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ETERNAL ENERGY by Yvette Autin Warren

I wrote this reflection on the endless loop of life…
I wrote it as an alternative to putting our existence into categories called “birth” and “death.” With eternal life, there is only metamorphosis in the manifestations of our Eternal Sacred Spirit energy.
I have been left several times, alone with those who are ill and about to leave their physical selves because others were afraid to face the person’s pain. This has caused my grief to be doubled and tripled, as I became the receptacle for all the unexpressed pain of those who could not love one who they saw as abandoning them.
I have assisted several people at their “deaths,” honoring their requests to do so with humor. I believe that when we learn to laugh in the face of pain, we will have more people unafraid to attend to each other in times of illness and exhalation of the final physical breath of those we love.
I am invested in injecting some silly into the sacred.

Eternal Energy

Our energy is like pollen that we spread to all around us;

Some may open to receive it, and some turn away.

Some can't accept what we offer, as it is foreign to them;

These may remain as our neighbors, but never as family.



Not all around a mighty oak are destined to become trees,

And not only the trees are needed to complete a forest.

Even the duff that's produced by the oak's decay

Is important to sustain the life it, again, becomes.



The only caste system in any culture is imagined;

Neither ants, maggots, nor termites are untouchables.

They are simply the workers that we don't often see,

Refreshing energy for newly formed earthly life.



There's no new energy; it is all Alpha and Omega.

The Spirit than was in the beginning is now and forever.

It is our human duty to shelter The Sacred Spirit

In ourselves and in our family's holy home.



There are those who wish to possess your seeds.

They are the ones who cannot allow any pure beauty,

Without owning and controlling it for their own pleasure.

These will destroy a full forest to build their own beds.



We must be careful to whom we open ourselves.

Is their dust around us pollen or poison?

We must also be careful with whom we share,

As some wish to hoard our Sacred Spirit in a cage.



They will cut us off from the roots that feed us,

And when we wilt and die, they will replace us.

We can only pray that the joy we've given

Will become sacred energy in other's memories.



I was once a mighty oak, in a thriving forest,

But I continued to have branches pruned,

And poisons poured around my roots.

But the poison poured didn't kill all of me.



Two of my acorns lived to sprout in new soil;

By others in the forest, they have been taken away.

When I see them sheltering their own small trees,

And I am overcome with gratitude for their grace.



I weep for the forests that are not nurtured;

Where every leaf that falls is quickly taken away;

Where no care is taken in grafting and pollinating,

And the tiny trees are too crowded to thrive.



I wish that my body could be put upon a pyre,

And set out in the shade of a huge oak tree.

Birds feast on my flesh and bones enrich the soil,

This would seem perfect recycling for my energy.



Or take my body out on my much-loved lake,

With my friends and family in my funeral boat.

Mark the spot where I am placed in the water;

The crabbing will be very good here.



I lived to laugh, love, and leave an impression.

Sing; dance; eat; drink; laugh until you choke.

I see nothing sacred about sadness,

And you will never be free of my energy. HaHa!

Yvette Autin Warren: I am a grandmother who was recently ordained as a minister in the Universal Life Church. I sought this title to honor my many years of ministering to those around me as daughter, sister, wife, mother, food service manager, community volunteer, aunt, and friend. After my children were grown and I retired from the workforce, I had no title that I felt actually honored my current position in society. I am still ministering, but not in the physical spheres in which I did serve.  I now mostly serve as an elder and advisor. I write about my spiritual journey and have published several books, the most recent We’re Already Eternal a collection of insights into the ways we manifest The Sacred Spirit with our lives. Join me in my journey at my blog 'One Family, Many Faiths' here. 

~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~ 

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