Theme/Mantra: “Sometimes, it is enough”
Reading:
Sometimes by Sheenagh Pugh
Sometimes things don’t go, after all,
from bad to worse. Some years, muscadel*
faces down frost; green thrives; the crops don’t fail,
sometimes a man aims high, and all goes well.
A people sometimes will step back from war;
elect an honest man; decide they care
enough; that they can’t leave some stranger poor.
Some men become what they were born for.
Sometimes our best efforts do not go
amiss; sometimes we do as we meant to.
The sun will sometimes melt a field of sorrow
that seemed hard frozen: may it happen to you.
(*muscadel are a grape used in wine)
Meditation:
Heart Meditation- a visualization practice.
Sit comfortably, with your eyes closed.
Bring your forefingers and thumbs together to form a triangle over your heart center.
Exhale.
Inhale through your nose.
Exhale fully through your mouth.
Repeat for several rounds.
Lower your hands to your sides and ask yourself the question: “If my heart were planted what would it grow?”
Sit with the question for a while.
Breathe deeply as you visualize an answer or an image.
Focus on the visualization.
Breathe.
Physical Movement:
Thunderbolt and Butterfly
Sit in a kneeling position, thighs on your calves and legs about 6 inches apart.
Face forward with your arms resting gently on your knees.
Close your eyes or gaze at a spot on the floor as you breathe deeply.
Rest Quietly.
Think to yourself, “I am fully present in my body, in my own consciousness-- and it is enough.”
Now change your position.
Sit with you back straight and your legs out in front of you.
Pull the soles of your feet together and interlace your fingers around your toes.
Roll your shoulders down and away from your ears.
Lower your knees toward the floor without forcing the stretch.
Breathe deeply into the stretch. Allow the groin muscles to relax a little more with each exhalation.
Repeat, “I receive goodness. I radiate happiness. I am content. It is enough.”
Reflection:
Another day for two songs. A good mix of Gregory and Carrie. Time will tell reminds me that there is so much we don’t know. Mystery. So much there is yet to be revealed. And the gathering of spirits reminds me there are a thousand ways to kiss the ground.
Combined with Sheenagh’s message that sometimes our best efforts don’t miss their mark- and somehow in all of this, I have hope. In time. In permission to find my own way. There are multiple rights in the world. There are multiple “goods.” There is comfort in the truth that sometimes it is enough.
And that what I do, how I try, my greatest efforts, my greatest failures all work together to be … my life. Let us live our lives with courage and hope in liberty.
Song: Time Will Tell by Gregory Alan Isakov
Lyrics:
Turning in the grain again
The bells begin to chime
Time, she says,
"There's no turning back,
Keep your eyes on the tracks"
Through the fields, somewhere there's blue
Oh, time will tell, she'll see us through
Howling out,
The windy hills
And all the time we took
You should know just how it steals
Keep your hand on the wheel
And through it all, somewhere we knew
Time will tell, she'll see us through
And all fire and flames took all we trust
We're kicking up dust
Stations fade just like they do
Oh, time will tell, we always knew
Oh, time will tell, we always knew
A Gathering of Spirits by Carrie Newcomer
Lyrics:
Let it go my love my truest,
Let it sail on silver wings
Life's a twinkling that's for certain,
But it's such a fine thing
There's a gathering of spirits
There's a festival of friends
And we'll take up where we left off
When we all meet again.
I can't explain it.
I couldn't if I tried
How the only things we carry
Are the things we hold inside
Like a day in the open,
Like the love we won't forget
Like the laughter that we started
And it hasn't died down yet
[Chorus]
Oh yeah, now didn't we
And don't we make it shine
Aren't we standing in the center of
Something rare and fine
Some glow like embers
Like a light through colored glass
Some give it all in one great flame
Throwing kisses as they pass
[Chorus]
Just east of Eden
But there's heaven in our midst
And we're never really all that far
From those we love and miss
Wade out in the water
There's a glory all around
And the wisest say there's a 1000 ways
To kneel and kiss the ground
Until Tomorrow: Peace