I was so touched by Elizabeth Edwards Sunday night on 60 Minutes. To me, this beautiful woman is the embodiment of courage and wisdom. In the midst of her current health challenge, she's glowing. I'm very grateful that she's so visible and feel she's being a terrific role model for many.
Having traveled this path myself, I feel that we must do whatever needs to be done to care for our precious bodies when they're hosting critical disease, while, simultaneously, honoring our lives and all that we love and cherish. It seems that Elizabeth is doing just that. Obviously she'll receive the best of care at all times, but the most valuable course she's taking, in my opinion, is that she's embracing her life with passion and purpose. We are ultimately spirit beings running around in these physical bodies, and Elizabeth Edwards' spirit seems vibrantly alive and very well to me. This radiance and zest for life could very well propel her into being triumphant over any disease in her body. This is my prayer for her.
Elizabeth Hepburn's victory over cancer shifted her career from musical theatre to the healing arts. She is now a Wellness Facilitator and through her programs and recordings she sets the stage to invigorate the magnificent healing power within us all.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
A Way Out
A Way Out
The first verse of Jacques Brel's song "If We Only Have Love" ends with this lyric:
"If we only have love for the hymn that we shout,
for the song that we sing,
then we'll have a way out."*
A way out! A way out of what? How about a way out of life-leaching fear – the mass hypnosis that has gripped our minds and hearts and bodies and souls for millennia; the 'born in sin' factor; the resignation to the inevitability of illness and violence and suffering and pain; the on-going ache weaving through the human condition that in the 21st Century has culminated in the proliferation of technologically sophisticated communication systems that bombard us relentlessly with fear of everything from the flu season to terrorist attacks. The spin holds us all within its sway, until we feel a way out. And it's here – always. A way out.
To quote Marianne Williamson's inspiring words: "We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us. It's in everyone. "And as we're making it our business to manifest this glory, this divine spirit within us, the fear dissipates. As we're accepting as Truth Jesus' words: "Even greater things than I do, shall you do", we are donning a mantel that transports us beyond fear. We're all here for a purpose, and, very basically, that is to love and care and share joy each in our own way. From there our unique creativity gushes forth. This is Truth. This is Love. This is a way out.
*Mort Shuman and Eric Blau provided the English translations of Brel's songs for the extraordinary musical "Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris".
The first verse of Jacques Brel's song "If We Only Have Love" ends with this lyric:
"If we only have love for the hymn that we shout,
for the song that we sing,
then we'll have a way out."*
A way out! A way out of what? How about a way out of life-leaching fear – the mass hypnosis that has gripped our minds and hearts and bodies and souls for millennia; the 'born in sin' factor; the resignation to the inevitability of illness and violence and suffering and pain; the on-going ache weaving through the human condition that in the 21st Century has culminated in the proliferation of technologically sophisticated communication systems that bombard us relentlessly with fear of everything from the flu season to terrorist attacks. The spin holds us all within its sway, until we feel a way out. And it's here – always. A way out.
To quote Marianne Williamson's inspiring words: "We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us. It's in everyone. "And as we're making it our business to manifest this glory, this divine spirit within us, the fear dissipates. As we're accepting as Truth Jesus' words: "Even greater things than I do, shall you do", we are donning a mantel that transports us beyond fear. We're all here for a purpose, and, very basically, that is to love and care and share joy each in our own way. From there our unique creativity gushes forth. This is Truth. This is Love. This is a way out.
*Mort Shuman and Eric Blau provided the English translations of Brel's songs for the extraordinary musical "Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris".
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Meditations at Equinox Fitness
From time to time I have the honor of leading meditation groups at Equinox Fitness Centers in Manhattan. Here in the midst of this bustling city that never sleeps, at state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to the beauty, strength, power, and total well-being of the physical form, groups gather in quiet, darkened rooms to relax deeply into what they've come to realize is the most significant aspect of their well-being - Spirit. They make themselves as comfortable as possible with mats and blankets so they can lie peacefully for an hour. They close their eyes and let go of the day, the week, the year - whatever. They allow themselves to be guided to a place of profound serenity within and they open with great acceptance to the innate healing energy that pulses through all of our bodies 24/7. It is so beautiful! I'm very grateful.
http://www.equinoxfitness.com/
http://www.equinoxfitness.com/
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Be - Do - Have
Be - Do - Have
These three little words took on a life of their own during the Human Potential Movement of the 70's. Completely oblivious of the Movement, I was in the throes of my illness/healing challenge - six surgeries in 4 years followed by 3 years of chemotherapy. Then, just as I was coming into the "try everything and anything that might get me well" period, I heard about est. I signed up and found myself sitting in the company of two hundred and forty-nine other bewildered individuals in a huge midtown hotel ballroom for two excruciatingly long weekends.
