Indulge me. Will you? Yeah, I may be repeating myself, but this time of year, the veil went thin and many spirits walked both ways across it. Pandora, when she opened her box, unleashed all manner of woes, malevolence and ills, but inexorably, crouched, beleaguered and harassed, trying to hide out in the deepest corner of the box, hope needed to be coaxed into the world as well. It is well to remember the least among us, especially at this time of year. It seems that the focus of our attention normally flows to the great thinkers, the great doers and the most powerful forces amongst us. One need only look to all the tabloids about rock and movie stars, political leaders and the gods of sport to see this in practice. Yet, as we enter the dark times, it is well to remember the little guys and gals, the weak and dislocated. For many of us, we have been trained to look away, or past those we deem to be less than, or undeserving of even our attention, but remembering the story of hope, crouched in the deepest recesses of Pandora's box can go a long way to restoring our humanity.
Another tale that relates to this time of year is that of Persephone. Each year, Persephone must retreat into the Earth and consort with the Lord of the underworld before her eventual rebirth in Spring. I always have included eating some pomegranates in my fall rites. Even before I knew her story, I knew that these exquisite fruits held more than tasty goodness. Later, I found reason to love them because of the stories that include them. Not only do they represent a link, between our world and the underworld, they are integral to our physical and psychic health. With the thinning of the veil and long cold nights, we must re-orient ourselves to a changed reality. Research confirms that when we spend more time indoors and consequently rub shoulders and touch more surfaces that others are touching as well, the need for anti-oxidants and immune support increases as well. This tasty food has been dubbed one of the super-foods and now, in the developed world, it is getting hard to swing a cat without hitting something with Pomegranate in it. The "galleries" of tightly packed seed containing morsels are always defined at the edges by a thin veil, much like the history of our ancestors. Each layer we peel away reveal more deliciousness, but also, as we eat the seeds, we are spelling the demise of possibility.
In our lives, we make thousands of decisions each day. The suffix of this word is shared by incision, excision, precision and derision. Each one is part of the same sort of process. Cleaving the world into two parts, what can be, or better still, what remains and what is cut away. Worthy or unworthy, diseased or healthy, right or wrong. Each and every decision eliminates the possibility of any other choice being made. Literally cutting it off. This is true down to the very smallest level, or most minute detail of our lives. Whether we set out with a left foot or a right foot, for example, determines our stride and once initiated, there is no taking back that initial choice. What we choose to attend to and what we choose to ignore is one of these decision points and for many of us, we try not to take on too many new ideas lest we become un-moored from the safe harbor that we have decided to live our lives within. Some have gone so far as to heave their tired old hulls up into dry dock and are convinced that, or feel safer when they decide that, the world around them is unchanging, harsh and full of greed and deception, making them safer on land. I write for those who have heard the calling of the sea, those who know in their bones that the fair weather sailor misses more than half the fun, those who are willing to suspend both judgement and choice long enough to let things unfold, appreciating new possibility and who have the discipline to reserve the knife that cleaves for times when it truly matters.
Our entire apparatus is designed for decision-making, however, we forget that it is just that, a tool. The best mechanics or carpenters have perhaps a hundred tools at their disposal, but if they use them all, all the time, they are not very good tradespeople. If they only use their favorite three, again, they will not be very adept at their craft. The best technicians know that for each discreet part of the process, a different tool may be required, and that to have the discipline to leave the unnecessary tools in their box is part of doing a great job, rather than just a good one. If we preoccupy ourselves with good and bad, light and dark, right and wrong, sweet and sour, salty and bitter, happy and sad, etc. We may overlook the fact that the ocean of life around us is breathing. The seas though tumultuous are calling to us and that our true calling lies beyond all of these discreet definitions and even beyond the data that we are collecting about what is real and what is not.
Hope nearly perished under the fury within Pandora's box, but we can all be extremely thankful that she took the time to coax it out and nurture it into the world. Some things take time. I don't want to overlook the fact that on occasion, when we are out there, experiencing the tumult, making a split second decision is often necessary, like falling off the wind before we luff into irons or sheeting in just before a puff, weighing anchor before it gets too shallow or letting a line run rather than holding firm, causing the boat to capsize. split second decisions are essential in cases like these but in many of our lives, reserving judgement and waiting to lop off possibility can be an important first step that leads us along a more profound path. My greatest hope is that we can all take a half step, or perhaps a few steps, see our actual position with a clearer perspective and re-evaluate some of the choices we are making, as individuals, as a collective and as a society.
