Saturday, August 10, 2013
Sunday, August 4, 2013
A bird sings, with no question of the beauty of its song, or its worth. Its whole being engaged in the vitality of the moment. I believe that this vitality of life can be expressed up until our last breath, as a simple and courageous expression of who we truly are...and that goes beyond our personality, and beyond what we usually call "action". Towards the end of life this might take the shape of a deep silence, of introspection, of attentiveness to a "task" that seems to exclude those around us and attentiveness to a personal journey that does not fit the usual definition of vitality, but is equally as vital as any other creative or active expression of who we are. When we allow ourselves to be, just as we are, during any stage of our life, we give a precious gift to ourselves and to life as a whole... Each thing in its season...
Please consider the quote below, by Martha Graham
"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. ... -Martha Graham 1943 (via Brian Moran)
What if we felt our life, not our bodies, had no end?
The quote below is something to consider in terms of a life without end...life that goes beyond the body we inhabit, the things we've done, the whole narrative of details...What is possible when we incorporate that sense of strength and gladness into our lives, up until the very last breath? It does not end sorrow, or grief, but opens a door to transcendence...
“The life pouring through us, pumping our heart and breathing through our lungs, did not begin at our birth or conception,” Joann Macy observes. “Like every particle in every atom and molecule of our bodies, it goes back through time to the first splitting and spinning of the stars.” That realization, she concludes, can give us “strengths that we never imagined.”
“When we claim this story as our innermost sense of who we are, a gladness comes...”
from an article called The Greening of the Self" by Don Lattin.
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