I've been looking a lot at the flowers that surround the area in which I live. Most recently I caught site of the morning glories who are in their last throes of bloom. I noticed this: when they first sprout out of the seed their tiny leaves are in the shape of a butterfly. Gradually this butterfly changes shape and becomes a heart. I made several photos of these clustered together in a pot, but just couldn't get the images I wanted. A few days passed. I went outside and sat quietly. Looking to my right behold: a wee adventurer sprouting away from the others: A perfect heart.
About the same time I came upon another interview with Terry Tempest Williams on New Dimensions Radio. I downloaded it and have been enjoying her thoughts from 1994 where she spoke to, "the passion that we feel is naturally translated to a politics of place—standing our ground in the places that we love." Perhaps these places aren't only geographical. Wild Heart: The Politics of Place is the name of the segment and it can be found here. And here I share with you a few words which seem very appropriate for these times of great turmoil, but also of great awakening and change.
"If we lose our connection to the landscape, if we forget where the source of our power lies—our real power—not the power in Washington, not power based on oppression, but power based from an authentic life, from a life in balance, from a life of beauty, awe, integrity, compassion, empathy; then how can we know liberty? How can we know the truth of our souls? How can we know other?"
I have felt the vibration of my own aggravation being reflected out to and joining with others, as many of us are appalled at some of the choices that have been made in the last few weeks during the presidential campaign. This is a whole post unto itself, but what came through several days ago was a real understanding (I had been petitioning for one) of needing to "Be the change you want to see in the world (Ghandi). I knew my seeing red was not going to serve myself or anyone else and so I made a conscious choice to acknowledge the agitation and anger, and then move away from it and focus on seeing blue instead. This was such a a relief! The negativity of anger, flight or fight, fear, warring, and oppression was replaced by the cool hue of blue: vision, compassion, calm, higher viewpoint, inspiration and hope.
My feeling is that as I hold this state of consciousness it will create a vibration, as it must according to the laws of nature. And this vibration will then be imprinted upon the ethers, as again it must. And I saw others holding this intention as well, releasing the red and imbuing the blue. Gone was the vision I had of angry hornets swarming across the country. And in its place I saw the most glorious thing: she bees, honey bee workers, females; all in harmony, working with ease and cooperation, creating a sweet vibration permeating the ethers, wafting from flower to flower, hive to hive, garden to garden, street to street, town to town, state to state, coast to coast, and beyond.
And it was a very lovely thing indeed. And entirely possible. And very likely. Then Ghandi whispered to me across the blue, Be the change you want to see in the world, yes. But also, See the change you want to be in the world.
WonderFULL..... Now that I've taken action (by registering voters), I feel so much less attached than I did before. Inaction kept my puny mind running in circles and me awake at night. "Being the change I wish to see" has transmuted that energy and shifted my viewpoint so that I'm actually less attached, more centered and more joyful.
ReplyDeleteA Sufi saying goes (was it Rumi?), "Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel," and that is just what I'm going to do!