What the Buddhists call impermanence, a Tantric yogi would ascribe to the ever-changing nature of shakti- the intrinsic, dynamic power at the heart of life. Shakti is the cosmic, diving feminine energy that continually brings things into manifest being, keeps them going for a while, then dissolves them. Every moment, every enterprise, every cell, is part of this flow of creation, sustenance, and dissolution. This flow is happening on a macrocosmic level, through the various shifts in your physical states, the ups and downs of your life, and the flow of thoughts and emotions in your mind. If you understand the divine nature of the process of change, it becomes easier to greet change with honor, surrender to it, and even partner with it as you continue on your path.

~Sally Kempton

transformation is not a sublime and lovely light diffusing through you…..it’s a battle of letting go and letting go and letting go into that lovely light…..

inquiry for today~   this hard and beautiful time of year calls us to bear the tumult and soft corners of our life……

how will you be alive?

All of us are going to die, and there’s no getting around it. Death is inevitable, and the issue of our mortality opens us up to very profound levels of experience. And yet, often people take the really hard road to death. Even when dying people are beautifully cared for,  it’s about creating the kind of resilience or buoyancy where you can be present to bear witness to the truth of suffering. Sometimes I kid myself and say, I hope I don’t fail the test. I could have a difficult death, too- anybody could. We just don’t know. But what we try to do to prepare for dying is to develop the qualities of the mind that allow us to be with whatever is arising.

~Roshi Joan Halifax