Category: Lighthouse

[While reading an article on a completely unrelated topic, I had a flash of inspiration about the similarities of being a Lightworker and sailing yacht races, so I had to write it down. Perhaps some of you are sailors at heart …. — Rob]

It should be fairly obvious by now that I am a sailor.  I love being on the water — it’s my place of peace — and sailing on the power of the wind alone gives me a sense of being free and in harmony with Mother Gaia.  It’s no coincidence that water has always been a symbol of Spirit.  At the same time, it’s technical enough to keep my intellectual side engaged.  And on Wednesday nights, I crew on a boat for the local club races, so my hobby also offers me a number of personal challenges. 

While reading spiritual material the other day, I had an inspiration, an epiphany about the similarities of being a Lightworker and racing sailboats.  In order to conduct a sailboat race, some boat must serve as the “Race Committee,” i.e. the boat and crew that sets the start and finish line, keeps the time for all racing boats, and judges that the start (and finish) are fair.  Often, for local sailing clubs, the duties of being Race Committee rotates amongst all boats in the racing fleet.

It occurred to me that being a Lightworker is like serving as Race Committee.  We are nothing more than one of the teams in the fleet who volunteer to serve all others, sitting out for a while to set our anchor — that is, our Light — to show others where to finish.  As such, we are that “mark” toward which all boats steer to cross the Ascension finish line … not unlike being a lighthouse, by the way, pointing the way to safety.

To carry on with the analogy, the Race Committee doesn’t affect the race. It only marks the course, observes, and records.  To be effective, it requires knowledge of the racing rules, i.e. how the “game” is played.  Unfortunately, in doing so, it also involves some amount of risk as sometimes the Race Committee boat gets damaged from those being too aggressive and too focused on the competition (i.e. winning at all costs).

However, where the analogy breaks down is the “race” to Ascension is NOT a competition — no one gets extra points for finishing ahead of anyone else!  We are all in this together, and the ultimate goal is that everyone finishes.  And, as with sailing club races, it only happens when some of us volunteer our time and talents to serve all others!

At the end of the day, the value in participating in the race is to have fun.  Irrespective of who “wins,” the fun is in the challenges of teamwork and being your best … but it also offers you the opportunity to feel the awe of nature and enjoying the time on the water.

 I hope you’re having fun out there!

by Rob Loveland

For my 60th birthday, my family gifted me a week-long trip to the mountains of Colorado, including several days in the town of my namesake, Loveland.  This is something I’ve talked about for years, so it truly was a “bucket list” trip of a lifetime.  It was such a blessing!

As with most of us, I’ve been extremely busy lately, so I very much needed a vacation, a time to relax and rejuvenate.  However, for me, the process of traveling can be very stressful — there are the crowds, the time pressures, the expense, and any number of unforeseen obstacles.  But, it is precisely these types of challenges which offer the greatest opportunities for spiritual growth!  I jokingly refer to such events as “getting OFF” (of the roller coaster), where “OFF” = Opportunities For Forgiveness!  

What do I have to forgive?  Mostly my own impatience and judgment … when my buttons are pushed by family members’ attitudes, the difficult needs and unrealistic expectations of a two-year old, and large crowds filled with people just as stressed as me.  And, while on such trips, we tend to fill every day with agendas of site-seeing and new experiences, so we leave little, if any, time for meditation and uninterrupted connection with Spirit.  This, then, was the perfect opportunity to practice my on-the-go and out-and-about skills at seeing everyone and everything as expressions of Source, brought to me (by me) for my own soul’s advancement.

While preparing for the trip, I asked my guides for guidance and received via a channeling session that I should constantly remind myself of the love behind the trip.  My daughter planned and made the arrangements for the entire affair, investing so much time and effort, not to mention the considerable financial expense, and my wife and son gladly joined in.  How could I not be touched by their personal and financial sacrifice?! 

With this constantly on my mind and in my heart, Spirit made sure I had plenty of “mini-miracles” to witness.  I had previously asked my star-family to show me evidence of their presence, and I was not disappointed.  On the first full day in Loveland, I saw a glint of light in the afternoon sky (looking west toward the mountains) and as I focused my attention on it, it flashed brightly (as if it was reflecting the setting sun … but the afternoon sun was behind it, so that couldn’t have been it)!  Ask and ye shall receive!

I also witnessed my son-in-law, who has not ever shown himself to be spiritually minded, show several acts of spontaneous thoughtfulness.  He found a phone in a parking lot at a park where we went on a hike, and while dutifully searching for a way to contact the owner, she drove up, frantic that she had lost her phone … and, as karma would have it, she happened to be the kind woman who graciously agreed to take our group photo while on the hike.  And then, to top that, on the final day on the way back to the airport, he delivered our leftover drinks and snack food packages that we had accumulated over the week to a homeless camp a few blocks from the hotel.  I wish I could take credit for suggesting either act of kindness, but I did nothing but witness love in action!

Of course, everyday was filled with witnessing the beauty of Gaia’s handiwork.  One cannot help but be filled with awe when looking at the stunning beauty of the majestic Rocky Mountains or the vast expanse of the plains from the Front Range. And I was continually amazed that the sky is such a deeper blue at that elevation.  Being a sailor, I am a particular fan of open expanses of water, but I have to admit that the mountains are a close second!

As I said at the beginning, I am truly blessed, and even more so now that I’m home and have such a beautiful memory!  Loveland really is a place dedicated to Love — it’s their marketing theme — and it did not disappoint!

I wish you all the same love of family, love of nature, and love of life … wherever you may find it!