Yesterday, I spent time over a long lunch in discussion with a dear friend. When life experience appears to be in shambles, I believe it best to either find quietude within, or a strong heart which can recognize and lift up one's own. After looking deeply into the energetics and listening with profound compassion to all that has been swirling around inside of me, she shared some stories of her own experiences with hardship. "That, that is True,' she said in discussing the Divinity of otherworld and invisible beings present amidst and surrounding our own. As in, that which lifts the heart, that which can't be named, that which can't be measured with our human instruments, that which is so awe-striking that we loose our words, it is That! That which helps us remain here and shows up every day. For some it may be in visiting the Grand Canyon or the great Pyramids, it may be the birth of a child, an embrace and exchange between family members in the event of a loved one passing, a vivid dream too rich to capture in words, seeing Angels in nature, or crying so deeply that you glimpse something of a realm so sweetly holding you. "That, that is True."
And we show up every day, we darn our clothes, make our lunches, go to work, feel run over by the multitude of needs and emotions coming forth from others as well as our own...and then a light, a reminder, an opening into something greater. Those openings can be infrequent, or common depending on where we are on our paths, but they exist, for all of us, they exist, and they are True; Beautiful reminders of a greater reality we are couched in while we learn, grow and heal. I chose not to discuss enlightenment, rather, I think of opening doors, or stepping up another level into something more amidst our day to day lives and experiences. Often, we come back down again, nothing is static, likely it is rare for joy and freedom to remain at all times. But that 'something greater, or True,' exists and it's possible to refine those visits. Perhaps more, to have the 'visits' couched within the daily to-do's. All the while, our feet are planted, here. We till the soil of our lives, we plant the seeds that we have and give as much sunlight and water that we can offer to ourselves and to others. It seems to be commendable work, because when we look out from our upward spiraling paths, out over the horizon, we get to see the fruits of our labors. And yet still, we return to our planting, weeding, and nourishing ours and others seeds with our love, lifting the mallet at times, and lifting one another's hearts. A poem that so sweetly captures my ruminations, by Hafiz, rendered by Daniel Ladinsky, Still he lifts the mallet, still he may draw the sword, still he might speak out for a cause he knows right. And prayer the heart may continue, and even cry. For all is contained in the perfect woman, and in the perfect man. ~Hafiz To my dearest friend, thank you, for lifting my heart. -Love
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AuthorAs a person who is highly interested in the inner landscape through interaction with the external, I find it invaluable to express these experiences. Here, a collection of musings; experiments, potential truths, and ultimately, my unique pathway of creative learning and growth. Blog and website edited by scholar, literary enthusiast, horticulturist and friend Peter Dryden.
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