We are not static beings, and yet we are called to be

exactly who we are. Our specific generic code,

our parental influence, our education, our friends,

our work, our whole history of experiences

-these are all the particulars through which

we have become who we are now.

When we truly acknowledge

and embrace these particulars

we are making a profound contribution.

We are consciously accepting our limits,

even as they continue to change.

This is both solemn and joyful. It is what we,

as conscious beings, are asked to do- to accept

our small and unique places in this universe.

~Gunilla Norris

lean into the beauty of the morning, the beauty of the earth, the beauty of your life…..especially when none of this feels so….

inquiry for today~   who do you choose to be with today? who do you confide in?

bright eyes

The moon was full yesterday morning and the energy and brightness continue into today. No matter what is happening in my life or our shared world the moon waxes and wanes, the sun rises, and the seasons roll through their cycles of life and death and rebirth.

Years ago I took a group of men and women into the wilderness of northern Ontario to do ceremonies of fasting and praying. When we came out of the bush and headed home after a week of camping, some of us stopped at a store along the highway and discovered that the Berlin Wall had just fallen. I looked at one of the group participants and said, “Wow. How long have we been gone?”

Once in awhile, my desire to participate in the world slides over into an unconscious and somewhat obsessive desire to stay on top of every bit of news. This is, of course, not possible, and it can be driven by some kind of delusion that staying fully informed will enable me some modicum of control. Ha! I’m not saying that we can’t and don’t contribute to shaping the world, or that choices about how to participate are best made with adequate information, but we cannot be with it all, all of the time.

And then I remember the Berlin Wall coming down while I was not watching, creating an opening where even ten years earlier it had been unthinkable. And I remember that all kinds of good things happen without my participation, supervision, or knowledge.

So I root myself to the natural cycles of renewal, consciously choosing when and where I will gather my news of the human world and participate where I am able. May we each find our way of sustainable participation and ongoing renewal.

~Oriah Mountain Dreamer