The Mirror of Our World

Another day dawns and we, as a human race, are once again stunned as incomprehensible acts of violence invade our lives.  We are, at once, lured and repelled while senseless acts of violence penetrate the veneer of safety and normalcy with which we live our lives. A holiday party, a concert, a meal out with friends, being in school; all activities we have each engaged in.  The innocence of those wounded and killed, assaults our very faith, and penetrates the recesses of our being, as we find ourselves once again, thinking of, and praying for those directly affected.  Our prayers haven’t seemed to help; our preparedness appears ineffective in prevention. There are more and more calls for both stricter gun control laws, and changes in how mental health is addressed. And though both of those solutions may be a step in curbing some individual’s intent on harm, what do the rest of us do as we are left feeling bewildered, unsure, and unsafe in a world gone mad?
There are no easy or pat answers to this age-old question.  And frankly, I’m tired of platitudes, and of hollow solutions. What is it all about?  I don’t have the answers to that question either. But I know I’m tired of empty prayers, of blaming God and each other for the sorry state of affairs we find ourselves in.  I’m impatient with empty promises and speculations, with grandiose ideas, and attitudes and words that serve to further isolate and separate us as human beings. I’m weary of quick fixes, and of political posturing that attempts to give the people what they want to hear but results in no substantive change.
The question becomes, “What can I do to make a difference?” Can I make a difference in this world that always seems to be at war; where countries refuse to cooperate because of differing ideologies; where the greed for money circumvents right and ethical action? How can I, how can you, make a difference?  I don’t think it will be easy, but I do think it is simple. 
Perhaps it’s time to examine our own hearts and minds, to observe and recognize what’s being seen beyond us, is also within us. Where in our lives, are we at war? Who, in the intimacy of our living, do we label friend or foe? Who do we mock and malign and belittle? Where do we take what’s not ours?  When do we coerce or manipulate, to get our own way? When do we behave in ways that assure our personal gain, even though we know it is not in the best interest of the greater good of all concerned?  Are we willing to “sell-out” to obtain personal achievement?  Do we claim our religion as “the one and true religion” and insinuate that anyone not of that faith will surely go to Hell?  And how different is that perspective from the ISIS model of intolerance and violent justice? 
It seems that until we each, as human beings, begin to look at the world beyond us, as a reflection of what our own attitudes of intolerance, judgment, greed, and bigotry are; we will continue to see the violence erupting all around us.  When we begin to take tangible actions to address and heal our internal biases, when we acknowledge our own imperfections and expose our vulnerability, we begin the healing process both within us and beyond us. To begin to open to the possibility that we can make a difference in our world is a step.  For you to decide what that difference will be is a choice, which, in turn, will have an effect. In the moments of our living, we each decide, consciously or unconsciously, the effect we will have.  Will it add to the violence, and the chaos and intolerance blurted from our electronic screens? Or will it increase calm, cooperative coexistence, where rational and well-advised decisions and actions can be achieved and real change initiated?
This is not to suggest that in the face of immediate and real danger, we cower and retreat. In a crises situation, immediate actions must be taken to mitigate the threat. And some of that action may appear violent, so be it. We do what we must. Rather, I’m speaking about most of the moments in our day when what influences our decisions and attitudes can be more honorable, kinder and more compassionate, more beneficial and helpful to one’s self, one’s family and to those who people our world. It is good to remember that we are one of 5 billion beings that inhabit this small and beautiful planet; this small blue orb, that is but a speck in a vast and unlimited Universe. What you do, what I do, matters and ripples out, touching us all.  And it is reflected back to us.  When we look into a mirror, if we see something that needs fixing, we don’t attempt to change the mirror. Instead we change the person who’s looking into the mirror and the mirror reflects that change. Same thing!

Charles Albert Gilbert

Artist 1892

In this optical illusion, do you see the skull or the lady at her dressing table looking in the mirror?

