Over the
past month I have been reading; no, I have been devouring Mark Nepo’s book, The Endless Practice: Becoming Who You Were
Born To Be. In it, he quotes the following poem by William Stafford.
There is a thread you follow. It goes
among things that change. But it doesn’t change. People wonder about what you
are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard for others
to see. While you hold it you can’t get lost. Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old. Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread. – The Way It Is
Nepo’s book
and Stafford’s poem remind me of the value of bringing our presence to every
moment, living it fully, while consistently remaining mindful of the thread of
life that connects us to something greater than ourselves. This something
greater is the Source that imbues all life. It is what Thomas Merton referred
to as “a Hidden Whole-ness.” Merton said,
“There is in all visible things an invisible fecundity, a dimmed light, a meek namelessness, a
hidden whole-ness. This mysterious Unity and Integrity is Wisdom, the Mother of
all, Natura naturans. There is in all things an inexhaustible sweetness and purity, a
silence that is a fount of action and
joy. It rises up in word-less gentleness and flows out to me from the unseen
roots of all created being, welcoming me
tenderly, saluting me with indescribable
humility. This is at once my own being,
my own nature, and the Gift of my
Creator's Thought and Art within me…”
It is this Whole-ness
that we know at the depth of being, that we can sense in our heart of hearts,
yet we cannot see or touch. It is this Whole-ness that sustains us through the
many and varied experiences in the continuing unfolding of life’s journey. Each
of us faces loss, disappointment, death and pain in life. These are all aspects
of the human experience. Holding to the thread of life that ever connects us to
the hidden Whole-ness within helps us not only to survive all that life brings
our way, but also to move through it and thrive once again.
Nepo says,
“Since we’re each a living part in a
living Whole, one challenging art in being human is to live out our particular
life while comprehending the Whole. One aspect of the endless practice is to
feel both the depth of our feeling and, at the same time, to stand on the
ground of all being which exists independent of what happens to us.”
Life is not
about avoiding the pain or denying our feelings. Life is about leaning into
whatever presents itself; not getting lost in it, but allowing life to awaken
within us the awareness of our inner Whole-ness.
Throughout
life’s journey we are constantly and consistently held within the Whole-ness of
Life itself. And, we hold within us the Whole-ness of Life as our true nature.
Our opportunity is to experience life in its wholeness, with all its joy and
pain, while knowing that we are forever held within the Whole-ness of the
unfolding Universe, and while holding to the thread that connects us to the
hidden Whole-ness within us.
When
experiencing a loss, perhaps the death of a loved one, rather than avoiding the
pain, lean into it. Allow the experience of your humanity. Enter the depth of
the experience. All the while holding to the thread that connects your
awareness to the eternal stream of Whole-ness at your core. Immerse yourself in
the ebb and flow as you dive into the pain and
sink into the comfort of knowing you are held within the Whole-ness of the
Universe. Engaging with the whole of Life restores us to our innate Whole-ness
as we practice the integration of body, mind and Spirit.
We are holy,
holy, holy whole. We are perfectly human and perfectly divine. The truth of
both are held within Whole-ness in which we live, move and have being. Let us
reclaim our Whole-ness and live it wholly.
Please join
me for our service at 10:00 on Sunday as we explore together how we can live a
life of Whole-ness.
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ReplyDeleteDavid....this resonates with my Soul and it is what I truly believe. I use the thread analogy many times she I am in conversations. I also feel that leaning in and embracing grief and loss is essential to our identities and experiences. Thank you for sharing your words and your heart with sp many!
ReplyDeleteI think contemporary authors like Mark Nepo are shining new light on spiritual truths that were lost in the fear and confusion about what Jesus really taught and what he meant. Take the ideas that David outlines in his blog; They remind me of the idea, "Be in the world, but not of the world." I found out that idea is not actually written in the Gospels, but it certainly sounds like one that the teaching of Jesus was pointing to. It is encouraging to me to think that the world is coming to a new realization of the eternal truths that the Master spoke centuries ago.
ReplyDeleteLove depravation is a terrible thing. It can probably be traced back to any loss that was not selfish; and probably most of those too. I would love to be there Sunday morning at 10am. I am sure the talk will be it's usual thought provoker.
ReplyDeleteYes, the courage to experience the depth of our feelings and at the same time to be comforted - to "dive into the pain and at the same time sink into the comfort of knowing you are held within the Whole-ness of the Universe" is such a beautifully written thought! Thank you David.
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