Patience

There was a gentle knock

on The Door.

Wasn’t ready to see,

to engage with,

The Tender Bits

in-side

nervously fidgeting,

worrying,

concerned

about what they were sensing

from the out-side.

Better to ignore

the knock

to scroll

endlessly;

much easier to delve

into other people’s lives

dramas, and belief systems.

Learning, staying informed

the justifications applied

here, now.

Judgement, the bile that arises

when the scrolling

finally

ceases.

Anger,

shame,

guilt,

searing self-recrimination!

Oh no, not this again!

Such utter waste of precious

time and attention!

Why so weak?!

In the midst of spiraling

into the familiar Abyss,

a faint voice

in the Wilderness,

Patience,

calling for restraint,

for kindness,

generosity

and self-compassion.

Breathe, she suggests.

Next time, perhaps,

see if we can just take

a slight look

at The Door.

The Land of Depression

Quite arid,

this Land of Depression,

lonely too.

Great expanse of sky –

low, dark, heavy.

Threats of rain constantly,

barely see the Sun.

Not a hint of The Moon

nor people.

A bit of a bubble

this Land of Depression.

Claustrophobic,

hard to breathe at times!

Grasping for something  –

any thing

to emerge from The Abyss,

to remain afloat,

to see with texture and color,

to re-member what matters.

Just a taste will do

in this Moment.

An inkling of Light,

even in the imagination,

a means to navigate

in this Land of Depression

Treasure Trove

Submerged!

Buried alive!

your Voice,

your Courage,

your Original Face.

Do not despair.

No one to blame.

Nothing forever lost.

Never to late.

Life has her mysteries,

rhythm,

and timing.

Your Treasure Trove

now recovered,

bring it up –

slowly,

tenderly –

from The Ocean’s Floor.

Open with curiosity,

reclaim

your Voice

your Courage,

your Original Face.

where there is fear

where there is fear,

there can be no Love.

where there is fear,

there can be no joy.

where there is fear,

there can be no Altruism.

where there is fear,

there can be no

accountability.

where there is fear,

there is no reason –

only vast illusion.

where there is fear,

there is no freedom,

only manipulation.

where there is fear,

there is no authority –

one’s agency rendered

a mere commodity.

where there is fear,

there is no clear vision –

that we are One –

interconnected –

can be preached

but not seen or embodied.

where there is fear,

there lives hate –

disdain of “the other”

and, therefore, the self.

where there is fear,

there can be no satisfaction,

only constriction

no sense of self-actualization –

“life” becomes about survival

at any cost, collaboration

rarely genuinely sought.

where there is fear,

there is Wall,

a massive edifice,

around mind, body, and

Soul –

voluntary imprisonment

in the name of security,

nationalism,

and tribe preservation.

where there is fear,

subjugation and humiliation

do not hide

and distorted masculinity

thrives.

where there is fear,

there is also opportunity

to perceive differently,

to soften,

to widen,

to cultivate a faith

that surpasses

human understanding.

The Heart ❤️ once wildly lost

can again be found 🙏

stripped to The Bone

Life

will strip you

all the way down

to The Bone,

to your very Essence,

when you surrender –

holding absolutely

nothing 

back!

Succumbing to The River,

arms wide open!

Receptive,

softening the jaw,

the breath,

the doubt.

Being,

present,

feeling it all –

the fear,

the angst,

the panic,

the tenderness!

Relent!

Resistance is futile!

As Life takes the reigns,

Radical Trust

becomes the curriculum.

The madness of the mind

melts

into the background –

its rightful place –

in deference

and service

to its Master,

the grounded Heart.

Rise, rooted

nervous,
proceed anyway –
breathing,
praying 🙏
hands sweaty, voice trembling,
do it!
that thing
on your Heart
for decades –
perhaps even lifetimes.
the irritant in your Soul
that simply
will not
leave you alone,
begging you
to Rise,
rooted
firmly
in yourself,
your dharma,
your imagination,
in forces far beyond
your comprehension.

Luminous Things

bright,

smart Beings,

they don’t stay

they inevitably fly away.

why?

what of the conditions –

the soil,

the ethos –

here, now

discourage commitment

inspire flight?

perhaps,

a misalignment of values?

a sense of directionlessness?

a desire for a bit more

stability and community?

all this and more,

trusting an instinct

to Go

Now

and explore.

Luminous Things await

on fear’s other side!