Please enjoy this guest post by my friend Logan Jo’el.
Cellmates
See them?
Many have come, many have gone, yet among them we are.
Curse them today, bless them tomorrow
Still amongst you are they.
Don’t run away from or despise them
Hold them too tightly they may slip away from your grasp.
Our Beloved placed them on our chessboard.
Move a few squares away and they may follow
Maybe not now but a surprise awaits on the other side. . .
Get too close and away they go
And here we go again.
See them. . .your cellmates?
They too as you have,
Carry anger, fear, and are in pain.
Silently they cry where the Beloved only sees them.
Can you love them as such?
Drop your baggage for a moment
To understand you have been placed
Where they may need you
And where you need yourself.
Curse them today and you curse the Beloved.
Bless them and you understand why you are,
You are love eternal.
Understand dear, the cell afflicts all, no matter who they may be.
If another pains you while in this correctional facility
Remember we have been here for ages.
Somewhere along the way,
Whether we wish to see it or not we inflicted the same.
When we can see this
We are closer to parole.
When we can love our cellmates,
When we can forgive the carnage,
The illusion we have weaved out of separation,
When we finally find the courage to accept His Love
We become freedom
Gentle
Easy
Peace.
See them. . .your cellmates?
They may not see the Beloved today
But they see soul’s Promise in you.
Logan Jo’el works in tech support, where he gets to “connect to people through voice.” He lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with his Bulgarian wife and their daughter. In 2000, he became a student of MasterPath under the tutelage of Sri Gary Olsen. Of this he says, “I could resonate with the Light and Sound teachings as expressed in MasterPath (www.masterpath.org) because I finally felt with all my heart I was where I needed to be. What drives and inspires me? Love!”
Photo: istock
Thank you, Lesley and Logan. This is delicious frosting to my morning contemplation cake. Forgiveness is such a basic key to happiness, and recognition that “they” are “us” adds a new dimension to it — a rounded sense that we are all the same, with needs, wants and a desire for fulfilling love. And we affect one another, whether or not we believe it or even want it. May this always be delivered as a message of acceptance, understanding and love. Your poetry is a gift, Logan. Thank you for its effect upon me.
So true, Rudy, the more I contemplate this poem, the more I feel my heart soften and expand into a oneness in which the Beloved is completely in charge. We keep our attention on Him rather than the weaknesses of those around us, and all ascends with us.
Thank you Lesley for sharing Logan’s beautiful poem. It is so true that we all share the “illusion of separation” until we choose to accept His love. I have seen a miracle happening with my mom recently who has always been easily angered and annoyed. She is the primary caretaker for my dad who has had Parkinson’s for 14 years. She is recently starting to view her husband with more love, realizing that he is not trying to make her life more difficult, it’s just the progression of the disease. She is starting to do a reset each morning, letting go of the burdens of yesterday and choosing to be thankful for the time she has left with her husband. This is so beautiful! If we could all move into the love, even the most difficult experiences would engender gratitude, peace, compassion and tenderness. We are all cellmates on our own sacred journeys. As Hafiz says “There is no one in this world who is not looking for God. Everyone is trudging along with as much dignity, courage and style as the possibly can.”
Wow, Jamie, thank you for this beautiful share. What a reflection your mother’s growing love is of your expansion into the great Love. That quote is wonderful!
Such a wonderful reminder..Thank you
Saints have unanimously declared that this world is a priison. We need to find the way out and this defines a true seeker.
So true, Al. It is such a relief to have found the great Jail-breaker and be headed up the tunnel leading to freedom.
Thank you Logan, this is so profound I find myself wanting to read it over and over. I love the chess game analogy. ‘Bless them and you understand why you are’ I needed to hear that today. Thank you! and thank you for sharing Lesley.
I’d like to thank everyone for their appreciation of this poem. The inspiration for the poem came in a frozen moment with The Beloved. I was with my immediate family, having a drink on my brother’s entry porch, while observing each person cross by and bump into one another in the small porch hallway trying to get by. They were all happy however and not in a mad rush to get to their destinations, in the brief moment I saw the Divine at work and the word cellmates came to me followed by the flow of a poem in my head. I started a draft that night or the next morning, memory is not too sure but that’s okay. Then it just continued to flow with so many variations in view. The Beloved continually expands our view in each recognition of surrender In Love.
Thank you Lesley for posting this, my heartfelt desire is that it may assist whoever may need the words in the moment.
Thank you, Logan. It is an inspiration to hear that this love flowed through while you were with your family. So often those closest to us generate our most challenging lessons, and it is heartwarming to know that the opposite can be true as well; those who are closest to us truly can be great catalysts for our unfoldment. I am always grateful for the kindness and inclusivity you demonstrate so that I can learn to love more deeply.
Excellent imagery. Much appreciated. I too often suffer from mind’s tendency towards arrogance, I will use this image often to remind myself of where my lower bodies abide and Who Abides with me and on Whom I Rely that I may be Happy Joyous and Free while still seemingly imprisoned. Instead of looking thru the bars of my cell, I will see thru the prism of the Ideal
Blessings all!