Uncertainty

Beauty in Transformation

Life twists and turns. Events and things and situation change, reconfigure, disappear, and reform.  Nothing is permanent.  There are times when the future looks bleak, uncertain and painful. What is – seems not so great, and what will be seems to be even worse.  What to do?  It is not an easy decision to leave the vortex of pain and worry, to see in one’s mind’s eye love.  It is not, at first, easy to allow peace its open door to come forth through our being and breathe in the life and love of Spirit.  Our mind wants to wrestle with the specters of fear, doubt, anger, and pain.  But the endeavor is always exhausting and ultimately unproductive.  When engulfed in life circumstances that overwhelm us, when we feel like the rug has been pulled out from under us, how do we regain stability or a sense of order or direction? …one small breath at a time…one small step at a time…one small reaching out at a time.  Our minds want answers, the whole picture, concrete steps to take, and it keeps us up at night with its revolving array of thought, terrors and unpleasant possibilities.  It tries to wrestle control from us when we are most vulnerable and exhausted.  That’s how it rolls.  We’ve heard the admonitions, “Let go and let God.”  “Everything will work out!”  “Think positively!”  Or the kicker – “What’s in YOUR consciousness?!!!”  But when your world is falling apart, these statements, to whatever degree they may be true, are not helpful.  During these times, we want to know someone understands, that someone hears us.  We want to know, we’re not alone, that others have traversed this territory and have left footprints!  We need an arm around our shoulders, a place to get our bearings, a space to birth our wisdom, amidst the uncertainty, and pain, and fear.  We need a safe place, a hot meal, a helping hand, and a listening ear.  We need someone to hold the faith when ours is wavering, who believes in our strength when we feel weak and powerless.  We need the power of love to embrace and surround us and light the way when our candle has burned dim.

We’re seeking that balance – the yin and the yang.  Around us life’s opposites abound; its heartache and its joy; its darkness and its light; its beauty and its ugliness; its love and its hate.

How do we reconcile the joy when surrounded by the sadness?  How do we reconcile love when surrounded by hate?  How does one balance peace in the midst of violence?  There are people suffering, there are people smiling, there are people living and there are people dying.  At first appearance it seems like the circumstances of one’s life dictate our feelings and our outlook, our overall state of being.  And yet, taking a closer look, we can find those, who in the midst of indescribable misery find a way that allows their life to make a statement.  Anne Frank, Jesus, Viktor Frankl, Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, and a host of others both known and unknown.  They found their way through horrendous situations, but weren’t reduced because of them.  When life’s conditions squeezed them, their spirits expanded beyond the circumstances.  They moved through, and rose above what was occurring in and around them.  They elevated their consciousness and their behavior to a place of forgiveness and love.  And their impact on this planet cannot be denied.

            What makes them different from Joe or Josephine average?  Nothing really.  It is an attitude, a decision, many decisions that essentially proclaimed,  “This is where and how I find myself, though conditions may be deplorable, I choose to remain hopeful and authentic within myself.  I will not allow those challenges before me to be larger than I am.  I will not be diminished, but will stay in my integrity to make a difference where I am.  I will be the truth that I AM!?  There was no long-lasting pity party, there was no railing against the winds of fate, there was no blame, retaliation, or hate.  There is but a humble, quiet, internal stance of love, of faith, of service to something greater than the human condition, while in the middle of a seeming hell.

            Was it easy? No!  Did it matter? YES, and probably more than they or we realize.  But how do we become icons of love and virtue in a world filled with intolerance, judgment, hate, anger, separation, and isolation?  Should we choose to accept this assignment, there are skills and responsibilities required on our personal dossier.  They are as follows:

1)    Accept the Facts – This does not mean acquiescence or victimhood.  It is an internal release to the way things are, without attachment to the thought that there is no way out, or that circumstances will not change for the better.  Rather it’s a stance of surrendering to what needs to be done, an intention to do what needs doing without rancor.

