As always, David Whyte gives sound and profound advise - and raises a question. What does it mean, personally, to start close in, with that first step we are afraid to take? I would like to suggest that the first step might be a remembering of who we are as humans. In the opening pages of Nature and The Human Soul, Bill Plotkin writes:
Rather than becoming something other-than-human or superhuman, we are summoned to become fully human. We must mature into people who are, first and foremost, citizens of Earth and residents of the universe, and our identity and core values must be recast accordingly. This kind of maturation entails a quantum leap beyond the stage of development in which the majority of people live today. And yet we must begin now to engender the future human (pg 7)
To read more about this, see http://animas.org/newBook/chapter1_naths.htm
As life on the planet became more complex, our capacity to remember ourselves as citizens of the earth co-emerging with all life was threatened. Many of us closed off our capacity to know all of the beauty and terror that was a part of being fully human. It is time to remember that your soul is part of the living soul of the Earth and to ask your heart to expand enough to allow you to take the first step back.
Today, and every day, take the first step toward a full remembering of who you are as a citizen of the Earth by awakening to and allowing everything that is present in the moment. Do not follow anyone else’s path. Your human-ness is uniquely yours. The gifts you have to give to life today can only be fully realized by taking your own first step. Be grateful to play your part in this unfolding universe. And wait to take that second step until this first step is completed. Do not rush yourself. Remember that there you may take this first step over and over.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Finding our Place
This week a friend in her late 30’s mentioned that she did not feel that she had ‘arrived’ yet. She felt that she had not accomplished enough for her age. I teased her a little bit. Later in the day, we talked about this idea more deeply. Our human longing to arrive comes from a true need- a need to arrive in our own wild souls. Unfortunately, our consumer based, nature-alienated culture has corrupted that longing. We have been taught that arrival is synonymous with our outer world place in the world. Living life from the center of Soul is to genuinely arrive, taking our authentic place in the world. We are most deeply connected to the world through our own souls.
Here is what Bill Plotkin has to say:
“Of all the possible ways to identify what we mean by soul, I prefer ultimate place”
“David Whyte speaks of soul as the ‘largest conversation a person is capable of having with the world.’ Here, ‘conversation’ is the poet’s way of saying relationship. You can see that the largest relationship a person can have with the world is his ultimate place if you recall that the concept of place corresponds to the totality of relationships a thing has with other things in the world " ~ From Nature and the Human Soul (page 36)
When we lose our soul place in the world, we are truly lost. Our culture assures us that this feeling of being lost can be addressed by securing our place in the world through outer accomplishments: the right friends, the right relationships, the right toys, a career that brings recognition, adequate financial security, or even the right kind of volunteerism. Without Soul, all of these attempts at finding our place eventually leave us knowing that we are lost yet again.
When this happens, David Wagoner’s poem has much to teach us. Stand still. The forest [what is wild] knows where you are. You must let it find you.
Spend sometime this week being still in nature, opening your body to the natural world, and letting the world find you. Be mindful of how your body feels before the activity and after. Notice the images that come to you and allow them to speak to you.
In the stillness of the quiet, if we listen, we can hear the whisper of the heart giving strength to weakness, courage to fear, hope to despair. ~Howard Thurman
This week a friend in her late 30’s mentioned that she did not feel that she had ‘arrived’ yet. She felt that she had not accomplished enough for her age. I teased her a little bit. Later in the day, we talked about this idea more deeply. Our human longing to arrive comes from a true need- a need to arrive in our own wild souls. Unfortunately, our consumer based, nature-alienated culture has corrupted that longing. We have been taught that arrival is synonymous with our outer world place in the world. Living life from the center of Soul is to genuinely arrive, taking our authentic place in the world. We are most deeply connected to the world through our own souls.
Here is what Bill Plotkin has to say:
“Of all the possible ways to identify what we mean by soul, I prefer ultimate place”
“David Whyte speaks of soul as the ‘largest conversation a person is capable of having with the world.’ Here, ‘conversation’ is the poet’s way of saying relationship. You can see that the largest relationship a person can have with the world is his ultimate place if you recall that the concept of place corresponds to the totality of relationships a thing has with other things in the world " ~ From Nature and the Human Soul (page 36)
When we lose our soul place in the world, we are truly lost. Our culture assures us that this feeling of being lost can be addressed by securing our place in the world through outer accomplishments: the right friends, the right relationships, the right toys, a career that brings recognition, adequate financial security, or even the right kind of volunteerism. Without Soul, all of these attempts at finding our place eventually leave us knowing that we are lost yet again.
When this happens, David Wagoner’s poem has much to teach us. Stand still. The forest [what is wild] knows where you are. You must let it find you.
Spend sometime this week being still in nature, opening your body to the natural world, and letting the world find you. Be mindful of how your body feels before the activity and after. Notice the images that come to you and allow them to speak to you.
