Saturday, March 02, 2002

Big Screen T.V. Have you noticed that, sometimes, the most profound spiritual experiences can be followed by emotional and physical heaviness? I don't pretend to understand this in any psychoneuroimunnological way... or any way for that matter! It is just an observation that after peak experiences, my body/mind will go into a contraction state. Like how the house is after a big party; it takes some time and effort to restore. Somewhat more challenging is how during that contraction, the part of us that is small and needy comes up with all sorts of things it just MUST have. Like... a big screen TV! But not just any big screen TV, the PERFECT big screen TV, which it goes about to find and frets and worries and cannot sleep over the most picky of details like, "This one would be perfect except for the blue grill cover which looks like it would clash with the carpet." And this small part of us gets totally psyched if it can find an enemy, someone who stands in the way of us getting that we "most need." If there is a gift in this process, it is that if we stay aware—and even a small part of our mind detached from the drama of it all—we grow. As we expand, we can leave a bit of the pettiness behind. This takes serious devotion. Not because it is unnatural. Indeed, I feel that this kind of inner growth is the most natural part of who we are. No, the devotion is required because of the gravitational pulls that tug and pull at us with their throbbing demand: "What's in it for ME ????" 9:47:51 PM       A Shove for Balance? Picture yourself standing on one foot... on loose sand... in a high wind... with your eyes closed... with a bowling ball in your right hand... and four eggs in your left... Life feels that way sometimes, doesn't it? "Balance" seems a fantasy. We experience physical, emotional, and mental pulls from family, friends, co-workers, customers, terrible drivers, and our own ego. How do we keep from crashing? Now, picture yourself again, and this time, imagine that someone comes up to you and rests a steady hand on your shoulder. How does that affect your balance? Do you feel like you can cope better? There are times when all of us get off balance. We take on more than we can handle, or life sends us a gust of putrid wind. I've learned that my health depends on having within my circle friends and professionals that can provide a balancing hand. My wife Sandy is certainly one. But I also actively seek out bodywork professionals and spiritual teachers, people who have made a commitment to growing in their ability to digest the tensions of others and leave them with greater centeredness. So often, when people are out of balance, they seek the "one magic bullet" that will make the difference. Well, if you are floundering, do you really want to get shot, too? Seriously, so much of what people seek are dramatic, powerful forces such as intense prescription drugs, cracks from a chiropracter, fix-it surgeries, or even quitting their jobs and families to find themselves. For the person out of balance, these actions may be more akin to getting shoved than getting a steadying hand. Once "shoved" to one side, they may need to get "shoved" from another side, and so on. Balance becomes wild gyrations of an out-of-control life with huge inputs of energy no person can assimilate. If I were falling off a cliff, I'd want some fantasticly strong person to grab me and yank me back to safety. If she broke my arm in the process, I'd still be eternally grateful. When faced with certain medical or mental crises, strong arms to get us back from the brink of death are called for, and I honor and am grateful for those options. Yet, if we're talking day-to-day life... is a SHOVE really what you're looking for? 9:47:19 PM       Loving and Being Loved Our spiritual work is about loving and being loved, period, because the way we find some authentic and enduring sweetness and meaningfulness in life is in our commitment and devotion to cultivating authentic love and in our capacity to hold to it, no matter what. —S.C., There Is No Other The capacity to hold onto love and an open heart in the face of tensions, suffering, conflict, overwhelm... takes devotion and hard work. I would say that after ten years of devotion (even if at times wavering discipline), the fruits of this spiritual work are becoming clear. Like a first taste of a perfectly ripe mango, the taste buds come alive and know a delicious sweetness. The first time one can respond with love and an open heart in a situation that would have previously brought fear, resentment, or anger, one can taste what it is like to know authentic, unconditional love. 9:46:03 PM       Love is Here Through all my trials my doubts— Fear. Love is here. When filled with joy with laughter— Bliss. Love is here. Filled with grief with loss— Pain. Love is here. With every breath each thought— Life! Love is here.  Rick@Leaders.net 7:58:38 PM       Only Light Can Drive Out Darkness Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. —Martin Luther King, Jr. 7:50:16 PM

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