I consider this a follow-up to my previous post, where I spoke of darkness and light being a key to fuller understanding of oneself. They are the negative and positive aspects of and range of experiences of oneself, both within and without us, or outside of us.

When darkness occurs, when we experience what may be called a negative experience, we may be quick to shut off and shut down the memory and recollection of what happened. Much of this may be natural for psychological reasons, for containing a sense of self in the face of a perceived or real threat to what happened.

I spoke of embracing the mystery of life, allowing it to unfold naturally, or more naturally, as a way to work with the darkness of experiences, and by inference, the darkness of oneself.

When a negative experience occurs, part of us will always or naturally be led to wanting to understand more fully what happened, and to know why, what are the reasons it occurred.

We can come to understanding ourselves in relation to what occurred, but to understand beyond this, I might suggest the approach of embracing the mystery of life, of embracing the mystery of what occurred.

For me, and for I believe the experiential reality of others, life seems to expand and resonate more richly, be full of more light, and begin to be full of possibilities again, if we are able to allow the unknown of life, the unknown about why anything might have occurred, if we are able to get in the spirit, allow the spirit, of the vastness of the universe to be with us, as if looking at the night stars, away from city lights, into the seemingly infinite blackness of the starscape before us, where we feel small, but somehow comforted, knowing our place in the universe in this way, feeling content within ourselves, allowing a resonating and perhaps vibrating sense of energy within and with the universe, ourselves feeling peaceful and curious, perhaps spiritual and connected, not without alignment with what we see, feeling a part of this vastness, full of its space and perhaps uncommon beauty.

Darkness, in ourselves, in events that occur, contains a natural beauty, but only in the context of letting go into the unknown, into the unknown of why anything might have occurred, into the unknown where answers are not forthcoming, but we are able to tap into an understanding beyond the event, larger than the event itself, where we may get our self-referential answers of understanding, where we may feel embraced by a loving universe, the comfort and nurturing presence of it being felt as there, being felt as always there.

We are embraced in the vastness of the universe in these moments.

This we can know.

Some may align more, or try to, with the cold light of truth.

I feel it is time to speak of the love of the unknown of the darkness, however, of the love of the ongoing mystery of life, where we can feel out the answers, come to an understanding, where what we can know may never be enough for a rational and searching mind, but we can rest easy and at peace in knowing ourselves in the context of this larger scale of understanding.

We are embraced in the universe, in the night, peace, and darkness of it, in the unknown of it, where the answers of whether we are supported or not, of whether we have a place in it or not, become revealed as the mystery unfolds.

We do have a place in it, each and every one of us, but this does not come from knowing all the answers.

We must proceed unknowingly, trustingly, allowing the ever enveloping mystery of life, of the universe, to unfold. We will not know a love, on both this intimate and vastness of scale, if we do not.

Embracing the mystery of life, we allow the universe to unfold.

On a rainy day in May this year, I am writing about darkness and light.

What I hope from our experiences in life, whether we consider them positive or negative, enjoyable or terrible even in their extremes--I hope for an understanding that all of our experiences make up life, knowing that they will be, have been, and will continue to be a part of us, in whatever way, shape, or form they may appear.

We cannot include the light without the darkness, the supposedly "good" without the "bad", because we cannot know one without the other in a world which defines existence through opposing or opposite experiences, each giving meaning to the other as life unfolds.

I am open to sharing the darkness of a path walked in life, where the darkness appears and may be defined by more of the mystery of existence versus the cold light of truth.

I have found a velvety goodness in the darkness, if you will, in this way.

Without the mystery of life unfolding freely, without ourselves getting in the way of it, we are limiting our experiences, and most likely evolving a real darkness within us, where unexamined experiences have the chance to--and they will--come out and challenge us in ways we least expect them. It will be our unaddressed concerns or desires taking form in the waking light of the unconscious, from the darkness of un-acknowledgement, in ways we never would have conceived of or expected.

Embracing more of the mystery of life seems to be a keen way to address this, lest the darkness of life experiencing take on forms separate from our conscious experiencing, where they gain greater strength in their apparent separateness, all the while being a part of and within us, evolving in the darkness of unconsciousness.

It is healthy to embrace and acknowledge the seemingly darker parts and experiences of ourselves then. In actuality, in neglecting them, we are neglecting a greater integration into wholeness, of integrating the darker experiences of ourselves.

There is not necessarily a darkness and a light, you see, but just an experience of life, a unique one for each of us, in whatever combinations of experiences life may bring to each one of us.

Perhaps all of our experiences in life are to be lived through and enjoyed then, through an integration into wholeness, if in no other way.

I am here to help you do just that.

When I heard this piece of music again after some time of not having heard it, it struck me on a deeper level than perhaps it had before.

