Spiritual Presence
by annaleah atkinson

Within the past year, I have learned how wonderful it is to have people and places that hold a Spiritual Presence for me, and I have realized that I feel joy when others tell me that I hold Spiritual Presence for them.

Two of my favorite places in the world are in Hawaii. One is on the Big Island, and one is on Kauai—in English, “Place of Refuge”.
The old Hawaiian religion had many rules and taboos, which if broken were severely punished, sometimes by death. But their priests had the wisdom to understand total forgiveness. They created places of refuge, or spiritual sanctuaries. If a transgressor could get to one of these holy places, (s)he was met by priests who performed rituals of forgiveness and cleansing. The transgressor was then totally absolved from the mistake.I am very drawn to these places for their physical beauty, and theconnection to spirit I feel when there, but also by the concept of “home free, totally forgiven, unjudged”.

Spiritual teachers tell us not to judge. It was so joyous to find places consecrated on Earth where a person was given another chance; where the person’s soul could be healedand s/he was recognized as clean. It is an expression of unconditional love.When my son became a teenager, and was testing me and trying out new things, I knew it was essential I tell him that although my mind might disagree with his choices, and I might have to give him consequences for his mistakes, my heart would always love him and be able to forgive anything. That conversation was a blessing down the road.....

My life’s peak spiritual experience came in 1980 when I was meditating, and my entire bedroom became filled with a golden glow. I knew that Ihad entered an altered state, and tuned into a higher frequency which enabled me to receive more spiritual connection. I neither thought, nor moved. I just seemed to be connected and in the flow of the energy. An hour and a half went by like 15 minutes. When I finished, I felt somehow transformed. My mind wanted to know what it was that was different. After some time I realized I felt the experience was one of being loved unconditionally. I felt forgiven and cherished. Places of Refuge can be in your own bedroom!

Last year a friend of mine died suddenly. Doug was a spiritual brother—I’d known him for 22 years. We’d studied with the same spiritual teacher, shared a love of living things and God’s movement in our lives. He was a person who listened to me and offered his honest thoughts in response. It wasn’t always what I wanted to hear, but that was what was precious about it. We both knew that at our core we were pure, loving, spiritual beings, no matter what chaos ourpersonalities got ourselves into.He was there to give support to me if I needed it. I was there for him when his heart suffered setbacks, when he wanted my ideas about something, or just someone who held the truth about who he was when he was overwhelmed with this world. I hadn’t seen him in two years, so I was surprised by the depth of grief I felt when I learned of his death. After pondering a bit, I realized that he was “spiritual presence” for me. I could go to him, and he would remember Who I was. He would behold the truth in me. I would be met with a hug and a smile.

Our true beauty comes from within. The physical body changes, and eventually disappears, but the soul remains, shining, connecting with other souls and its Source. How wonderful it is to be the one who can remember the True self for others amidst the chaos of the 3D world and to have them be that for us. Spirit Haven, our retreat center is dedicated to being a sanctuary, a place of refuge, and remembering our True selves. You can create that in your space as well. I dedicate this column to Doug Smith, one of the kindest and most generous people I’ve ever known.