Within the Storms
“Let there be an opening into the quiet that lies beneath the chaos, where you feel the peace you did not think possible, and see what shimmers within the storm.” ~ John O’Donohue
If life on this earth were little like — say, a giant deck of cards, then we might imagine that Mother Nature has been doing some serious shuffling lately.
Two years ago, she informed us, via pandemic, that we’d have to stay away from each other -- from friends, family, colleagues, and beyond -- at least for a while. And in some cases, we’d lose one or more of them. Things were going to get quieter, tougher, lonelier, and often scary.
Today, amid the deep losses felt in Ukraine and elsewhere, along with the ongoing threat of climate change, we find ourselves invited to reckon with every facet of what matters most, and least.
So there’s that.
But here’s some of what else is still here: Sunsets that blow your socks off. The music of tides lapping 24-7 along the ocean shoreline. Birdsong and forest walks that somehow, sometimes, shine through our most chaotic moments, like love letters, received just when we need them most. New life, whether an eye-popping splash of poppies or the full-wriggling-body smile of a baby, is as true a promise as its wintry consort.
So how do mindfulness and meditation fit in with all of this? Perfectly.
For myself, the roller coaster ride of inner life perfectly mirrors all of it, from the quiet awe of a take-your-breath-away sunset, to the shouts and heartache of loss, and back again.
One of the ways the space of mindfulness offers refuge is by helping us soften the line between our human-body ‘selves,’ and all that makes earth life possible for any of us in the first place. In the stillness of inner awareness, we can begin to sense ourselves not as separate beings all struggling to survive the next storm, but as a connected, interdependent living body that includes all of nature, and the universe from which all known (and unknown) life arises.
In that spirit, here’s a link to a grounding meditation on our own interconnection with nature, and all living beings. We offer this as an audio recording available on our MCMC website.
May we know safety and peace in these challenging times, and may we remember in each moment to see, and to cultivate, all that is shimmering within the storms.