I Just Happened To Be

I just happened to be.
I see that now.
This does not mean there is any less ever-present love.
I exist because of the sun and the air and the dance of creation.
I was not born for a reason.
I was born in a season of human being.
This does not make me special.
I merely chanced onto this blessing.
This does not make me any less responsible.
It means gratitude and giving, praise and humility.
It means living and loving, recognizing beauty and joy.
For that's the energy we can give to on-going creation,
To help it enter into the next evolution.

Seismic Shifts

The seismic shift of the recent earthquake in Japan was so powerful that the earth’s axis was slightly altered.  Such a physical shock and emotional toll has shifted sensibility, as well, in millions of lives, and, hopefully a positive shift in the global reach toward wholeness.  As I write, we do not yet know the full extent of the damage, nor the outcome of the nuclear power plants.

I feel humbled by the earth; this living organism that sustains us.  I feel unnerved by the unpredictable rhythm of transformation and the randomness of our life-times.  It is all one – life and death.  It is all a part of the system of being we find ourselves in.  It’s all fragile and awe-inspiring, exhilarating and heart-breaking.  Life can change irrevocably in an instant.  Sometimes that is a welcomed liberation.  Sometimes it begins a journey of grieving.

In all of this, though, in our lack of ultimate control, we have within a steady  ground of being.  We have a deep, unbroken connection with life everlasting, the eternity that changes form but not  essence.  This eternity, this being that flows through life and death, devastation and rebuilding, transformation and creation, is the life heralded by Spring.  It is the life known through Easter tide and Passover celebration.  It is the life that transcends death, it is the worthiness of this endeavor of being.

May we celebrate our days, love our connections, heal our brokenness and embrace our lives in their fullness.

Shed The Drama of Me

In order for all to be well
I have to shed the drama of "me".
This does not make me irrelevant,
But One with all Being.
It does not dull the senses,
But opens the self to Now.
It does not take away my beauty,
But welcomes me into wonder.

Morning Meditation

I greet myself this morning
With a friendly compassion,
Holding moments of imperfection
In a gentle forgiveness.

I release all shame and blame
In the grey mist of transformation,
As the presence of love rises within
To bring me to fullness.

Meditation for Grief

I submitted this prayer/meditation for a book on grief:

Essence of healing, of strength, of life,
Gentle me into the next moment.
My heart is open and breaking,
My mind has lost its bearing.
I trust you are ever with me,
Your presence abides within.
Hold me in this crossing
From what has been to a new way of being.
I pray this with gratitude for all I've been given
And for what is yet to become.

A Dance In Infinity

The sky surprises me every morning.  It reminds me that I have not seen it all.  What genius this creation is, a dance in infinity.

Your Holy Resonance

Nature gives us clues on how to live fully.  In every cycle of life, there needs to be time to rest, time for renewal, time for regeneration, time for fallow ground.  The winter beckons our slowing down.  The soft snow blankets the verdant fields for a time.  The silence of diminished life models the wisdom to pause.  The longer nights call for a time to rest.   Animals hibernate to regroup and recharge.  They go through a metabolic depression in order to conserve energy.  Perhaps our winter depressions are signals, in part, for us to unravel the busy-ness of our lives and regroup in the worthiness of our being.

The London Times published an article in February of 2000 that confirmed a gene for hibernation was found in humans, perhaps even activated eons ago, to sustain our primitive ancestors during harsh winter months. 

The calling to refuel or regenerate still resonates within.  It is a calling of the soul, the animating spirit of our being, a calling that we too often ignore.

When we become expert at diverting the stirrings within that speak to who we are, and respond to externals which allow others to define us and prioritize our lives, then we eventually lose the ability to recognize ourselves.  We then become susceptible to fading into the woodwork or the day to day routines, easily distracted, seasoned for manipulation,  and less able to make decisions about ourselves without depending on the opinions of others.

Animals that hibernate spend time in a dormant condition, often to survive harsh conditions that would threaten existence.  If we think of this in soul terms,  we need pockets of time to rest, to come to the resonance of life’s worth.   Brother David Steindl-Rast shared his discovery that the Chinese word for "busy" is composed of two characters: "heart" and "killing". Our busy-ness can destroy our ability to center on what we love, on what we are, on the pulse of our lives.

Animals hibernate in holes or caves to steady the environment for the work of regeneration.  Caves in ancient cultures were the sacred places of initiation, of transforming into the next level of growth.  The cave symbolizes the womb, in soul work, a warm dark place where the knowledge of growth commands the space.  It is a place where the divine and human meet, in ancient consciousness, where mystery takes form and eventually emerges into life.

We do not always have the luxury of a cave, neither literally nor symbolically.  Most of us cannot remove ourselves so completely from the doing of our days.  But we can find ways to give glimpses to that process which will happen at the slightest invitation.  The soul is ever ready for our attention and replenishes us when we brave the moments of stillness and mystery, the moments when we set aside our busy-ness and defer the need to control the future.    Take the time to find your holy resonance.