On Purpose
“Your primary purpose is to be here fully, and to be total in whatever you do so that the preciousness of the present moment does not become reduced to a means to an end. And there you have your life purpose. That’s the very foundation of your life.”
~ Eckhart Tolle
In the space between the Solstices, Spirit invites me into the wild beauty of nature. Feeling her quiet soft stark slumber begin to waken, warming and shining her yellows into greens, the cacophony of birdsong culminating into explosions of joy and color. (You’ll find a celebration and expression of color in my painting work, with two exhibitions coming in July. )
In this space between the solstices, I've also been leaning into the silence and on long wanders with my camera, I’m learning about receiving images rather than taking them. It is both a subtle shift, and a major discovery. When I return home, I select an image to reflect upon to see what else is here for me to receive.
You can explore this practice along with me. Choose an image above. Connect with your breath, feeling it arriving into your body. Resting your soft gaze and for about 5 full minutes, be with the experience of the image. Pay attention to the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that arise. Listen for the ways in which the qualities of the image inform the current of your life. Then allow the words to flow from you, unedited and free. Complete with a nice deep breath, and an offer of gratitude.
This practice is another way to open, to soften, and to listen with the heart. It is yet another way to become more embodied, suspending thinking and involving more of our innate awareness, without judgment. It is not easy to set aside the desire to make a great image. And yet, I can feel how the process offers me a deeper taste of the divine, and with it a deeper sense of presence. And in that state of presence I can know that this is my purpose, to be here and be fully alive.