the power of one

this is the simmer – the point before the bubbling over… the moment before transformation, right before the inevitability of change.

there’s nothing to prove in life. we’re here to be present, to know how to work this body and mind – this vessel and this life – to understand it, to taste it, to watch it – to not be it, but to be, nonetheless.

we’re here to help each other and also to stay out of each other’s way – to be responsible for ourselves and all the stuff we put out there.

we’re here to transform – to shift our consciousness. we’re here to change.

change.

man, change is hard! my mind gets stuck … fixed. it’s anchored by the fear of all i won’t do – can’t do — even, of what i can do! do you know this fear? exposed, unsure, uncomfortable, vulnerable — the tightness in your chest that keeps you from taking a chance, gut pulled in – unable to let go of who you were and what you believe, unwilling to become who you are … as if boiling water could resist the force of changing into vapor.

strange, that this would be so hard. after all, it’s the perennial quality of change that defines our humanity and our history. fear, at its primitive core, is our most natural, instinctual ability to propel our selves forward -above, out and beyond our actions and circumstances.

fear is kick-ass when it’s accessed at the right time, but when the ego is involved, it takes on a different shape; this fear is always fixed on form and identity, stuck in the muck.

what impedes us from accessing the flow of change is the fundamental, fear-based misunderstanding of our evolution – that we’re a species competing to survive, the fittest pulling through and the weakest left behind. this story of our fear has become an unchecked habit and an unread bible.

don’t get me wrong, darwin’s theory is still valid for certain species. and, back in the 1800’s, when the mission of a science unfolding out of the age of reason was to prove the superiority of the mind, it was a good story – solid – one that supported the violence of our history, the aggression of man.

such is the nature of the mind. how it loves puzzles, finding the pieces that appear to fit just right – filling in the blanks – even if the picture doesn’t make sense.

well, what if we had it all wrong?

what if science has relied too heavily on the logical mind, vitiating the power of the heart and intuition? if we tuned into the subtle energy that we can’t see, the one that is constant but invisible — would we evolve beyond our bodies – beyond our stories – into a new partnership?

what if our true nature is peace, and we are here on this very small planet to solve a problem that is the problem of all humankind, not of the individual ego?

the answer lies in the power of one, but we can’t see this view, we’ve become too separate … too individualized – so ideologically polarized, that we’ve lost sight of all that we share.

i get it. i want to be a beautiful, one of a kind, solitary snowflake cascading through the air, but, eventually, we all land here – on the ground – where, together, we are a heap of snow cleansing the earth … suddenly, there is us and in this awareness we are one.

we are not what we have been told. as a shared humanity, let’s awaken to our truth: we’re so much more than individual, independence is an illusion, and there is no such thing as life without networks – we’re deeply connected to one another and all things.

if nature is any reflection of our order, it’s clear that survival is based on cooperation and mutual growth. we see this in how mycelium helps trees transfer nutrients and information to survive, and in the animal kingdom, where the leader of a pack provides for and takes care of its members. we see this in the wisdom traditions that have safeguarded and carried the perennial truth of humanity through the cycle of time.

so, here we are again, familiar – this life. emotions are beyond the simmer, bubbling up and spilling over, primed for transformation – ready to rise.

the world is not flat as we once thought and we’re faced with yet another challenge to a deeply ingrained belief that has the mind scrambling for those puzzle pieces. but this puzzle is not for the mind – it’s a koan given to our spirit to help it on the path toward awakening. and, although it doesn’t have a rational answer, it carries us to many places – showing us many pieces, bringing us many answers, bringing us together in all that we share.

what do you need to let go of and what will it bring you?