Deer once again roam our hills and turkeys gather in bunches outside our windows, offering hope in imagined fawns and egg clutches.
As I mentioned before in this blog, the farmer and I are meditatively working our way through the book: On The Journey.
Today's entry invites us to let go of the struggle and sink into Mystery. We hold so much, in our bodies, souls, minds. We, like most in western culture, pay more attention to our minds and thoughts. Wisdom and mystery exists deeper than the mind.
During our discussion, I asked him about meditation and centering prayer. He answered, "It's not my thing." I asked if nature is his thing. He said yes. I laughed, saying, "Yeah, even there we are different. I like to observe or contemplate nature - you like to crash through it." So we do bird watching and trail maintenance on our property in an attempt to come together. He mentioned mindfully working in his shop; I get his description - it's similar to the way I write.
It's not easy blending our different ways of sinking deeper than our frenzied, anxious, or so-important thoughts. Opening the heart and engaging from there in our relationship to each other, to the earth, to the Divine takes effort. Like the effort it takes for him to sit with me, read, open, share as we go through this book. It's not easy for me to be patient with his non-meditating ways, or to keep up with his trail blazing.
Imagine churches then, societies, different cultures trying to relate. Or go deeper. Ah, how easy to just live in one's head - to compare, silence, shame, accuse, blame, judge and criticize. To ignore the body's wisdom whether that body is your own, or a small part of a whole group.
A friend and I recently discussed our similar default modes when highly stressed. We catch ourselves praying to an old white, male God and feel judged, driven, pinched rather than deeply loved. At those times we are not living in relationship and co-creating with an earthy, relational, embodied, colorful, mysterious, loving energy that we 'call' God, Christ, Divine or Spirit. When we live in our heads we ignore our bodies. We think, overthink, problem-solve, fret, get trapped in self aggrandizing, self righteousness, addictive thoughts, boredom or anguish, live totally out of our heads, rather than sinking deeper into hearts and bodies to dwell in the flow of the Beloved and our belovedness. We fail to find deeper wisdom and intuition, or meet what is holy.
As Parker Palmer says, we have much work to do in healing the heart of our democracy. Perhaps we start with learning how to listen to our own bodies and hearts. Love what we find there, especially our belovedness. Then hold the hand of one right beside us, literally or figuratively, marvel in their belovedness and listen deeply to their experiences. Perhaps even hold the hand of a stranger.
Like the movie we watched last week -
Before We Go
Our best guess for you: 4.4 stars
Average of 406813 ratings: 3.9 stars
When Brooke Dalton is mugged and misses the last train back to Boston, she's by herself in the predatory darkness of New York City. After busker Nick Vaughan comes to her aid, the two forge a connection -- which brings complications in the morning.
a surprising, gentle example of how two people can drop below their head space, and truly open, listen to each other. The movie begins slowly and takes some effort to stay with it. So very much like the reality of worthwhile human relating.
It's very nice to get inside your heart! So glad that you can use your brain to describe it in words. It helps us all open to deeper conversations that we must all dare to have to heal our land. Love you Sis!
ReplyDeleteThanks Elle. Only in relationship to each other can we heal our inner and outer lands. And, love you too!
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