Tag: healing

God Bless This Broken Road.

There was an interesting question raised during our session this morning. How do we maintain our compassion in this life, while simultaneously suffering an ‘injury’ of heart? In other words, is it possible to treat another with equanimity – to hold true to our spiritual path in spite of our own circumstances?

The woman asking had recently lost her son. He was found alone in his car, parked outside a known drug house – an emptied syringe still hanging from his arm.

She spoke softly, though deliberately. “I hate them all,” she said. “the dealers, the other addicts…the counselors who failed him in his treatment. I hate the police officer who cut him a break, and myself for not doing more.”

The room grew silent in her pause. “It’s so easy to to discuss the hypotheticals of healing. But for those of us gutted by the finality of our pain – how on Earth do we begin again?”

She wanted answers – real answers, not the generics found in the bindings of a book. She needed connection, someone might greet her at her level. Someone who would understand the conflict of her pain.

“You’re already doing so,” the teacher began. “By showing up and being honest. That’s the first step in any journey. Right now, you fear the path – you fear where it might leave you. The path itself will heal your wounds. Try not to rush through.”

Someone once said to me that our experiences were, in part, to wake us up. Likewise, to help us reveal an inherent aspect of our human nature – the need to share our love.

Ultimately, this is the catalyst to our awakening. It lends us our ‘why’ in the absence of reason.

Something to consider, my friends – in peace…

Namaste ❣️

Beyond the Confines of Heart.

I’ve been feeling ill over the last several days. My body has been aching, at times, to the bone and my mobility has been greatly challenged.

As I lay in bed, listening to the sound of the wind roaring past – I could hear its ‘texture’ as a dear friend recently referred. And even though the sound shook the rafters in the house, still there was a sense of softness within it – like most of us, begging for care in its journey.

And in that moment, I grew a deepened affection for it – my fear withdrawing into the spaciousness of an open heart. Isn’t it amazing how easily perception shifts? Particularly when leaning into the familiar…a sound, a scent, a tattered image.

There’s a natural inclination within all of us, to seek the surety of steady ground. Our mistake is believing that our avoidance cures the malady of fear given the prospect of an uncertain tomorrow.

But the road that reveals is never a familiar one.

Ravi Ravindra writes, “we need to become freer and freer of the attachment to our own smallness.” Perhaps, the texture of these winds are here to remind – that we are indeed capable of something fast greater than the physical confines of heart.

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste ❣️

The Roots of Home.

I’ve always believed that an attitude of contemplation helps us to remain open to the wonders of this world. Likewise, it helps to alleviate that constrictive pull and paradigm of fear.

A seed grows not by metered care, rather by breaking through the static boundaries of its former shell. And, casting aside all worries to wind – allows its roots to venture deeper still.

As it rejoins this Earth, it becomes – a sapling to tree to forest cover. Does the seed know its fate as it begins? No, yet it trusts the journey in spite of the season.

Just as we, too, cultivate a willing heart and a trust that permeates this silent beauty. To feel more at home, we must force our roots; knowing, that even the most desolate of soils shall share its nourishment.

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste ❣️

The Habit of Our Fear.

This past week I found myself uncustomarily distressed. I’d been caring for a loved one, now critically ill – my mind, body and heart frayed from the undercurrent of cascading emotion. Though the room was carefully appointed, it was not enough to keep the spirit’s rest.

The dimmed lights were intended to obscure the droning whir of medical machinery, though for me it only served to amplify that which was already there – a fear.

Was it a fear of loss or a fear of losing control?

So much of our suffering, both individually and as a society, is caused by fear. Our mind spins as we desperately attempt to fill the gap; the boundary between often too blurred to bear.

When I first began my practice, I thought the ‘goal’ was to reduce and ultimately eliminate my pain. Though as I stand here alone now with the benefit of my years, I realize – we fear only what we don’t understand.

Fear is a very tricky thing, it steals our awareness as it attempts to engage. And lurking within it’s shadows, the habit of our panic.

