The other day I hiked up a small butte in the middle of town. It was a beautiful sunny day. The weather was comfortably warm, the grass gently blowing in the breeze. I lay down on a bench to take in the moment. A feeling of contentment washed over me. I realized that in that moment, I was at peace. I was content.
I was reminded of other times in my past when I had felt this same sense of peace and contentment. The memories that came to me were small snippets of time. I remembered the sound of church bells on a lazy summer afternoon, the smell of a BBQ going, a smooth blanket of snow shining in the sun, a moment of laughter with a friend. I did not think of money or status or people’s recognition and approval of me. I realized that my moments of feeling most content were simple moments of time when I was fully present. When we are asked what will make us happy, we come up with answers like; more money, a stable job, a spouse, having kids, owning a house, moving to a different place, getting more respect at work, etc. etc. We are always looking for contentment in things that we don’t yet have, things we think we lack, things just beyond reach. We don’t often realize that contentment is available to us at every moment, whoever we are, wherever we are and whatever situation we are in. Some may say this isn’t possible, that you cannot find peace in any and every situation. Yet, isn’t it our perceptions that create the idea that something will bring us happiness? It is not a FACT that marriage or money or a “dream” job will bring happiness. Most of us find that out along the way, and yet we continue to believe that the next thing will gift us contentment. Our expectations and beliefs, not facts, create this illusion that we fall into over and over. We can spend our entire lives falling into the hole of searching for contentment, or we can notice that happiness is not something that comes to us from the outside, but something that we find within. It is there for us, all of the time, in the beauty of the moment. This week ask yourself where you expect contentment to come from? Where are you investing yourself to try and find happiness? What would shift if you were to look for contentment in the small moments of your life? Autobiography in Five Short Chapters by Portia Nelson I I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost … I am helpless. It isn’t my fault. It takes me forever to find a way out. II I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don’t see it. I fall in again. I can’t believe I am in the same place but, it isn’t my fault. It still takes a long time to get out. III I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in … it’s a habit. my eyes are open I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately. IV I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it. IV I walk down another street.
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Limitation is defined as; a bound, a restriction. In our present day culture, we are faced with limitations all the time. In both our personal and professional worlds, we live in a maze of due dates, physical restrictions, rules, laws and unspoken boundaries. These limitations are sometimes imposed by us, but more often than not, they are imposed upon us by culture, history, religion, society, family and other institutions. Whether or not we agree with certain restrictions, there are sometimes grave consequences for trespassing or ignoring them. Limitations can serve to make us feel safe and ordered, but they can also make us feel suffocated, controlled and stressed. Many times, we approach these limitations from opposite ends. Either we sit comfortably and complacently behind these restrictions, too afraid or too apathetic to question them, or else we blow through them with defiance and anger, usually reaping personal consequences and conflict. The purpose of restrictions is to keep things ordered and effective for a determined outcome. Even our physical limitations make it possible for us to move with strength and speed. But is it possible that our limitations, self-imposed or not, can have a higher purpose of teaching us something? Of setting our spirits free? Buddhists traditionally practice a form of self-discipline using established rules or precepts. Gaining mastery over oneself and one’s desires is seen as a step along the road to enlightenment, to freeing the self. Similarly, other religions such as Christianity and Islam have teachings centered around self-discipline. These restrictions are a means to perfecting the soul and becoming closer to Divinity. In our daily lives, limitations and restrictions can cause us to feel insecure when we don’t meet them, suffocated when we feel pinned down by them and angry or helpless when we feel they are unjust or ineffective. They bring up raw emotions within us; material for self-awareness. Our relationship to restrictions is an indication as to what we are called to work on in our personal development. In yoga, physical limitations often bring up emotional restrictions. Insecurity, frustration, anger, disappointment, shame. This is the material to be worked on in a yoga practice. Carefully, intentionally and kindly noticing these restrictions, exploring our “edges,” becoming curious and self aware of our own experience. Yoga teaches us to respect these edges, yet to explore them and possible move them slowly over time. It is only with complete awareness, patience and acceptance of our restrictions that we can learn to expand them. This week ask yourself what restrictions you may be fighting in