By Jo Mooy
“Mama!” It’s the first word a child says. And, it doesn’t matter what country the child is in. For the baby-babble term for mother is the same in China, Poland, Africa, Peru, Russia, and the United States. When a baby wants something it cries out for Mama. When it’s anxious it sounds Mama.
When it’s happy it beams Mama. For the child, Mama is the center of its world.
On a recent foray to the grocery store I was watching a year-old baby interact with its mother. The baby was content to chew on a toy, but every so often she looked up to ensure that connection with her mom was still there, by saying, “Mama!” Each time, her smiling mom bent down replying, “Yes, Emma,” which elicited a giggle from the baby.
It was a simple interaction, but one that caught my attention. What was this gentle checking in with mom? What memories or needs were being activated in the baby? And why was the mother being summoned and not others around the baby? I recalled the teaching of a Sufi mystic. He said to look beyond what was appearing to find what was actually transpiring. So I did.
What was appearing? A baby was periodically calling to its mother, who was answering. But what was transpiring? It was trust. The mother was the source of the baby’s well-being. The mother was the individual with whom the baby identified; she called this person “Mama” and she trusted that Mama would hear and tend to her needs. But something else was transpiring:
A baby’s connection with the mother is a metaphor of humanity’s connection with Source.
Somewhere between childhood and becoming an adult many have forgotten how to Trust in the Mother Source. They’ve also forgotten how to contact it. Sadly, when people most need it, they forget how to contact Her. This disconnection is especially true given the nightly news barrage of misery around the world. On a recent evening walk, my neighbor commented that everything she saw on the news was so upsetting it was making her sick to watch it. I asked her if she could do anything about what she saw on TV. She didn’t think so. I suggested she pray for everything to work out. She thought about it and said, “I forgot I could do that.”
There is great healing in Trusting. It’s an emotion that makes us believe things will work out and get better. It empowers us, helping us to feel safe no matter what we’re experiencing in life. Trust teaches us that it’s going to be better in the morning. So when we see these horrific things on TV that inscribe fear or pain in our hearts, we can Trust in the Divine Mother’s care.
The great Bodhisattva Quan Yin, Mother of Compassion, gave up nirvana until all her children are saved. She is the ultimate “Mother of the Universe” or “Mama” that we can call and who promised to hear our cries. This Great Mother said that—no matter the trial or tribulation—if her children call her she will take the form needed and come to their aid. And so the stories of her helping others are documented all over the world.
So when you’re watching the nightly news, or see something that distresses you on TV or Facebook, or get discouraged anywhere you go, think about “Calling Mother.” She said she would hear every cry. You can Trust that promise and for that matter, Trust that everything will work out. For as we look at what is appearing, something much greater is transpiring. Behind it all, the Divine Mother is working her promise. It may take a tad longer than we think it should, but Mama has heard our prayers.
Jo Mooy has studied with many spiritual traditions over the past 40 years. The wide diversity of this training allows her to develop spiritual seminars and retreats that explore inspirational concepts, give purpose and guidance to students, and present esoteric teachings in an understandable manner. Along with Patricia Cockerill, she has guided the Women’s Meditation Circle since January 2006 where it has been honored for five years in a row as the “Favorite Meditation” group in Sarasota, FL, by Natural Awakenings Magazine. Teaching and using Sound as a retreat healing practice, Jo was certified as a Sound Healer through Jonathan Goldman’s Sound Healing Association. She writes and publishes a monthly internationally distributed e-newsletter called Spiritual Connections and is a staff writer for Spirit of Maat magazine in Sedona. For more information go to www.starsoundings.com or email jo@starsoundings.com.