You are whole and also part of larger and larger circles of wholeness
you many not even know about.
You are never alone.
And you already belong.
You belong to humanity. You belong to life.
You belong to this moment, this breath.
Jon Kabat-Zinn
photo g. dallorto
Breath – you invisible poem!
Pure, continuous change
with all that is, flow and counterflow
where rhythmically I come to be.
Each time a wave that occurs just once in a sea I discover I am.
You, innermost of oceans, you, infinitude of space.
How many far places were once within me.
Some winds are like my own child.
When I breathe them now, do they know me again?
Rainer Maria Rilke, Sonnets to Orpheus II, 1
photo Zwiadowca21
A quote from the – always thought-provoking – teaching of Thich Nhat Hanh, who is in hospital having suffered a brain hemorrhage a few days ago, in response to the request from his community for our thoughts and support. It suggests a way of working with whatever frightens us – illness, not knowing, demands in work and life that seem too challenging, our own sense of not being good enough:
The first part of looking at our fear is just inviting it into our awareness without judgment. We just acknowledge gently that it is there. This brings a lot of relief already. Then, once our fear has calmed down, we can embrace it tenderly and look deeply into its roots, its sources. Understanding the origins of our anxieties and fears will help us let go of them. Is our fear coming from something that is happening right now or is it an old fear, a fear from when we were small that we’ve kept inside? When we practice inviting all our fears up, we become aware that we are still alive, that we still have many things to treasure and enjoy. If we are not pushing down and managing our fear, we can enjoy the sunshine, the fog, the air, and the water. If you can look deep into your fear and have a clear vision of it, then you really can live a life that is worthwhile.
photo oyvind holmstad
No Moment is the same as any other. Each is unique and contains unique possibilities.
Beginners mind reminds us this simple truth.
The next time you are seeing someone who is familiar to you, ask yourself if you are seeing this person with fresh eyes, as she or he really is,
or if you are seeing only the reflection of your own thoughts about this person
Jon Kabat Zinn, Full Catastrophe LIving
photo EEIM
The question of the first half of life is “What is the world asking of me?” …. The question for the second half is, however, quite different, “What now does the soul ask of me?” Another way of putting the first question is …. Do you have enough energy, courage, resourcefulness, to enter into this world, take on its demands, and create your own conscious place in it? In the second half of life the question becomes Who, now, apart from the roles you play, are you? Do you have the wherewithal to shift course, deconstruct your painfully achieved identity, risking failure, marginalization and loss of collective approval…. The whole … [of this part] … of life calls us to a spiritual, by which I mean psychological, agenda, while maintaining one’s participation in the social community.
James Hollis, On this Journey we call Our Life: Living the Questions
A long weekend here in Ireland, so a chance to refresh and nourish ourselves, taking a step back to notice compulsive running, outside and inside our minds. Meditation practice is more about settling back into something that is already present, rather than a need to “achieve” a goal, even a “good” or “calm” goal. Often this desire to achieve is based on a perfect image of ourselves and just fuels an underlying feeling that we are lacking in a fundamental way, needing to be supported and held up.
Empty your mind of all thoughts. Let your heart be at peace.
Watch the turmoil of beings, but contemplate their return.
Each separate being in the universe returns to the common source.
Returning to the source is serenity.
Lao Tzu
with thanks to dear friend Patrick for the picture from his mountain walks in France
Mindfulbalance 