Good Grief

I woke up this morning and thought about how complicated these times are. I think about how we show our compassion. What I have noticed is that many are struggling to hold themselves in compassion and love (I fall in this category very often).

Our world is collectively grieving on countless levels. This morning I wrote the following reflections, which is heavily i

nfluenced by a Mayan Shamanic teacher I deeply admire, Martin Prechtel.

To grieve, is to feel a sharp blade plunged into the gut, stumbling into turmoil and despair, we fall into a dark lake of anger, sinking towards the silt and muck of sadness. Pulled deeper by the weeds of injustice... t

he injustice... the taunts and echoes of injustice! We lay in the abyss, connecting with the darkness... feeling the betrayal of God (the Gods)... and it is there that we meet grief.

The dark settles in... our eyes and minds adjust, our tears melding with the amniotic water around us. The calm silence of the deep consumes us and we look inward, it's dark, lonely, painful.

It’s then that we notice a tiny fragment of light... a particle, floating above us, reflecting what was and what is, drawing something out of us. We begin to search for more particles, examining them closely, seeing the entire spectrum of light in each one... reaching for them we begin to lift from the silt, the muck and the weeds. We slowly glide towards the surface. The light getting stronger, brighter, warmer. The water no longer holding us down but pulling us up. We reach the surface, choking for that first breath, as we float, we feel it... it’s love... the love... the warmth and embrace of love! The restoration of God (the Gods)... and we sing songs and dance in praise... because we know we are alive. That's what the depths of grief can teach us.

We grieve what we love and we love what we grieve. Do not confuse grief with fear and hatred. Grief is an expression and feeling of love and praise. When we come to this truth, we will be free from the corruption of power and the oppression of hate.

Take the appropriate time to sit in grief, it is a spiritual place. Bypassing the dark prevents us from fully appreciating the light... because in the end we are the light and it is our light which will embrace others as they emerge from dark depths of their grief.

Be well, be kind, and pay attention. You are so much more than the thoughts in your mind!