Go outdoors and see beyond what you see, feel beyond what you feel, and love beyond what you love.
~ An ancient friend
A reader was telling me this morning she had what one could call an enlightenment.
In that, it dawned on her in a totally new way that she is here for a purpose. Yes, really a genuine purpose. As she was talking, I caught this new awareness was replacing what she thought and knew before.
If anyone asks me if I have a purpose, my quick answer is yes, of course. In checking it out I discover my answers are varied. Yes, I want to stay healthy, be happy, learn how to play ragtime piano, be a good Grandma and live here in Tucson in the winters. Yet, as I ponder, I begin to understand those kinds of purposes are not what her enlightenment is shining on.
Thus, I ask myself what is that one purpose that is embedded in all the little and middle size purposes. What is that purpose that I will be so thankful I attended to when the sun goes down? What does love, what does Being itself want of me?
Which was a reminder of what my ancient friend once instructed me, "Go outdoors and look beyond what you see, feel beyond what you feel and love beyond what you love." At the time, although puzzled, I thought I knew what she meant but, of course, I didn't.
Scientists tell us, the goal since Galileo is to see farther and deeper into the universe. The Hubble telescope also looks farther, deeper and, apparently, the more it sees, the more there is to see. So too, I am finding with Inner-spaciousness. Attention and Presence is required. Then in some mysterious way, a larger dimension flows in and one is met. Breathing, seeing and feeling beyond is discovered in a deeper dance. Joy, contentment, and "lightly, child lightly" arrive in the moment.
Yet, to see beyond, to reveal wonder and mystery as the Hubble discovers, I find it necessary to change lenses, focus and push out this personally, limited story called me -- and discover a different story beyond this everydayness and these old perspectives. Then, in its essence, the tree is no more a tree than I am and neither is the bird. No form ends at its label and no form is limited to what our physical eyes see.
Am I sure this is what my ancient friend meant? No, but maybe.... However, the invitation, as my reader also suggested, might be this. When one goes out beyond something else, dance it. A wonderful joy awaits in getting to know another absolute self, its intelligence, hearing, and silence. Then, we can have the fun of dancing to this rhythm in the moment and seeing with its eye.
