The Butterfly and the Rose

A Butterfly and A Rose

This journal is not about an unpopular election though it starts that way. It's not about who's on
the right or the left. It's actually about the aftermath of an election twelve months ago and the ensuing chaos that resulted. It's a story of what was done to deal with the chaos consuming the external world and what we did to soothe our inner lives for the next 12 months.

A year ago the unthinkable happened. Fed up with politics as usual, a man without qualifications, a man demeaned in the media, a man said to be unelectable, and a man who appealed to the darkest and most unkind parts of our collective nature got elected. On November 7th we woke up to an unrecognizable normal. The world had turned upside down.

Half of the country was ecstatic. The other half was overcome by shock and disbelief. Surely, it was a big mistake. But as the days wore on the second group realized there was no mistake. Soon they were entombed in the five stages of grief beginning with denial. They reasoned, maybe the vile days of the campaign were over and sanity would be restored. When that hope
was rebuffed, they became enraged. Plans were made for massive marches on Washington or on congressional offices.

Some, holding to the spirit of reconciliation, decided to find out who the voters were. They went out to meet them in their homes and listen to what they said. They drove to the heartland and to cities between the two liberal coasts. They attempted a bargain, determined to understand exactly what happened on November 6th. Sadly, most of the understanding they sought evaporated as anger again surfaced.

Then depression arrived. It our household it descended like a vise-grip. Seeking solace the TV was turned off. We spent sad days staring into space. We wondered aloud how we'd survive the next four or maybe eight years. We gave up some friends who thought differently to us. The endless clashes of differing beliefs only served to strengthen the bitterness and divide between us.

Big events are inescapable. They happen outside our control. But personal reaction to them is always a choice, especially when the choice is to stand in the heart. It was clear our depressed
state of being could not continue for the foreseeable future. Sitting on the lanai one morning a butterfly landed on a brilliant pink rose and slowly spread its wings for a few minutes before flying off. The yellow of the butterfly, the hot pink rose, the green grass, and the blue skies came together like a living impressionistic painting. It was a vivid reminder that there was still beauty around us and A Butterfly and A Rose could bring a smile and ease the soul.

Soft feelings of joy welled up from inside. Looking around the trees became intense green and the water on the lake was sparkling. An Osprey glided over the water searching for food. Things weren't so bleak. The natural world, oblivious to election results, proclaimed life goes on. Through that lens of reality one word surfaced slowly. It was Gratitude. No matter what was happening outside, there was always something to be grateful for. There was a choice on how to deal with the chaos around us. That choice was, "stop wallowing and work with the tools we
teach." And in that moment a daily ritual began.

Using Facebook, a photo with an uplifting message asked friends to comment on something that brought them Gratitude. No one responded at first. But every day The Call to Gratitude went out. Soon, one or two replied, then it began to blossom, affecting many who read it. Comments were posted from friends and then friends of friends. No one posted that they won the lottery. Yet most reached down deep and found some small thing they were grateful for. A call from a grandson was the highlight of one day. Waking up without pain one morning was memorable for one. It wasn't the big things in life that called out Gratitude. Instead small day to day events, like finding a perfect paint color for a living room, were posted. The summons opened the door for individuals who only lurked to realize they too had something to say. Soon, the Gratitude posts spawned others to do the same with their own circle of friends.

The last stage of grief is acceptance. Gratitude as it turns out, is much richer and deeper than
the acceptance of the election. When reminded, everyone searched for something to be grateful for. That practice soothed their own stages of grief. Many called it their morning medicine. A year later it's grown from a personal practice to a movement.

This month is the national holiday of Thanksgiving. But the Call to Gratitude practice happens every day. It reminds those who read it to a pause every morning and focus on something to be grateful for. It could be greeting the rising sun, or walking in the rain, or a friendly smile in the grocery store. That daily ritual puts life in perspective and reminds you to paint personal butterflies on roses. Wishing you all endless days of Gratitude for all the small things that bring joy into your life.

                                                                                           Jo Mooy - November 2017  

Coming Home

Coming Home

Without question traveling is a rich experience. It alters our understanding of other cultures and traditions. It broadens our previously held ideas about them. And, through meaningful conversations with people we meet, our ideals hopefully become more universal. But after months of travel, there's nothing quite like Coming Home. It's that glorious moment when you walk into your house and the familiar settings, the books, the crystals, the altar with its lingering smells of burned down incense, reclaim you. There's a silent pause as you look around and hear the house saying, I've been here waiting; where have you been?

Returning home is another part of the travel experience. But, re-animating the home can take a while. Travel laundry has to be done. Suitcases, battered by TSA across two continents, need to be put away for another year. Then food and supplies brought in. This sounds rather ordinary and routine. But, in mindfulness practices, the process is quite deliberate and methodical. For when a house sits alone for months, it develops its own silent but very noticeable patterns. A calm stillness is tangible in every room. It's held its own space without benefit of human intervention. The objects, lovingly placed by careful hands, look somewhat tenuous. It's as though each one could easily dissolve into the ether.

So, re-introducing human contact is a slow and sacred process. It must be done gently while respecting the energetic patterns the house created without us. It continued to provide shelter and cooling from the elements, though no one was around to appreciate it. Silly as it sounds, that must be acknowledged. Just as we ask the house spirit to be watchful and protective when we leave for travel, the same way we thank it for its service and duty when we return.

