embrace the mystery

mjd - 2014 embrace the mystery

life is really about the mystery

isn't it? 

we aren't born with guidebooks

go to location a

meet person b

engage in activity c

life will be d.

no,

it's unknown.

but somehow that word

that idea 

can terrify us.

we can stop our growth

by withdrawing

by looking away from opportunity.

can you imagine

a field full of stunted flowers -

too afraid to grow 

because they didn't know what 

was in store for them?

afraid that the winds would blow too hard

the sun might shine too bright

the rain might fall too cold?

how tragically sad.

but there are people

so many people

who do the same things 

to themselves. 

embrace the mystery - 

the mystery of your life

and what can happen

if you push past the fear

and say 'yes' 

instead of 'no'.

you'll become the flower

that fully blooms -

face to the sun

bathed by rain.

and when your time

comes to an end

you will know

that you experienced life

and what it had to offer. 

------

i find the irony is that instead of feeling better when we withdraw due to fear,

we only feel worse. there is a tension, a pulling, in the heart space. you don't feel better for your choices, you feel worse. for the heart knows what we are capable of and what we need. it is the mind that gets in the way. 

the next time

the next time you walk by a petal on the ground,


remember... 


it's only there because the flower opened.


exposing itself not only to weather and wind,


but also to the warm light of the sun.


becoming fragile in its singularity as the bud loosened.


bearing itself not only to the animals who might make a meal of it, 


but also to those who might become awakened to its impermanent beauty.


and all because the flower opened... 

RAW 16b - earth is...

~~~

on becoming

this quote came to my attention as i was reading an article about social change and global warming:

'we must all learn to live together as brothers or we will all perish together as fools. we are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. for some strange reason i can never be what i ought to be until you are what you ought to be. and you can never be what you ought to be until i am what i ought to be.'

-martin luther king, jr.

i completely understand the ideas of relatedness and interconnectedness that exists between all living things... and i find this quote to be profound for it reaches further than the personal journey we are on to attain the highest level of consciousness we can... from our practice of working upon ourselves, and then reaching out with ever more to give, the great challenges of our time can be met...

but to be honest, 'i can never be what i ought to be until you are what you ought to be.' made me stop... what do you think? on the most deeply personal level, aren't we supposed to be able to gain great insights through our own diligence? do we need others to attain our own enlightenment? does it help to be surrounded by those that are like minded? of course... but is it necessary? i don't know, i am still thinking about it - and i still have a lot of work to do... i suppose that is why dr. king wrote, 'for some strange reason'... as applied to the species, this statement rings loud and true... we need to be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem... we can achieve more together if we are on the same page, working toward a common goal...

these earrings are about becoming what you ought to be... the lotus flower is one of the eight auspicious symbols in buddhism... the roots of the lotus are set down in the mud, the stem growing and rising up through the murky water until it reaches the surface, where the flower turns its face to the sun... the white flower is a symbol of enlightenment, of the purity of body, mind and speech... these earrings are made in 3 layers... the bottom is a paddled copper drop representing the roots... the center is a spiral headpin with moonstone representing growth and the flashes of insight gleaned with emotional understanding... and the dome shaped disc is stamped with the lotus flower itself... hammered and antiqued... i made all but 2 of the pieces - the split ring and the spiral headpin which was made by rocki at rockis supplies... in truth, i didn't realize how i was building these, how the 3 parts were symbolic, it only came later when i was finished...

imagine whole water gardens of lotus where each blossom represents an enlightened human
& what could be accomplished if those were to be...