Letting the Love In: Putting Our Practices to Practice

How do we continue to practice opening our hearts, applying kindness to ourselves and others, cultivating compassion and presence, and staying self-regulated, even in the face of chaos, change and uncertainty prevailing in our world?

As far as I can tell, I am not the only one who has experienced shock in relation to the recent U.S. elections, coming on the heels of Brexit, as well as so much else happening in the world.

How do we support ourselves in the midst of all this? Personally, I find my attention to my practices of Continuum, mindful presence, orienting to Biodynamic forces, somatic embodiment, and attending to my early, often prenatal and birth experience all foster a sometimes surprising sense of gratitude and peace.

I also find it resourcing to remember the words of Leonard Cohen, one of my heroes who has just passed away during this powerful time of transition in the world. In the beautiful song, Anthem, he sings,

“Ring the bells that still can ring            

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack in everything

That’s how the light gets in.”

In my own recent writings, part of my forthcoming book, Daily Word Streams, this emerged:

Day ends. Heart full. I love, give gratitude, receive the richness of being with other humans in the shadow of grief, terror, rage, delight, hope, hearts, love, and learning. What is it to be human?

Coming into life is such a journey through the cobwebs of ancestral corners yet to be swept, ancient spiders looming in the darkness, mystery woven into web. Shining light into each crack and crevice, seeking soul meetings in the valleys of relational contact, reaching through space, finding the between us and within us, above us and below. This is what it is to be human.

This reminds me. We are here for a reason, if only to be here. How fully can we do that? How fully can we be here?

So many of us have learned early in life to withdraw in order to protect. We had no other way to defend ourselves back then. The template is set. By default, we withdraw from our bodily knowing, allowing ourselves to be directed by external currents. The task is to return, to remember, to reclaim our bio-intelligence, and to live it fully.

I hope my words and my work in the world can support you in this process. Please join me in the journey to re-membering.

Anthem begins with these words:

“The birds they sang

At the break of day

Start gain

I heard them say

Don’t dwell on what

Has passed away

Or what is yet to be…”

And so, we have the option and the choice available to practice being present in present time. We are fortunate in this modern 21^st century to have so many practices to draw on, and the luxury for many of us of not having to limit our focus completely on basic survival needs.

This is a time that demands we put our practices to practice. As the orientation to fear and separation polarizes in relation to the orientation to love and connectedness, each of us has a choice to make in every moment. What shall I orient to? Where is the fear within me? Where is the love? What do I choose?

This is not about choosing love in order to get rid of fear. Love is about wholeness, oneness, inclusiveness. It embraces fear.

What do you choose?