Reflection

I am not a fan of following pop culture or the latest fashions ( my son can attest to that). I do have a few people who I admire and follow. I watched one of them on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday yesterday, Mark Nepo.
I read his book The Book of Awakening several times over the past couple of years. And I have posted several of the daily readings in this blog.


Seeing him on TV revealed his essence and that was a real treat for me.  He spoke about his battle with cancer ~two time survivor!

He has a new book called Seven Thousand Ways to Listen which I started to read. What I enjoy most about these two books is Mark provides questions within and at the end of chapters. This provides a space to slow down and reflect on what he is saying. And this is helpful for me because I love to read and have a habit of devouring a book to move onto the next.

I took notes as I watched and listened to his conversation with Oprah. His thoughts are profound and they are worth the investment of time to reflect on them.

Here is what he said:

Mark Nepo
Freefall

If you have one hour of air
and many hours to go,
you must breathe slowly.

If you have one arm's length
and many things to care for,
you must give freely.

If you have one chance to know God
and many doubts, you must
set your heart on fire.

We are blessed.

Every day is a chance.
We have two arms
Fear wastes air.
----

The life of expression is the tuning fork by which we find our way to the sacred, to what matters.
Our ability to allow our gifts and talents to flow through us. Expression of our true self is the expression of God.
Thoroughness of being.
We need each other to discover our gifts, believe in our gifts and to learn how to use them.

Every single being has an unfathomable gift that only meeting life head on will reveal. Mark Nepo

The soul is the common center of universal spirit that seeds each human being.
Rather than finding heaven on earth we are asked to release heaven by living on earth. What am I releasing daily? You can't by pass the human journey, it is the cocoon that releases our spirit.

We agree to meet half way around the world
Where the ocean waited thousands of years
Before opening it's clear mouth to speak this island under the sun.
All to remember we are students of the large stillness.
Struggling with our little stillness.
Never knowing what will rise between us.
We will meet beyond the bamboo forest and bend in the light.
Hollow as these stalks
Listening for the trace of beginning as we do.