You who are on the road, must have a code that you can live by. And so become yourself . . .
– Graham Nash
My relationship with my mom has been one of the most rewarding, and at times, challenging of my life . . .
My mother, Leslie Temple-Thurston, in her book The Marriage of Spirit, refers to her initial moments of spiritual awakening and recalls having a mystical experience with me, as an angelic being, right before she discovered she was pregnant. She described an arrangement that we had made, before incarnating, to help each other awaken:
The arrangement between my daughter and me was this: when I was caught in the forgetfulness of this life and she was out of body, she was to remind me of who I really am – in a much larger and more essential way than I’d been aware of up to that time. And when she took manifestation and was caught in the limitations of world and body and had forgotten her origins, I would be free enough to show her the way and to help her awaken.
My mom has been my greatest spiritual teacher!
Mom reminded me, again and again, despite my early self-sabotaging choices, that I’m a mystic. She fought to ensure that I would know her work intimately and would be able to not only use it, but expand upon it to teach in my own unique ways. My truth and gifts lie in carrying on the legacy of our agreement to continue the work of awakening in the world.
Now, as my mother steps away from teaching and I step into my role as a teacher more and more, I’m overcome with gratitude. I feel grateful, not only for the legacy of her work, but because I know in my heart there is no greater work I can be doing, since I’ve witnessed how many lives she’s changed profoundly, including my own. What better way to honor Mom and the path of awakening, than to fully embody the role for which I was destined and she prepared me!
Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you. – Shannon Alder
As I grew up, my relationship with my mother was more spiritual guru/disciple, rather than a typical mother/daughter dynamic. Albeit, I was a young and very reluctant disciple, in that I resented the very spirituality she taught me. My mom, like Siddhartha Gautama, left her family in pursuit of her spiritual dharma. In the inexperienced, relative mind of a child, this was devastating, because it had been the source of maternal dissolution in the traditional sense.
In my early years, I followed Mom’s teachings just to maintain a relationship with her . . .
Processing my ego with my mother always produced positive outcomes. So I stuck with it, while often outright rejecting its challenges simultaneously. While she occasionally indulged my petulance, she was also resolute: not allowing me to linger in my ego or perceptions of misfortune. Remarkably though, I was always meant to wake up, both as a result of Mom’s efforts to steer my spiritual journey, as well as the hand of fate. My mother always knew and trusted, even when I didn’t.
As I grew older, Mom’s teachings reinforced the spiritual expansion that resonated in my heart. Her mission was always to teach the teachers . . . for awakening to reverberate across the globe and elevate all beings, everywhere. My mother’s legacy takes increasing hold, not just in my consciousness and the spiritual community she built at Corelight, but in the world as a whole. Souls everywhere are stirring and awakening . . . what a blessing to be a part of shaping tomorrow’s more enlightened, loving reality!
To learn more about the Corelight community and the work that my mother started, which her long-time partner, Brad Laughlin, is continuing, please visit corelight.org.
