Photo from April 4, 2020, in Walden Woods, MA USA
(Bringing this old blog post forward from April 12, 2008.)
In recent class on Theory U and the process of Presencing, Otto Scharmer said something to the tune of “be as ordinary and real as possible.” And then I heard a piece on NPR about the Dalai Lama in regards to Olympic protests… amongst other things how NORMAL he considers himself to be.
This links back to “growing down” from Hillman’s The Soul’s Code: “Until the culture recognizes the legitimacy of growing down, each person in the culture struggles blindly to make sense of the darkenings and despairings that the soul requires to deepen into life.”
There are 4 ways he suggests to do this:
- Body – going with the sag of gravity that accompanies aging.
- Be among your people and a member of the family tree, including its twisted and rotten branches.
- Live in a place that suits your soul that ties you down with duties and customs.
- Give back what circumstances gave you by means of gestures that declare your full attachment to this world.
In a way, it’s rooting in the real – the ORDINARY, acknowledging place, family, our bodies, and present moments in our daily lives – recognizing being. It’s to say, “I am this tree, with its falling arm, with its budding leaves.”
Additionally, have been reading Josef & Anni Albers’ Designs for Living where Josef’s purpose in life was “to open eyes.” Their guiding principle: “aesthetics are not confined to a single area of life, but count immeasurable in all choices in life and, moreover, affect the way we breathe, the way we feel at every waking moment, our sense that all is right in the world or that something is painfully wrong.”
Every day moments. Wet earth. Relaxing into the real and a sense of being. Letting go of grand gestures, sweeping aspirations, idealized life – trying to love what IS.
Finally, on a recent trip to Kripalu, took notice of this quote on the wall, from Mother Teresa: “Do small things with great love. It’s not how much we do—but how much love we put in the doing, and it is not how much we give – but how much love we put in the giving.”