life

There’s only Love

/ oneheart / 2 Comments

I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase before and have maybe even contemplated it. What does it mean to say there is only love? When you say something like this to others it can spark different emotions. I’ve noticed some get quiet and contemplative while others get angry, annoyed and even defensive. If seems to some that it is some airy fairy super idealistic and simplistic view of things that has no basis in reality. Others are certain that this is just a trite spiritual cliché.

I can only tell you what it means to me as I have given it some thought. At the moment of death or contemplating the moment of death it seems that all the extraneous stuff falls away. Beliefs, proclamations, judgements, grudges, our ideas about how life should be and even our bodies fall away. It is the biggest letting go of our lives. We are letting go of absolutely everything because as we know we can take nothing with us. If we are lucky when everything else falls away it leaves nothing but love and the focus on loved ones.

I can only tell you what it means to me as I have given it some thought. At the moment of death or contemplating the moment of death it seems that all the extraneous stuff falls away. Beliefs, proclamations, judgements, grudges, our ideas about how life should be and even our bodies fall away. It is the biggest letting go of our lives. We are letting go of absolutely everything because as we know we can take nothing with us. If we are lucky when everything else falls away it leaves nothing but love and the focus on loved ones.

Many master teachers and gurus point us to the moments before death as a powerful contemplation. My teacher Mooji would often say, “die before you die.” Meaning die to everything false, unimportant and temporary while you are still alive. What remains is only love. On your death bed you will most likely not be concerned with politics or the final score of the ball game. You will only want those that you love to be around you and you will want them to know you love them.

Western cultures tend to ignore the fact that death is actually a part of life, everyone’s life. In fact we die mini deaths throughout our lives. We shift, grow, change and transform in an ongoing process of letting go and surrendering. While still very much alive we die to old ways of being that have become outmoded or restrictive. We are vulnerable and stripped down to the core as we begin anew only to begin another cycle of birth and death and birth again in gradual dress rehearsal for the main event – our physical death and release of the body.

In the end there is only love because it is timeless and transcends even death as it is carried forward through our loved ones.  

Don’t Worry be Happy…or not…

/ oneheart / 4 Comments

It sounds so simple but it can create a lot pressure to think that you should always be happy!  In fact life is full of suffering, challenges and conflict that we have to learn how to deal with and not think something is wrong when these feelings come along.  

One of my teachers Amoda Maa says we have to accept the messiness of life.  I love this!!  Life is never going to line up with our view of how it should be and when we truly and deeply accept this truth it can be very freeing.  I’m not saying condone things that you feel are horribly wrong but resisting what is happening is also a pointless misuse of energy.  Resisting can cause stress and even more unhappiness.  Where did we ever get the idea that we should always be bright and cheerful?  This mistaken idea can actually contribute greatly to our suffering. 

Sometimes, however, accepting what feels unacceptable can feel like an insurmountable challenge.  There is one question to ask yourself.  Is there something in my power that I can do about this?  If there is then take the action that you feel is appropriate. If there isn’t then you have to accept that this is the world we live in and both the beautiful and ugly coexist side by side.  We have to choose consciously how we wish to be in this imperfect world.  Am I going to let it get the best of me or am I going to learn how to navigate and stay open to it all? Allowing all my feelings to flow freely through me to the best of my ability.  It doesn’t work anyway to try and shut them down or protect against them and only serves to block us physically and energetically.  

I’m not making light of serious physical or emotional abuse when the feelings are strong and destabilizing.  It’s still important not to deny them but working with someone to help you face these things can make all the difference. 

Life is meant to challenge us and force us to grow in ways we would never willingly choose.  When we are forced by circumstance to open to a new way, something outside our comfort zone, it could just be the doorway to liberation that we have stumbled on.  So try not to label your your feelings as either good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable, happy or sad.   Welcome them all. 

Teachings from Nature Continue…

/ oneheart / 6 Comments

I often walk in the morning and am stunned by the consciousness that abounds in nature and the lessons that can be gleaned by one who is paying attention. Natures communication is subtle and usually speaks to me through my intuition. I know this because often strong feelings are inspired and when I take the time to be with these feelings often they speak volumes to me. Recently I wrote about my sunflowers in a blog called A Sunflower Taught me about Overcoming Adversity. You can read it here.

For my whole life nature has spoken to me although I didn’t always know it.  I’ve always known that nothing that comes into my awareness is wasted and that the universe uses every opportunity to teach and inspire me.  

Trees are awesome teachers that possess great strength, stillness, resiliency, connection, goundedness, beauty and resolve.  These are just a few of the adjectives that come to me off the top of my head but I’m sure you can add your own to describe your favorite tree.  

After hurricane Isaias the messages from nature were coming to me loudly and I would pass many downed trees during my daily walk.  When I stopped to pay homage to these giants that had given way and were broken or pulled up from their roots I was stunned to feel great resolve and strength.  When I stood with the tree to sense more deeply I felt none of the emotions of sadness or loss that I felt but a knowing that its life was not over because its visible form was gone.  It’s as if the tree was trying to convey to me that it knew what was coming and that the wind sent a warning through its system but being a tree it knew there was nothing to “do.”  The tree had no choice but to continue standing in its lifelong spot and weather the storm taking whatever mother nature threw her way.  The tree had to “be.” There was no fear for its future or memories from the past.  There was only the present moment 

When the wind gust pulled on the tree and the deep roots snapped there was no stopping it from going down.  Down she fell taking the soil and power lines with her and darkening all the homes on her grid.   It only seems right that such a magnificent being should have such an impact on us when her outer physical form comes crashing down.  

The tree knew there was nothing to do and simply had to take what was coming.  She did this with power and grace knowing that her outer form would be no more.  Her deep, deep roots carry on with her connection to all the other tree beings and they still share information, nourishment and more wisdom than we can possibly know.  You see the trees were here before us and they will surely out live us.  They have seen a lot and weathered many storms and will carry on even when its outer form is severely damaged or compromised.  And when the tree is completely uprooted and no longer visible to us still its life will continue. 

Unlike humans, nature uses its interconnectedness to benefit all of life.  The form of the tree has changed but still it continues in its vital role to all its neighbors.