Because I was on chemotherapy, I was assigned to the back row, which was reserved for the "special cases" who could actually leave the room to go to the bathroom if necessary. I never left the room; I barely moved. I was spellbound, fascinated, frightened, excited, confused, and speechless. Never once did I get up to share any one of the myriad experiences I was having, despite the fact that I was a professional singer/actress accustomed to being in front of large crowds. I was too intimidated and shy, and, on some level, felt that nothing I could possibly say would be the least bit intelligent or worthy of being articulated.
I actually did arise on the final day to thank everyone who had shared (we learn from everyone) and to apologize for not contributing by sharing myself. As I sat down I remember realizing, “Yup, that’s what I do - I say I’m sorry a lot”. The old "pardon me for living" syndrome. That was a biggie! That was a life long (till that point) state of being for me. How inhibiting. How strangling of the Life Force.
The only place I ever felt 100% alive was when I was steeped in a character on stage and could fully express my emotions and embody all the colors of my psyche with abandon. I feel that if this inhibited little Catholic school girl from PA hadn’t had the innate gifts that propelled her into the extraordinary and often outrageous scenarios of the theatre in NYC, she’d have left the planet a long time ago. On stage I had license to "be" - to truly express myself. So, I've come to appreciate that my theatrical experience, along with my disease/healing process, taught me a lot and probably helped save my life. We don’t get to stuff and stifle our Life Force. Life is to be lived in full color everyday in every way, keeping in mind Shakespeare's brilliant words: “All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players.”
At which point the question arises: “As a player upon this world stage, what’s my role? Who am I really?” “What/how am I to be?” ("or not to be?") And BE is the crux of the matter. The Human Potential Movement illuminated this most invaluable life teaching: our BEing precedes and makes appropriate the DOing that leads us to our most bountiful HAVEing.
For four months following the est experience, which blew copious holes in my very well-structured defense system, I sat and read. My husband didn’t know who he was married to all of a sudden. The whirling dervish, the constantly doing person had her feet up, reading. And it was all metaphysics - my biggest hero at that time being Ralph Waldo Emerson. That’s who I was reading on the commercial set when I first heard about Hilda, the spiritual teacher of whom I’ve spoken so often. The rest, as they say, is history. The journey inward to BEing began in earnest and was so lovingly guided by this masterful soul. And the infinite journey continues to this day and surely for the rest of my life, ever inward and simultaneously outward. Oh, mysterious, sacred, wondrous Life. The journey of BE - DO - HAVE.
My personal path is that of the Heart with its unceasingly expanding experiences and expressions of Love. And I know for sure - (as per Oprah's final essay in her magazine each month, “What I Know For Sure”) - that surrendering to, and trusting in, the love in our hearts is the ultimate answer for our lives. As Wayne Dyer’s book title states: There’s A Spiritual Solution To Every Problem. I know this is truth. And the heart is the gateway to that Spiritual Solution. That's where BE -DO - HAVE begins. As we are BEing love and DOing out of love, the HAVEing of beauty, joy, love and abundance will be beyond our wildest dreams.
Elizabeth Hepburn
These three little words took on a life of their own during the Human Potential Movement of the 70's. Completely oblivious of the Movement, I was in the throes of my illness/healing challenge - six surgeries in 4 years followed by 3 years of chemotherapy. Then, just as I was coming into the "try everything and anything that might get me well" period, I heard about est. I signed up and found myself sitting in the company of two hundred and forty-nine other bewildered individuals in a huge midtown hotel ballroom for two excruciatingly long weekends.
Because I was on chemotherapy, I was assigned to the back row, which was reserved for the "special cases" who could actually leave the room to go to the bathroom if necessary. I never left the room; I barely moved. I was spellbound, fascinated, frightened, excited, confused, and speechless. Never once did I get up to share any one of the myriad experiences I was having, despite the fact that I was a professional singer/actress accustomed to being in front of large crowds. I was too intimidated and shy, and, on some level, felt that nothing I could possibly say would be the least bit intelligent or worthy of being articulated.
I actually did arise on the final day to thank everyone who had shared (we learn from everyone) and to apologize for not contributing by sharing myself. As I sat down I remember realizing, “Yup, that’s what I do - I say I’m sorry a lot”. The old "pardon me for living" syndrome. That was a biggie! That was a life long (till that point) state of being for me. How inhibiting. How strangling of the Life Force.
The only place I ever felt 100% alive was when I was steeped in a character on stage and could fully express my emotions and embody all the colors of my psyche with abandon. I feel that if this inhibited little Catholic school girl from PA hadn’t had the innate gifts that propelled her into the extraordinary and often outrageous scenarios of the theatre in NYC, she’d have left the planet a long time ago. On stage I had license to "be" - to truly express myself. So, I've come to appreciate that my theatrical experience, along with my disease/healing process, taught me a lot and probably helped save my life. We don’t get to stuff and stifle our Life Force. Life is to be lived in full color everyday in every way, keeping in mind Shakespeare's brilliant words: “All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players.”
