Melancholy

"The night's flower was late when the morning kissed her, she shivered and sighed and dropped to the ground." ~ Tagore

Who hasn't felt melancholy from time to time? My own journal writings - especially entries from my 20's - are filled with expressions of sadness or ennui as I struggled to find my place - in the world and in my Self. These melancholic moments touch me far less often these days - I could even say rarely - yet do still send out their tendrils at times and usually when I least expect them. Sometimes this sense of melancholy can envelop me first thing in the morning following a disturbing dream as it did this morning. Then, I sit with the dream's visions and seek the message... Is it attached to the past or to the future?

Lost, unfocused,

where is the still

within that guides

and fires the will?

Like an addict, I can experience a kind of 'withdrawal' when I have to pull myself out of a particular pattern - one I find I have become attached to - in order to interact with the so-called mundane world once more. Then I have to go deeper to know the peace that comes with all of life in this world of form; the peace that is always there, waiting, patient. Ahhhh. There it is. Or, rather, here it is having been within me all the time. Presence.

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Did you know that melancholic is one of the four Hippocratic Temperaments tracing back to 460 B.C.E.? These human temperaments or constitutions are a reflection of our manifestation of the elements earth, air, fire and water. This is a fascinating topic in holistic health care.