all hands on deck!
attention all human beings! we're all called to serve! the request arrives from a higher power and is to be commanded by brave minds - through courageous hearts ... a kinship worked with skillful hands!
it comes in the form of desire - assignment and purpose - a message for the world: 'when we connect, we remember!' this is 'when' we're truly alive - it's for 'what' we search and 'why' we train: to acknowledge the longing to expand - the mission to rebalance the world and to contribute to something greater than ourselves - to reach "the place where no one knows our name."
set your compass toward freedom!
everyday when i wake, i bring attention to and affirm this desire and will to serve the world, i know that when i serve the world, i serve my self. this affirmation doesn't need to take much time, only a willingness to set the compass toward the desired destination - purpose!
it rises as a faithful prayer and lands as a trustworthy map - sensed in this body and diffused through this heart - grounded and graceful.
"i wish to see clearly, in presence and love.
may all beings be happy, healthy, and awakened from suffering.
blessings and gratitude for this family - this bed - this sight - these legs-- this breath...
may I forgive those that have harmed me knowingly and unknowingly and may they forgive me.
fill me with vision and purpose - help me serve the world."
some days, i fail, but i look to the failure for understanding and learning. i would rather try and fail than be bound in the darkness of fear, entering the storm of 'what if.' i would rather be imperfect in class as a teacher - to fall just short of the mark and love imperfectly - than sit proudly in some perfection.
when i share information out of love, peace and connection are inspired. and, when i show up with this 'attitude' - cultivated in the stillness of meditation and reflection - i learn from failure and trust what i see; i become purpose!
in this same way, when you meet 'failure' - whether it's measured in a grade or salary or in any way by the ego - bring attention to the failure and "see it clearly." whether grasping at some thought (this pain in my leg or the anguish of humiliation) or some belief (i'm not lovable or i won't make it), just 'see what it is' and then let it go. let go of any certainty that it means anything and see what failure is asking of you. let go of the destination of being 'right' and open to the journey.
because, when we're stuck on the destination - this is who i am - or when we fight with life - i do not accept this - it's like holding on tight to a rope - the force of life will pull at it and our hands will burn.
come back to presence and become purpose
to come back to presence is to remember our imperfect perfection - our innate wholeness. here's the what, how and why of becoming purpose:
Vessel: prepare your body for the voyage. our bodies are the conduit of experience. when we deny our vessel or treat it poorly, we suffer. there's no thing in this conditioned world that can move without your attention and your willingness. willingly love your body and fuel it with nutrients and rest, and it will carry you to purpose.
View: clear your mind and command your elemental constitution. investigate the sea of emotion - the surges of anger and doubt and 'how' they show up; notice and plot the patterns of choice, and recognize which crest in servitude and which currents push you off course.
Vision: connect with your spirit and chart your north star. once you're clear and prepared, connect with the values and vision that will guide the way. ask: what is life asking of me?" and use all this inspirational energy to chart your way back home.
you don't have to change anything - you're already perfect! just begin to notice and that is enough to shift your course. and, when you encounter rough seas - when the perfect storm appears out of nowhere - though it may be terrifying, you will trust that you know how to respond - "how far to go."
you will pull down your sails, ground yourself in faith and trust the stars above to bring you home to where we will meet once again - to "where we remember we are love."