divine essence
In spiritual practice, initiation is no simple ceremony- it is the passage through a difficult task by which our heart is matured. In undertaking the trials and hardships of a period of initiation, we can transform our view of ourselves and the world. We can awaken our spiritual authority and inner knowing, a trust that can carry us in the face of difficulties and death. Initiation forces upon us a shift of identity in which we can transcend our small sense of self, release what is called ‘the body of fear,’ and awaken an undying wisdom, love, and fearlessness. Initiation’s transforming process is not always outwardly obvious. Some experience it as a slow spiral, a steady and repetitive remaking of inner being. The heart gradually deepens in knowing, compassion, and trust through the hundred thousand repeated practices and heartfelt sincerity of a regular spiritual discipline. The Buddha likened this process to the ocean floor which descends little by little to the depths of the sea…..Jack Kornfield
the most magical moments are not always beautiful or mystical or comprehensible….rather, they touch the beloved heart of truth and pain and longing and despair and vision and blessedness….epiphanies are overrated; the depths are too deep to reconcile….the glitterati of life lies in its vast, dark mystery….
Man is always reaching out for meaning, always setting out on his search for meaning; in other words, what I call the ‘will to meaning’ is even to be regarded as ‘man’s primary concern,’ to quote Abraham Maslow’s comments on a paper of mine. It is precisely this will to meaning that remains unfulfilled by today’s society- and disregarded by today’s psychology. Current motivation theories see man as a being who is either reacting to stimuli or abreacting his impulses. They do not consider that actually, man is responding- responding to questions that life is asking him, and in that way fulfilling the meanings that life is offering. I have again and again been accused of overestimating man, putting him on too high a pedestal. In aviation, there is a business called ‘crabbing.’ Say there is a crosswind from the north and the airport I wish to land lies due east. If I fly east I will miss my destination. In order to reach it I must compensate for this drift by crabbing. It is similar with man: he too ends at a point lower than he might have unless he is seen on a higher level that includes his higher aspirations. If we are to bring out the human potential at its best, we must first believe in its existence and presence. Otherwise man will ‘drift,’ he will deteriorate. Thus, rather than dismissing the concept of a will to meaning as wishful thinking, one could more justifiably conceive of it as a self-fulfilling prophecy…..Victor Frankl
seeing fireflies as if for the very first time, every time….
When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all
the bright coins from his purse
to buy me, and snaps the purse shut…
I want to step through the door full of curiosity,
wondering: what is it going to be like,
that cottage of darkness?
And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood….
and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a daisy field, and as singular…
and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.
When it’s over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world
into my arms….
….Mary Oliver
