Feeling helpless, anyone?
This post is an attempt to process the feelings and reactions created by one of the most horrific disasters we have witnessed.
This is no easy fix. There is no easy fix. Disasters have occurred, are occurring, and will so continue.
The best we can do attempt to work on a level of active awareness and remain fully engaged.
Talk. Read. Write. Create. Communicate. Give. Give. Give.
Give and be thankful that you are in a position to give.
Give your tangible resources.
Then give your intangible resources.
I stood outside in the rain the other night at sunset. Looking out over the uncommonly white-capped, southern bay, I pressed my palms in a traditional prayer mudra and sent every bit of love, light, energy, hope, and serenity that I could in the direction of a destroyed country.
Namaste.
Namaste.
Remember, when we give we empty ourselves and become even more full then we were before, all while filling the cups of others.
On Monday I was reminded of what Courage is.
MLK had enough courage that, even while enmeshed a society that denigrated, hated, dehumanized, and regularly killed people of his race, he created one of the finest social movements in the history of the United States. Instead of feeling resentful, bitter, cynical, and helpless, he used his voice, his mind, and his energy to bring about a change that needed to come.
Just as the seed that sprouted the flora above was safe in its husk, so too could MLK have remained.
But he chose not to stay safe.
He chose the Herculean task of proper growth and proper action, even with all of its dangers.
He paired his immense Courage with Participation.
Participation (above) is a mandala created by four figures, each with their left hand in a posture of “receiving” and their right in a posture of “giving.” It forms a “double dorje,” a Tibetan symbol that refers to “a thunderbolt” of enlightenment, derived from the cultivation of a compassion that manifests itself not merely in feeling, but in action that is in perfect harmony with current circumstances.
Each figure in this circle is bringing their own, individual “contribution” to the whole by participating.
Do you see the flower in each card?
Do you see how they echo and resonate within each other?
Can you see how the “wholeness” of Participation begins deep within our reservoirs of Courage?
Can you see how unity and individuality complement each other as they from a whole and yet highlight the beauty of their distinct members?
“ You have an opportunity to participate with others now to make your contribution to creating something greater and more beautiful than each of you could manage alone. Your participation will not only nourish you, but will also contribute something precious to the whole”
The Osho Zen Tarot, “Participation”
“Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.” -- Martin Luther King, Jr.
“You see, Harold, I feel that much of the world's sorrow comes from people who are this [she points to a daisy], yet allow themselves be treated as that
[she gestures to a field of daisies].”
--Maude, “Harold and Maude”
Thanks again to the lovely Osho Zen Tarot published by St. Martin's Press.
To Give: http://blog.mgive.com/2010/01/13/mgive-asks-you-to-text-haiti-to-90999-to-give-10-to-red-cross/
An artist's experiences in Haiti: http://elizabethbriel.com/blog/http:/elizabethbriel.com/haiti-art-from-the-rubble-%E2%80%93-part-2/
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