Image is a desaturated photo of a foggy lane curving to the left. There is a wall on the left, an arch of trees. Bare branches cross in the background.
This afternoon there was no choice but to take a nap… you know that feeling …when it takes the last bit of effort you have to make it to the bed or sofa.
It’s such a delicious sinking in and surrendering to rest. I can almost feel the tiredness sliding off of me, into the mattress. Into the center of the Earth.
There are times, like today, when I’m in that liminal state and feel meditation click in. The more I practice, the more accessible that feeling is. It’s a very physical feeling… ecstatic, even. Sparkly. Effervescent. Expansive- both outward and inward. The form of meditation I practice, Instinctive Meditation®, is permissive and encourages curiosity and exploration, wherever the journey leads.
Today it was following this sensation through my body. Sensual in every regard. I thought what a beautiful feeling, and celebrated each easeful breath. I took on that phrase as a mantra: “What a beautiful feeling.” Over and over as I followed it. My arms, fingers, fingernails, legs, toes. Even the ends of my hair. All filled with the beautiful feeling of prana shakti flowing through me.
And then came: “I am an open channel for Divine energy to flow through me. Radiating out to every being. The rocks. The water. The air. The trees. And cycling back through me. Ever and always. What a beautiful feeling.
Mmm. I can feel it even now, just thinking about it.
The roar of joy that set the worlds in motion Is reverberating in your body And the space between all bodies. Beloved, listen.
Find that exuberant vibration Rising new in every moment, Humming in your secret places, Resounding through the channels of delight. Know you are flooded by it always.
Float with the sound. Melt with it into divine silence. The sacred power of space will carry you Into the dancing radiant emptiness That is the source of all. The ocean of sound is inviting you Into its spacious embrace, Calling you home.
Image show yellow ginko leaves on a grey cement sidewalk. A single drop of water rests on the center leaf, and a reflection of the sun is visible.
I woke up at 2 AM. Not uncommon, but this was different. I distinctly heard “Enlightenment. Enlightenment.” O dear goodness, brain, please let me go back to sleep. And yet it was persistent.
“Enlightenment. The light in me.” I had an urgency to find pen and paper, turn on a light that pierced the darkness, and write. I feel sometimes it’s important to share the process as a creative person, so here’s what came, only reordered slightly for clarity. ******************************************************************************** Enlightenment. The light in me. Becoming light. Finding peace. Finding innocence. Uniting with my inner child. The inner child as light? Innocence.
Innocence lost. Is it one defining moment, or a series of events?
Reaching for the light in me, like reaching for a glass of water. The thirst is quenched for a time, and then we refresh.
Innocence. The “pure” soul- or maybe better- or orginal soul. Full of wonder and awe. Exploring things deeply with the whole being because everything is fresh, and new. Experimenting. Figuring things out. Kids’ drawing showing aspects of what they see and feel.
Rising to the surface in times of joy- eating an ice cream cone. Looking at the sky. In times of sorrow- calling for Mama when hurt. Saying goodbye when driving away from a burning house (not mine. I saw this on a video). In times of hope- reconnecting with someone…the video I saw of a man taking his 5 year old son to meet his Grandmother for the first time…. there were two little boys standing on those steps.
Do those who live closer with Nature retain more innocence? Do artists?
What does pura vida mean? Pure life. Living in deep appreciation.
Getting the wonder taught out of us. Being taught to conform, rather than discover our full potential, unbound by convention.
“Personal growth” as commodification of the journey back to the soul.
Enlightenment is a process, not an end game. Not a competition. Not a hierarchy. Vibration is simply vibration. The colonization of communing with the soul is rampant.
Feeling like something’s wrong if we don’t know what our life purpose is (what do you want to be when you grow up?), as if it has to be ONE THING FOREVER, when the purpose might Universally be to learn, discover, love (the world around us, people, our selves) while we are in this body.
If we are lucky, we are born into an environment where we are nurtured, protected “just enough”. Not all beings have that privilege.
Has tech “stolen” that from kids? How seeing packs of kids out roaming is so rare any more.
Healing the inner child as reconnecting with that pure soul/original innocence.
The other day I wondered if when we die, we step fully into our happiest moment/memory before the next adventure begins.
Reaching. Obtaining. Enlightenment can’t be possessed. It’s the dance and music of the soul. ********************************************************************************Well. That was quite the adventure! Much to ponder. Seeds for creating. Seeds for being.
I’ve been savouring this first stanza of Sutra 85, from “The Radiance Sutras” by Lorin Roche, PhD.
In trying something new, or even a fresh day, one can open one’s Self up to so much if an encounter, exploration, or a routine you’ve done a thousand time, is approached without layering expectations over the experience. I learn so much when I engage with something as if it is for the first time. Some of my best work has come when I haven’t been quite certain of what I am doing, and have the willingness to follow where events are leading me.
Here is the sutra in its entirety: Toss aside your map of the world, All your beliefs and constructs. Dare the wild unknow.
Here in this terrifying freedom, Naked before the universe, Commune with the One Who knows everything from the inside: Invisible power pervading everywhere Divine presence permeating everything.
Image shows a rippling sunlit pool of water surrounded by rocks and ferns.
I started as expected. The Way it is done. Eyes closed. Hands folded just so. Then I felt my bones pressing into the stone seat. A blade of grass Tickled my foot.
My eyes opened. I watched bees gather at the waters edge to share a drink and talk of sweetest flowers.
Two butterflies dared each other on invisible currents.
Bird landed, flitted and chirped.
A rock leaned over to talk to a tree.
Tree curve echoed the curve of the creek.
And I knew.
It is every bit as much a prayer, being part of things as they unfold, As to sit. As expected. The Way it is done. Eyes closed. Hands folded just so.
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