You Can’t See The Building in a Brick

By souldipper

A poet in England, Felix Dennis, wrote in “A Sonnet of Useless Advice to a Young ‘un”:

“Try to be wise, but hide your wisdom well.

The world reveres a pearl, but not its shell.”

Last night, I prayed.  Am I really fulfilling my soul’s purpose?  Am I helping anyone care about or understand the Transformation?

Then I meditated.

Nothing.

Is it self-centered to want to know if I’m doing what I’m supposedly guided to do?  Did a 7th dimension glitch pick the wrong person?  I would happily do art in my yard.  Or earn money so the dentist bill wouldn’t force a diet.  Or baby sit the stock market.  Studying the piles of material about the Transformation that comes to me daily is time consuming.  I’m feeling unproductive.

I went to bed hoping for a dream.

The Awesome "Aha"

Nothing.

Today, when I met with friends to meditate, I wanted to be completely still so I could listen.

Very quickly, I was given a visual of someone handing me a brick.

“I am not clear about what this means,” I prayed.

“You cannot see the building in a brick.”

Was I being told to trust my ‘brickly’ contribution and trust that a magnificent building will emerge?

The meditation continued.  Silence.

Then it dawned on me, “Everyone is a brick.  We’re all bricks!”

“One brick is not a building.  But all of the building is contained in each brick.  Each brick is critical and each brick shares the weight of the building.  One brick could not carry the full weight, but put together, the building stands firm.” 

Felix is right.  I love the pearl, but these shells are a menace.

49 thoughts on “You Can’t See The Building in a Brick”

  2. During one stormy time in my life as I was rushing around asking similar questions….I heard a lyric on the radio that caused me to smile and relas…the line was “It seems to me…you’re taking yourself too seriously.” Peace be with you!

    • Lighten up, right Charles? Seeing the depth in your poetry, I can believe you would ‘hear’ that message, too! My friends remind me, as well. Thanks, Charles.

  3. Sometimes it is what we do that helps us to share what we know. I would venture to say, no matter what you choose to do, your light would shine through and you would share something of the messages you are given. We, your other bricks, are here, following your messages and grasping for the light and trying to carry our part. As another brick, I say good job. I may not understand everything you share but I am attempting to. Thank you.

    • You give me such an opportunity to stop and check my frustrations, Leslie. You hold a unique placement in my life. The spiritual mortar between us is precious and breathing.

      At times, when my ego is flaring, I feel as though I am supposed to put an ocean in a river. Sometimes, I get ticked at the whole mystical presentation – the whole “lifting the veil” concept. I want to say, “Just lay it out and quit the cutesy guessing games.” At times the messages I am to share seem so simple and repetitious. That gives rise to my doubt which makes me want to just write a happy little blog with reports of what I’ve been doing in life – like other people do.

      In one of my research sources, I learned of a man who has written books about some of this simple, repetitious stuff. In the interview, he mentioned a movie had been made about his life. I watched it last night. It’s called, Peaceful Warrior. In this gloriously simple manner, I am given another brick.

      I can see my Guides with a big stamp, looking at my endless list of prayers. This one has just been stamped, “ANSWERED”. :b

  4. Wonderful post, Amy . . . and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that photo of the Buddha.

    Is it yours?
    May I swipe it to use in a future post on SLTW?

    You never know when a brick is going to be . . . the next step on our path. Follow the yellow brick road. 😀

    • Glad you liked my Buddha, Nancy. He lives by himself in the bush. Your request to share him in your blog is a compliment. However, I have other plans for him – eventually – so I will keep the photo for that purpose.

      • If the movie is the one about Dan Millman . . . you might like his book, Living on Purpose. An excerpt:

        Life arises out of Mystery. Moments unfold, things happen. Our mind then creates meanings about what happens.

        We see things not as they are, but as we are.

        Viewing the world through windows of interpretations and expectation, our mind creates a drama, a comedy, a tragedy, a romance, or a soap opera out of what simply arises.

        Our mind creates our dreams and dramas; and stress appears as the mind resists what is.

        To attain freedom, make peace with Mystery; to reinvent your world, shift your expectations.

        Reality is NOT what we think.

