I feel time passing.
May I yet know the Truth.
And may it set me free.
Free of the mind that chatters.
The thoughts that chain.
The beliefs that bruise
the very soul of this mortal life.
May I be free of it all.
Unencumbered by hate,
By the violence of my own mind.
Free of greed and fear and jealousy
That speak of a small quivering heart.
Free of it all.
May I be open and graceful,
Grace filled and – free.
Finally, truly – free.
Amen.
The Enneagram –
Kaleidoscope of
Personality nuances
The prism through which
we live our lives.
To breathe, unfettered
through every angle
Afforded by
the multifaceted gaze –
We rest in the serenity of knowing
the perfection
of Creation – as it is.
Delight in the Unconditional love
that is as surely present in
and around us as our very breath.
Know assuredly that we have the value
of simply being the one and only
authentic self we really are.
And in that – dare to transform as an
ever evolving unique expression
of the Divine.
We trust our inner guidance
to give us what we need
when we need it.
And feel the inner clarity of knowing
without doubt or fear.
We know deeply that we are grounded
in Being, Itself.
And need have no fear in the changing
nuances of the apparent reality in which
we live.
The Joy of that Being bubbles up
within us as the ecstasy
of living this life as a gift
And we draw our strength
from the simplicity
and full honor of being an essential
part of the Divine.
In the end, we know the wholeness
of all things
such that every breath in and out are
but expressions of the Supreme face
of God.
A friend was recently complaining about not being able to have spiritual conversations with her sister. Even though this particular woman isn’t exactly great at communicating, she cares for their mother, volunteers at a number of charities and has sent my friend money when she wasn’t making enough to make ends meet.
I used to think that to be spiritual looked a certain way. I’ve chosen friends and relationships based on whether I felt understood or able to communicate on my own terms. Even worse, I have judged others for the ways they don’t line up with my idea of “spiritually evolved.”
But I wonder.
The image we have of what spirituality should look like – how often do we question that?
My image has mostly centered around an unruffled, peaceful countenance and basically infinite equanimity. Since I and no one I know actually ever quite fits that image it has given plenty of free fodder for the harsh critic in my mind.
I’ve wondered though – where does the raging part of the river fit into that schema? The turbulent waves of a storm?
Aren’t they all part of this – God’s great world?
I also notice that when I embrace every single aspect of what arises in me as – just that- yet another aspect of the creative force at work, I get ever so much (paradoxically) calm about it.
The thing is, when there is room – for it all – we do feel more peaceful. We aren’t trying to push away anything. Which takes energy and creates tension.
This isn’t to say we should not use discernment in who we hang out with or with whom we develop deep relations.
But, sitting in judgment – there’s the boil. When we realize that inherent in their lives, every person is suffering – in some big or small way, it becomes easier to accept them where they’re at. And to accept with equanimity each thing – inner and outer – there is the peace we’ve been seeking.
There truly is room for it all.