In the stillness of the quiet, if we listen, we can hear the whisper of the heart giving strength to weakness, courage to fear, hope to despair. ~Howard Thurman
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Beldon Lane
Rather than a question, I’ve decided to include something that may provoke questions.
The following statements are excerpted from The Solace of Fierce Landscapes by Beldon Lane, a professor of theology. He has written dozens of articles and his books, Landscapes of the Sacred and The Solace of Fierce Landscape, are well known.
In our jobs we look for an ultimacy they can never provide. The holy is seldom captured in the places we seek it most. ……….
The gift of mystery often comes indirectly, as a function of plodding, inglorious labor. The vision is distinct from the job; it happens of its own accord. But it comes in the very process of attending to the job at hand, with all its aching drudgery……….
This is a crucial insight for those who been taught to expect transcendent meaning in their jobs. Surprisingly, sometimes it happens. But there is often more absurdity that glory in my job…….As Kierkegaard knew, truth comes indirectly – sneaking in endwise, engaging us when we least expect it.
I love my job, but I do it well only as long as it remains secondary to something else. Describing that something else, that holy work to which I am called first, is always elusive. It’s much easier to define the parameters of my job that to speak precisely about my work……One’s true work can seem to lack accountability, it has no quantifiable purpose……..
The art of living well is to accomplish one’s job without diminishing the priority of one’s work. Yet the temptation for me is always to confuse the cover [the job] with the ultimate concern…… There is a danger for all of us in looking for more meaning in our jobs than they can provide. One is never fulfilled by one’s job, only by one’s work.
Yet there is necessary and startling connection between the two. The very work that by its nature is so intangible and ethereal is indirectly but repeatedly encountered through the job………I discover the holy not by assaulting heaven in all its glory, but by peering under the edges of the ordinary.
Perhaps Abraham Maslow was right; those most likely to have what he called peak experiences are the ones most able to engage themselves in ordinary things without being bored.
In the next posting, I will begin to explore how we work with personal shadow. If you have a specific question, please send it to naths@animas.net
The following statements are excerpted from The Solace of Fierce Landscapes by Beldon Lane, a professor of theology. He has written dozens of articles and his books, Landscapes of the Sacred and The Solace of Fierce Landscape, are well known.
In our jobs we look for an ultimacy they can never provide. The holy is seldom captured in the places we seek it most. ……….
The gift of mystery often comes indirectly, as a function of plodding, inglorious labor. The vision is distinct from the job; it happens of its own accord. But it comes in the very process of attending to the job at hand, with all its aching drudgery……….
This is a crucial insight for those who been taught to expect transcendent meaning in their jobs. Surprisingly, sometimes it happens. But there is often more absurdity that glory in my job…….As Kierkegaard knew, truth comes indirectly – sneaking in endwise, engaging us when we least expect it.
I love my job, but I do it well only as long as it remains secondary to something else. Describing that something else, that holy work to which I am called first, is always elusive. It’s much easier to define the parameters of my job that to speak precisely about my work……One’s true work can seem to lack accountability, it has no quantifiable purpose……..
The art of living well is to accomplish one’s job without diminishing the priority of one’s work. Yet the temptation for me is always to confuse the cover [the job] with the ultimate concern…… There is a danger for all of us in looking for more meaning in our jobs than they can provide. One is never fulfilled by one’s job, only by one’s work.
Yet there is necessary and startling connection between the two. The very work that by its nature is so intangible and ethereal is indirectly but repeatedly encountered through the job………I discover the holy not by assaulting heaven in all its glory, but by peering under the edges of the ordinary.
Perhaps Abraham Maslow was right; those most likely to have what he called peak experiences are the ones most able to engage themselves in ordinary things without being bored.
In the next posting, I will begin to explore how we work with personal shadow. If you have a specific question, please send it to naths@animas.net
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
True Adulthood
A book excerpt this week in lieu of a question:
Every human being has a unique and mystical relationship to the world, and the conscious unearthing and cultivation of that relationship is at the core of true adulthood. In contemporary society, we think of maturity in terms of hard work and practical responsibilities. I believe, in contrast, that true adulthood is rooted in transpersonal experience — a mystic affiliation with nature — that is then embodied in soul-infused work and mature responsibilities.
Although perhaps perceived by some as radical, this premise is not the least bit original. While mainstream Western civilization has buried most traces of the mystical roots of maturity, this knowledge has been at the heart of every indigenous tradition past and present known to us, including those from which our own societies have emerged. Although our way into the future requires new cultural forms more so than older ones, there is at least one thread of the human story that I’m confident will continue, and this is the numinous or visionary calling at the core of the mature human heart.
From Nature and the Humans Soul by Bill Plotkin, page 3
Every human being has a unique and mystical relationship to the world, and the conscious unearthing and cultivation of that relationship is at the core of true adulthood. In contemporary society, we think of maturity in terms of hard work and practical responsibilities. I believe, in contrast, that true adulthood is rooted in transpersonal experience — a mystic affiliation with nature — that is then embodied in soul-infused work and mature responsibilities.
