How to Approach the Divine

Wow! I’m back after an amazing 2 weeks in New Mexico with one of the most amazing men I’ve ever had the honor to meet, Martin Prechtel.

Every 6 months, I get to go off the grid and drop deep into the magic that unfolds in his school, Bolad’s Kitchen.

And while I’ve continually felt that the mysteries and rich tapestries of indigenous origins that Martin weaves together with us is an absolutely lovely layer that expands and magnifies my work in the world, I was really amazed to see how much overlap there was in our last session together.

One of the biggest pieces that we focused on this past time was approach. What does that mean exactly?

Check out this week’s inspiration here to get the scoop.

From my perspective, everything comes down to relationship. How we relate to ourselves, our loved ones, the elements that keep us alive, and the Holy.

And I’ve found that as I refine how I relate to myself and the Holy, the effects tend to echo out and impacts all other relationships in my life.

In the beginning of all relationships and all interactions, there is the time in which we approach with a desire. What desire we hold in our hearts, and how we make that connection is the foundation for how that relationship and that interaction will unfold.

If someone comes to me with a sense of entitlement, I’m not very likely to open up my treasure trove of wisdom and kindness for them. If someone comes to me with flowery words to stroke my ego and a self-serving agenda, I’m likely to smile, grit my teeth, and say “no thank you.” If, however, someone comes to me with an open heart and a recognition that connection is a gift, not a right, and demonstrates in some way that they really see me and my offerings with respect and gratitude, then I am likely to flood them with all I’ve got to give.

I don’t think the Holy is any different. Constant requests for help, forgetting to say thank you, forgetting to say please, or forgetting altogether that to be in communion with Divine Source is the ultimate offering are great ways to get a not so generous response from the elements we are invoking to help us with our limited ways as human beings.

There is no way I could or would attempt to teach the methods of approach that Martin so graciously unfolds for us, but I can share with you what it has looked like in my life.

I’ve mentioned this before, recently, but emptying out first, before barging in on any sort of connection with someone is key. To approach anyone we honor, it’s a good idea to empty out of our own desires, needs, stories and projections so we can be present and listen.

Tuning in, listening, allowing resonance to happen is next. Starting to simply be aware of who this “other” is we want to engage with.

Then we want to ask “do I have your permission to take part in your experience?” WIth the Holy, I’ve never gotten a “no,” but I do feel the difference between plopping down on my meditation cushion at my altar with a busy mind and an agenda, instead of consciously entering into that space with the recognition that the Divine is there, more potent than any king or queen, and my internal and external noise and static impact the way in which I connect in. I’ve found that the Divine has infinite patience and compassion, but my experience is enhanced when I take a moment of conscious attunement to respectfully approach the deeper realms of awareness.

I’ve had the same experience with sacred instruments, like my didjeridoo. if I just pick it up and try to start to play, it is awkward and feels clumsy, but if I pick him up as I would a delicate and precious sentient being, take a moment to say “hello,” and just be with him, then start to breathe into him, and then slowly allow my attuned breath and energetic flow to move through, the sounds are elegant, beautiful and beyond my personal abilities because i have honored the magnificence of this magical being, rather than treating him like an object that is at my beck and call.

As one final note, I’ll add a quote from a dear brother, Jeff Wright, who is the backbone of Medicine Path Native American Church. He says “How do we keep something sacred? We treat it in a good way.” And for me, the way of approach is the first, and key step to starting a relationship that immediately invokes the Holy and invites a deeper experience than is possible when we forget to ask permission.

Well, I hope that landed well with you. I continue to forget, then remember, then forget again, and then remember again on deeper and deeper levels. It takes practice, but it’s oh so worth it!

Give it a shot and tell me what your experience is. Do you notice a difference between interactions as usual and taking a moment to follow the steps I’ve offered above? Leave your comments in the comments section below.

Until next week, may the Goddess be with you.
xo & <3