Rest: Recovery

"The Moon lifts the spell" 
from The Oasis: An Arabian Fairytale
choreographed by Karen McLane

Musing…

“A bridge of silver wings stretches from the dead ashes of an unforgiving nightmare to the jeweled vision of a life started anew.”

― Aberjhani, The River of Winged Dreams

Charise’s Turn:

Someone I know is in recovery, working the twelve step program for addiction. Would that we all reach a point in life – hopefully not rock bottom, but often it’s the depth you have to go to get back up again – where we give attention to our habits, our choices, our beliefs, and our lies to ourselves. 

Recovery, to me, is a stopping point where you cease your mindless doing, where you understand you’ve reached the “no outlet” road you’ve been on and back up, or better yet, get out of the vehicle driving you and walk one step at a time in the grace of humility -- without a clue, but at least wanting something different than what you keep repeating in a cycle of addiction. You want to give it a rest.

We can expand the concept of recovery to what you want to recover in your life right now. It’s a big question. Often at the beginning of a new year we make intentions. What I've learned by witnessing the success of the twelve step program is this: don't skip the rest that’s needed in order to make a change. 

Get Fired Up:

What do you want to recover in your life? Let yourself rest in the intention of this question. Daily, for a while. Give it time to become clear. 

“No longer forward nor behind I look in hope or fear; But, grateful, take the good I find, the best of now and here.“  
– John Greenleaf Whittier

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Rest: Still Point

Musing…

"If waters are placid, the moon will be mirrored perfectly. If we still ourselves, we can mirror the divine perfectly…There is no effort that we can make to still ourselves. True stillness comes naturally from moments of solitude where we allow our minds to settle... Neither the water nor the moon make any effort to achieve a reflection." -- Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao, Daily Meditations

This year 2014, Meet Your Muse blog will journey each month around 12 points of the growth cycle; we begin with REST.

The space of rest affects the quality of life. Intervals of idleness are essential to creative work. Shakespeare, we are told, was habitually idle between plays. A great work, and life, is based on a connection with the creator’s inner world. It grows out of still and musing meditation. There is a wisdom inside each of us that can be used to guide and shape our lives and our work.  It is that which is holy inside us. Everything unique and beautiful grows out of the still point.

Kate’s Turn:   

Winter solstice marks a time to rest in the depth of darkness. Winter’s blanket of snow puts the earth to rest; Mother Nature allows at least 3 months for the earth to rest – we, being part of nature, also get to claim rest in our own cycle of growth. Rest and stillness can make a good argument for meditation and that practice certainly supports the quieting of the mind as well as the body. But I find there are many ways to be still. I understand this place of rest to be an experience of being rather than doing. I experience it in my exhalation as I let my body relax into being rather than in the energizing of the inhalation. I rest in the beauty of the winter’s sunlight, honey in hue, creating wondrous shadows and fire-like glows. I make ice globes as a symbol of the inner light; this internal Zen space allows the subconscious to shine through. I rest as if in a dark womb, trusting in the knowing that I will give birth to the sunlight in my being as I am receptive to Spirit in my still point.

Lao-Tzu, a famous Chinese philosopher (author of a book called Tao Te Ching, The Way of Life ) teaches us that the dark can always become light and contains within itself the potential for growth and long life, while the light can only become dark and brings with it decay and early death. Lao-tzu chose long life. Thus, he chose the dark. I choose to embrace winter’s darkness, resting in the still point, no effort needed to reflect my inner light.

Get Fired Up:

Elevate rest to an important place in your life. Have a plan for downtime, a time to do nothing.   How will you nurture your relationship with your still point?

Julia Cameron (author of The Artist’s Way) states that we require the upkeep of creative solitude, or else we become depleted without this period of recharging. How can your rest sustain your inner spark?

Rest now…..shhh…..shhh……shhh

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