June 2008 - You are a wind chime, not a ladder.

You are a wind chime, not a ladder.

I just love inspiration. It shows up in wonderful ways. Usually, for me it is inspired by an “a-ha” moment from a client or through the guidance that comes through me for another. Either way, I feel to be an observer in a wonderful unfolding of truth and forward momentum.

A client came to me recently and observed in a Reiki session that she finally saw how in personal relationships there is no “order” in which we come in, we simply are all together, each doing our own thing, no one person ahead of the other. She clearly saw that it does not go “God”, then a little lower down there is “Mom”, then lower still “herself.” She understood that we are all connected to the greater source with no one person in between herself and that connection, regardless of any age of any person.

The mistaken identity is as if on a ladder with our highest Spiritual source being the highest rung on a ladder and with no other room to go but up or down on any ladder, we must be lower. And lower must mean that since our parents have arrived before us, they must be higher on the rungs than ourselves. Not so. Just as my client had her “a-ha” moment realizing that her Mom was not higher on the ladder than she, so did she realize her personal place and connection was not lower than anyone else. Self-value and worth is not measured by where one is on a ladder that does not exist.

We are not ladders. We are like wind chimes. We are all wonderfully connected to that sturdy base at the top, each able to make our own individual sound, made out of a particular material. And when we are all working together – the beauty of the gentle song is hypnotically soothing. It brings peace. I have a lovely wind chime that has a particular tonal quality that most of my clients comment on – I love it and thank it every time I hear it with a smile from my heart.

I have thought of the different types of wind chimes available. There are those that are small, large and somewhere in between. There are different kinds and grades of metal, some of wood, copper, or plastic, and made of regular metal pipes (those have a clunk sound, by the way). What if we were part of huge wind chime called Family? And some of our family members were, in our humble opinions, made out of the “wrong” material?

What if you were made out of the wonderful resonating perfect metal that just sang when struck by the hammer in the middle. And how you do love to sing, right? And next to you is your sibling made out of bamboo. Their sound is mellower and does not linger in resonance like you do. Or how about one of your parents made out of a hard metal pipe with a clunk sound that attracts attention in “loud” ways and feels somehow harsh to you. And the other parent is made out of plastic, with a non-resonance way of ignoring the point of the wind chime. Or how about the flashy aunt, uncle or cousin made out of the flamboyant bling of a tube, solely there for looks, not to sing. Boy, our opinions can really make this wind chime seem like a clunky, clanky bundle.

Let’s view this bundle on the system of the ladder. Imagine the harsh metal pipe and insipid plastic tube above us as our parents, along with the showy bling tube of an aunt or uncle a few rungs above and don’t forget the bamboo sibling in there somewhere (either up or down from us), we’d feel trapped by the thought of “Why are they above me? I’m the one who’s singing!” If we come into this life feeling we are on a ladder with others above us and thank goodness we are not any lower – OR as someone approaches, we are too fearful to go upward, we let others go by us claiming our rung higher up, this ladder is not going to be very fun for very long. This can appear not only as our parents above us, but as figures of certain authority; those who have been given the place of perceived value in shaping our Spiritual beings, like those in a clergy or teachers or whomever. I remember the first time I told a person that I held in a position of authority that I was taking them off “the pedestal”. Their response was, “you should have done that a long time ago.”

Do you see the importance in this? Ultimately, those who evolve to a point of really understanding that we are not rungs on a ladder will see the joy of being connected individually to the wind chime base of life and will sing regardless of the other the tubes or pipes. We all make music. We all sing. Sometimes it sounds a bit strange when combined, but it doesn’t matter, the sound is meant to carry on the wind. And that is the most important part. And the beauty of wind chimes is they work while not even trying. The breeze carries them to singing; they gracefully ring out despite quiet days. No matter the day before, the song still tones, still echos, still sends love to those open to hearing.

I am blessed. I get to hear all kinds of wind chimes in the work I do. Each of you with your stories unfolding, are wind chimes ringing individually, toning, singing, and sharing. So if you are seeing yourself on a ladder with those above you, try seeing yourself on a wind chime – connected directly with no “middle man”, supported and able to sing. It’s why you are here.

~Bright Star

“Let the breeze persuade you to sing.”
~Bright Star