If you feel like the universe, your version of a high power, even yourself, has let you down, if you have felt like something has been missing, something has not been there for you, or your very self even, the best of you, has been absent, perhaps it is not so hard to hear the call to healing and help being offered to you from this place, through the lyrics and this song.

Sacred, beautiful, feminine.

Powerful. Real.

Thanks, Adele.

Hearing the call....

Hello by Adele
​(P) 2015 XL Recordings Ltd., under exclusive license to Columbia Records, a Division of Sony Music Entertainment

Beneath what we may consider to be our waking reality, other layers exist that are more refined, holding more of our truth.  Several traditions speak to this idea, letting us know that being and living from these more refined places becomes possible through what are considered their best practices, ways of understanding and arriving there.

You can think of it this way: although you may be driving home or arriving at a place you visit often, if you are lost in thought as the scenery or surroundings go past you, you may not be noticing that these areas around you actually exist in these moments.  You are unawares, driving or riding on the way to your destination, the scenery passing you by as you are lost in your thoughts.

This is what the idea of layers speaks to, that we are lost in what may be taking us from actually seeing and experiencing life more.

I feel so compelled, driven at times (pun intended), to come from the most refined and deepest layers of myself, to be as authentic and true to my understandings as possible.

In a real sense, this means being myself, simply and without the extra layers, without anything blocking my view and my experience of life.

Sometimes this translates into a poetic sense of seeing for me; at other times, this comes across as an inspiration to spur others on, dynamically communicating what I feel should be said.

If you think of yourself and your truth, the most real and authentically experiencing layer of yourself, when you are enjoying life fully and in the fulfillment of who you are, then this way of being is like the most precious version of yourself you can know.  For me it is the most precious relationship I can have.  Some traditions would even say this is the goal, this uncompromising and very real, natural version of yourself, the truest sense of yourself you can have.

Life becomes about an identity of experiencing then, not fixed ideas or ways.  You may have your old habits, but they are seen with this more natural and less troubled understanding permeating your way of being in the world.

Light and free.  Truly.  You are.

You can ride or drive to your destination, but now you do it with a more enriched and fuller understanding of yourself and your experience, not letting the scenery pass you by.

We are not told what we need to hear. We are not told what makes a happy life. We are not told the truth of reality. We are not told we should not be told.

We should be allowed the knowledge inherent to us. We should be allowed the joys of living an embodied life. We should be allowed the turmoil and triumph of our own experiences.

We should be allowed to be human.

Telling robs us of our own authority, our inherent rights as human beings to discover, with joy, the beauty of our own path. Shown by the light of love, from others, ourselves, from the universe with all its signs of love.

Why love? Why not? The sun nourishes us along with our planet. The waters of the earth replenish our bodies and the earth itself along with them. There are many, many signs on a most basic and fundamental level that we are not only wanted, but loved. The universe has given us each the means of life, given us, if only glimpses, the miracle of knowing existence.

You are loved, because you exist.

What I can tell you means almost nothing compared to what you will know following the guidance, in the trust and love and joy, of your own self. The universe has always, will always, can only always begin with you. You cannot experience any experience in any other way.

I am here to share with you the knowing of yourself. Because you are the lens, the mind, the heart, the body of all experiences, and they begin with you.

You are the answer. Lead yourself, by the hand, by the heart, by your own love of life.

Life is a beautiful beauty, and it all comes from you.
​

After writing my previous blog post, and listening to the song again I posted from YouTube, I felt like I needed to embody more of the spirit of that song and what I felt and am feeling today.

I am not sure there is any greater joy right now, certainly nothing exceeds it, being able to be with others in the sacred space of therapy, and being able to know them, understand them, and help guide them to their light, to let it shine, to experience a lightness of just being, being who they are, who they choose to be, who they are led from within themselves to shine as.

I really find that to be so awesome!

So, this day I am feeling very unencumbered from winter concerns, just being, with a lightness in that being too.

I certainly want that for anyone interested in being helped out like that on their journey too.

enjoying the warmer
weather

but missing
the full feel

of winter

almost
over.

Feeling spirited today, with spring coming, and could not help but enjoy this today--

"Do you know that there's still a chance for you, 'cause there's a spark in you? You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine. Just own the night, like the Fourth of July."

"It's always been inside of you, and now it's time to let it through."

Music video by Katy Perry performing Firework (quoted above).
​(c) 2010 Capitol Records, LLC

As winter approaches, it may feel good to stretch into this time of year, lean into it, feel its quietness, solitude, and peacefulness, such peace.

I encourage you to find solace in the silence, make that happen for yourself this time of year.

I am including many inspirational quotations about silence below.

