Liberation

Wednesday 4/8/09 - Karuna

This is a time of year when various religious and non-religious traditions are celebrated. Not as intensely consumer-driven as the end of the year celebrations, but celebrated in the majority of the world.  I'm talking mostly about Easter and Passover.

This year seems a little different than other years ("why is this year different from all others?").  I am feeling a major shift of some kind. You may call it whatever you like, from whatever point of view you want, political, social, financial, natural...it is global and palpable. 

I believe this deep shift is a liberation...birth to death and back to birth again...in the broadest definitions. Both Easter and Passover celebrate liberation, in beautiful ways.

My own life and many, many people I know have experienced profound and often very stressful changes in their/our lives over the past few years.  Some, more intensely in the last year. I am offering that these changes are liberation.  Something is dying and going away, and something is being born.

What I am discovering in my own experiences of liberation, is the awareness of the importance of kindness, compassion, gentleness of care with each other and ourselves.  Kindness and compassion toward oneself especially when times are hard and the internal voices of judgement are much louder, offers not just soothing of the emotions and a quieting of the voices (for a time), but a greater trust in oneself.  I can trust that if I can be kind to myself, then the decisions I make will be coming from a place where I hold my best interest, and not from fear.

Similarly, I believe if we are kind, compassionate and care gently for each other, trust will strenghten among us.  Fear breeds mistrust, at various levels.  Sometimes this happens without our complete awareness.   Sometimes we don't realize that our mistrust, or lack of motivation to kindness is rooted in some fear. Sometimes it's as simple as allowing the fear to color a response, or lack of response.

I have been holding myself and everyone I know, in the light of Kindness, Care, Peace, Healing, Clarity, Adaptability and Compassion. I offer the following intention/prayer/blessing that I have been saying daily:

May I feel Secure and Safe
May I rest in Gratitude
May I be Happy
May I be Healthy
May I dwell in Peace
May I be filled with Loving Kindness

May ________ feel Secure and Safe
May ________ rest in Gratitude
May _________be Happy
May ________ be Healthy
May ________ dwell in Peace
May ________ be filled with Loving Kindness

May all feel Secure and Safe
May all rest in Gratitude
May all be Happy
May all be Healthy
May all dwell in Peace
May all be filled with Loving Kindness

May we all find Peace in our collective and individual liberations.

Karuna