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Copyright © 1997 by Sheila Barth and John Brockett
All rights reserved. Inquiries should be addressed to
Twelve Star Publishing, P.O. Box 123, Jefferson, MD 21755
Recently we spent a week on a deserted beach in Mexico,
delighting in the extraordinary beauty of exotic flowers, intoxicating
scents, the warm turquoise Carribbean, an abundance of sweet,
juicy, fresh-picked fruit, and a good chunk of seamless time to
do absolutely nothing. We went asking for deep initiation. We
wanted to learn as much as possible about the Garden of the Beloved,
where being in Love, in union with each other and with the Divine,
is deeply realized.
So, we called forth our incarnate image of the Divine Beloved
to guide us on our journey. When following That, four truths became
evident to us. The first truth is to trust: the Divine Beloved
is wise, always knows where it is going, what is needed, and how
to get there -- often by the most circuitous and outlandish route.
The second truth is to have no attachment to anything being a
certain way, because, the Divine Beloved is full of surprises
and always more fun, inventive, and imaginative than we could
ever be. The third truth is to be willing to embrace and experience
everything -- even resistance to being willing!
The Beloved provides everything, and, if we pay attention,
we can experience the humor, paradox, lessons, revelations, realizations,
and magic of union with the Beloved.
We noticed that the Garden holds everything and is continually
manifesting the cycles of seeding, birth, flowering, death and
decay -- even in paradise. We had to give up all ideas we had
about what paradise is, as well as our notions about what is and
isn't in the Garden. The first four days were idyllic, conforming
to our limited idea of paradise, then we encountered upset stomachs,
fever, and, at times, exhausting humidity. The days were sunny
and perfect, and at night, tropical storms brought thunder, lightning,
torrential rains and voracious mosquitoes. Our nights of romance
included guerrilla warfare with mosquitoes under the net. We watched
the placid, queenly white cat who shared "her" cottage
and bed with us very naturally capture a giant moth and eat it.
Several times we heard her wild, passionate, almost-human cries
as she cavorted with her lovers. There was something very raw
and wild about being in the Garden. All persona dissolved -- exposing
what was real and true.
Life in the Garden is always new, fresh, in constant creation.
Every day the ocean was different -- some days calm, some days
choppy and wild -- we never knew what to expect. Our inner lives
were also constantly changing -- emotional states came and went,
but without attaching to any of them, they simply passed through
like tourists, and we remained in bliss, in Love. The more we
surrendered, the deeper into Love we fell, the more intimate we
became with Self, each other, and the Beloved.
We saw clearly that in any moment, we could choose to be
in the Garden or in hell, depending upon our willingness to surrender
to the Beloved, to align with what was happening as it was, and
have no attachment to things being any particular way. We realized
that everything is a ride, including intimate relationship. If
we resisted any of the inner or outer events that were passing
through, discomfort would reign. Surrendering to things as they
were created joy, laughter, bliss and union.
The fourth truth we discovered was to stay on the ride
no matter what it was like, because the Beloved is sure-footed
and always headed for Home. Home is where Love abides, Home is
Self. When we are faithful to that, abide in that, we can then
be truly intimate with each other.
When a couple invites the Beloved, to be the third partner
in their relationship, then falling in love --surrendering into
Love -- is continuous. Love becomes objectless, not fixated on
the other person, and not contingent upon the other being a certain
way or meeting our expectations. Relationship is experienced like
everything else in the Garden: continuously creative, passionate,
enlivening, and effortlessly unfolding through the cycles of birth
and death. Resistance and fear become the manure for richer soil
and greater flowering. Issues resolve or dissolve effortlessly,
love deepens, and passion, playfulness, and innocence keep growing.
Sheila Barth and John Brockett, both healer/therapists,
are learning to live in the Garden. They are developing the Keepers
of the Garden trainings for couples and individuals who long for
an ecstatic life in the Garden of the Beloved. For more information,
call (303) 499-9166.