Peace, mj

--

True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.
~William Penn

Silence is the true friend that never betrays.
~Confucius

An inability to stay quiet is one of the most conspicuous failings of mankind.
~Walter Bagehot

Silence is a source of great strength.
~Lao Tzu

Silence is the universal refuge....
~Henry David Thoreau

Accustomed to the veneer of noise ... society is suspicious of those who value silence.
~John Lahr

I have often lamented that we cannot close our ears with as much ease as we can our eyes.
~Richard Steele

In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness.
~Mahatma Gandhi

Silence is a fence around wisdom.
~German Proverb

Silence is as deep as eternity; speech, shallow as time.
~Thomas Carlyle

Silence is medication for sorrow.
~Arab Proverb

Silence was never written down.
~Italian Proverb

Silence is exhilarating at first - as noise is - but there is a sweetness to silence outlasting exhilaration, akin to the sweetness of listening and the velvet of sleep.
~Edward Hoagland

Nature and silence go better together.
~Astrid Alauda

You can hear the footsteps of God when silence reigns in the mind.
~Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Not merely an absence of noise, Real Silence begins when a reasonable being withdraws from the noise in order to find peace and order in his inner sanctuary.
~Peter Minard

Silence is more musical than any song.
~Christina Rossetti

Nothing is more useful than silence.
~Menander of Athens

Silence is a sounding thing, to one who listens hungrily.
~Gwendolyn Bennett

Silence is the mother of truth.
~Benjamin Disraeli

Her hearing was keener than his, and she heard silences he was unaware of.
~D.M. Thomas

We must have reasons for speech but we need none for silence.
~Proverb

Silence is the secret to sanity.
~Astrid Alauda

There are times when silence has the loudest voice.
~Leroy Brownlow

Silences make the real conversations between friends.  Not the saying but the never needing to say is what counts.
~Margaret Lee Runbeck

Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Into a quieter time of year, the potential is there, where you will not have to do what you think you need to do, where you can simply be, and that is enough.

To this time of year I add and am inspired by the words of author Ursula K. Le Guin, speaking of a feminine way of being, spoken as part of a commencement address she gave over thirty years ago.

See how it shines now:

(Full speech here: A Left-Handed Commencement Address)

"In our society, women have lived, and have been despised for living, the whole side of life that includes and takes responsibility for helplessness, weakness, and illness, for the irrational and the irreparable, for all that is obscure, passive, uncontrolled, animal, unclean — the valley of the shadow, the deep, the depths of life. All that the Warrior denies and refuses is left to us and the men who share it with us and therefore, like us, can’t play doctor, only nurse, can’t be warriors, only civilians, can’t be chiefs, only indians. Well so that is our country. The night side of our country. If there is a day side to it, high sierras, prairies of bright grass, we only know pioneers’ tales about it, we haven’t got there yet. We’re never going to get there by imitating Machoman. We are only going to get there by going our own way, by living there, by living through the night in our own country.

So what I hope for you is that you live there not as prisoners, ashamed of being women, consenting captives of a psychopathic social system, but as natives. That you will be at home there, keep house there, be your own mistress, with a room of your own. That you will do your work there, whatever you’re good at, art or science or tech or running a company or sweeping under the beds, and when they tell you that it’s second-class work because a woman is doing it, I hope you tell them to go to hell and while they’re going, to give you equal pay for equal time. I hope you live without the need to dominate, and without the need to be dominated. I hope you are never victims, but I hope you have no power over other people. And when you fail, and are defeated, and in pain, and in the dark, then I hope you will remember that darkness is your country, where you live, where no wars are fought and no wars are won, but where the future is. Our roots are in the dark; the earth is our country. Why did we look up for blessing — instead of around, and down? What hope we have lies there. Not in the sky full of orbiting spy-eyes and weaponry, but in the earth we have looked down upon. Not from above, but from below. Not in the light that blinds, but in the dark that nourishes, where human beings grow human souls."

​Reading an account of love not based on conditions always speaks to me, and this unconditional love, when truly experienced, can be life-transforming. From author Sera Beak, please enjoy and feel free to comment on the thoughts this idea of love brings up for you:

"No doubt, almost everyone on the planet enjoys feeling attached to a group, or a lover, or a family, or a manic, licking feline furball. There’s not a thing wrong with this. It feels quite nice. It feels wonderful and warm. It feels like we’re needed and we matter and we belong here. It feels . . . well, it feels like love. But here’s the big and sometimes painful-sounding question you must ask about your life: What if all these amazing things went away? What if you lost all the things that surround your life and make it what it is? Would you still have a clear idea of who you are? Would you still feel whole? Would you still feel loved and like you matter? Fact is, many of us wouldn’t. Nonattachment doesn’t prevent you from feeling pain or from loving all these wonderful things and people and animals, but it does help you avoid losing yourself completely within that pain or that love, at the expense of who you really are. It helps you love your loved ones in a way that is more free, that makes you less dependent on them for the feeling of being whole and valid and loved."

Beak, Sera J. (2009-10-19). The Red Book: A Deliciously Unorthodox Approach to Igniting Your Divine Spark (p. 193). Wiley. Kindle Edition.