REDEFINING SELF-LOVE
Earth teach me courage
as the tree which stands all alone.
Earth teach me limitation
as the ant which crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom
as the eagle which soars in the sky.
Earth teach me resignation
as the leaves which die in the fall.
Earth teach me regeneration
as the seed which rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself
as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness
as dry fields weep with rain.
-Ute prayer
Week 5 Meditation:
IN THIS LESSON
JOURNAL PROMPT: WEEK 5
As human beings, we have an inherent connection to the Earth, and we ourselves are a part of nature. As such, our lives, our hearts, our meditation practices, our relationships, jobs … everything about us moves in seasons.
This can be a source of struggle when we rigidly conceive of these aspects of our lives needing to be this way or that way. Yet the spring, summer, fall and winter all have their place. This is yet another invitation to simply allow what is, to surrender. In doing so, we begin to enter into the majestic flow of nature itself. This contrasts from the approach to life of being a solitary individual struggling against the way things are and trying to ensure a sense of stability that is inherently impossible to maintain.
Take some time to reflect on this notion of your practice and life moving in seasons. What season are you in now? What season were you previously in?
In the season you found yourself previously in, in what way could you have surrendered to the flow of things a bit more? Did you stand in the way of things naturally changing? Struggle? Resist? Maybe that worked out for you. Maybe not. No right or wrong answers here. Just an exploration.