”Suffering is not enough. Life is both dreadful and wonderful…How can I smile when I am filled with so much sorrow? It is natural–you need to smile to your sorrow because you are more than your sorrow.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
Over the weekend, I attended the Lantern Festival at the International Taoist Tai Chi Centre. What an incredible day; a complete immersion into another culture and their practices. Proper dining protocol, lighting of the incense in ceremony to Guan Yin, Confucious, Lao Ze, and Buddha, love and compassion to all… and many blessings to go along with the lanterns. I have been continually “assaulted” lately with the symbol of the yin-yang; the reciprocity of the male and female energy…
“Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.” – Lao Tzu
“There is nothing that wastes the body like worry” – Mahatma Gandhi
In the past week, I wrapped up a 2 month intensive study on Edgar Cayce. One of the concepts that particularly struck me was with regards to relationships, soul mates in particular. I have had a certain belief in the concept of soul mates. My past has several romantic relationships that burned with the intensity of a roaring fire (and I have been convinced that the individual involved was my soul mate), yet fizzled out as if being rained on. When a relationships begins with such energy, is it actually sustainable for the long haul? It has made me question whether a person should, in fact, be in a romantic relationship with an individual who they have a certain timeless connection with. With this connection, it seems likely that a certain amount of emotional unhealthiness could also possibly arise. Cayce suggests that even if there are two souls who have “worked together” in the past, they should not necessarily seek each other out in the present. Selection of a partner should not be made solely based on physical attraction as it will fade; selection should be based on spiritual ideals, mental aspirations, and physical agreements.
This has made me think of my current relationship. We never went through the NRE (New Relationship Energy) stage. In the past, a lack of NRE would have made me believe that something was wrong and the person was not someone I should be with. In the present, I see my lack of NRE as something healthy. Rather than the blinding glare of NRE love, I am experiencing something much more subtle. My current situation is comfortable. In the past, comfort would have signified a lack of passion; a downward journey. In my current mindset, this comfort is something that I want to hold onto and continue to experience. It’s not a stagnant comfort, but one (I hope) with potential for a life time of growth. Appreciation, comfort, contentment, care, respect, and the pleasure of experiencing another human being who is, in many ways, like myself. There is a quiet joy in this. I don’t think he is my soul mate; I hope he will turn out to be my life mate.
Is it a miracle or a mystery? Perhaps a bit of both. I am blessed.
I am currently reading The Mystery of Love by Marc Gafni.
“It is not good for all our wishes to be filled; through sickness we recognize the value of health; through evil, the value of good; through hunger, the value of food; through exertion, the value of rest.” – Greek Proverb
December 17th marked the death of the poet Rumi.
“If you bake bread with the wheat that grows on my grave
you’ll become drunk with joy and
even the oven will recite ecstatic poems.
If you come to pay your respects
even my gravestone will invite you to dance
so don’t come without your drum.
Don’t be sad. You have come to Gods feast.
Even death cannot stop my yearning
for the sweet kiss of my love.
Tear my shroud and wear it as a shirt,
the door will open and you’ll hear
the music of your soul fill the air.
I am created from the ecstasy of love and
when I die, my essence will be released
like the scent of crushed rose petals.
My soul wants to leap and join
the towering soul of Shams.”
– Ghazal (Ode) 683
Translated by Azima Melita Kolin
and Maryam Mafi
Painting by Lisa Deitrich
