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Monday, August 24 2009
Saturday's Sunrise
A ribbon of red, crossing the blue expanses of cloudless sky and Lake Superior, signals impending sunrise. I'm perched on a beach boulder, all bundled up, facing the glow. An easterly breeze caresses and invigorates. Waves lap on the shore. Seagulls squawk. The aroma of fresh doughnuts wafts my way.
As the sun peeks over the horizon, rising more quickly than I expect, a line of color - first reddish, then orange, and finally gold - dances across the waves and appears to move directly toward me, almost as if I'm being personally greeted. I feel a connection with the dancing light.
Competing with the nourishment and tender mercies of all this beauty, a chattering mind tugs for my attention, serving a menu heavy on regrets and rehearsals - not tender, not merciful, and certainly not nourishing
Once again, I'm invited to choose: powerful and familiar old habits or the fresh beauty of what's happening now. Unless I make the choice consciously, the automatic prevails.
So, can I treat myself to this moment?
Can I really let a new day dawn?
Thursday, August 13 2009
Light Shadow
According to Carl Jung, the Shadow is that part of us which is unknown to us or disowned by us. While the name implies a darkness, something negative or not-so-nice within us, this is not always the case.
Here's a slightly edited version of a prayer composed by Benedictine author and spiritual guide, Macrina Wiederkehr, and brought to Thursday night Connecting Group by Ann Romanowsky.
O God
help me
face the truth
about myself --
no matter
how beautiful
that truth
may be.
Monday, August 10 2009
Dawn's Light
Dawn Beye, a dear friend and colleague who
practices in the Kansas City area, was
diagnosed six months ago with a
cancer considered "incurable."
I've been deeply impressed by her
courage, candor, humor and grace
in dealing with this challenging visitor
and with the wise reflections she posts
on her CaringBridge website.
Here's a sample:
"I saw a movie recently - Miracle at St. Anna -
a Spike Lee movie. It had some lines I really
liked. At the end, a character was talking
about how there is no control in life -
wherever you go or try to hide, there are
risks. And yet we expend so much energy
and resources to maintain an illusion of
control and safety. Here's the quote I liked:
'Safety is the greatest risk of all, because
safety leaves no room for miracles. And
miracles are the only sure thing in life.'
"One thing I am learning well with this
cancer is that miracles abound in all the
messiness and unpredictability of life.
Safety, as we commonly think of it on this
earth (physical safety, financial security, etc)
is impermanent and can disappear in the
blink of an eye. And yet, at the core of our
being, we are always safe. Even when 'bad'
things are happening.
"When we learn to perceive from the highest
part of ourselves, we find peace and
assurance. For me this is the miracle -
the sure thing. I'd like to be a lot better at
tuning into this. I can't say that I'm all that
skilled at it yet. But I'm willing to keep
learning. And I'm getting plenty of learning
opportunities these days. Practice makes
perfect, as they say."
Monday, August 03 2009
Breathing Spaciousness
There are times when it's important to follow
instructions precisely. This is not one of them.
Last week, I invited you to connect affirmations
to the in-breath and out-breath. I'll be doing
the same again this week.
Perhaps the practice works just right
for you as prescribed.
If you'd like to change it in some way,
please feel free to do so.
Make room for you.
The breathing love practice flows naturally
into breathing spaciousness.
Here's the entire sequence
as it originally came to me:
Breathing Love
Inhale: "I am connected."
Exhale: "I am loved."
Inhale: "I am loved."
Exhale: "I am love."
Inhale: "I am love."
Exhale: "All is love."
Breathing Spaciousness
Inhale: "All is love."
Exhale: "I am love."
Inhale: "I am love."
Exhale: "I am."
Inhale: "I"
Exhale: "Am"
Gently, let the affirmation grow quieter and quieter
until, effortlessly and unpredictably,
all self-consciousness disappears
into the spaciousness of deep quiet.
Timelessness in sacred silence
is a healing grace that occurs naturally -
and often briefly, especially at first.
It can be invited, but not forced.
It's a gift, not a goal.
Enjoy!
Sunday, July 26 2009
Breathing Love
In my personal cosmology,
connection is an antidote to human suffering.
And love is what heals.
On a recent morning jog,
I began playing with a breathing practice
that builds on the consciousness of connection
and the remembrance of love.
It starts with a self-healing warm-up
and moves toward universal healing.
If you decide to try it,
let one set of affirmations take root,
before moving on to the next.
Enjoy!
Self Healing
On the inhale, affirm: "I am connected."
On the exhale, affirm: "I am loved."
Toward Universal Healing
Inhale the affirmation: "I am loved."
Exhale the affirmation: "I am love."
Then inhale: "I am love."
And exhale: "All is love."
Stay tuned next week for Breathing Spaciousness.
Sunday, July 19 2009
Disguised Gifts
You know those stubborn, knotty,
recurring issues we face in life?
I find it helpful to think of them
as well-disguised gifts --
teachers inviting us
to deepen,
to grow,
to become more conscious,
more spacious, perhaps.
"No problem can be solved
from the same level of consciousness
that created it." Albert Einstein
Sunday, July 12 2009
Bliss Tolerance
I impress (and depress) myself with how adept
I can be at imagining the worst --
preparing for disappointment,
waiting for the other shoe to drop,
practicing for possible adversity.
I wonder about a kinder, gentler inner environment:
one that readies me for joy,
stretches my capacity for happiness,
raises my tolerance for bliss.
Making eye contact with the guy in the mirror, I ask:
"HOW GOOD CAN YOU STAND IT, TODAY?"
(By the way, if you'd like to hear the Four Wisdoms audio broadcast, go to the SofteningtoLove home page and click on What's New.)
Tuesday, July 07 2009
About God
The mystery of God is not to be unraveled -- at least not in writing.
Here are some quotes pointing us in the general direction:
"The nature of God is a circle, of which the center is everywhere
and the circumference is nowhere"
Empedocles (Greek philosopher)
"There is nothing in all creation so like God as stillness."
Meister Eckhart (Christian mystic)
"There is no place to which we could flee from God
which is outside God."
Paul Tillich (Theologian)
"Whether invoked or not, God will be present."
Carl Jung (Psychologist)
"We find God in our own being, which is the mirror of God."
Thomas Merton (Trappist monk)
"God is Love."
St. John (Apostle)
Tuesday, June 30 2009
A Healing Breath Walk
There are many ways that breath can be used for healing self and others. Here's one that presented itself on the five-day wilderness backpacking trip I returned from late last night.
While walking in the gorgeous setting of the Superior Hiking Trail, I noticed how clogged I was with mind chatter -- judgments about my heavy pack and the steep terrain (not to mention my physical condition), regrets about what I did and did not bring, worries about my daughter, Marisa, who is in the midst of an arduous and challenging wilderness adventure that makes my hike seem like a stroll in the park.
Looking for another way to live in that moment, I invited attention to my feet and to my connection with Mother Earth. On the in-breath, I opened to her loving presence and drew in her healing energy. On the exhale, I released the density of judgments and worries into the transformational "compost heap" of the universe.
As the clogs began to clear, I found myself exhaling and sending forth the same nourishing energy I was receiving. It's a bit like the way water clears, after it runs for a while through rusty pipes.
Sunday, June 21 2009
Another Thought Experiment
What if, underneath all our goofiness,
we are magnificent beings of light -
connected to, and in love with,
each other and all that is -
masquerading as separate and small,
creating comedy, drama and tragedy
in the theater we call life,
learning much from our experiences
and from remembering, eventually,
who we really are.
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