Metamorphasis Now
When a caterpillar enters its chrysalis, it dissolves itself, quite literally, into liquid. In this state, what was a caterpillar and will be a butterfly is neither one nor the other, it’s a sort of living soup. Within this living soup are the imaginal cells that will catalyse its transformation into winged maturity.May the best among us, the most visionary, the most inclusive, be the imaginal cells – for now we are in the soup. The outcome of disasters is not foreordained. It’s a conflict, one that takes place while things that were frozen, solid and locked up have become open and fluid – full of both the best and worst possibilities. We are both becalmed and in a state of profound change.~Rebecca Solnit
For now we are in the soupIn between daysWelcome to your lifeNew normalityNo going backWe are (still) not allowed to go swim in the lake.No congregations of any kind, anywhere.Wear a mask if you go out in public, or you could be fined.No movement between villages.For how long?SeriouslyThe government issues decreesCloses doorsLocks downMilitary law or sensible precaution?Restrictions mandated in bite-sized chunks that give the people a glimmer of hopeOh, until March 31, no April 12—now April 20They keep extending itUntil when?We draw the line at being injected with mandatory vaccines and microchipsWe draw the line at eating factory-farmed meatI draw the line at leaving my houseI draw the line at giving up hopeIs freedom an illusion?Maybe so, but I can still be grateful for the illusion of freedom here before me:Thank you green mountainside, banana trees, mirror lake, birdsong, nature ever present, blue sky, clouds, volcanoes.Thank you temazcal, heat, sweat, scrub, cacao, friendship, love, purificationThank you sun and moon and starsThank you universe and God and GoddessThank you laughter, lightness and hopeThank you confusion, delusion and clarityYesterday, my 7-year-old daughter, my partner and I did a kids yoga video (Cosmic Kids Yoga, check it out). We did the one based on the first Harry Potter book (we're currently halfway through reading aloud the 3rd book in the series)... and how's this for an unexpected gem of wisdom at the end of the practice, during final relaxation:"We also take rest, to regain our strength. That amazing special magic that Harry has; we all have it. It's called love. And that love is the most powerful thing of all. It will defeat and overcome all darkness. And it lives in each and every one of us. While we channel and share that love, the world ... will become a more beautiful place, full of wonder, light and warmth. We breathe into that love now that sits in our bodies and hearts. Deep breathing to let it spread all around. It makes us feel so peaceful."Yes. I am love. I am loving awareness.We are love.We are light.We are rising.We are peace.
You can begin by attending to your breath, and then if a thought comes, attend to it, notice it, be open to it—and it will pass. Then you can come back to the breath. Your normal response is to react to all your thoughts, and this keeps you ever busy in a sea of confusion. Meditation teaches you to attend to what is taking place within without reacting, and this makes all the difference. It brings you freedom from the mind and its meandering. And in this freedom you begin to experience who you are, distinct from your mental turmoil. You experience inner joy and contentment, you experience relief and inner relaxation, and you find a respite from the tumult of your life. You have given yourself an inner vacation.Accept meditation as a part of your life, just as you eat, sleep, and do other things; make it your goal to have a calm mind, to have a one-pointed mind, to have a tranquil mind. Do not give that up. Meditation leaves a clear indication on your heart, which is reflected on your face.~ Swami Rama, Meditation Is Not What You Think