2)    Move into Faith – Faith in God, in one’s Self, in friends or family.  Faith that there are powerful forces at work in, through and beyond you that flow into the circumstances and events through your alignment in faith.  You are the conduit that allows that Power to work!

3)    View the Situation – but remember the beauty and the love.  Looking around we can see the cruelty, and inhumane acts perpetrated by human beings.  It is wise not to turn a blind eye to this.  Yet it is equally important to remember to see both within and beyond – to notice the senseless acts of beauty and random acts of kindness.  What you focus on magnifies.  It is like looking through a magnifying glass, what may be in actuality, a small part of life; when magnified in our perception, it takes on a disproportionately large expanse.  It is given greater weight than the good that is also present.

4)    Be Grateful – if not for the situation itself, than for the things that are still good, the smile of a loved one, the breath of fresh air, the love between people both near and far, the helping hands and hearts, the memories.  Be grateful for any signs of generosity, of love, of compassion, of caring.  Look for and feel the love, if not directly in front of you, remember it and dwell on it.  It could be a memory of holding your newborn, the day you were married, a loving memory of your Mother or Father loving you, of God loving you, a pet, anything that allows you to get back to the love in your heart and your mind.  Dwell there.

5)    Choice – to be angry and strike out at an unfair world, or to know that being a human being involves feeling the wonder and the grief of living on Earth.  The choice is ours to demonstrate.  We either become kinder, more humble, more compassionate and more grateful.  Or we become more angry, bitter, resentful and unhappy.  The choice always remains in our hands based on our personal decisions in each moment of reckoning.  How will your remaining days be lived?

Endings and Beginnings

The end of August is upon us, and we are arriving at Summer’s unofficial close.  Around us we may observe the subtle changes in the sun’s angle, an earlier dusk, fluctuating temperatures.  We notice the Fall apparel and home décor adorning store windows.  School has begun or will soon begin, and the season we so often associate with play and relaxation re-forms into more structured, and scheduled days.

         It is often a challenge to bring some of what Summer represents into the rest of the year.  A beautiful seashell, a pebble polished by ocean waves, a favorite photo of a beloved summer place, may be placed upon our desks as a reminder of more casual and carefree days. Novels we were hoping to read sit closed, their pages unread, still holding within their pages stories, ideas, entertainment and escape. Weekend reading, or winter break are the new target date for their exploration. All are keepsakes that help us to remember the feelings of peace, and calm, and rest that Summer elicits.  We yearn to capture this ease, amidst days full of responsibilities, obligations, and time constraints. 

And yet as with all things, life and time march on, blending the new with memories, and hopes, and dreams.  Every ending signals a new beginning. And with the letting go of Summer’s play, there abides the welcome of Autumn’s presence. Fall colors begin to show their vibrant splash, and summer’s bounty yields Fall’s harvest. There’s an inherent excitement as we look ahead to cooler days, crunchy apples, warm sweaters and all of Autumn’s nuances. The scent of suntan lotion gives way to the woodsy smells of falling leaves, and burning logs.  Early evenings beckon us to home and hearth.

One more weekend, until beaches are void of lifeguards, stands, and the rainbow of sheltering umbrellas, and crowds. And that summertime buzz drains into the sounds of nature’s rhythm.  We find ourselves once again, aware of our celestial journey around the sun. As Earth, with 5 billion of us on it, makes its yearly passage through the heavens. There is so much constancy, in harmony with so much change.

Just consider, our Earth is spinning on its axis at a dizzying pace of roughly 1000 miles per hour.  It is hurtling through space at a speed of approximately 67,000 miles per hour in its orbit around the sun!  If you were looking for a miracle today, this might just be it.  Blessed endings, blessed beginnings – and safe travels! 

