Who are you?

Discovering Yourself

There are no manuals for the construction of the individual you would like to become.  You are the only one who can decide this and take up the lifetime of work that it demands.

This is such a wonderful privilege and an exciting adventure.  To grow into the person that your deepest longing desires is a great blessing.  If you can find a creative harmony between your soul and your life you will have found something infinitely precious.  You may not be able to do much about the great problems of the world, but if you can awaken the eternal beauty and light of your soul you will bring light wherever you go.  The gift of life is given to us for ourselves and also to bring peace, courage, and compassion to others.

Following Jizo's Path

Everything we do in the physical realm has its reflection in the spiritual realm.  When we expand our garden to new areas of our land, this becomes a reflection of the expansion of our practice into areas of our life that were previously not included as terrain for spiritual work.  In doing so, we follow Jizo's example, carrying the light of dharma into areas of our awareness that were previously dark and foggy.

Jizo's path is called The Great Vow because it is unending.  Jizo's path is forged by Jizo's vow to work unceasingly until all beings are freed from realms of suffering. Jizo's vow is great because it is also unbounded by fear.  When Jizo encounters demons, he does not fall back or move forward.  He simply stands still, and eventually the demons retreat, defeated by Jizo's unwavering presence.

We cannot predict what will be around the next corner as we follow Jizo's path.  Armed with the tools of practice, however, we can encounter whatever is revealed with an open heart and mind.

Metamorphosis

The chrysalis represents the metaphorical vessel through which our ego-centered world transforms into our soul-centered world.  As with the caterpillar or the seed, we have always had inside of us what is needed for this transformation.  As we go through this journey of soul awakening, we begin to dissolve our identity in order to make room for something new to emerge.  The caterpillar now has wings, and we now have a new awareness.  The seedling has emerged and is ready to reach toward the sky.

So how do we kindle that inner flame that will burn away the facade of our ego?  Who are we behind all the labels?  How do we get beyond the social contract of traditional roles?  First, we have to enter geologic time -- and slow down.  Our old strategies of succeeding, producing, achieving, visioning, and goal setting no longer serve us.  Our soul longs for something more.  In an alchemical fashion, we are needing to melt down or distill our identity until the purity of our true self emerges.  This is an incremental process that must be held with patience and compassion.  Instead of always doing, we need to practice being -- just allowing space to be in the moment so we can attune to our soul.  Silence, stillness, and solitude are critical elements for this time.  There is wisdom in the silence.

The Chain of Life

Throughout our lives we meet many different souls.  Some of them touch us deeply and leave an indelible imprint on our memories.  Some guide us, nurture us, and support us on our life path  -- like mentors.  Some provide us with something we were missing -- the missing links in our lives.  Some are so sturdy and reliable that we count on them as pillars of support.  

All of the people we encounter in our life are links that make up the chain of our life.  Each link provides a part of our journey that is inextricably linked to other parts of our life.  Who has been a key link in your chain of life?  

Following Your Bliss

What is your calling?  How do you express your unique gifts?  How do you go about discovering your destiny?

All of us at some point in our lives experience a feeling of tranquility -- a place that resonates in our bones.  It feels like music.  There is no straining or struggle; we simply flow like a river into the blissful ocean:  an everlasting sense of joy and oneness with the Universe.  All of the chakras are aligned and spinning in perfect motion.  Thoughts and ideas emerge effortlessly.  We feel like we have come home for the first time.  We know what to do instinctively, and our intuitive forces are at their peak.   This is the place where we were meant to reside.

Emerging out of darkness into light

For most people I have talked with there is some level of fear associated with darkness.  More specifically, there is a hesitation when we are faced with the unknown.  And yet, if we remain in the light for too long we get blinded.  When we consciously let go of the fear a whole new world emerges, and we get a feeling of expansiveness.  Coupled with this is often a sense of unity with the Universe.

If we can have enough courage to trust in the energy of the cosmos, then there is faith in something bigger than us.  But we need to be able to go into the darkness in order to see the light.  As Leonard Cohen so aptly put it, "the crack is where the light gets in."    

Happiness vs. Joy

Happiness is an ego based feeling of fulfillment driven by external forces.  Joy is love soaked in gratitude that emanates from the soul.

So many of us long to be happy in our lives.  And most of us chase this goal through the lens of our ego which can never be satisfied.  This quest can be like diving into a black hole.  We are driven to pursue things that will make us happy:  if we can just get to this point in our life financially, if we can just have this kind of house or car or job or relationship, then everything will be OK and I will be happy.   The list is endless, and our society does a great job of creating all kinds of ways for us to be "happy".  Most of these things are distractions designed to keep us in our juvenile ego mind.  But ultimately, if we are not happy inside, no amount of external abundance will create true happiness or genuine joy.

Awakening the greater Self within and seeking to live out the original agreement of the soul is our deepest responsibility as well as the essential longing behind all the quests of life. Either we follow the dream or we take up residence in the village where people keep forgetting what life is all about. Denial of the longings of the soul and the natural nobility of the inner life generates the hidden poisons that endanger the essential joy and exuberance of life. An un-lived life becomes a greater and greater inner shadow that eventually blocks one’s basic vitality.

When I think of the times in my life when I felt truly joyful the feelings that arise are a surrendering in my core and a sense of inner tranquility and peace that has very little to do with the outside world.  So how do we cultivate this inner tranquility that is true joy?  It is a lifelong practice of intention and awareness -- a kind of ripening -- paying attention to our body and how we feel.  One way of doing this is through meditation.  When we are quiet and still, this invites something beyond our ego mind.  Our inner wisdom has room to come forth!  

If we can find a place of tender stillness within ourselves, joy naturally emerges.  But letting go of our thoughts is not easy.  It takes practice and perseverance.  What stories do you need to let go of that keep you from experiencing joy?  What would you have to give up in order to make room for joy in your life? Are you willing to disappoint others in order to honor yourself?

The Labyrinth

The Labyrinth provides us with a visual template for the twists and turns of our life.  It is a metaphor for living and a reminder of how just when we think we are on a definite path we run into a curve that changes our life.  When we walk this kind of path we are inclined to look inward and seek truth.  It is a kind of meditation that speaks to our soul.  Sometimes we carry a question into the path, and sometimes we hold a specific intention.  Honoring the Great Mystery as we stand in the center beckons the spiritual world to communicate with us.  If we listen and are open to this form of channeling, there is an opportunity for revelatory experience that we would not have access to otherwise.  If you have never walked a labyrinth I invite you to find one and see how it feels in your body.  

Courtesy of Aqus Cafe