Sheltered: Covered with The Feathers of God
/By Rev. Jeanne Loveless
God will cover you with their feathers. They will shelter you with their wings. Their faithful promises are your armor and your protection. – Psalm 91: 4
It was around this time in 2004 that I began my Chaplain Residency at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Hospital in Little Rock. Our first weekend together we had a "get to know each other" retreat with our CPE Supervisor in a cabin at a United Methodist camp/retreat up on Petit Jean Mountain- a flat topped Ozark near Morrillton. I was horrified to learn that we would be sharing our spiritual journey stories in detail as part of our time together. My new colleagues were Church of Christ, Southern Baptist, and Evangelical United Methodist. And I really didn't want to start what I knew was going to be an intense experience by coming out in all the ways that are essential to understanding the trajectory of my spiritual journey.
I listened to everyone else's (beautiful) stories in the next couple days, I couldn’t sleep, and decided to go last with my anxiety simmering. I mapped it out and decided to carefully edit some things. But you ‘all know me. That wasn't what happened. Spirit came over me, and I stepped into my integrity and shared deeply and honestly- standing squarely in my truth. When I finished, everyone just sat there in that split-open liminal moment and didn't move (I was still learning that sometimes when Spirit overshadowed me, I could speak with power like that). I was absolutely spent, thanked them for listening, and we took a break. I got up and walked outside wrapped in a blanket and stood by the edge of the cliff and sobbed.
As my tears flowed, huge shadows swooped and moved over me as Turkey Vultures soared on the air currents over the sheer drop. I saw something floating down out of the corner of my eye- and it landed at my feet. It was a magnificent long wing feather. I wouldn’t know until 2019, when I was triggered into ascension/Dark Night of the Soul and started researching my ancestral lines for energetic clearing- that Shawnee Elders Chief Tecumseh and White Cornstalk were my Great Grandparents and that Tenskwatawa “The Prophet” was my Great Uncle (×5 generations). But I knew this feather was a gift- a blessing of power and that it was Holy. I also knew in that moment that it was my journey to stand in my integrity and speak my truth at all costs.
17 years later, that feather sits in a frame on the shelf in my hallway and reminds me of that foundational lesson when I walk the floor like Ministers and Seekers do in the silent early hours when the world in is constant crisis. And the Turkey Vultures- my Kin- the basement energy cleanup crew of the Universe- always bless me and protect and shelter me with their wings when I go sit with them in the coastal in-between high places. For their power and for their guidance on my spiritual journey and work I am deeply grateful. It is my prayer this week that you will also feel blessed, sheltered, and protected during these challenging times-wherever you are called to stand- by the feathers and wings of all that is Holy. Love and Blessings, Rev. Jeanne
1) The feather.
2) Turkey Vulture over the Pacific at the mouth of the Russian River. Canon Rebel T7 DSLR.
