Coming Back to Balance

A quiescent mind is a bit of an oxymoron.  One may have the appearance of being in a state of ‘quietness’ or ‘inactivity’ however, the mind keeps firing.   In any new initiative there are moments of doubt.  There will be days when one flies high and days when everything seems to be falling in on you.  Those ‘falling in’ days are a blessing because it affords us the opportunity to sit up and take notice. We take notice of things that make us feel bad and things that make us feel good and we take notice when we experience some measure of fear with both of these perspectives.

There are times when we don’t move forward with the things that make us feel good for many reasons but the common denominator is fear; fear of feeling good, fear of pleasure, and fear of bliss, fear of failure.

The most rewarding things our lives can come with great difficulty or great ease.  How we deal with transformative steps in our life is a choice.   We can chose to step in to the change with trust knowing that life will always provide us with what we need.  Or, we can fight the change and cling to a painful past, thus letting fear overtake trust. 

Transformation is like a mini death.  Any life-changing event is like a mini death.   And when this mini death comes in to your life it can rattle your bones.  Our vision becomes quite clouded at this point.   We may choose avoidance or denial rather than going forward in to the unknown and trusting that there is a better path for us.  A path that can lead to untold bliss and happiness.   We just need to step up and follow it. 

I trust that there is a cosmic rhythm and I resonate with it.  Everything always comes back to ‘balance’. So even when I seem to get out of sync, it will bring me back.  

Life will not always be a waltz, but it will always be in harmony.  

Embracing the Crone

There are several major turning points in our life such as when we pass from child to teen; from teen to young adult; from adult to senior. In addition, there have been spiritual turning points for me. The most significant turning point was reaching that age when we no longer understand the music of the younger crowd; when we think that the young dress odd; when we look in the mirror and we do not recognize the face looking back. 

There was a time when I thought reaching a certain age was an event not to be celebrated.  However, now that I am officially in the 'senior' category, there is an overwhelming peace that comes with it. 

In Neolithic times the Crone stage was a time of mastery.  Crone women were the tribal matriarchs. Their heightened awareness of human nature yielded great insight and they were the source of wise counsel for important decisions.

In our society, ageing is met with denial and condemnation. Many industries exist to support our obsession with looking forever young.  Plastic surgery has become almost expected once the first wrinkle arrives to mark the face.  Age related medical procedures reinforce the notion that looking old is beyond undesirable. 

Once we enter the Crone stage of life, we re-visit our body image issues.  At every turn we are reminded of what is considered beautiful; in magazines, on runways and television and movies.  We look in the mirror and do not recognize what we see.  We see wrinkles and sagging flesh. But in those wrinkles, we can also see kindness, and a gentleness and beauty that radiates from within.  We see years of living life the way it should be lived; diving in to the good and the bad moments and coming through with dignity and wisdom.  

Many modern women have consciously chosen to reject the negative images of aging and to reclaim their rightful role as esteemed elders. These ladies are stepping into the Crone stage of life with joy and dignity.  No matter where you are in your process, embrace it, embrace yourself, love your process. It is yours and yours alone.   And, there is no greater gift than life, at every stage.  

Crone

She came from long unquestioned places where metallic glare
and smell of asphalt baste the skin to darkness
and whiten the opened eye.
The bones beneath the skin form sharp angles
where once there were soft curves.
She reaches up to touch her cheek,
wondering if a touch of blush here or there
would make her look more presentable.
It all seems so distant.
She seems like water,
whose surface has been disturbed.
She sees her reflection,
distorted; ripples on the surface.
You can no longer see beneath the surface.
She closes her eyes to the image that she sees.
In her blindness, the ripples pass
and once again she becomes water.

Faith, Trust, Serendipity and Chasing Rainbows

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need.” —Lao Tzu

You may be wondering what these concepts have in common.   I believe that trust stems from the brain and faith from the heart and that there is a very distinct difference between the two concepts, although, we often use those words interchangeably.  In the Pali language, which is the language of the original Buddhist texts, the word ‘faith’ translates to ‘sraddha’ which literally means ‘to place the heart upon. 

Trust is inherently a component of FAITH.  However, trust does not necessarily have to have a component of faith.   When one has FAITH in something or someone, they have complete trust or confidence in that particular something or someone.  To trust means you have confidence in the reliability of something or someone.  For instance, I know and trust that I cannot see a rainbow without rain.  I trust this fact through observation.   From past experience I see that every time I see a rainbow, there is rain…..the rain is a reliable factor in the formation of the rainbow.  However, there are many other components that have to come together to make a rainbow; more than just the rain.  I may not see a rainbow for many weeks, months or even years.  However, I have faith that, when all the components are aligned, it will once again happen.  I do not necessarily need to understand all the other components, but I have FAITH that they will align and I will see another rainbow at some point.

Faith is what allows us to function without really understanding how and why.   We just know what IS.  When we have faith in the dharma, we have faith that the universe is not conspiring against us, but conspiring on our behalf.  Faith is the ability to trust something from the very core of our being. When we are bound together by trust that touches the deepest aspects of who we are… we are living in FAITH. 

Faith gives us the strength to endure hardships with the knowledge that our efforts will produce a positive outcome.   In the absence of certainty, trust assumes that truth and fairness will prevail.

What most of us look for in life is a pattern of repeatable thoughts and actions that will direct us toward a desired outcome.   Then how does one explain those serendipitous moments that do not seem to fit in to the pattern?   I mean those moments that magically and unexpectedly appear to light the way to a desired outcome.   

Setting things in motion is the reliable factor, like the rain is the reliable factor in the formation of a rainbow.   Serendipity is that component that is not understood or known.   However, when that serendipitous moment happens we have an overwhelming sense of oneness with all that is.  We may not understand it, nor can we explain it…..we just know it IS.  We have faith in what IS.   There is no push and no pull, simply a flow that is undeniable.