*~~Holiday
Greeting to You from Camille~~*
November, 2006
When
I share musings such as this, I'm aware of voicing perceptions that
most of us have. Yet I am struck anew with wonder at these simple
realities.
In this season, nature calls us to harvest the experiences of the
year - the lessons within our losses and gains. We begin to turn
our attention inward, take stock of ourselves and our lives.
No matter how "seasoned" I become, life never ceases to astound me.
The mere existence of creation blows me wide open: the
inconceivable vastness of the universe, the glorious artistry of
color and light, shadow and shape, the dance and music of life
going on everywhere, always... The fragile miracle of birth, the
mystery of death... That humans beings have consciousness to
perceive all this, to feel, to love – and to share these
experiences as we are doing right this second...
Gratitude and wonder are good medicine – practicing them is
beneficial for our physical, mental, and emotional
health. This is a kind of natural, instinctive spirituality.
It’s important to claim this.
An 85-year old friend of ours, a retired Captain in the Marines,
exemplifies this wisdom daily. He is a trained warrior
– a fighter pilot who has seen more than his share
of killing. Yet he is one of the most spiritual people we
know. Every morning he awakens in wonder, open and curious for
what the day may bring; every night he closes his eyes "counting
his blessings" and giving a silent prayer for those he
loves.
Swallowing the bitter with the sweet in life – and digesting
them both – takes internal fortitude. We are all exposed to
news and events that are unpalatable; none of us lives in a vacuum,
much as we might want to. When things seem more than one can bear,
when we feel overwhelmed and undernourished, what's a body to do?
Well, we can keep our energies moving freely, and nurture our
hearts with appreciation and awe. Admittedly, something of an
art.
The Divine Comedy is the human adventure, the wild and poignant
journey of the heart - the sorrow and joy, the knowing and
unknowing, the fumbling together in this theater of the soul. The
Inferno is the tragedy of feeling trapped in the
drama, when our ability to appreciate is occluded, when the
veins and arteries of love become blocked.
Everyone experiences this full spectrum - the notorious "human
condition." Each of us also has within us, pulsating in every
breath and heartbeat, the instinct to be whole, to be
free. Right here, right now, in these eyes, these ears,
these fingertips, is your ability to love, to touch, to wonder
– your natural, very human instinct to perceive the
bounty and mystery of life.
[In this newsletter] Lorin and I offer some ways to share and
deepen the journey.* We wish you the most heartwarming of
holidays.
Camille
November, 2006
*Join Lorin and Camille for the Wild Serenity Retreat
February
2007