LOTUS LETTERS BY KATHY LONG-BARKER

from HERBAGE MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2022 ISSUE 40

THE CANNXIETY CHRONICLES BY CHARLES “UNCLE CHUCK” DUNCAN

Mysterious ways

By Kathy Long-Barker

Before you towers the most mind numbing physical conjuration of terror, your own personal brand brand of fear. It cackles dark inky tendrils, certain of your demise to come. Much to the nightmarish consciousness’s dismay, you simply shrug at it and wait for it to do whatever it claims it’s going to do. Gone are the days of your near instant submission. You function in trust these days. You will not be moved. Begrudgingly, it ceases its theatrics and produces a battered looking envelope for your viewing.

Dearest Daring Divine. If you are reading this now, you’ve traversed many levels of consciousness to arrive here. You’ve done ‘the work’ and faced many a demon, only to realize that in truth, they are reflections of you. You are nothing to fear. You are everything to love, and as pouty as they look, your demons hold the highest gratitude for listening instead of shrieking. So on behalf of the darkness, thank you. After all, we both know they can’t break character to tell you themselves. I’m sure by now you’re catching on to the fact that the simple phrase ‘everything happens for a reason’ isn’t just some vague excuse to have you give up on asking general questions. Nay, everything really does happen for a reason. Whether it be to acquire understanding about something, or to deliver you to better ground amidst your challenging terrain. Let’s have an example. Take the Typist for these letters, Kathy! Yes, she was a prime example of the saying ‘everything happens for a reason.’ She’d been transportationally challenged as of late due to issues with her car. Times are tough I hear, in the year 2021 when it happened. She was doing her best, but not enough to afford the repairs on her car let alone acquire a new one. SO the universe, or in Kathy’s case the ‘herniverse’ got clever. She was using Uber for a short time, when things went nearly as badly as they could go. Her driver took her to a cul-de-sac instead of her destination and informed her she would need to pay more money if she wanted to be taken to the proper place. Afterwards he spoke to someone who approached the car in a few creepy sounding words. Kathy tried giving him the address 3 different times to put into his GPS. Instead he asked her for her phone. You can imagine how badly this could have gone if she had given it to him. Or for any younger and more naive individual who would comply out of fear. What really made this sink in was the fact that when the driver finally delivered her to her destination she came to realize the back doors were child safety locked. Oddly enough, the fear and gravity of the situation hadn’t sunk into our dear typist until later on in that day. She had remained calm and mindful. What came out of this encounter? What was the reason? Her mother and father in law bought her a cash car the very next day. No questions asked, no payback required. The experience was frightening in hindsight, but she was divinely protected all along. Her family needed to see her in real danger to offer a helping hand. Now I challenge you dear reader, the next time you find yourself up against your own personal brand of fear, ask it point blank: “what’s the reason?” Fairfarren love, - The YOUniverse

My heart goes out to all the individuals and families who were not as lucky as I was and have experienced loss to the human trafficking system. I could never presume to give you a definite reason for such pain. Only you can illuminate your reason for your experience. Being a human can be beastly at times. I love you, and It is my deepest hope, your loved ones find their way safely home if they can.