[blockquote source=”Pema Chödrön”]”The fundamental view that was presented by the Buddha is not one of there being an underlying harmony, rather its a view of being willing to be open to whatever arises..harmony and chaos.”[/blockquote]

Oh my goodness, I woke up in such a horrible mood yesterday.

I was grumpy and irritable, and not at all ‘myself’ – as I struggled to find my ‘rhythm’ for the day.

Why, just ask my dearest pup, Nudnick (he didn’t even stay through morning tea.)

Oh, but we all have these moments, my loves. When our minds are abruptly pulled from the safety of the ‘nest’, and tossed into the chaos which surrounds us.

And, I felt so guilty about my upset – as, there was really no reason for it.

“Knock it off,” I whisper-shouted to Ego – but, it would seem on this day, Ego had much different plans.

So, there I sat – just me and the ugliness of this heavy mood.

And…I absolutely hated it.

As a species, we are instinctively drawn to the harmonious. We read books, attend lectures, spend hours in thought-filled introspection – all to create a little more balance in our world.

And, when we do finally find it? We want it to last forever.

Why? Because, it feels good to have everything in balance. With neither, too much of this nor too little of that, we find comfort is the ambiguity of our ‘just rightedness.’

Like moths to a light, we are transfixed my the warmth of Serenity’s flame.

But, we must learn to be mindful, my dears – as even the most delicate of balance, can serve as a double-edged sword.

Such is the case when a disagreeable mood forces us from the coziness of our ‘spiritual cloud.’

We feel displaced…exposed…vulnerable.

No wonder we are constantly shifting our footing, as we feel our own ground beginning to slip.

And, even to the extent that we might fabricate a proverbial ‘tree branch’ or two, in that space where we are convinced there is none.

A surly mood, though horribly uncomfortable, does provide some semblance of certainty. And, certainty is what we crave, my dears – even to the detriment of our own spiritual good.

Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche taught the quality of openness and discovery; and, to find within our own mind, a willingness to relate to all things as they are presented to us. It is drawn from one of the fundamental teachings of the Buddha, that we may be willing to engage in the fullness of this beautiful life.

And, to the extent humanly possible – to live in the wonder, not the balance.

[blockquote]”Turn, turn, my wheel! All things must change
To something new, to something strange;
Nothing that is can pause or stay;
The moon will wax, the moon will wane,
The mist and cloud will turn to rain,
The rain to mist and cloud again,
To-morrow be to-day.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Kéramos[/blockquote]

My dears, to embrace the dynamic nature of this universe ~ is to finally begin our journey into the divine.