Monthly Archives: December 2014

Reflections on the longest night of the year

Reflections on the longest night of the year

Dear Friends,

Happy winter solstice! I, for one, am really excited that we are now headed toward the light.

Winter solstice, the holidays, and new year’s often make us reflect on a lot. So I thought I’d share with you a truly inspiring piece of writing that I came across. It guides us toward what is most important to us, it encourages us in this profound and fresh way, and it is beautiful. So as we ponder and mull and consider and dream, may it help us think along the most healthy and positive lines.

Happy holidays and happy new year’s too!

Warmly,
Jared

 

Victory

What do you want?
More than anything,
deep in the heart of your being,
what do you want?

 

If you surveyed your time on this earth
from a deathbed,
what would really matter to you? 

 

What are the memories that would
engender the peace
of nothing essential left undone,
a life well lived?

 

Never forget what is most important to you.

 

Allow yourself for a moment
to imagine a you
who has held steadfast to the clarity of your vision,
who has overcome all obstacles on the path,
who has vanquished all doubts,
composted all darkness
to feed the radiant jewel
of a life giving tree,
your unique offering to the world.

 

Invoke this liberated,
potent,
awake
version of yourself.

 

Right here.
Right now.

 

Any time you feel the fog
of fragmenting voices,
the hypnotic sleep of superficial agendas,
any time you lose faith in yourself
and your commitment or capacity,
invoke the one who has already made it through
to the very end.

 

Let your every cell resonate
with the frequency of victory,
and know that this is no arrogance.

 

For if you truly listen
to the deepest aspiration of your heart,
then what you discover is that your
core desire is a note that serves
an evolving harmony.

 

Your love seeks above all
to give itself fully
to the world,
with nothing held back.

 

When you recognize that you, and only you,
are responsible for your choices,
for mastering your experience,
for the life you weave,
for delivering your gift,
then no-one,
no dark force,
no human insanity,
no sickness of body or soul,
can hinder you.

 

We are at all times surrounded,
permeated,
by a great intelligence.

 

Creation moves
unstoppably
toward healing,
the ultimate revealing of
our magnificence
in the beauty way.

 

Countless allies
come to the aid
of all who align themselves
with this light.

 

So offer your willingness
to every step,
however faltering,
with all the sincerity,
strength,
and courage
you can muster.

 

Though you might be daunted by
all that would tear you down,
though your willingness might seem insufficient
for the task ahead,
give everything you are.

 

Your small willingness will be met by
an infinite supply,
and you will rise up,
and we will all rise beside you.

 

-Luke Anderson, danceawake.com

The Full Moon

The Full Moon

Dear Friends,

It has been a while since I have written a newsletter. I have been pouring all of my energy into studying for my final licensing exams. I passed them both! (Thank you, I will take a bow now… and a nap.) Now I feel inspired to share a Zen teaching with you in honor of the full moon.

I was told this teaching when I was in Australia. I was in a pretty yucky relationship and I was really discouraged, so I went to a Zen meditation group and ended up getting to talk to the teacher privately. After I told him what was going on he said, “Sometimes the moon is full, sometimes it’s half full, sometimes a quarter, sometimes you can’t see it at all. But it’s always full.”

He meant that no matter what’s going on in life I am whole and profoundly okay. I realized in that moment that I could trust this wisdom, so that during hard times I wouldn’t get overwhelmed or totally disheartened.

This teaching has helped me question my stories about myself. It has helped me remember what’s going on beneath the surface. As I write, another metaphor comes to mind. On the surface the waves of the ocean can be quite powerful, but at the bottom the water is always very still.

Hoping this teacher’s words help you find some degree of tranquility,
Jared

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