Part 2: Just Stop Waiting for Unicorns
Lisa Ash Drackert of Kansas City, MO, USA
I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord;
I will remember your wonders of old.
I will meditate on all your work,
and muse on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is so great as our God? -Psalm 77:11-13
Yoga philosophy insists that duhkha (bad space, suffering) is a shared and unavoidable human experience, but yoga teaches us techniques to alter our reactions to suffering so we can experience a space of relief and sweetness, sukha, even in the midst of suffering.
Meditation master Jack Kornfield writes, “The purpose of spiritual life is not to create some special state of mind. A state of mind is always temporary. The purpose is to work directly with the most primary elements of our body and our mind, to see the way we get trapped by our fears, desires, and anger, and to learn directly our capacity for freedom” (AZQuotes.com, Wind and Fly LTD, 2018. http://www.azquotes.com/quote/704565, accessed January 04, 2018).
In the mayhem and the emotional inhale of the last few months, I worked directly with the fear, grief, and anger in my very real and very temporary state of mind.
What I found was this: I only started to heal when I stopped waiting for things to be “back to normal” and just acted as if they were. I stopped waiting for things to be funny and just started laughing (loudly, probably obnoxiously). I stopped waiting to feel confident and secure and just started acting as if I was a freaking rock star. I stopped waiting to feel as if I could take a big, deep, free breath and just started making space for freedom in my body and my mind. I stopped waiting for the present moment to be a perfect one and just started seeing the present moment for what it actually was.
Gerald May, that blessed genius, came to my rescue again by reminding me that “true space is encountered only with the willingness and courage to experience things just as they are” (The Awakened Heart, p. 99).
I had to stop waiting for those love-filled rainbow unicorns to arrive on the scene and just go ahead and consecrate the present moment toward love, hope, and freedom all on my own. That’s a soul space worth not waiting for. -Adapted from http://lisaashyoga.com. Used with permission. xc2xa9Elizabeth Marie Ash Drackert
Prayer Phrase
I surrender into your love.
Spiritual Practice
Centering Prayer
Set a timer for 20 minutes. (If that feels like too much at first, choose a time that will be comfortable for you as a starting place, committing to expand that time in future prayer.) Allow the rhythm of your breath to draw you deeper and deeper into silence. As you breathe, claim one sacred word (Christ, peace, grace, trust, etc.) emerging in you as an anchor to return you to the intention of your prayer when your thoughts begin to wander. Gently release the thoughts and images that come, making space for presence to the One who is with you here and now. Release, return, “be vulnerable to divine grace” (Doctrine and Covenants 163:10b).
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
