Dear Aspirant,

Perhaps you remember the first time you encountered your own indirectness? I do. I was sitting in a pub in London. It had been fun to walk to the pub with my friend and have a beer and snack but it was now super noisy and the fun had faded for me. And the smoke was really getting to me – cigarettes inside, remember those days?

So I asked my friend if they weren’t a bit jet-lagged and overwhelmed. Not at all, they replied, they were still having a great time – they weren’t at all bothered by the noise and were also capable of drinking a lot more beer than I can.

So I sat on for a bit and something unusual happened. The pub might seem a strange place for an Aha, but I was having one. My indirectness left me faced with a dilemma. Suffer or be direct.

It’s not that I’d never stood in front of this issue before – this was the 90s and I’d noticed this much earlier in my life of course. However, I’d more or less continued on as I was. Directness was still fairly sporadic for me. Like you perhaps. But now, in this noisy pub, things seemed to be adding up in a new way.

I saw this habit of indirectness anew. Many instances of it flashed before my eyes – it was a mini life review. I was feeling in me all the whys of it and the consequences. I was understanding how it worked and feeling the energetic drain of getting my needs met by projecting them on others.

You’re likely to agree that I’ve not been alone in this. It’s a part of early human training for many people unfortunately. Sadly, it keeps us from knowing ourselves more fully, except through projection. It doesn’t lead to deep personal intimacy.

I started something new there, in that pub. I told my friend I was going back to the hotel. I didn’t equivocate or explain or ask permission. I didn’t slip out unnoticed and without a word either… an old trick of indirectness. I just said I was ready to leave and I’d be back at the hotel unless I went for a wander first.

My friend enjoyed the social atmosphere quite a bit longer. They probably had more fun without me to tend to. I ended up meeting some lovely locals on a bench in the square. I had a great chat with them, picking up local lore. We were joined by a couple from Tasmania and were soon our own little social experience. This smaller, shorter and less overwhelming experience suited my preferences so much more. I loved it. It wouldn’t have happened if I’d kept mum and suffered through the smoke and noise.

I began from that time to make a greater effort to ask myself to be more direct. Which turned out to be VCool, of course, because more and more of my needs were now possible to satisfy. It’s such a relief to start to get better at this. Sometimes I still lapse though. It’s an old human habit, isn’t it?

I’ve been thinking about this lately because in my time in more Southern states I’ve had a question: is indirectness part of proper southern etiquette? I think directness might be considered… well… not quite right. It seems to make you stand out, in the wrong way.

So I’m musing into this again, thinking about that balance. It’s interesting to contemplate. And a good reminder for us all possibly, since so many of us are deeply trained to defer. It’s a practice – directness can be more of a path or a practice than a destination.

Occasionally I still envy people whose nature, or up-bringing, or astrology – or whatever – has made them very direct – or dare I say – even blunt, heaven forbid. I know that has it’s own challenges but mostly I see it’s advantages and greater freedom. And I aspire, I continue to aspire.

There are times though when bluntness just pops right out of my mouth, unedited. It always raises my own eyebrows. It takes me by surprise. It feels good, empowering. My mind often comes in later to regret it though, nervous and second-guessing… was it too much?

Some of you know what I mean. But I don’t pay that much attention to that anymore. The mind can be a nutter at times and it’s best put in timeout when that happens.

Aging helps, I’m glad to report- it gives more permission. For me anyway I more and more often have a feeling of simply not having time for self-abdication and other such nonsense any more. I’m glad for that. In fact, I’m celebrating that today. Here’s to being more and more directly who we really are. Life can serve us soOoo much better when we follow the Direct signs.

More directly yours,
~ Mayet Leilani

Dear Lightcarrier,

Life is this simple: we are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and the divine is shining through it all the time. This is not just a nice story or fable, it is true.
~ Thomas Merton

I was struck by this quote from the American monastic and mystic, Thomas Merton. He speaks to what is true, what can actually be known not just believed in. He speaks of the Light that flows through all of life without any exception, including us.

This concept may feel abstract but it is not only real, it is practical, useful. Light teases greater love, more gratitude, more kindness, peace, beauty, wisdom into our ways of thinking and reacting and creating within our lives. That’s what it does. That is the promise of the Light.