We want what is needed, but when finally shared? Our inclination is to flee. Why do we permit such a spinning of mind? When a simple change of narrative might vastly improve our capacity to ‘tend the wound’.

There are so many phases in our spiritual journey, but knowing where to begin – where fear begins – is not only the goal, but also the bounty.

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste ❣️

We Are Each Other’s Harvest.

I found myself in an awkward space. Over the past several years I have limited viewing of television news programs within our home. They were intruding upon the flow of serenity, impacting my ability to ‘heal’ at the end of day.

Initially, it serves as a source of update; in a few short moments, I could begin to appreciate the complexity and intensity of our global issues. Though, in time it’s presence became far too demanding – an unwelcome guest refusing to leave. Politically charged debates were superceding imminent humanitarian crises.

How could one rest knowing this need?

I wanted to be more directly engaged in these issues, providing service where needed – not distracted by the assignment of fault or growing plague of political rhetoric. And yet, here I was ironically locked within a doctor’s waiting room area – with television blasting it’s ‘daily news’.

“The president responded by Twitter…” the broadcaster began. How on earth can we relegate a growing threat of nuclear war to the confines of now 180 characters? Surely our world view must be greater than a ‘tweet’?

Yet, here we are with a Commander in Chief acting in a manner unbefitting of the office; a festering stream of consciousness now threatening the viability of peace.

And reflected on the faces of those surrounding? The pained expression of having lost all control.

Instinctively, I ‘reached for the remote’ cutting the source of it’s power. “They want us to believe there is nothing to be done,” I began. “But those willing to take action are never without power.”

The silence in that room was, at first, deafening – but then finally a woman to my left began to speak.  “My grandparents were murdered in Auschwitz. I don’t know how my father survived, but he did.”

Her words helped to open a much needed dialogue. More specifically, it begged answer to the larger question: How do we begin?

Though our circumstances may force a sense of powerlessness – we are never without resolve. Our actions provide the mechanism for change, just as the will compels our forward motion.

Yet, often in these dialogues, we are forced to take sides. But, in the end – isn’t there only just one?

“We are each other’s harvest,” author Gwendolyn Brookes writes. I couldn’t imagine a more appropriate expression of our obligation.

A little something to consider, my friends.

In peace…

Namaste ❣️

At Peace With the Unknown.

It takes great courage to grieve. At times, we may feel trapped – perhaps, imprisoned by our pain. Though, there is a natural cause and order helping to influence our acceptance and understanding.

This morning as our nation mourns the loss of over 50 beautiful human souls, we may struggle to understand the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ – a desperate attempt to place boundaries at the edges of a rapidly growing abyss.

We may cry over the shock of an unexpected loss, withdrawing into the sanctity of our deeper heart. Or, we may be silent in the wake of an overwhelming fear, hopeful that our prayers might soon find their way.

Though, how can we heal in the face of such adversity?

As children, we are encouraged to ‘dry our tears’ – to be toughened by the experience, rather than softened through it. In doing so, we lose our capacity to grow our understanding; to come face to face with the genesis of our own tears. We begin to embrace, and subsequently trust, the truth of our pain.

Only then, can we finally begin our healing. And the vulnerability we once feared, becomes our saving grace.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

What We Do With Fear.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the challenges facing us each day.

On a global scale, we stand as witness to humanity’s consumption; the ravages of war, poverty and political injustice taking no rest.

While locally our communities erupt with dysfunction, as we long for the simplicity of ‘better days.’

So much of our society is suffering. At times, we feel more connected to fear than than we do our own neighbors. And yet, as the world cries out for an impassioned response – we bolt the door, feeling powerless to help.

This undercurrent of fear lurks within each of our daily habits. Whether we freeze or panic, we can not escape it’s crushing weight. And if we linger in those thoughts, we lose our potential – becoming a prisoner of mind’s own making.

