Tag: courage

This Canvas Upon Which We Paint.

I have a Van Gogh print hanging in the house; “The Starry Night” – one of my favorites. In the swirling depths of paint Van Gogh captures the unique experience of nature and that it inspires.

Does it follow form? Not at all – though, it is mesmerizing nonetheless. And painted completely from memory, a view from the artist’s asylum window.

Under the same circumstances, most would fall into a place of desperation and fear; their worlds limited by these factors of the unknown. Yet, here the master stood forming a view of the cosmos yet unexplored.

Each of us is an artist in our own right, with wild, swirling brushstrokes illuminating a once forsaken sky. And, yielding these glorious panels of interpretation -a blending of shadows and light.

“Thanks to the art,” Marcel Proust writes, “instead of seeing one world only, our own, we see that world multiply itself and we have at our disposal as many worlds as there are original artists.”

You are those many artists, my loves – and this world a canvas for all mediums.

In peace, my sweet friends ~ thank you for your patience during my convalescence.

Namaste ❤

Living Gently Upon This Earth.

Joan Chittister writes that it is our awareness of the sacred which holds this world together; that even the darkness deserves our gratitude.

Though how might we treat each day with equanimity, allowing the benefit of experience to light our way? And, how do we preserve the light of truth when the driving rains threaten its flame?

As humans, we tend to hold our heart in isolation, further divided by passing labels. In the throes of upset, the chest tightens and the breath draws in. And we may then pull away, ‘knowing’ our destiny before it’s revealed. Even though the energy of any moment quickly dissipated, still we fixate…we feel beholden.

Yet, ask yourself – what is it that you’re clinging to? The promise of passing or the reasonability of endurance?

And, stepping into the fullness of our role within this – that is to extent ‘the light of our own souls to the dim places around us’ and live gently upon this earth.

In peace…

Namaste ❤

A Faith Restored.

At various points in our life our faith feels very strong; unshakable against the tide of any emotional ‘draw’.

But then a new experience, and we feel suddenly exposed; our knees buckling before the true weight is ever known.

Perhaps it is the shock of our ‘only known’, displaced; or, the vivid depths of passing memory.

Do not mistake failure with challenge, an invitation known to only the blessed few – begging our willingness…

To bend, to stretch… to begin, anew…

Until it is again soon realized; a faith challenged becomes a faith restored.

In peace, my loves…

Namaste ❤️

In Hope You Shall Find.

There are those who believe that hope is fleeting; incapable of withstanding the futility of day.

While others who’ll insist hope must be encouraged; born within the darkness, seeking solace of light.

Though time has assured hope to be ever-present, vested with the aperture of truth within our journey.

And whispering from the steps of a path that has not yet come… “This is where it begins,” she’ll say, “all that you are shall find you today.”

Just as the seedling breaking through, we too shall find…that even the tiniest of rays can stimulate new life.

In peace, my loves…thank you for the gift of your patience and light.

Namaste ❤

From Seedling to Oak.

“What a liberation to realize,” writes Eckhart Tolle, “that the ‘voice in my head’ is not who I am.”

If not the voice, who then my loves? Are we that who stands in humbled appreciation? The observer of all that we ‘are’?

Would then, the voice serve as a manifestation – nothing more and nothing less? A conjuring of self within this illusion of experience?

We stand before the oak, in awe – though, how often do we consider the truth of it’s source? From seedling these mighty limbs are born; just as ‘we’ from these vestiges of mind.

Within her arms, even the hunted find shelter. And the weary traveler, hope within its shadows.

Oh, my darlings – can’t you see? You are the acorn, and you are the tree.

In peace…

Namaste ❤

Into the Light of the Divine.

“By your stumbling, the world is perfected,” Sri Aurobindo once wrote. It is by our imperfections that this world is made whole.

Yet, how infrequent the allowance – the willingness to simply be. That we face the fears of another’s judgement, or – worse yet, that of our own mind’s meandering.

“But few are those who tread the sunlit path;” he shared. Have we become accustomed to the illusion of our perfection? Have we relinquished the last real connection to our humanity?

Having suffered previously, this thought of error – we lean into the ‘absolute’, the space of non-reconciliation. Do we fear the harsh contrast of our own internal light?

Or, are we simply afraid to recognize that which is real?

Because, aren’t we all, my dearest loves – a living, breathing, shimmering, radiant manifestation of the Divine?

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

Where the Heart Becomes Human.

Peace comes when the heart remains open. Like the warmth infused from a patch of morning sun, it washes over – relieving the ‘burdens’ of day. And, asking only that we stay awhile – sitting within the stillness of a far greater freedom.

Though, how might we respond when the heart begins to close? When past hurt reminds us of the vulnerability in being human?

To prevent further suffering, the spirit may recoil. We may choose to disregard the very experiences which may ultimately serve to embolden.

As children, we’re taught the honor of the fearless explorer. However, as we grow older we realize that fear must be met with a far greater courage.

“Are we enough,” thinking mind might inquire, “to engage this world with a fully open heart?”

Though, isn’t strength something we nurture and grow?

“Yes, the world is full of pain, uncertainty, and injustice.” Jack Kornfield reveals. “But in this vulnerable human life, every loss is an opportunity either to shut out the world or to stand up with dignity and let the heart respond.”

In the end, the only question which remains – my darlings, which will you choose?

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

The Known Unknown.

“One is never afraid of the unknown,” Krishnamurti writes. “one is afraid of the known coming to an end.”

As I watch the mists of morning fog descend, I can’t help but to think about this passing of days. Moment by moment, the spirit is coaxed, resolute in its journey to find peace. Though, even the most determined might find safe harbor against a meandering shore.

We are never afraid of the nameless known. Rather, more so, fearful of letting go. With each breath, the soul expands – then, contracts. Absent the weariness of hesitation’s wrath, it forges through and past.

All the while, this calling emerges – life grants its favor to those with courage.

And, in the end? We can only be afraid of that which we think we know.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

This Calm and Unyielding Heart.

“We can make our minds so like still water,” writes William Butler Yeats, “that beings gather around us that they may see; it may be, their own images, and so live for a moment with a clearer, perhaps even with a fiercer life because of our quiet.”

These words came to mind this morning as I walked along the trail; stopping for just a moment to admire a patch of crystalline water – evidence of a rain left behind.

At times, we find ourselves lost within a bigger way of thinking. We may feel a sense of solitude, though quickly fleeting – as the tempo of life compels the complexity of an inward distraction.

Until we discover these moments of clarity, in which the vulnerability of letting go provides this basis of peace.

“…and so live for a moment with a clearer, perhaps even with a fiercer life because of our quiet.”

We find ourselves in fleeting glimpses; a pause within adversity’s storm – encouraging the strength of a calm and unyielding heart.

In peace, my loves…

Namaste ❤️

Into the Mists.

I remember once many years ago looking out into a thickened fog; and realizing – how striking the analogy between ‘self’ and this ‘self-actualized’ world.

Meaning, there often exists this misted veil; a partition keeping us from the fullness of this one precious human life. At first glance, seemingly impenetrable. Though, upon deeper examination we realize its density is comprised of perception.

Leaning in, we note the subtlety of its translucence; a million micro ‘thought dots’ peppered to wind.

Are we not, likewise, the same?

You see, perception is inevitably a two-fold expression. The first evaluating by form and function; its color, shape, size and purpose. The second, attaching our judgement of utility.

We see the fog as either an impassable abyss; or, a reminder of the genesis of thoughts without bearing.

A little something to consider, my friends –

In peace..

Namaste ❤️