probing the inner maze of grace

We must realize that we are in a trap or a labyrinth; that our character and body are armored and constricted; that there are knots and nets in various areas of our consciousness and our life. If I don’t perceive my imprisonment, my boundedness and limitations, there is really no motivation for change. Transcendence, symbolized by flying or other upward movement, is one of the traditional ways of escape. Transcendence is a going beyond, an alteration of consciousness, that  leaves the existing system in place. There is a difference between escaping from the prison and actually transforming the prison- that is, dissolving the armor. The transformation from a state of captivity to a liberated state is reflected in the difference between our concepts of fate and destiny. We fulfill our destiny by exercising our free will. But until our will is, in fact, freed from the fateful, binding consequences of our past tendencies, we cannot really exercise that freedom. We have free will in theory, potentially, but not in practice or actuality- until we are liberated. When, through the process and practice of transformation, we no longer experience ourselves as victims of our fate, we can become masters of our destiny……Ralph Metzner

this is the silent struggle and deep knowing we all carry…..we all know where we sit on this spectrum of victimhood….the experiential fire of awakening, even for a moment, is like earning our wings….flying in dreams…..this is freedom, to take this one small moment and lift it up with attitude…with heart….with surrender…..with twisted grace….

Ask the large questions, but seek

small answers. A flower,

or the space between a branch and a rock,

these are enough.

…..Kent Nerburn

the paradox of little bits of transformation….

The stuff of which our everyday lives are actually made holds this eternal life, if we have the eyes to see. My journal carries the record of this realization in a prayer:

You laid bare for all to see how

they lurk at the heart of every situation,

seeds of goodness hidden in the hardest, darkest shells

waiting to be unlocked and stand up again.

Overwhelmed by the tidal waves of Your world

we yearn for Your rescue, pining for some other kind of Presence

than the still, small pulse of life within us.

….Robert Corin Morris

4 thoughts on “probing the inner maze of grace”

  1. And when he cast them out he said to them “who are you, what is your name” and came the reply “I am legion, for I am many” …. Every time we close our hearts pretending to hide, thinking we are safer there inside, we write another page into our book of fate. When the heart is open, and willing to be, then the tides shift and our destiny is revealed…

    • Beautiful way to envision heart opening….destiny and fate in our heart choices! To risk is so contrary to many of our natures, and yet how else can we transcend and transform? Everyday living simply says ‘live!’ Thanks g.f.s for this wonderful metaphorical quip….

  2. So often, especially this time of year, I sit on the lawn and watch the night sky. Thus far, I’ve found nothing written there. We make our destinies – one moment, one grace, one breath at a time. This is beautifully written. ~ Love, Bobbie

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