  5. Dark night moments, questioning what we are about, seeing only a brick–not the whole picture. Just by way of affirmation, your most recent post has been rattling around in my soul, invading my quiet time. Just keep walking through the fog, following the tail lights ahead of you. It’s all good. (excuse the mixed metaphors, but this isn’t a literary effort)

    • Thanks for being a tail light, Victoria. Metaphors speak to me…worry not about mixing them! I remember many years ago talking to an Anglican Priest that, unlike some highly revered spiritual people, I had not experienced a spiritual crisis that put me in doubt of God. While I wondered about my spiritual authenticity, the ‘confession’ carried more than a little arrogance. Little did I know that I was too much in my intellect to be able to see, admit and allow questioning and nagging perceptions.

      While questioning can make others uncomfortable, my doubts, especially admitted before my fellows, open channels heretofore unseen. In fact, they reinforce and validate my role as a willing, contributing brick. The blueprints and brick laying job are still firmly in the capable hands of the Divine. Glory be! 😀

  6. I will add myself as one more brick, Amy! Your meditation routines work great, you do the praying, I get the fruit! And that was a lot of wisdom, too much to hide well!
    Hope you are doing well this Mother’s Day weekend!
    Rachana.

    • Rachana! It’s very important to me that I wish you Happy Mother’s Day. You put so much thought and care into life that I know the mothering department is no exception. Thank you for all you give to this world through your wonderfully abundant mothering. XO!!!

  7. “We are all bricks…” “One brick is not a building.” “Each brick is critical and each brick shares the weight of the building.”
    Wow! One learns so much from reading your posts. Thank you Amy.

  9. We have a native version of this metaphor Amy.
    In the Philippines, we make brooms made from the spines of coconut leaves. You could easily break one spine but when bunched together as a broom, only brute force could break it.

    • That’s lovely, Poch. Just perfect.

      Plus thanks for teaching me another use for the coconut tree. Amazing how many uses there are! The bristles are worn down on my hearth broom and I cannot find anyone who replaces those bristles. I guess I’ll have to go to the Philipines to buy a broom?! 😀 Some friends would tease that I could ride it!

  10. Ha. You’re not alone in that teasing about the broom. 😉

    And I’ve read and re-read.
    Yes, I know I’m like that. I wouldn’t bother if it weren’t ‘re-read’ worthy.

    I like that it was ‘answered’ for you.
    And I like that I was answered when I showed up here.

    I was rather frustrated and wanting to rush a process that’s not all about MEMEME. I know when the student is ready….. But sheeeeeeshhhh. I suck at the ‘wait’. I do GREAT with ‘yes’. And I’m out and out defiant when it’s a ‘no’.

    Good thing I ain’t in charge. LOL I’d be heaping on a bunch of lessons REALLY fast so I’d knock that stuff off.

    Yep…..I know…..’wait’. Sometimes it ain’t about MEMEME and MY preface for a timeline.

    *twiddling thumbs*
    <– still sucks at the 'wait' deal

    I KNOW He'll make more opportunities for 'practice' now that I put that in black and white. LOLOL

  13. “Cutesy guessing games.” Hee! This whole forgetting process we undertake when we zip ourselves into another human-shaped body IS frustrating, isn’t it? And the ego DOES love validation. What a crazy, amazing game we’re playing. Thank you for being the brick you are.

    • You are right, Sally. Unfortunately, when I forget that timing is not up to me, I allow trust to waver. Then, one of my soul orphans cry out for confirmation that my soul’s purpose is, in fact, on track. I just completed an intuitive reading that presented another “nugget” for me: I forget to ask for help. Can you imagine? I wait and forget to ask! Don’t follow my example! 🙂

  17. Great analogy. I also like the caterpillar. Picture a caterpillar on its back, its body covered with a sheet of paper with all its little feet sticking through. Just looking at the feet, not knowing what is underneath, you would never know they were all connected, part of the same entity.

  19. “One brick is not a building. But all of the building is contained in each brick.” This makes me think of one of my latest discoveries: I don’t need to change the whole world, but help change one person, starting with me… and the chain goes on. 😀

  20. Love this post, Amy. It’s a push of inspiration for anyone having “one of those days” when you feel insignificant and like you’ve made all the wrong choice. Thanks for showing the whole perspective which can sometimes get lost in our individual world.

    • Good, Lisa, glad it can give and serve in that manner. If you were feeling insignificant, I hope you know that not one soul is replaceable. We all have a place and a significance that the world needs. We can rest our lives on that.

  21. Amy, one of your greatest strengths is your ability to express confusion and uncertainty in sincere and honest ways, and yet always remain open to new insights. You always seem to find those insights sooner or later, or they find you. Either way, it’s a happy meeting for everyone.

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