If NOT NOW , WHEN?

During this Autumn season, known in the old pagan European cultures and Christian esoteric circles, as a time when the threshold between this world and the next are at their thinnest, (hence, Halloween, All Saints and All Souls Day) the subject of mortality has circled around again. Some friends that I know are dealing head on with their own impending death, due to a bad diagnosis; while others are being deeply affected by the sudden prognosis of someone else that they know and love. In either case, what emerges for all is a deep stirring in the soul that is a reminder that we are vulnerable to the brevity of one precious human lifetime.  

While the faint sound of an old movie song from the sixties "What's it all about Alfie?" plays in my mind, I am reminded that our human drama remains to be a struggle that is compounded by the the need and attempt to be in control at all times. While control emerges as an expression of our free will , it is not necessarily a free will operating freely.  It is often generated by a fear of one's limits and capacity to be vulnerable while living in a state of questions rather than definitive answers and certainties. It is often true that when life beckons change, we dig our heels deep into the ground and create greater resistance. Rarely, does the outcome serve us.

Developing trust in life requires more than developing trust in ourselves. Life, by nature, is always evolving with an ever present force moving, shaping circumstances around us. Life generally asks of us to participate by continuing to adapt and learn new behaviors, expand our consciousness and make the necessary lifestyle changes that support a thriving existence to our wellbeing and others.  When we forget that we do not control our time on Earth, it is easy to fall prey to the dillusion that we have all the time in the world to get around to living the life we really want. We try to mastermind the perfect timing of a reality that is by nature destined to crumble before our feet. It is then on this new fresh soil of broken dreams that we stand in the truth of our corporality and soul life.  It is then, that we begin to walk the path that leads with a "soft will" versus a hard will, as Hungarian philospher Georg Kuhlewind spoke . It is then, that we realize there is wisdom in the authoress, Barry Stevens words titled in her classic on Zen wisdom "Don't Push The River".

 My one dear friend chooses to remain as wide eyed and open to the unfolding experience of her letting go by exploring the transformative potential that dying offers. She refuses to stop learning about herself and the relationships that have and continue to shape her life. Her family and friends have had the opportunity to express the deepest of feelings to her. In her vulnerability she has discovered how she has positively impacted those in her life, while she has also allowed the healing power of receptivity to work deeply through her. Her life is very nourished now as she drinks every last drop from the chalice of Life.

Dear Friends, Let's consider in this very moment, that there is an alternative to being struck down in health in order to become awakened and vulnerable to living a life that is truly in balance. Breathe in deeply and realize that this is your exquisite time on Earth. Breathe in deeply the duration of this gift into your body, heart, and soul. Breathe out a life that is artful, gracious, grateful, humble, truthful, generous, wise and loving.  If not now, When? 

Peace,