Summer's Message

The days are yet hazy, hot, and humid as Summer's season begins to wane, giving way to Autumn's show.  It is a subtle dance between the seasons, as one begins its exit, and the other its arrival.  The heavens note this subtle shift, the sun appears lower in the Northern Hemisphere sky. There is daily, yet subtly, a lessening of daylight and more elongated shadows appear.  Air temperatures swirl with warm days and cooler nights, winds shift direction, and we take note that an earlier dusk arrives.  It is a celestial dance of change, of cycles, of good-byes and hellos.

And too, it speaks of continuity and predictability, as one season follows another.  It speaks to us, as night rotates into day and summer drifts into fall.  It readies us for what comes next, as we glance back at what was, and stand in the present,  aware that change is happening.  Sometimes it’s welcome, sometimes, not so much. There is comfort to be found in life’s predictability, and yet it coexists with the knowledge that our life circumstances can transform at any moment.  How we move within the heaven’s dance is telling, as it but a facet of how we face up to and move within our life’s changing circumstances. 

Life’s music is always being played, sometimes the music is such that our steps are confident, fluent, synchronized and we flow easily with the rhythms of life.  Other times the rhythms change, sometimes abruptly, it is less familiar, its rhythm more complex, chaotic, and unpredictable.  Our steps become cautious, hesitant, even tremulous.  We find discipline and focus is necessary as we intently listen to the music and its tempo. We diligently attempt to align our steps and movement with this new pulse. And in the learning of this new dance may feel inexperienced, uncoordinated, and inadequate. We’re afraid of making mistakes, being misunderstood, or found incompetent. We may feel helpless in the face of the unfamiliar. We forget that these feelings are also part of life’s dance. They are to be incorporated into our choreography. They imbue our dance with passion, substance, and influence.

The music plays on, through our best efforts and our bungled attempts.  What is this message of life, this meaning, and this purpose we ask in the privacy of our own thoughts? There are probably as many answers to that question as there are people on Earth.  And still the music plays for each and every one.  There will be times when we find that little choice is given to us. We must learn a new dance even when we’d rather sit this one out. 

In concert with the heavens above, in our lives, there is movement, there is  change. Perhaps the message is: to make it meaningful, to give it purpose, to have faith – in one’s Self, in others, in Life.  And when we do give it meaning, give it purpose, and have faith, the music becomes our refrain, and we truly do begin to dance with the stars.  

Even now the music plays.  Can we hear its melody? Can we move with its rhythm?  And more importantly, do we recognize that it’s our song, created through our tone, evoking our rhythm?  Dance on; we are the artists of our life’s work.  Make it a masterpiece. And Bravo and Brava!!

By the Sea

The Beautiful Sea

The morning dawns fresh and new as the sun rises through layers of clouds, painting the early morning sky in hues of pink and blue. Waves roll in crashing on the sandy beach, their white spray rising up and falling again to their source.  The predictable rhythm of the sea captures my attention and resonates within my being. The blue-green ocean glistens in this morning's sun, as if God had scattered millions of diamonds across its surface. Each reflecting and refracting this life-giving light. Dolphins frolick beyond breaking waves and there is a pervasive sense of peace.  My heart beats in time with Nature's pulse, and gratitude flows.

I spend a long time just being, feeling, and absorbing the different sensations that drench my body, mind, and soul. I examine each shell and stone cast upon the shore. A smooth translucent pebble catches my eye. In my hand I notice its smoothness, and its translucence in the bright sunlight.  It is worn smooth from the tumult of the sea.  It reminds me of myself somehow, as I too have grown softer, smoother and more translucent by life's seas.  A gift from the sea, a reminder of the beauty revealed by weathering life's storms.

Here, on the edge of the continent, I am soothed by the undulating rhythm of the sea. Here life makes sense, and I touch once again the wonder of it all!  I choose to live within the mystery of the intricate, awesome beauty of this place.  To allow it to feed my soul, open deeper my heart, replenish my spirit. Here I touch Life's beauty, power, and peace. Come...sit with me by the sea!!❤️