At which point the question arises: “As a player upon this world stage, what’s my role? Who am I really?” “What/how am I to be?” ("or not to be?") And BE is the crux of the matter. The Human Potential Movement illuminated this most invaluable life teaching: our BEing precedes and makes appropriate the DOing that leads us to our most bountiful HAVEing.
For four months following the est experience, which blew copious holes in my very well-structured defense system, I sat and read. My husband didn’t know who he was married to all of a sudden. The whirling dervish, the constantly doing person had her feet up, reading. And it was all metaphysics - my biggest hero at that time being Ralph Waldo Emerson. That’s who I was reading on the commercial set when I first heard about Hilda, the spiritual teacher of whom I’ve spoken so often. The rest, as they say, is history. The journey inward to BEing began in earnest and was so lovingly guided by this masterful soul. And the infinite journey continues to this day and surely for the rest of my life, ever inward and simultaneously outward. Oh, mysterious, sacred, wondrous Life. The journey of BE - DO - HAVE.
My personal path is that of the Heart with its unceasingly expanding experiences and expressions of Love. And I know for sure - (as per Oprah's final essay in her magazine each month, “What I Know For Sure”) - that surrendering to, and trusting in, the love in our hearts is the ultimate answer for our lives. As Wayne Dyer’s book title states: There’s A Spiritual Solution To Every Problem. I know this is truth. And the heart is the gateway to that Spiritual Solution. That's where BE -DO - HAVE begins. As we are BEing love and DOing out of love, the HAVEing of beauty, joy, love and abundance will be beyond our wildest dreams.
Elizabeth Hepburn
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Beating Heart Meditation
Say Thank You To Your Beating Heart
For years I've been inviting people to Come Home to their Hearts. From my own healing experience, I know that the wealth of the ages is there - the love, peace, joy, gratitude, passion, courage - all the aspects of life that make it delicious abide in an infinite well-spring within us.
Though my current "knowing" is rooted in richly metaphysical concepts, which, by the way, are now the bedrock of scientific thought, there is a simple path to accessing the marvels of the heart. Acknowledge it! Say hello to it! Say thank you to your beating heart!
The physical heart is housed in the chest cavity, which is metaphysically referred to as the heart center. But, metaphysics aside, I simply invite people to become aware of their beating hearts. Read the rest of the article and then try this. Feel it as you read it. Pretend you're doing it.
Sit or lie down in a very comfortable position - and gently close your eyes, sighing out your breath as if you were sinking into a fragrant warm bath after a long, tiring day. Let stillness embrace you. Feel as though you're listening to silence. Despite the relentless stimulation of our lives, peace and serenity are always present and they are an overwhelmingly sumptuous place in which to relax. Just breathe as easefully and comfortably as possible allowing your sighing exhale to release your tensions and relax you more and more deeply.
Now just notice your beating heart. Listen to it. Acknowledge that you¹e not consciously beating your heart anymore than you¹e consciously breathing all day long. We are ever-pulsing energy systems - ever alive with the same Energy that¹ moving the tides in the oceans and blooming the flowers in Spring. Say thank you to the Source of your breathing; thank you to the Source of your beating heart. Allow yourself to feel the pulsations all through your body as the result of your beating heart. Awake or asleep this Energy is flowing unceasingly. Feel It.
Decide to name this energy God or Love (God is Love). And decide that this divine Love energy is bathing and soothing and healing every cell, every atom of you. Feel It. Allow It. Allow all resistance to It to melt away.
Feel loved and cared for. You are! Feel your Oneness with the very Spirit of Life. Say thank you to your beating heart for being your ever-constant reminder of this Spirit connection.. Say thank you to the loving Source of your life. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
by Elizabeth Hepburn
For years I've been inviting people to Come Home to their Hearts. From my own healing experience, I know that the wealth of the ages is there - the love, peace, joy, gratitude, passion, courage - all the aspects of life that make it delicious abide in an infinite well-spring within us.
Though my current "knowing" is rooted in richly metaphysical concepts, which, by the way, are now the bedrock of scientific thought, there is a simple path to accessing the marvels of the heart. Acknowledge it! Say hello to it! Say thank you to your beating heart!
The physical heart is housed in the chest cavity, which is metaphysically referred to as the heart center. But, metaphysics aside, I simply invite people to become aware of their beating hearts. Read the rest of the article and then try this. Feel it as you read it. Pretend you're doing it.
