~ from cats, dogs and nature to the flowering of body, mind and spirit ~

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Center of the Circle

Desert Willow (chilopsis linearis)
photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons
"Do you want to improve the world?
I don't think it can be done.
The world is sacred.
It can't be improved.
If you tamper with it, you'll ruin it.
If you treat it like an object, you'll lose it.
. . . 
The Master sees things as they are,
without trying to control them.
She lets them go their own way,
and resides at the center of the circle."


~ Tao Te Ching #29, Stephen Mitchell


      I knew when I woke yesterday morning that it would be a day of respite . . .
soft and gray
mist at play
soothing senses deep
calm the day
Her gentle ways
bring rest and silent sleep

     The muffled sounds wrapped around me like a fleecy blanket that cocooned me from the world and my own anxieties, easing me into a space of stillness where could rejuvenate . . . slowly, easily, quietly. Yesterday, not even any music playing, only the breath of life, the sighs of contentment, the exquisite sense of slumbering senses as muscles relaxed, tension waned, release came and a curtain of pure peace was draped upon my soul. Without pushing myself, I spent most of the day writing, reading and snuggling with the animals.
     The final essence I read about as dusk eased into the house was Desert Willow and the flower's image enthralled me even before I read of its healing energies; it's "harmonizing qualities are those of being flexible, feeling respite and 'in the flow' of life, moving to the perspective of comfort and ease no matter what the situation" (Desert Alchemy Flower Essences). I paused to meditate upon this beautiful, gentle plant and Her spirit, feeling Her resonance. 
     Then, before falling asleep, I opened the Tao to where I had left off reading many weeks ago, and the passage quoted above was the one revealed. I repeated the last two sentences of it over and over, in meditation, and felt the 'three control issues' I'd been struggling with this week simply melt away. 

7 comments:

  1. Hi, Darla. So sorry to have been absent of late---I haven't been on the internet much. But it's nice to be back, and it's nice to read of your peaceful day of rest and contentment. I felt peaceful just reading about it--thank you!

    I also liked your poem..."soft and gray, mist at play..." It was a quiet and lovely little piece, and I enjoyed reading it out loud.

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  2. I'll have to agree on those last two lines. Today, I celebrate the end of a PMS week with a poem.

    Your retreat sounded quite peaceful. I felt some tension in my body release as I read about your day. Joy to you as you share your peace with us.

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  3. Lovely to hear from you, Beth, and feel your energy once more...

    May my peace be your peace, dear Mermaid...

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  4. Oh Darla, I love your "soft and gray" poem!

    BTW, I saw a desert willow tree in full bloom on my home from the market this morning, it looked amazing. I have Stephen Mitchell's translation of the Tao Te Ching and Byron Katie's 1000 Names for Joy, two of my favorite books.

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  5. Thank you, dear Diane. How wonderful that you saw a Desert Willow!

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  6. I love the tao and Lao Tzu. It's so refreshing simple and free of dogma.

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  7. That's the perfect word for it, Colleen . . . "refreshing". :)

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