One of my favorite Buddhist stories is that of the Zen master and the samurai warrior. For years, the samurai reigned – terrorizing all within his path. Until the final village, where the Zen master sat.

“You fool! Don’t you know who I am,” he hissed. “I’m the sort who could slice you in two without so much as batting an eye.”

To which the master replied, “And I, sir, am the sort who could be sliced in two without so much as batting an eye.”

We could argue for hours over the intent of the story. Perhaps he was at peace knowing the true veil of our human existence – that life and death were merely aspects of our continuation? Or, maybe he realized there was nothing to be done. And with this, bowed his head in gentle reverence.

Fear demands our attention and forces our introspection. What we discover is ours alone. For some, there exists a vicious denial – a pushing away of truth as we know it.

While others, like the master, accept its presence with a humbled gratitude – knowing truth is the only path to our heart’s awakening.

A little something to consider, my sweet friends…

In peace,

Namaste ❤️

In Finding Our Refuge.

Somerset Maugham once shared, “There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

Of course, he went on to create some of history’s greatest literary works. Page after page, his life’s work unfolded: writing in a language that was not first his own.

In our own way, we experience a similar
metamorphosis. With only this present moment, we forge though leaving the faintest imprint – our impression. How we see, feel and engage this world through barriers both physical and perceived. All the while, seeking the benefit of our past and future ‘home’.

Though, if only we might finally learn – that it’s only the heart which provides such refuge. We seek for that which is already there.

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste ❤️

Embracing Our Multitudes.

When I first left home, I struggled with loneliness. I missed my parents, my room – the familiar lull of the tree frog’s crescendo. At times, this loneliness turned to a panicked desperation as the miles between grew longer still.

I’d been accepted to a program in the South Pacific; a remote university boasting one of the most advanced marine biology programs in the world. The application process was quite rigorous; only the best of the best were granted inclusion. Only a fool would have abandoned such a glorious opportunity. Though there I was, just a few months later standing alone at an airport turnstile.

I felt defeated and ultimately unprepared for my new adventure. It was the first time fear had kept me from my purpose; and I worried what ‘the others’ might think upon learning of my ‘failure’. And, sure enough, they took no mercy in their chidings.

Many months later, I ran into an old colleague and dear friend. “Sometimes, we reveal the path – but, more often, the path reveals us,” he shared.

In just a few short words, I was gifted with an entirely new perspective. Life is a composite of many multitudes of ‘journey’. In that process, we live…we breathe…we learn and we grow.

Just as a fine wine is encouraged through the earthiness of an old, barreled oak; we are similarly revealed. Everything we experience – the good, the bad…the uncompromising challenge – all serving the fundamental essence of our one human spirit.

Imperfect? Yes, though, gloriously so; these multitudes becoming the facets of our newfound light.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

Finding Peace Within Sorrow.

I had a friend once who traveled to India to undertake the training of a yogi. He spent a year ‘learning the way’, strict practices – breathing, meditation, yoga – to engage the peace and light in his heart.

Though when he returned home, his sadness resurfaced; the pain in losing a child far too great. The house, now emptied and ready for sale, resonated with happier memories. The hallway where his son learned to walk, the mantel which proudly hosted his t-ball achievements – now joining in his sorrow.

“I realized then,” he later shared, “that the real work begins when we are willing to embrace.”

The path to peace isn’t a ‘one shot’ deal, my friends. Rather, it is a systematic and lifelong commitment to the beauty and fullness of life. To live deeply, we must engage all aspects of the human spirit – our upset, our challenge, the devastation of heartbreak.

Only when we explore the depths of our own brokenness can we finally begin to understand and ultimately heal. It is a day-by-day, living, breathing, ‘bandages off means to beginning.

It is the beginning of living without compromise.

Do we always get it right? My goodness, no. Though in time, we learn to break the cycle of our knee jerk reaction – to sit within the shadows of our own heart, and say:

“I’m here for you, love. I promise it will be ok.”

In peace…

Namaste ❤️