The Old Sage, Chapter 3

Love isn’t exclusive.

It neither accepts nor rejects.

There is no “good” and “bad” inside its spaciousness;

What is, is.

Can I acknowledge all my parts?

That’s wholeness.

~From the Old Sage, 3. DVS

Waking peaceful and grateful for all my blessings today,

I’m resting in golden light like sweet, nourishing nectar.

I am joyously expanding this light to all my relations…

And then I get stuck,

When I try to include her inside it.

Irritation and anxiety arise,

A reaction that is hardened and old.

She could strike out at me

Like a rattler from under a rock.

To take her in, I’d have to be willing to die.

I can’t make the feelings go away,

So I include the irritated and anxious part of myself

Inside the golden light, just as I am.

I love myself anyway.

I can feel the hardness softening as that part of me expands, a little,

Into the space vacated by judgment.

And then a miracle happens.

Now, I can include her as well, as she is.

And I am at peace.

Meditation:   Begin by watching your breath, not changing it or judging it; just paying attention to it.  As you settle into its rhythm, imagine yourself in a cocoon of beautiful golden light. Take a roll call of every part of yourself to make sure they are all included, whether you like them or not. Just let them be as they are. Return to the breath.

©2014 Deborah Valentine Smith