Many today feel hopeless & try not to think about the desperate state our world is in. This is entirely understandable, but like many of our other behaviours, hopeless resignation is recklessly unsustainable.
We must remember that we are no longer unloved, abandoned, afraid & helpless children. We may appreciate how that feels BUT now realize we are so much more than that! We are the wise, peaceful, spacious source of safety & unconditional love, and are now in the powerful, privileged position to join together to nurture & help ourselves & others flourish in this critical time in human history.
Messages of wise hope:
“Wise hope
includes the aspiration to manifest our full potential, individually
and collectively, and the trust that this is possible. Especially in
stressful times, this hope gets clouded over by fear. When it is alive,
wise hope energizes and guides all spiritual transformation. Three practices help us nurture hope:
Aspiration for what we love,
Attending to what we love, and
Actively serving what we love.” Tara Brach - please watch her wonderful short video below.
“The very least you can do in your life is figure out
what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope.
Not admire it from a distance, but live right inside it, under its roof.
What I want is so simple, I almost can’t say it. Elementary kindness.”
Barbara Kingsolver, quoted by Tara Brach
"Notes from My Couch this Morning" by Joan Benner
"Let me hold you said the couch
As you re-member yourself into loving awareness.
No more than this is needed.
You, present to this moment is enough.
It has always been this way.
You just forget,
And allow confusion, delusion, and frustration move you
Into the false dreams of who you are.
The very presence of loving awareness is so much more than the illusions
You so often crave.
Sink into this now
As you honor yourself by not getting caught in your thoughts.
Treasure them, then let them fly by,
Refusing to allow yourself to be dragged or tossed by their fleeting visits.
Welcome the truth that this awesome awareness itself is more than enough.
Embrace the expansiveness of clear boundless loving awareness.
Rest in the truth of this, my precious love.
Rest, only rest will lead you to your healing.
The need to shine outward is over.
Melt yourself back into the timeless space of loving awareness,
And dance in the knowing that you have come home.
Breathe in the comfort of this place,
And when ready, circle back as a wave in the ocean.
Rest here in this new place where the shimmering hologram of life shines though.
Take the hands offered by those who know this seamless mandala of wholeness,
And acknowledge together the beautiful core of loving awareness you all share.
Nod to your sameness in suffering when you forget who you truly are.
Reach out to all as you bow to the deep equality you share.
And pray as one that all beings truly awaken
And live fully in the joy that is beyond sorrow.
The dance of loving awareness is meant for all.
May this be so…
Terry Patten inspiring, energizing (62min) interview, author of “A New Republic of the Heart: An Ethos for Revolutionaries - A Guide to Inner Work for Holistic Change.” : https://drmichaelwayne.com/leadingedge/terry-patten-author-a-new-republic-of-the-heart/
Steve McIntosh (63min) a bit scholarly but excellent interview, author of “The Presence of the Infinite - The Spiritual Experience of Beauty, Truth, and Goodness.” : https://drmichaelwayne.com/leadingedge/interviews-with-the-leading-edge-steve-mcintosh-author-the-presence-of-the-infinite/
“Please may I live from love.” Tara Brach’s prayer
Tara Brach's WONDERFUL (50min) video : Three Practices for Nurturing Wise Hope
