May 2020 |

The Empty Chamber Where Brightness is Born

Posted 4 years ago by Monique

The Empty Chamber Where Brightness is Born

“Something deep in the human soul awakens as things fall apart. Something in the soul knows that everything in this world can become lost. And something in the soul knows how to survive periods of devastation, disorientation and loss. Descent and falling is the way of the soul from its beginning. We each fell from the womb of life when the waters of the inner sea broke and it came time for us to breathe on our own.” 1

The human experience brings us to many thresholds- where the life that we have known changes or shatters. At such times when chaos ensues and one cannot see a clear way forward, the urge to find a solution screams for one to do something.

The most powerful act during such turning points is to use the will to turn TOWARD the unknown without trying to force change upon what is. One can use the will to ALLOW the dissolution and WAIT in the not knowing- in the empty space which is the receptacle for the catalyzing spark that will bring forth new life. Emptiness becomes the ‘ground’ from which the new will come to be.

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The Journey of Ice Caps and Tears

Posted 4 years ago by Monique

The Journey of Ice Caps and Tears

Meandering along the water’s edge, fire and water kiss the earth in a resplendent dance between sun and wave. A deep internal resonance emerges in my being. My heart, like a moving mandala flowering outward, expands to meet the sunlight shimmering in the water’s reflection.

When the heart opens to the outermost edges of its blossoming, there is a threshold where joy and sadness meet and intermingle- like how a flower in full bloom reaches its completion and naturally moves toward its waning. Both are necessarily included in the wholeness (yin and yang) of the heart.

One way in which fire and water relate in the body, is though the heart/kidney axis- a foundational connection that nourishes the seeds of one’s potential by connecting with the shen spirit/divine consciousness. Together, they provide a central axis around which one’s growth and transformation is supported throughout one’s lifetime. Sometimes the vital connection between the heart (fire) and kidneys/adrenals (water) is weakened. One can become frozen and unable to move forward. Great care is needed to attend to this place of frozenness. Fire and water can re-establish connection by bringing enough warmth (fire) to the frozen water so that it can once again flow. Just as the sun warms and nourishes all life on earth, one’s inner sun (the heart) warms and nourishes the body and soul.

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Dragons and Ants – Guides From Beyond

Posted 4 years ago by Monique

Dragons and Ants – Guides From Beyond

The west wind howls through the forest under a dark shapeshifting sky as I make way through the chaos of tree and limb. Hair flying wildly around the edges of my hat- I lean in to a churning invisible force so palpable, I can almost see the outline of dragons thrashing wildly between earth and sky- stirring the pot, creating chaos, bringing change. 1

I reach an opening of plush tender moss. Some movement catches my eye. Crouching low I find hundreds of ants on and within a large mound, busily following their instinctive impulse- building and burrowing in a spectacular orderless order. I reflect on how bothersome ants can be to humans. Like ants invading our picnic, there are those things in life that steal into our carefully curated lives, rearranging who we think we are and all we hold dear.

Yet all bugs have a vital purpose in the web of life. Ants aerate and amend the soil. They eat other insects, and carry seeds deeper into the earth for germination. As natural architects, ants are able to build and connect intricate pathways and create living structures. Here, in the middle of a windstorm, these little creatures continue on with their purpose unfazed.

I reflect on the ways in which the irritating, messy, unresolved, uncomfortable aspects of one’s life call for attention- the addictions, habits, crises, chronic pains, failures, longings, compulsions, cravings, relationship problems, embarrassments, that thing you thought your were ‘done with’ but now it is back, and more. Even when one has worked diligently toward healing/whole-making, these ‘bugs’ continue to show up, often when it is least expected, begging us to open to something more.

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