Once food has filled the refrigerator it's time for the more subtle animations to begin. Flowers are brought in. Their colors permeate everything. Flower-presence enlivens the house, telling it, take note, they're back! The flowers never overwhelm, but are a compliment to the décor. But the one thing above all others that signals to the house that "they're back" is the smell of incense. Once lit, the light blue tendrils of smoke linger as the smell of Champa wafts through the atmosphere. Anyone coming in the front door remarks about the signature fragrance.

Each sense of sight and smell and touch and taste bring life back into the house. But the powerful sense of sound announces a unique harmony when the various chimes are returned to the garden. The bamboo chimes play a tubular melody against the tinkling pipes of the Woodstock chimes. Then, when the deep vibrant tones of the long Neptune pentatonic tubes sound their baritone notes, the garden and house fall into resonance. This is when the tones and aromas awaken the "house-spirit" and it once again becomes a spirit-home. 

While these are most notable animations, balance must always be envisioned. When the elements are in harmony, balance is restored. When the sun moves across the heavens, announcing a new season every three months, balance is restored. When a house has its people, balance is restored. When its people animate the house, balance is restored. Coming Home restores a sacred balance. Gardens, left idle during travel, are weeded and fertilized, and balance is restored. Morning walks on the beach, not enjoyed since June, resume, and balance is restored. Sharing the journey with friends and students restores the balance.

In the end, it's these mundane acts of Coming Home that reclaim our space, renew us, and make us settled again. In these simple acts, great happiness and gratitude permeate the return to normalcy. May there be balance and happiness when you come home this Thanksgiving.

Jo Mooy - November 2015 

Manners As A Spiritual Practice

Manners As A Spiritual Practice 

   

There are marvelous benefits of the digital world, like instantaneous communication and information at the finger-tips.  But the fast-paced usage of smart devices has caused a huge gap in our ability to be aware of others.  As individuals become addicted to devices which foster self-absorbing behavior, good manners and etiquette have gone by the wayside.

We've all seen the effects of poor manners.  Instead of making eye contact with others, heads are bowed over a hand-held devices.  In restaurants it's more important to check emails and texts than it is to interact with those you came to dine with.  If a car is going slow or weaving in your lane it's a pretty good bet the driver is texting or reading emails. On Easter Sunday I watched a little girl about 3 years of age drawing pictures on a sidewalk. She eagerly tried to get her father's attention to see her creation.  But he was too busy talking on a cell phone while simultaneously tapping on his Ipad.  A treasured moment of encouragement with a little girl lost forever.

But sadly, the deterioration of manners goes beyond the usage of electronic devices.  It extends  to those who should "know better" and who disappoint us by disregarding common courtesy.  For example, how often is a meaningful 'thank-you' or a few well-chosen words of appreciation extended to the volunteers who serve?
How often is gratitude part of the teaching of an organization?  Or respect and good manners part of the practices of those on a consciousness raising path?

There's a generation of people alive who were brought up to respect others, hold the door open for another person, give up a seat to their elders, and to say please and thank you.  Through that courteous behavior, those individuals put the needs of others ahead of their own.  That  mindfulness displays a much higher level of consciousness.  It's a behavior which also serves as a guide to others.  And it's what prompted this article.

Good manners IS a spiritual practice!  Acts of kindness or respect offered to another lifts personal behavior to a higher plane of understanding and expands universal connection.  It creates genuine human connections, the recognition of which touches and changes the character of the person.  The individuals who behave in this manner generally follow an enlightened lifestyle.  Kindness is a hallmark of their lives.  They take the high road in disputes, and are more likely to treat others as they would like to be treated.

There's a meditation practice called Mindfulness.  It directly influences the human experience and determines how we interact with others.  In the exacting practice of Mindfulness, it is impossible to be so self-absorbed that we disregard others.  Instead, you become present to what is occurring around you and sensitive to the stories happening in the moment. You become an active part of the reality that is unfolding in front of you instead of the artificial reality playing out on a digital screen or in one's imagination.  Freed from electronic habits or ungracious behavior you can more easily respond to events as they unfold in the present.  Thus Mindfulness becomes a beneficial spiritual practice for developing good manners and conduct.

But remembering to do the practice is the hardest part. Human selfishness causes us to be distracted or to become preoccupied with unimportant interruptions.  It will derail the best intentions and cause an easy  return to the state of carelessness.  Human Self-Mastery on the other hand suggests that Mindfulness can be developed as a permanent state.  The more consciously mindful one is of other people, the more that awareness is woven into the habitual fabric of an individual.

Conscious Mindfulness can be started with small acts of kindness or respect for another.  It can begin by focusing the attention on someone other than yourself.  When you're with them, let your full attention be on nothing else but them.  When in the car, be mindful and aware of every other car around you.  If someone has extended themselves on your behalf, please take the time to offer a meaningful 'thank you.'  Above all, be courteous and respectful.  It is a responsibility and a duty we accept for it is the price we must pay on this journey towards Self-Mastery and enlightenment. 

Remember, the best gift we can bestow on someone is the gift of ourselves - our time, our interest, and our full attention.  The results of that gift will speak spiritual volumes.

Jo Mooy - May 2013