The modern day hermits cave
I have definitely lived the lives of a hermit, sadu, and monk. It must true as I am so at home up the side of the proverbial mountain. However, each time I try to go and live up a mountain I seem to get thwarted by circumstance. Not now, is the message. This time round you are going to do this in the world. And so it is that this weekend we energetically let go of some land we bought a while ago, the land I was to build my hermitage!
This ties nicely in with the situation I seem to be dealing with right now. How to keep focused on the bigger picture when the world insists on getting not only in the way but right in my face? Nothing huge, simply a mix of me wanting to move forward with new work ideas, a friend coming to stay in our rather small apartment and, to top it all, being surrounded by stress and fear. I began to feel in crisis and it wasn’t even mine. At that point I focus on the crisis and try to be supportive through it, all the while being caught up in the illusion of it. What happens at this point is that I begin to wish that I could go somewhere, anywhere, to find that space of isolation, that quiet and peace. I forget that I am the creative force in my Universe and become the pawn in the play. I lose the bigger picture completely. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
My antidote to this is time and space. Coupled with the intention and discipline to give myself both. So often I find that when I get caught up in other people’s worlds my basic needs get shelved first. This might seem noble, but in fact I end up not serving anyone, let alone myself. To keep the big picture perspective I need to ensure that I have given myself the time and space to connect with it in the first place. That time and space can be filled with many things, meditation is one, as it visualisation, listening to inspiring CD’s, reading profound texts or simply daydreaming the good stuff. Whatever it is that will help me reconnect with the inner me, with my truth.
What is it that you do to refocus your picture, to remove the snowstorm across the screen? As much as the hermits’ cave might sound like a good idea at the time we all need the modern equivalent. What’s yours?
I have definitely lived the lives of a hermit, sadu, and monk. It must true as I am so at home up the side of the proverbial mountain. However, each time I try to go and live up a mountain I seem to get thwarted by circumstance. Not now, is the message. This time round you are going to do this in the world. And so it is that this weekend we energetically let go of some land we bought a while ago, the land I was to build my hermitage!
This ties nicely in with the situation I seem to be dealing with right now. How to keep focused on the bigger picture when the world insists on getting not only in the way but right in my face? Nothing huge, simply a mix of me wanting to move forward with new work ideas, a friend coming to stay in our rather small apartment and, to top it all, being surrounded by stress and fear. I began to feel in crisis and it wasn’t even mine. At that point I focus on the crisis and try to be supportive through it, all the while being caught up in the illusion of it. What happens at this point is that I begin to wish that I could go somewhere, anywhere, to find that space of isolation, that quiet and peace. I forget that I am the creative force in my Universe and become the pawn in the play. I lose the bigger picture completely. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
My antidote to this is time and space. Coupled with the intention and discipline to give myself both. So often I find that when I get caught up in other people’s worlds my basic needs get shelved first. This might seem noble, but in fact I end up not serving anyone, let alone myself. To keep the big picture perspective I need to ensure that I have given myself the time and space to connect with it in the first place. That time and space can be filled with many things, meditation is one, as it visualisation, listening to inspiring CD’s, reading profound texts or simply daydreaming the good stuff. Whatever it is that will help me reconnect with the inner me, with my truth.
What is it that you do to refocus your picture, to remove the snowstorm across the screen? As much as the hermits’ cave might sound like a good idea at the time we all need the modern equivalent. What’s yours?
posted by Jessica McGregor Johnson at 6:11 AM
1 Comments:
Walking does it for me. Walking in nature is better, but any kind of walking does it. There is something about using the body in that way that allows my mind to go easily quiet, and then I can take a step back from everyday life, think things through, ask questions and receive answers. It’s a place of peace and stillness. Walking for me is a way to meditate that comes natural when I am alone. Sometimes music can do it too or some books. Las year I joyned a group that meets every week to do meditation and talk of spiritual things. That is a great “hermitage” for which I find easyer to make the time. Weren’t we talking just today about how it’s easier to do something when we make a commitment? And a commitment to others is even more powerful. If I say “I am going to show up every week to do this with you” then I will. But keeping commitments with myself is more difficult. I let myself get caught in all the things to do, all the places to go, and all the people to give attention to, except me. May be that’s the challenge, to make my “word” to me as valued and committing as my word to another. Am I the only one who finds it so difficult?
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