your life right now. What limitations are you being asked to explore and accept in order to do the higher work of moving your spirit? The term Potential is defined as: capable of being or becoming; an ability that may or may not be developed. Potential is an interesting and loaded word. In one sense, it is the space of opportunity. The opportunity for anything to happen, for anything to manifest. It is the precursor of something unknown and not yet formed. Like the churning of the clouds before a storm. In Hinduism, the story of Samudra Manthan, (the churning of the ocean of milk), relates the act of the gods and demons churning the cosmos to attain the gift of immortality. The churning itself awakened a series of unforeseen events that had to be dealt with in the moment including poison that threatened to destroy everything. Commentary on this story often says that the churning of the cosmos is a symbol of the churning of our minds, our own consciousness. The human consciousness is pregnant with so many things: thoughts, desires, perceptions, ideas, and beliefs all churning together, creating the potential for any number of outcomes or movements. Seen in this light, the churning of only one human mind is so immense, so cosmic. The potential for each of us is so vast. And the most amazing thing about this great potential is that it only exists in the moment. Just one moment. Potential is also a space of opposites. Gods and demons colliding and moving together. Potential has no particular outcome. There is just as much space for something to be born as there is for something to die. To move or to remain still. The churning is both under and out of our control. This is not unlike Hope which can be defined as; to place trust or rely. Hope is used frequently throughout the Bible when referring to the human relationship with God. To hope is to relate directly with the Divine. What escapes most of us is that potentiality and hope are not to be found in the future. You cannot have potential or hope if something has already happened. The power of this place is in the moment you are in. It is the power of the moment that forms what will happen next and not the other way around. Humans are often “living” in the future, wasting energy by projecting pictures of what has not even happened. Meanwhile, potential is brewing in the present time, even if we are too busy to notice. Where is your hope? Is it in the future where it cannot move, or are you paying attention to the churning of the moment? This week think about what might shift for you if you could be completely present in this story of yours without attachment to the outcome. How would things be different for you if you created your life one moment at a time instead of trying to force it into the story you think you should have? In Psychology and Religion, the word “grounding” is thrown around quite a bit. Therapists often use the term to refer to clients finding a sense of stability in order to do difficult inner work. Religious traditions may encourage participants to latch onto doctrine or spiritual ideas. Yet, the word “grounding” gives off the essence of connecting to the earth itself. Though pursuing a sense of self and spiritual beliefs can be an important part of one’s life journey, we are also all inevitably living a physical journey on this planet. The earth is an important symbol in many religious and cultural traditions. In ancient Celtic, Greek, Indian and Egyptian lore, the earth is personified and seen as the source of energy and life. And it is. We don’t need even to read ancient stories to realize that the earth brings forth life and breaks it down in an on going cycle. From the earth we get food, shelter, water and air. We owe our existence and our survival to the earth itself. Yet, so often the earth is taken for granted. We look out to the heavens in a quest for spiritual transformation or deliverance, and forget about the vast expanse of energy and life that lies right beneath our feet. In electrical engineering, grounding is vitally important. A connection to the earth itself turns a potentially lethal electric current into a useful source of energy. The earth can also be used as a conductor of that energy. Without grounding to the earth, there is no way to control or utilize the powerful electric forces. In our lives, we have so many forces to contend with; relationships, emotions, thoughts and assumptions, expectations, beliefs and values. At times, these things get the best of us. We feel thrown into a tailspin of confusion and powerlessness. What we desperately seek is some form of stability, somewhere safe and sturdy to land. Grounding to the earth means to make a commitment to be right here, right now. In this physical place, in this time. Not a few days ahead, not on a beach in our mind, but right here. Here with all of these things that we may or may not want. Here with uncomfortable emotions, here in this particular environment with these particular people. Here in this body as it is in this moment. There is power in this place of grounding, though it may not seem obvious. There is potential waiting. To tap into the earth means to tap into that great source of life and vitality that the ancients all wrote so passionately about. This week, ask yourself if you are grounding to the earth in this point in time. What keeps you from being fully present in this place? What do you need in order to ground right now in your life? What can you let go of to begin to put down roots in your physical home? |
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