#MicroPoetry|March ’22 Reflections

As I write this, I continue to reflect that the world outside my blinking cursor is not the one in which I would have ever imagined myself living. Sabres are no longer rattling, they are drawn and innocents are losing their lives on account of egos that suppress compassion. It is easy, in these turbulent moments and times, to despair and lose hope. In such moments, I am reminded that choice remains ours to shape and frame the world we see. As I finish this reflection, I believe that our agency is more important than it has ever been in my lifetime

What shall we choose to see? To do? To Be?

I was recently in a conversation with a person with whom I have been companioning on their journey. In this trusted mutual relationship, it was observed that those who have engaged in the process of spiritual practice ‘have it right.’

There was a pause and then, we both laughed. Why?

The spiritual journey is not about right or Truth. Awakening makes space for humble acceptance of mistakes and doubt, fear and questioning. These are central touchstones for the intentional exploration. Without them, too often ego silences wisdom and replaces it with absolutes and binaries of right and wrong.

It is brave to create …
It is brave to hold onto the wonder of youth that sees possibility in the way the wind blows, how water ripples and birds sing …
It is brave to stand tall in the face of oppression …
It is brave to say we need help …
It is brave to offer a compassionate hand when someone you do not know is hurting …
It is brave to take a deep breath and walk into the world open to wisdom and possibility …
Be Brave …

The gift of learning is perhaps one of the greatest treasures we have. Through life’s journey, the contours we experience, the breadth of wonder and joy are directly connected with the degree to which we continually engage in new experiences, opportunities to study and reflect.

In recognising and embracing this endowment of life, we are further blessed to take our particular learning and to share it with others. In this sharing, as it occurs in community, we are afforded the opportunity that our learnings reveal wisdom. In such revelation, we can then imagine ways to be more just and compassionate with ourselves and one another.

I believe we each bear a gift to the world. We can be dissuaded, distracted and disillusioned to attempt to discover and share that by narratives that are soul-harming. This is where a journey of self-knowing, of exploring self and spirit begins.

To disentangle ourselves from these limitations requires a commitment to foster communities of trust that help us explore the spark we bear. As that becomes clearer, so do the boundaries placed upon us begin to be lessened.

Do you remember the first time you tried to cross a creek with running water? You know the one with water running just high enough to submerge the stones and to dress them in a silky watery reflection?

Do you remember what you though would be an easy skip and a jump might have turned into a balancing act to avoid a soaking and bruised knee or two?

As I recall this moment – imagined or actual – what do you think you would learn the next time you found yourself at a crossroad?

When I have the chance to listen to human choices to create harmony it is always a sacred and stunning moment. The intermingling voices are both particular and unified in such events. I think the voice which we speak into the world is similar.

By claiming the voice that life and experience has shaped, we are able to be both better communicators and also advocates. When spoken in solidarity, I think a harmony called justice is sung into the world.

I am always in awe of those who can take various resources, such as wood, steel, or stone, and to not only make something but to have been able to see it before it was created and fashioned. This can be either utilitarian or artistic, and every time I am humbled by the creativity we bring into our daily lives.

As you begin this day, what in your mind’s eye might you begin to fashion into a tactile reality now?