Thursday, March 1, 2012

Must it Be A Hero's Story?

I wonder about the popular reference to Joseph Campbell's hero's journey in the quest for self development or spiritual deepening.  There is a danger of it creating "the drama of me".

I understand the encouragement of the hero story; but I find, as one predisposed to sacrifice and heroics, that I want to move away from that imaging.  I'd rather just work on strengthening my courage.  I do not need to fancy myself noble for doing it.  I simply need to strengthen my courage and deepen my trust in the unknown.

If we are all heroes or heroines, then what is the need for them?  And if some are more heroic than others, does it not invite comparisons, leading to shame and blame?

I get it.  The journey is hard, and the metaphor of the hero's journey is intuitively wise and breathtaking.  But why place that journey in a category above others?  Why not say: this is the work we must do if we choose our own authenticity?  Not as heroes, but as lovers of soul's truth.

Musings

Loneliness is the space between connections.
    It is where free will resides.

Solitude is the awareness of connections.
   It is where home resides.

Free Will is our dialogue with creation.

Home is our assurance beyond being.

Let choice arise from the emptiness and kindness abide in your being.

All is one in infinite ways.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Making Room for the Grace of God

In the presence of grasping, there is no room for the grace of God.

And so, we have times when we feel abandoned by the Cosmos -- our prayers seem to "fall on deaf ears".  Why, comes the wonder, do I feel so alone?  Why this emptiness, comes the plea, when I'm trying as hard as I can?  Why am I ignored -- rejected -- in my earnestness?

The Universe does not resonate with "my way", which is what grasping is about.
Whether we are grasping for fame or peace, for recompense or enlightenment, we are seeking something we will not find, which is the way we think things ought to be, or some special gesture that agrees we are in charge.

"Seek and ye shall find" is a phrase that can throw us off track.  The seeking is about openning, not directing; and the finding is about embracing, not securing. 

So what or how do we seek to come to a place of ease, away from the grasping and emptiness?

Take a moment to notice.  Notice the air you are breathing.  Remember our exchange with trees.  Notice the sun, even when you cannot see it.  The sun which brings life.  Let the sun feel like love.  Let it penetrate every cell.  And Trust. 

Trust is the antidote to grasping.  Trust ushers in the sense of belonging -- the knowledge of shared being.  Trust makes room for the grace of God.

Then go about your day.  Replace grasping with gratitude, and a glimpse of ease will come into notice.  You are held.  You belong.