Much Love…:-) <3
Logan, my lessons these days seem to be most about as you say, being “more instantaneous than a breath of air.” When I stay in the present moment I am poised to meet encounters such as this and to easily out-create them. We are so fortunate to have our Beloved to keep showing us how.
Leslie,
This writing struck such a cord, it resonates with me so deeply. I looked up the word resonates and this is what it said:
“Produce or be filled with a deep, full, reverberating sound”. I could only smile!
What a trip, I love it!!!!! Thank you for being such a beautiful channel of the Beloved!
Sherri
Thank you for that definition, Sherri. That is really something to contemplate. That is the true “us”: a deep, feel, reverberating sound.
Lesley, thank you for sharing your powerful experience and the contemplation surrounding it. It takes a great centered presence to be able to stay calm in such a situation. I remember what the Master told us about experiences like this in dreams where we are being chased or confronted. He instructed us to turn and face the force that is confronting us and ask what it wants from you. Once you stand in the fullness of your being, and can accept and embrace it’s message, the danger evaporates. It was a beautiful test that you passed with flying colors. The part of your experience that inspires me greatly, was your ability to reinvent your response in the moment, to the point of actually becoming one with the Beloved and becoming the protector, the strength, the love and the knowingness that all was in divine order. This message is very timely for me and so helpful to my journey. Thank you again Lesley for being such a perfect servant and loving channel. Much love to you.
What you write is lovely, Jamie. Again and again I am offered the opportunity to see the illusions evaporate, as I know my other companions in spirit do as well. Truly these lower worlds are a game that, with the right tools and the help of the Beloved, we can master. Thank you for the wonderful reminder.
Your sharing of parallel experiences is not a coincident. As devotees of this Path, our awareness to messages come from the most amazing places…and your writings and connection are in that category. My heart and soul “smile” when I see a new story from you:)
I’m happy to hear that, Deb. Thank you for the encouragement. I so enjoyed seeing you in Phoenix!
Lesley, thank you for sharing your profound and inspiring experience. Reading it directs me back to my own center and remembrance of the Beloved. May I remember your powerful message the next time I feel “under attack”.
Many blessings,
Marian
Wonderful example of following the Beloved’s directive to “be bigger,” and to be the ideal. I often image the Beloved with me, or, like you described, use my mantra to center myself, or image myself as the love, but this is now a new approach, to be the Beloved. YES!
Thank you!
Thank you, Beloved.
Lesley reading your post this morning, first was a recognition of all that you have taught us in your writing class, you used everything I learned from you in this story and it was like a revelation to me that I know I can write like that now because of your incredible teaching! Thank you! Then, goose bumps came to my arms as I was there with you in this confrontation with this aggressive dog! My first thought was Lesley, you don’t carry a weapon with you to protect you! I even felt a bit of anger because you would let yourself be a victim in this situation. Now you know that is my background to fight any aggression with a counter attach! That is something the Master is working with me on, but the way you used the Master first and then YOUR own Love Power and Wisdom in this encounter with the dog and his reaction to it, just taught me an incredible lesson my friend! This was a masterful piece of writing and channeling of the Divine! Grazie tante!
Thank you, Michael. How interesting that your own fighting nature came out through this. I used to carry pepper spray on my walks, but when I moved out to where I currently live I stopped because all I usually encounter are rabbits, coyotes and horses, occasionally a human. After this experience I began picking up a stick to carry as I passed those stables but the dog has not come out again. I’m happy to be so awake to what’s around me in every moment. That is how we are to live. Always ready, with the Beloved, to handle what comes.
Thank you lovely for your courage to be in the front of the battle fields…….Inspire away Love hound!!
So beautiful this inner transformation. Thank you dear one for your strength and courage in his name and for sharing your gift in telling it. So much love to you.
Thank you all for your kind comments. It seems many of us are in the process of “owning our power.” Seeing you do this in your lives helps me do it in mine. I’m thrilled that we get to travel this wild road together.