Poetic Revelations: Into the Light
Upleveling to a new Dance
“I don’t know what I am doing, but I am doing it with and without confidence.
I don’t know how to describe what I want to share, but I share it vehemently in the ways I can.
I don’t know what the next steps are, but I am taking them.”
—Seuyeun Lee, Gently, with and without confidence, a Poetics of Light
This is a weekly publication for heart-centered warriors, swimming through this thing called life. Keeping our hearts (and voices) open and intact.
SELECTED POEMS
Dear Embodied Hearts and Dancing Souls,
This is a quick one. Dance Chapel is on tonight. But next week I am on travel so no Dance Chapel next week.
Into the Glow. I woke up Saturday morning with a feeling of unbounding light in my heart. I knew it was the spirit of Diwali - a holiday all about abundance and generosity. I love so many bits about this festival. I love welcoming the blessing of Divine prosperity in our home. But I also love how sharing prosperity is a part of it also. One way we do this is with visitations and sweets. We visit other people’s homes, bring them sweets, and … eat the ones they serve us. Sweet Exchanges!
This spirit is most alive for me in the diya - the little oil lamps (now we use tea lights or electric candles). In fact, every year we bring out our little diya pots and candles, arrange them on the mandhir (altar), so God can bless the lights (and sweets) while we worship. At the end of the ceremony, we pass around the sacred flame. Each person puts their hands well above the flame and pulls that radiating beam up over their head to let it swim down their Being. All the abundance is right there — in this itsy little candle that burns so bright. Then, my husband and I take the blessed little candles into the dark, lining the front walkway and back patio so Laxmi sees us and brings her bountiful blessings into our home.
For 30 minutes I could not locate our stock of diyas. There was a moment I thought I would have to do the puja without the diyas and I began to cry from disappointment. Fortunately my husband found them and the light return to my heart.
I would love for each of you to imagine me passing this plate with the sacred flame to you. Imagine seeing the glow of the candle and knowing whatever mystery lay in there, lay there just for you. And now imagine carefully gathering the light beams over your head and letting them flow down around you.
HAPPY HAPPY DIWALI. May Goddess Laxmi shower you with happiness, joy and prosperous living.
The Living. Well, it was a good thing I learned a little bit about enjoying myself from July through October. Because fire energy has really turned up the heat in my work life. Much momentum, much uncertainty. Lots of opportunity to notice my default habits (like taking on responsibility and not tending to my body). Here is the spiral alive at work. Its not “here I am again.” Rather, its upleveling. Here I am, also able to dance with people in ways and in circumstances I never have before.
Once I could be done with with the game of “wanting to be valued or needing to be seen,” I notice how much growth was waiting for me on the other side. I have not found my new even keel yet.
But more and more, I am feeling without a doubt that everything present in my life is For Me. This means I can be curious about events versus fret about them.
The second thing I am becoming increasing aware of is the next moment has never happened. It needs me in the present to unfold the next. This might be harder to explain but it makes life more vital and alive. That I am in this moment, and no one knows what will happen next.
That’s all I have today. Trust your Heart’s Glow and let that be the candle by which you liven up the dark around you.
Stay #heartwoke. To your exquisite unfolding,
Monisha
NOTES:
There is Dance Chapel tonight (11-14-2023)!
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8257481773?pwd=R0c2dmN3dDhsbnMxYUh1aEpPNkZiQT09
A Prayer for Diwali
Om Jai Lakshmi
Goddess born from the struggle between good and evil
Guide us toward the light.
In a world where plenty is possible,
Let us end hunger, thirst and homelessness.
In your nurturing hands,
Let us seek refuge from want, fear and violence.
With your grace,
Let our world be reborn in your image,
Where all needs are met,
Where morality and love are abundant,
And whereby we are free.
Om Jai Lakshmi.
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
Beautiful, all of it! Just what I needed!