Monday, February 26, 2007

Twisted oaks and shadows of illusion (NGT)

From April 19, 2006
Garland Ranch Park, Carmel Valley, California


Thick, rough, curved and entwined oak trees, even with Spanish moss hanging on them. What chance does the sun’s rays have to penetrate this forest, of shadows? Still, the fresh, new grass and flowers growing ever so easily beneath spread out with joy in the springtime breeze. The softness of the scene does offer its peace. As the sun shifts, so do the shadows, reminding me that the sun always shines and is omnipotent, whereas the shadows are always changing, inch by inch, minute by minute, and so not to take them too seriously, nor contemplate their depth of character. We are neither the light nor the shadows, but life itself.

We all have our mental shadows of which we have become accustomed to thinking of them as who and what we are. They tend to shift only slightly year after year, but even in our attaching ourselves to them, we have shifted as they have, moving as the sun moves them. It is just that we have not allowed ourselves to see the sunlight which creates the illusion that they are there in the first place. There are many experiences in our lives that can, if we allow them to, help us to not only see the shadows for what they are (temporary thought structures), but show us a glimpse of the possibility at being able to see the sunlight and to perhaps dwell in that space instead. If we are having a ‘rough’ day or week or even year, we usually figure out that at some point things will get better. We almost expect it. But if we continue to dwell in the ‘roughness’ of the day or week or year, identifying the roughness of our life as who and what we are, it becomes difficult to see the shadow of that thought as a shadow or to even see the fresh, new grass and flowers of blooming possibility underneath it all. Thus it becomes challenging to see our true selves, the truth of our beautiful shining spirit and being aware of that, live in alignment with it.

The Light of Infinite Love lives within our hearts.
The Light of Infinite Peace lives within our every step.
The Light of Infinite Joy lives within our Being.

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