What a week it’s been – both in my heart and in our politics-dazed country. So much to process, comprehend, do and factor in to each day. I’ve missed being here, however the ‘flowing myself with my heart’ practice has allowed me to keep moving, and to maintain faith and trust in my days. And now I’m about to go away for a very special family wedding abroad, for a week. What a gift. How best can I use this time?
Connectivity in a spirit of tranquillity, is your remedy.
And ‘Horizon-Gazing’ too, right?
Horizon-Gazing as a means to further peace, tranquillity and connectivity.
I’m self-conscious here, in a way. Is this [Dialoguing] such an odd practice?
Openness serves us well.
Yes. Maybe that will be part of my learning.
Let’s read..
40- Returning is the direction of the Tao. Yielding is the way of the Tao. The ten thousand things are born of Being and Being is born of Nonbeing. (The Tao Te Ching ch40)
Returning, yielding, non-being… These flowing, gentle concepts. So soft, so delicate, so lacking in striving or efforting. What a platform for living. What an antidote to being overwhelmed by the 10,000 Things. I am ready to live this a little more truly. I am ready to take that seeming ‘risk’ and take my foot off the accelerator, and trust in the power of automatic momentum.
‘But what about your plans, your goals, your 12 week year?!’
I know… It’s not that I want to give up direction or intention. Far from it. It’s that I want to prioritise developing the culture of my mind over and above the output of my mind.
And you are working so well in that department. You are truly fostering awareness of your internal weather patterns. You are softening thoughts and tempering action responses. You are most beautifully directing your attention to the places that grant you upliftment and peace.
So what is the meaning of ‘Being is borne of Non-Being’? For me?
This concept reminds you that you are more likely to meet those stated intentions of yours if you settle in to a state of non-action / non-striving on a regular basis. Pressing the pause button allows for buffering, which allows for successful ‘play mode’.
And what does non-action/striving look like for me, for me for whom executive-functioning is often an elusive power?
Your non-striving is this: delivering ‘minimal viable action’ to achieve the intended result.
I’m sorry, I just disagree with this in that sometimes I need to throw the energy in to get the job done to the best of my ability.
Wheel-spinning. Sometimes there is wheel-spinning, sweet soul. And it tires you. And it fills you with cortisol. And it affects others. Think of the Queen in her castle, floating…
…I’m thinking of her staff, legging it around the upstairs/downstairs rabbit-runs!
Think of the crown upon the head, and see that crown upon the butler, the chamber maid, the gardener, the nanny… The point is that nobility is an inside state. It is nothing to do with societal status. To be monarchical is to recognise one’s inner sovereignty.
Ok, that’s nice. I’ll grant you that. I see where you’re taking this. Beautiful. There is work here for me. I know that often I have played the role of the Monarch’s Jester, the Court Fool, to remain safe in my world.
Not so much to remain safe, but to be able to be free of the constraints of your archetype.
What archetype?
The archetype of the monarch.
This now speaks to my ego. Let’s take care…
Why do you think your country’s monarch has become muted, and your ‘leader’ has become a puffing steam train veering off his own rails?
Because we all need to find our inner monarch?
It is time for all to learn to wear the crown of sovereignty. (Very rarely do we say something to you which is not applicable to all – do not worry about ‘specialness’ issues.)
I hear you. Yes. And the Monarch can also model ‘returning’, ‘yielding’ and ‘non-being’…
She can. To do this safely and purely, she needs to have her Inner Anchor fully alight and ablaze. Then her outer demeanour can be as yielding and welcoming as the very gates of heaven.
Woah. Shall we meditate on all this?
***15minMed***
That meditation began with a good deal of inner wrangling: is this all about being/acting monarchical?; playing with wearing an imaginary crown?; understanding personal sovereignty? Some way on, a phrase of my beloved G’s came to mind – it was something he said to me when I was about to leave for a funeral last week, full of nerves and sadness and apprehension about reconnecting with old friends in such terribly sad circumstances. He said this:
“Bring the love.”
Beautiful. That’s all we have to do for each other, isn’t it? And it’s what a true monarch does, isn’t it? And we do it best when we are internally anchored, tranquil, connected and fully in charge of our own selves, sovereign and content to settle into a state of returning, yielding and non-being. Is this it?
Bringing the love is the essential state of connectivity in tranquillity.
May I learn this well. May I bring the love to all I do, to everyone I meet and communicate with, to all actions I perform, to every word I utter. May we all. May our language ever be unifying, comforting, and yielding to love.
I am bringing the love