| Spring time welcomes a thunderstorm. Cleansing rain falls in rhythm. A distantly familiar memory of my childhood emerges. Sat inside I watch the day get prematurely dark. Unlike the winter rain which soaks and drizzles, the storm I’m listening to now adopts a tropical persona. Booming. Flashing. Cracking. Quite a bit of flair. Latin perhaps. But, what message does this storm bring? I hear a reminder. That tension will always be followed by a letting go. Release is inevitable. Life is like the seasons, each phase brings a distinct character. And each period asks of us something different. Winter called for hibernation and rest. Spring for rapid growth. The garden is certainly calling for a mow. But what of your inner state? What are the needs that are arising when the seasons change? What are the built up tensions asking for release? The storm clouds brewing? My observation has been that unless I make time for myself to willingly encounter the strange process of ‘letting go’ that life will continue to load up the stress. Which leads to an inevitable snap. Just ask the camel! These days I take the precautionary step to continue to invest in stillness, even when the going is fair and the seas are calm. This habituation of practice is a safeguard against the subtle creep and shift away from ‘me.’ We are all masters at knowing what is good for us, but it is a little more challenging to do what is good for us, consistently. When I last lost check of that part that governs the ‘deeper me’ (we call it the Soul), a decade of subtle shift went by and I barely recognised myself. Recovering from that sort of change took hard work, and most of all, humility before something bigger than me. Mother nature herself is a good start. Thunder, lightning and heavy rain sure feel pretty big. Himalayan Meditation is the process of acknowledging the intelligence inherent in the inner and outer nature, such that awareness may rest in peace. It requires an acknowledgement of something bigger. Just like a baby being held in the lap of it’s Mother, we can protest all we want but Her role is sometimes to protect us from ourselves. – – – – – If you are yearning for the support of nature, we have many practical activities rooted in tradition that will elicit this feeling of being held. All are in relation to the inner and outer nature. Our September Soul Retreat has just sold out and we are now taking bookings for October 19th – 23rd, so get in quick if you would like to join (especially if you would like a private room.) Wherever you are on your journey, the next storm is only ever just around the corner, so the time to invest in your own wellbeing is now! Learn more about the Soul Retreat here (BYO umbrella!) |
The Storm is Coming!
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