Perhaps the Universe has a different plan

and, what may have seemed,

like a random twist of fate

was actually a higher force,

pointing you in the right direction.

Maybe the Universe always had your back

and was encouraging you to stick to your

own unique life path.

And maybe when you deviated

from the route the Universe

was given the opportunity

to teach you the precious lessons

that enrich the human soul

and leave each of us wiser.

And maybe, just maybe,

everything was a gift

sent from the Universe

To you, their precious child.

~C.E.Coombes

when I forget who I truly am…

inquiry for today~ where will you go to reconnect?,,,

home again….

Last night I enjoyed a dinner with a dear friend and her family. When she was young they embraced the Waldorf tradition of education. A philosophy that encourages curiosity, creativity, imagination and an appreciation of life’s spiritual dimensions without being tied to a specific religion.

Often children and families celebrate seasonal festivals aligned with natural, and cultural cycles.

For them this time of year is filled with rituals, fond memories and intentionality.

Probably due to their influence, and some interesting dreams, I woke remembering what I learned as a Catholic school boy. What I recall from what we were taught is that Advent, the time before Christmas was about: learning to wait without grasping, to hope without certainty, and to prepare the heart for what would be born

The 12 days between Christmas and the Epiphany was about learning to receive what has been freely given.

The Magi, (the wise ones, who were foreigners,) arrived and recognized the Christ, (the embodiment of divine presence in human form) beyond beliefs boundaries or prophecy. To

me that means this embodiment could be universally known and experienced by anyone.

Said in another way it was a recognition of the incarnation of Mystery.

These days from a Buddhist perspective, I think about what I refer to as the “nature of our nature”. That is the innate potential to awaken that lives in each of us from the moment we are born.

And how gradually through embodied practice, the boundless and selfless nature of Being unfolds, is recognized (awakens) and then serves the world.

To paraphrase Dōgen

To study the Way is to study the self.

To study the self is to forget the self.

“To forget the self is to become intimate with the myriad things,”

Looking forward to being in retreat and the embrace of silence over the coming week as a way of welcoming the New Year.

As the year turns….May wisdom guide your choices, may compassion shape your actions, and may your life be of true benefit to others.

~Frank Ostaseski