Poetic Revelations: The Invisible Web
Ties that Hold
We each have to find that corridor of aliveness that can carry us through the turbulence of life on Earth. And it's the unexpected kindness and strength of those along the way who, with the slightest nudge, can save our lives.
— Mark Nepo
This is a weekly publication for heart-centered warriors, swimming through this thing called life. Keeping hearts open and voices intact.
SELECTED POEMS
Safety Net, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
At Home, David Whyte
Dear Embodied Hearts and Dancing Souls,
I’ll be honest. I have come home from my trip abroad, but it was such an epic trip, with so many varied experiences into alternate realities that it will take time to integrate. Pieces are only just starting to slip into my awareness.
Dance Chapel is ON tonight. I feel especially grateful to return to such a restorative practice today.
Receiving. I wasn’t initially clear about my reason for going on this big adventure—four stops in 4 weeks. There was some FOMO for sure—a grand destination wedding in Goa, who wouldn’t want to be there? But these occasions, with all the fussiness in dressing and accessories are usually not for me. They tended to bring my energy levels down, not up. Mostly because it felt hopeless to live up to the fashion standards for feminine beauty at these events.
But I got a big lift before shoving off to the motherland this time. In an Ancestor Lineage session, I connected with the wisdom that I should go totally embodying Receiving energy, letting go of any control and decision-making. I was even shown an image of a perfectly coiffed Indian woman. Its hilarious because its the one thing I could never give my extended family. Being a softer receiver, instead of defiant hellraiser. It invokes Feminine energy at the same time. Even our gods are perfectly paired, with masculine Yang energy on one side and the female Yin consort on the other. So here I went, softening up as completely as I could.
In India, we entered a very different way of life. One lived on the terms of those around us. I had no control over the resources I received or didn’t receive. Staying true to myself while not being in control seemed the underlying lesson of this life event.
Being in Receiving mode also meant I had no agenda. This helped me be less sensitive to how others were judging me. In fact, I could allow some very judg-y people to be who they needed to be in the moment, so I could be who I needed to be. (This included venting about the judginess, lol.) The tiny voice of Big Love wants to let you know: Trust this strategy! At the very least, it takes people off guard.
Invisible Web. There is nothing like going to far away place to realize that all around the world, millions of people are living multiple realities all at the same time. It really is something to have a whole family of origin going about their day to day business in a land 7500 miles away. I don’t have a day to day relationship with these people. And there are obvious differences now, being American versus Indian.
Yet….in small moments I experienced connection. From the moment my eyes landed on my buaji, her face lit up when she saw me. She didn’t care that my hair had fallen flat in the humidity or that my shawl clashed with my outfit. Her eyes just Lit.Up. This was my aunt, my father’s sister who had welcomed me as a baby, as a maiden coming of age, and now as a middle-aged married woman. I found this welcome from others also.
My paternal family’s connection stems from my great grandfather and his closeness with his siblings. In one moment, at 2 a.m in the morning, I found myself at a table with 3 other women. We were all of a certain age, and the conversation hit upon our professional roles. The others were just as curious about me as I was about them. There was a total bonding moment when I explained I was in the midst of a transition, that I was no longer growing in the thing I had done and now I had a new dream. When I shared my vision for a Center I want to create, they were so immediately understanding, open and supportive. We all exchanged contact information with each other.
Below the surface of distance and differences, I found an invisible web I am somehow intrinsically a part of. I came away with a feeling of having more family than I started with. And this time, I experienced it as an authentic woman-to-woman connection.
Coming Home. There are so many ways of coming home. This one is going to take some time. I was struck with a slight depression returning back this time, even though my body and mind longed to come home. It must have been my Spirit that wanted me to return to my homeland. To experience being Received; and feeling a sense of place in a very alive family tree no matter how rigorous the journey.
To start feeling like myself once I came home, I turned to InterPlay online. Immediately, the medicine of connection, the chance to express myself truthfully, began working its magic. And its the same feeling — this invisible web that holds a piece of me. My ancestral family in India holds a piece of me that I may barely recognize, but its there for me never the less. My InterPlay community holds pieces of me that are more familiar.
I am keenly aware that there are times in life when we need to turn to our community to feel restored. I didn’t know this dynamic existed before. I am grateful to know it now.
With so much Love for you, your journey and your unfolding.
Stay #heartwoke.
Monisha
NOTES:
Dance Chapel is ON tonight, 2/13/2024
The picture above is from the Mahatma Gandhi ashram which I got to visit on my trip. I bought the bag because it struck me how his quote is honestly the definition of “alignment.” Its a word we throw around alot now in this part of the world and I loved that he was in on it from the get-go.