Deepening
"The doors to the world of the wild are few but precious… If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door."
-Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Our appetite for depth and meaning are the soil for its becoming- the architects of the door. And that door is never too far away- found in presence, in heart, in nature; in spaces of safety, belonging, and empowerment.
And sometimes that door beckons us beneath the facade into the roots, the cave, the underworld to come undone, to remember, to be reshaped. This reminds me of something I read recently by Annie Dillard- “the lightless edge where the slopes of knowledge dwindle, and love for its own sake, lacking an object, begins.” When we grant ourselves permission to descend into the depths, we are stripped of everything that is not us on the way and we arrive at a lightless edge, a door into the world of the wild, where the thinking mind can no longer guide us, but only the heart...and it takes immense trust, courage, and softening to follow that.
I have been re reading one of my favorite philosophical texts from the Yogic tradition called "The Holy Science" and am reminded that there is an inner knowing- an extension of cosmic wisdom and universal intelligence that turns the wheel of time, instigates our becoming, and is threaded into the fabric of creation; into our bones and breath. We are both its consequence and predecessor. It is always there, always gurgling beneath the surface, always knocking from the other side of the door, inviting us to open it- to let in more of us, to let out more of us, to be genuinely alive.
But this is not an easy task because we are malleable creatures who get bound and knotted and turn away out of fear or forget about the door, how to open it, how to walk through it; how to be in relationship with the wider web, how to trust in the wisdom of our heart and that of creation.
As we deepen into Autumn- a time of ancestor veneration, thinning veils, unraveling, and subtle doorways, revisit the roots of what nourishes you, your heart, your yearning; contemplate what it means to walk on the shoulders of your wise ancestors- what guidance might they offer in the presence of your attention and appreciation; prioritize micro or macro moments of what brings you into presence, into ease, into cavernous connection, and capacious beingness- that is intelligence guiding you home; valuable information for your becoming AND it is more than enough- softening into that opens the door, and trusting or becoming curious about what lives in the heart ushers us through and down to be reshaped by the hand that holds us- always becoming, forever beyond.
Join us next Sunday for our final community class of Yoga and Meditation (it is sure to be full of heart, presence, and depth) before we hit the pause button for a Winter break and mark your calendar for Solstice Story Weaving 12/17 @ Cowee School in Franklin NC, 6-8 pm, benevolent treats are in store.