I had my first Shakespearean moment back as a junior in high school when I was struggling my way through King Lear and came upon the words of Edgar:

“Men must endure / Their going hence, even as their coming hither; / Ripeness is all.”

These lines have been interpreted in a stoic way, emphasizing the drudgery of existence, the need for ‘resignation, fortitude, suppression of emotion.”

It’s funny how the alchemical power within the image grabbed hold of my young imagination. Instead of stoic fortitude which seems to stress waiting for the storm to pass, these line has always held out a powerful message of hope for me.  Within our struggles to find ourselves and/or meaning, the need to persist against and endure would be meaningless if it were not for the ripening that is occurring.

Like fruit, the soul thrown into the storms of life gradually matures until that exquisite moment of ripeness occurs.

Have you bitten into a perfectly ripe pear recently?

{ 1 comment }

We are prone to anxiety.  Perhaps we have a weak immune system.  Or maybe it’s some other weak link in the chain of our being…self esteem, cancer, shame, manipulation, fear.

Regardless of who we are, the weak links exist.  While our lived responses might have contributed to making those links even weaker, the fact is that we all have to play the cards we are dealt.

Often times the youth I work with will take an inordinate responsibility for many things about themselves that are outside their control, while dismissing the actions that they did willfully unleash on their loved ones and the world.  Deep self loathing is directed at the cards they have been dealt.  It’s as if they have become paralyzed by the facts of themselves.

Much of the initial focus with these youths is getting them to accept the cards life has dealt them.  It’s a huge turn in their journey when they can stop fretting about the cards and begin to consider how to best work with them.

A huge transformation takes place when we become conscious of ourselves not just as we want to be, but as we actually are, including the darkness and the weakness.  With acceptance, these aspects begin to get integrated.  Then our strengths can work in conjunction with them.  Conversely, when we only strive after what we wish we were, our strengths work against our weaknesses.

Depression has been defined as anger turned within.  Acceptance in the form of compassion turned within creates an unexpected pathway that has all the spiritual hallmarks of liberation and joy.

{ 3 comments }