Although perhaps perceived by some as radical, this premise is not the least bit original. While mainstream Western civilization has buried most traces of the mystical roots of maturity, this knowledge has been at the heart of every indigenous tradition past and present known to us, including those from which our own societies have emerged. Although our way into the future requires new cultural forms more so than older ones, there is at least one thread of the human story that I’m confident will continue, and this is the numinous or visionary calling at the core of the mature human heart.
From Nature and the Humans Soul by Bill Plotkin, page 3
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Question: After reading last week's question and answer, I'd like you to say more about developing innocence for adults.
Answer: Great. In most cases, we need only reclaim our lost innocence and not develop it from scratch. This is good news - coming home to our lost innocence is an easier journey. Here are some ideas:
· Make a place for innocence in your life. Create an altar to innocence. Make a daily offering or prayer to the power of innocence in the World. Do some art work. Derive your own definition of the word innocence and make a collage, sculpture, drawing, or painting to celebrate and honor innocence. Invest in the imagery and mystery of innocence.
· Begin each morning by remembering that you are perfect as you are. Even though you may believe that there is much about you that is not perfect, look at yourself in the mirror and know that it is equally true that you are perfect today as you are.
· Take time each day if possible to open yourself to the beauty of nature. Find a spot where you can feel safe and nurtured and allow the Earth to support you in this way.
· Periodically, consider how you might show up with more innocence in your day. What old strategies are you using to avoid pain that you might legitimately change now? Take a risk where it is appropriate and make space for more innocence in your life.
· Be your own best friend. Pay attention to your environment and friends. Have you created an environment for yourself in which innocence and trust have a place in your relationships?
For more ideas, see Nature and The Human Soul, page 106
Answer: Great. In most cases, we need only reclaim our lost innocence and not develop it from scratch. This is good news - coming home to our lost innocence is an easier journey. Here are some ideas:
· Make a place for innocence in your life. Create an altar to innocence. Make a daily offering or prayer to the power of innocence in the World. Do some art work. Derive your own definition of the word innocence and make a collage, sculpture, drawing, or painting to celebrate and honor innocence. Invest in the imagery and mystery of innocence.
· Begin each morning by remembering that you are perfect as you are. Even though you may believe that there is much about you that is not perfect, look at yourself in the mirror and know that it is equally true that you are perfect today as you are.
· Take time each day if possible to open yourself to the beauty of nature. Find a spot where you can feel safe and nurtured and allow the Earth to support you in this way.
· Periodically, consider how you might show up with more innocence in your day. What old strategies are you using to avoid pain that you might legitimately change now? Take a risk where it is appropriate and make space for more innocence in your life.
· Be your own best friend. Pay attention to your environment and friends. Have you created an environment for yourself in which innocence and trust have a place in your relationships?
For more ideas, see Nature and The Human Soul, page 106
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Question: How can I help my children retain their innocence as they start school and are exposed to so many things I can not control?
Answer: Please note that this answer needs only a slight modification to address a different question: How can I maintain my own innocence as I travel through a world I do not control?
· Make time everyday to unconditionally love your child. See, and share with them, their unique beauty and grace.
· Talk to your child about the day. Help make sense out of the events of the day and the cultural climate of the school.
· Be an advocate. Question things for your child when needed. Be sure the school environment is one in which one your child is safe and can blossom.
· Create opportunities for your child to experience the natural world as safe and nurturing
· For more ideas, see Nature and The Human Soul, page 92
Answer: Please note that this answer needs only a slight modification to address a different question: How can I maintain my own innocence as I travel through a world I do not control?
· Make time everyday to unconditionally love your child. See, and share with them, their unique beauty and grace.
· Talk to your child about the day. Help make sense out of the events of the day and the cultural climate of the school.
· Be an advocate. Question things for your child when needed. Be sure the school environment is one in which one your child is safe and can blossom.
· Create opportunities for your child to experience the natural world as safe and nurturing
· For more ideas, see Nature and The Human Soul, page 92
Monday, August 11, 2008
Poem: Working Together by David Whyte
We shape our self to fit this world
and by the world are shaped again.
The visible and the invisible working
together in common cause,
to produce the miraculous.
I am thinking of the way the intangible
air passed at speed round a shaped wing
easily holds our weight.
So may we, in this life trust
to those elements we have yet to see or imagine,
and look for the true shape of our own self,
by forming it well to the great
intangibles about us.
We shape our self to fit this world
and by the world are shaped again.
The visible and the invisible working
together in common cause,
to produce the miraculous.
I am thinking of the way the intangible
air passed at speed round a shaped wing
easily holds our weight.
So may we, in this life trust
to those elements we have yet to see or imagine,
and look for the true shape of our own self,
by forming it well to the great
intangibles about us.
Quote: “Some things cannot be spoken or discovered until we have been stuck, incapacitated, or blown off course for awhile. Plain sailing is pleasant, but you are not going to explore many unknown realms that way.” ~David Whyte
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