When the veil thins, we can cross it in both directions, almost without noticing the boundary that is firmly in place for the rest of the year. This year, being no different than any other, I have lost a few good friends, a few loved ones who have crossed over to the other side. What I have not lost is the wisdom that they shared with me. One day, I will join them, but for now I will stay behind and try to help others make sense of the world, learn to see more clearly what is at stake and reserve judgement long enough to know that whatever decisions I make will have the power to outlive me. With awareness, discipline and courage I hope to make the best decisions possible for the generations that come after me. It has been a mere six weeks or so since the Day of the Dead. The next six weeks or so will be a slow closing of the portal to the other world. It is well to remember all the good things that we have received from our ancestors, to spend as much time as possible with the ones we love and to set our sails to new winds that are blowing across the planet. Time is short, but our guides are strong. We are built for sailing, but even in calm, we are designed to float.
Another tale that relates to this time of year is that of Persephone. Each year, Persephone must retreat into the Earth and consort with the Lord of the underworld before her eventual rebirth in Spring. I always have included eating some pomegranates in my fall rites. Even before I knew her story, I knew that these exquisite fruits held more than tasty goodness. Later, I found reason to love them because of the stories that include them. Not only do they represent a link, between our world and the underworld, they are integral to our physical and psychic health. With the thinning of the veil and long cold nights, we must re-orient ourselves to a changed reality. Research confirms that when we spend more time indoors and consequently rub shoulders and touch more surfaces that others are touching as well, the need for anti-oxidants and immune support increases as well. This tasty food has been dubbed one of the super-foods and now, in the developed world, it is getting hard to swing a cat without hitting something with Pomegranate in it. The "galleries" of tightly packed seed containing morsels are always defined at the edges by a thin veil, much like the history of our ancestors. Each layer we peel away reveal more deliciousness, but also, as we eat the seeds, we are spelling the demise of possibility.
In our lives, we make thousands of decisions each day. The suffix of this word is shared by incision, excision, precision and derision. Each one is part of the same sort of process. Cleaving the world into two parts, what can be, or better still, what remains and what is cut away. Worthy or unworthy, diseased or healthy, right or wrong. Each and every decision eliminates the possibility of any other choice being made. Literally cutting it off. This is true down to the very smallest level, or most minute detail of our lives. Whether we set out with a left foot or a right foot, for example, determines our stride and once initiated, there is no taking back that initial choice. What we choose to attend to and what we choose to ignore is one of these decision points and for many of us, we try not to take on too many new ideas lest we become un-moored from the safe harbor that we have decided to live our lives within. Some have gone so far as to heave their tired old hulls up into dry dock and are convinced that, or feel safer when they decide that, the world around them is unchanging, harsh and full of greed and deception, making them safer on land. I write for those who have heard the calling of the sea, those who know in their bones that the fair weather sailor misses more than half the fun, those who are willing to suspend both judgement and choice long enough to let things unfold, appreciating new possibility and who have the discipline to reserve the knife that cleaves for times when it truly matters.
Our entire apparatus is designed for decision-making, however, we forget that it is just that, a tool. The best mechanics or carpenters have perhaps a hundred tools at their disposal, but if they use them all, all the time, they are not very good tradespeople. If they only use their favorite three, again, they will not be very adept at their craft. The best technicians know that for each discreet part of the process, a different tool may be required, and that to have the discipline to leave the unnecessary tools in their box is part of doing a great job, rather than just a good one. If we preoccupy ourselves with good and bad, light and dark, right and wrong, sweet and sour, salty and bitter, happy and sad, etc. We may overlook the fact that the ocean of life around us is breathing. The seas though tumultuous are calling to us and that our true calling lies beyond all of these discreet definitions and even beyond the data that we are collecting about what is real and what is not.
Hope nearly perished under the fury within Pandora's box, but we can all be extremely thankful that she took the time to coax it out and nurture it into the world. Some things take time. I don't want to overlook the fact that on occasion, when we are out there, experiencing the tumult, making a split second decision is often necessary, like falling off the wind before we luff into irons or sheeting in just before a puff, weighing anchor before it gets too shallow or letting a line run rather than holding firm, causing the boat to capsize. split second decisions are essential in cases like these but in many of our lives, reserving judgement and waiting to lop off possibility can be an important first step that leads us along a more profound path. My greatest hope is that we can all take a half step, or perhaps a few steps, see our actual position with a clearer perspective and re-evaluate some of the choices we are making, as individuals, as a collective and as a society.
When the veil thins, we can cross it in both directions, almost without noticing the boundary that is firmly in place for the rest of the year. This year, being no different than any other, I have lost a few good friends, a few loved ones who have crossed over to the other side. What I have not lost is the wisdom that they shared with me. One day, I will join them, but for now I will stay behind and try to help others make sense of the world, learn to see more clearly what is at stake and reserve judgement long enough to know that whatever decisions I make will have the power to outlive me. With awareness, discipline and courage I hope to make the best decisions possible for the generations that come after me. It has been a mere six weeks or so since the Day of the Dead. The next six weeks or so will be a slow closing of the portal to the other world. It is well to remember all the good things that we have received from our ancestors, to spend as much time as possible with the ones we love and to set our sails to new winds that are blowing across the planet. Time is short, but our guides are strong. We are built for sailing, but even in calm, we are designed to float.
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