Into the River

For many years now, an image of “letting go into the river” has been present for me. In the last couple of years, it has been growing stronger.

The image of river that I see is one with rather swift current. It is about 50 feet across. It’s shores are lined with evergreen trees, much like the rivers of my youth in Canada. The waters are blue / green.

The image within me includes being tethered to a shore, that, because of the current, is no longer strong enough to hold. I feel fear of this river. Yet, I also feel my inevitability of letting go, of giving myself to the river.

I don’t know what all of that means. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to understand it. Even trying to think it into being.  I’ve learned that images must arrive, just as Rilke, the Austrian poet of the early 1900s wrote, “You must give birth to your images. they are the future waiting to be born. Fear not the strangeness you feel. The future must enter you long before it happens. Just wait for the birth, for the hour of the new clarity.”

Given life’s unfolding, and the reality of societal amplification and intensification, perhaps the lettings go for many of us are also amplifying and intensifying.

Meg Wheatley included a prophecy from the Elders of the Hopi Nation in her book Perseverance. It also feels present in my morning meditation.

Here is the river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those
who will be afraid, who will try
to hold on to the shore.
They are being torn apart and 
will suffer greatly.

Know that the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore.
Push off into the middle of the river,
and keep our heads about water.

And I say, see who is there with you
and celebrate.
At this time in history
we are to take nothing personally,
least of all ourselves,
for the moment we do,
our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over.
Gather yourselves.
Banish the word struggle from your attitude
and vocabulary.

All that we do now must be done
in a sacred manner and in celebration.
For we are the ones we have been waiting for.

This letting go, feels so essential as humans in discovery of the worlds to come. I hope for courage, for all of us.

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Gifts of Circle - Question Cardsasd
Gifts of Circle is 30 short essays divided into 4 sections: 1) Circle's Bigger Purpose, 2) Circle's Practice, 3) Circle's First Requirements, and 4) Circle's Possibility for Men. From the Introduction: "Circle is what I turn to in the most comprehensive stories I know -- the stories of human beings trying to be kind and aware together, trying to make a difference in varied causes for which we need to go well together. Circle is also what I turn to in the most immediate needs that live right in front of me and in front of most of us -- sharing dreams and difficulties, exploring conflicts and coherences. Circle is what I turn to. Circle is what turns us to each other."

Question Cards is an accompanying tool to Gifts of Circle. Each card (34) offers a quote from the corresponding chapter in the book, followed by sample questions to grow your Circle hosting skills and to create connection, courage, and compassionate action among groups you host in Circle.

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is a collection of 10 poems. From A Note of Beginning: "This collection of poems arises from the many conversations I've been having about nature. Nature as guide. Nature as wild. Nature as organized. I remain a human being that so appreciates a curious nature in people. That so appreciates questions that pick fruit from inner being, that gather insights and intuitions to a basket, and then brings the to table to be enjoyed and shared over the next week."

This set of Note Cards (8 cards + envelopes)  quotes a few favorite passages from poems in In My Nature. I offer them as inspiration. And leave room for you to write personal notes.

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This set of Note Cards (8 cards + envelopes)  quotes a few favorite passages from poems in Most Mornings. I offer them as inspiration. And leave room for you to write personal notes.

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