“They knew that they were helpless to do any good for others as long as they floundered about in the wreckage. But once they got a foothold on solid ground, things were different.” ~ Thomas Merton
How do you watch for footholds?
Wreckage
Postures
“ When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” ~ Audre Lorde
How do you connect strength and vision?
Patience
Whether we learn a skill, begin a task or embark on a journey, the temptation is to rush ahead toward the goal or product. Yet the key usually lies in taking care of the tedious preparation which makes everything else flow.
When and where do you rush through the preparation?
Rhinoceros
The rhino is a strong, horned, thick skinned and peaceful land-dweller that is powerfully fast and dangerous when disturbed. The more we know the terrain we thrive in, and what we are made out of, the easier it is to know where to dwell, how to contribute and what edges to push.
What do you look like?
Into the Field of Sunflowers
Come with me into the field of sunflowers, Mary Oliver invites in one of her poems, for their wonderful stories.
“…Don’t be afraid
to ask them questions!
Their bright faces,
which follow the sun,
will listen, and all
those rows of seeds –
each one a new life!
hope for a deeper acquaintance;
each of them, though it stands
in a crowd of many,
like a separate universe,
is lonely, the long work
of turning their lives
into a celebration
is not easy…. ~ Mary Oliver
What is your long work of turning?
Beginning anew
“It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. And so on, all day. Standing back from all your natural fussings and frettings; coming in out of the wind.” ~ C.S.Lewis
How do you come in out of the wind?
With the Eyes of the Heart 