“‘Is there life after death?’… ‘Is there life before death?’, that is the question!”
— Anthony de Mello
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I’m here, staring out the window, pondering what I might write to you about this week. Everything I type seems like a cliche.
In this world of social media snappy quotes (which I do love actually), everything seems to be squashed to the fewest possible words for the maximum consumption in the shortest possible time.
And that’s alright, they’re just pointers aren’t they?
Reminders of a greater experience, which is nice, but – and maybe I’m being too critical this morning – my pointing words today just seem empty.
Alan Watts nailed it when he famously said, “The menu is not the meal” – words and thinking can never replace the experience; they might be useful but are dry, flat, chewy things when there’s plenty that’s juicy and three dimensional to taste.
Now I write this, I know where this jadedness came from.
As I came back from the school run this blustery morning, I saw a leaf take flight. It lofted and soared and spun … incredible to see it float and fly overhead.
It’s nothing new, a million leaves do it a million times a windy day, but it made a difference to me. A moment of beauty and gentle awe, it lifted me for the rest of my trip home.
Awe, beauty, soul … it’s worth its weight in gold, isn't it? I would not have seen it if I hadn’t looked up and looked around.
That is what I’d like to point you to … what is around you, what is within you. Already. What is here, now. Who you are, already.
We can spend our lives head down into the wind, getting somewhere, thinking about what next, but at what cost?
The cost of life itself, sometimes – the vitality and beauty and awe that waking up and noticing what is here, now brings.
It’s a cliche – “Make the most of your moments!” –
But as a pointer, it’s a fine one.
Join the dots though. Follow the pointer to the experience. Wake up, taste now. Think less and experience more. Put soul into everything you do and watch life come alive.
Alrighty.
Go well and enjoy. Let me know if I can help.
Arjuna
PS.
Last chance – I have a few seats left for this weekend’s Ascension meditation course.
Why?
A deep dive into the best tools, the right understanding, and all your questions answered, on the weekend and after, in the perfect venue with some fine like-minded people.
It’s about learning how to go beyond your mind and experience a deep appreciation, even awe and magic, for and in life.
9-11 February (starts 7pm)
If you want details, let me know and I’ll get them to you.
Be lovely to have you here.
Talk soon