Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Burying and Planting

So the wisdom of the Divine continually shows up in my life. Today I opened The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo to read aloud a passage in one of my yoga classes. It is entitled, Burying and Planting. "The culmination of one love, one dream, one self, is the anonymous seed of the next."
Mark Nepo continues,
"There is very little difference between burying and planting. For often, we need to put dead things to rest, so that new life can grow. And further, the thing to put to rest-whether it be a loved one, a dream, or a false way of seeing-becomes the fertilizer for the life about to form. As the well-used thing joins with the earth , the old love fertilizes the new; the broken dream fertilizes the dream yet conceived; the painful way of being that strapped us to the world fertilizes the freer inner stance about to unfold.

This is very helpful when considering the many forms of self we inhabit over a lifetime. One self carries us to the extent of its usefulness and dies. We are then forced to put that once beloved skin to rest, to join it with the ground of spirit from which it came, so it may fertilize the next skin of self that will carry us into tomorrow.

There is always grief for what is lost and always surprise at what is born. But much of our pain in living comes from wearing a dead and useless skin, refusing to put it to rest, or from burying such things with the intent of hiding them rather than relinquishing them.

For every new way of being, there is a failed attempt mulching beneath the tongue. For every sprig that breaks surface, there is an old stick stirring underground. For every moment of joy sprouting, there is a new moment of struggle taking root.

We live, embrace, and put to rest our dearest things, including how we see ourselves, so we can resurrect our lives anew."

WOW!! This reading took my breath away today. These past few weeks have been incredibly interesting and challenging for me- I am learning to knit, I created this blog, I am reading a great deal, practicing Reiki almost daily(for my training), I facilitated the meditation and movement pieces of a workshop for SOAR(Speaking Out Against Rape), teaching kids yoga, I have an urge to purge..I am doing a good deal of things that are new and different for me. A dear friend told me last night she was sensing I was nesting as if I was pregnant and preparing for something...Hmmm... wala! this reading appears...

"So we can resurrect our lives anew..." A most powerful line, as a resurrection is a miracle; the ultimate symbol of hope out of despair.

Perhaps the most powerful stanza for me is the one I bolded. How many times have I hidden rather than relinquished; how many times did I avoid because I thought it was too painful to feel or I was too scared to face the reality of my experience or my Truth. I feared my world would be shattered; there would be no safety in the unknown. I would stay in painful relationships because it was what I knew;it was familiar. I didn't know or understand that I could experience different or perhaps better. Now I know I can; I know I HAVE to. To face the truth about myself or others is not always comfortable or easy, but self-compassion and Grace goes a long way. The alternative of holding onto a life of falsity is no longer possible when I know there is the hope of a resurrection with a life anew waiting for me.

I invite you to bury and plant this week a part of your life or yourself that no longer serves you with Self-compassion and Self-love. If you are so moved I would be grateful to hear from you or feel free to share.

Much love,
Corinne

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