When there is a problem at work, we can focus on the light of our inner Presence more than the problem, allowing it to soften us and others. It then creates unexpected solutions in the situation. Doing this myself, I am always amazed at how solutions find their way into things.

When there are difficulties with friends or family, staying centered on Presence stops the tendency to loop, to say things we regret, or to get attached to the story. That Light-filled Presence is what helps us stay in the present too, instead of getting caught in the patterns and stories from the past.

The power of our own Light helps us speak more authentically even when it’s very difficult. It facilitates coherence, making it easier to communicate, to care, to work things through in us and with others.

When troubled, turning first to my Light leads me through with less effort and more wisdom. It finds the best way to move forward, regardless of what is there. This is part of the promise of the Light. The grace of the Light within is an unparalleled life coach.

When there is the level of uncertainty we face now, Merton’s words also tell me this: life IS transparent. It is not the story it currently appears to be. When we look through the layers, we see the transparency of it all and the Light illuminates the safest and best path through.

This is something good to remember, isn’t it, as we navigate our often stormy seas now? It feels timely to bring our hearts and minds back to who we really are at a time when it is easy to fear for our security in all the uncertainty. The Light we carry contains healing balm and is an antidote to these times. Keeping a focus there, it can work its magic in our lives.

From within the Light we share, I’m sending love,

~ ♥️ Mayet Leilani

Beloved Ones,

It is currently a bumpy road and most of you are feeling this in various ways. Yes, it is buckle-up time, as some of you say. But we wish to say that you have come through much in your lives – from personal to financial crises to even a pandemic – and you have not only survived but you have grown and thrived.

Let us reassure you that you will do the same with whatever is ahead. We wish to offer four guidelines to assist you as you move forward. We will give you a list, if we may.

Remember, first and foremost that there is greater wisdom and ease in the Light you carry. Focus more on your Light than any of the many scary stories at hand. There is miracle in this.

Second, you need one another. Share resources such as your love and wisdom and your hope. Support one another. Reach out to friends and family. Keep your conversations to what matters, not on the scary stories.

Speak of the love and care you have for one another, encourage one another, share your humor, speak of your hopes and dreams for the world. Be vigilant in doing this, we cannot emphasize it enough. It is how your world is formed.

Either you will create more firmly the scary stories in the world, or you will more firmly anchor into physical form the better world you know it is meant to be. Which do you think you are here for, Lightcarrier? Take this seriously, please.

Third, bring your energetic gifs into service to balance the world. We suggest that you do this by creating an altar to the four directions in your home. It can be small or large. Anchor the East, West, South and North. Place something on the altar for each of the elements of earth, air, fire, water and ether.

Call forth the great Masters of the 4 directions. Offer prayers of gratitude to Gaia, speak your intentions for your world, and create an energetic geometry that is balancing, stabilizing. You may use the 5-pointed star, or the flower of life, or 4 pillars of light or the yin yang symbol. There are many ways to do this, be creative and follow your own guidance but call for balance and stability to prevail.

Use sound to create coherence and greater harmony especially between factions that are widely divided in humanity – call for cooperation, create a middle ground. Work with this altar daily, if only by lighting the central candle and saying a prayer.

Fourth, resist lethargy, indecision, depression and so forth. To combat these, we suggest one simple but unusual antidote. Anytime your mind clouds, is fuzzy, or your energy bottoms out, or your mood plummets, rest in the Light of your being for 5 minutes and then rise to a task whether you feel like it or not.

For your task, we especially suggest that you clear and reorganize your dwelling places. Move furniture, dispose of piles, clean closets, do a little filing. What is old and has built up untended in your homes are like energy traps for the confusion and heaviness that abounds in the world. It may seem an odd solution but if you will heed us on this matter you will find yourselves oddly lifted out of the miasma that is being pressed upon humanity at this time.

There is more you can do to assist both your own persons and others, Lightcarrier, but these 4 things are good places to focus. Beyond that, follow your guidance and you will be inspired.

Remember, these speed bumps (and this is a very apt term, we might add) were known to you. They are part of why you came. You are well prepared to deal with them and to assist those in your own circles to do the same. Be the Light you came to be.