Sit or lie down in a very comfortable position - and gently close your eyes, sighing out your breath as if you were sinking into a fragrant warm bath after a long, tiring day. Let stillness embrace you. Feel as though you're listening to silence. Despite the relentless stimulation of our lives, peace and serenity are always present and they are an overwhelmingly sumptuous place in which to relax. Just breathe as easefully and comfortably as possible allowing your sighing exhale to release your tensions and relax you more and more deeply.
Now just notice your beating heart. Listen to it. Acknowledge that you¹e not consciously beating your heart anymore than you¹e consciously breathing all day long. We are ever-pulsing energy systems - ever alive with the same Energy that¹ moving the tides in the oceans and blooming the flowers in Spring. Say thank you to the Source of your breathing; thank you to the Source of your beating heart. Allow yourself to feel the pulsations all through your body as the result of your beating heart. Awake or asleep this Energy is flowing unceasingly. Feel It.
Decide to name this energy God or Love (God is Love). And decide that this divine Love energy is bathing and soothing and healing every cell, every atom of you. Feel It. Allow It. Allow all resistance to It to melt away.
Feel loved and cared for. You are! Feel your Oneness with the very Spirit of Life. Say thank you to your beating heart for being your ever-constant reminder of this Spirit connection.. Say thank you to the loving Source of your life. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
by Elizabeth Hepburn
Thursday, January 11, 2007
The Heart Is Where Home Is
The Heart Is Where Home Is
In all of my work, I encourage, invite, and cajole people to come home to their hearts -- to the love in their hearts. Ultimately, I feel it's the most valuable journey one will ever take.
It's no accident to me that in the romance languages the word for heart is cor, core, coeur, and that Webster's definitions of the English word "core" include:
1) the inmost part of something and
2) the most important part.
In the framework of my orientation, this leads me to conclude that the very core of us is our heart, the inmost -- the most important part. So as a paradigm shift from the adage "Home is where the heart is," I hereby offer, "The heart is where home is." It seems to me that until our life is aligned with our heart, we're a house divided against itself.
Strictly from a physical point of view, the incessant beating of our heart plays an inestimable role in the overall well-being of the body. And clearly, it's where we feel the experience of love -- romantic love, mother love, the bond we feel for a beloved pet. Now, to my great delight, research scientists at The Institute of Heart Math in Boulder Creek, CA, are telling us that the heart generates the strongest electromagnetic field produced by the body. Moreover, this field becomes even more coherent as the individual shifts to a loving or caring state. This data corroborates what metaphysicians have been telling us for millenia.
The physical heart is housed in an energy center referred to as the heart center. This center is considered our gateway to spirit and to the most powerful and creative energy in the Universe: Love . It's here that we connect with our Source. This is home.
Several years ago at a Dr. Brugh Joy lecture I received an exquisite gift. His theme that evening had been expanding our awareness of the heart energy. At one point, he had us sitting with our right hand on our heart center (the very center of the chest cavity), feeling the subtle variances in the energies of love there. Slowly, one at a time, he had us tune into Compassion. Tenderness. Gratitude. Joy. Each elicited a slightly different feeling. The next morning I was recapturing this glorious meditation process, and prompted, I'm sure, by this familiar "pledge" pose, these words came to me: "I pledge allegiance to the love in my heart -- to the wonder of wonders within me -- and to the divinity in all life -- One God, One Truth, One Love -- Now and forevermore."* I was so moved by the simplicity of this statement, I repeated it to myself several times and, before I entered into my daily routine, wrote it down.
It's my contention that this pledge is what we're up to now. What could possibly be more worthy of our allegiance than love and the deep caring and compassion that love engenders? It will enhance our lives; it will heal our planet. It's time we make a covenant with that intrinsic part of ourselves.
The Indian master, Sri Nisargardatta Maharaj says: "If we are serious about the sufferings of mankind, we must perfect the only means of help we have, ourselves." In this tiny village of a world we inhabit, all of creation is beckoning us to be a blessing to each other and to our earthly home each day -- to pledge our allegiance first and foremost to Love, the Love in our own hearts. Love is the power. Love is the healer. Love is the answer. Come Home to your Heart.
The pledge entitled "A Pledge to Love" is now a beautiful Post Card available at Elizabeth's website - http://www.elizabethhepburn.com/A_Pledge_to_Love.htm
Love is the power. Love is the healer. Love is the answer. Come Home to your Heart.
Elizabeth Hepburn
In all of my work, I encourage, invite, and cajole people to come home to their hearts -- to the love in their hearts. Ultimately, I feel it's the most valuable journey one will ever take.
It's no accident to me that in the romance languages the word for heart is cor, core, coeur, and that Webster's definitions of the English word "core" include:
1) the inmost part of something and
2) the most important part.
In the framework of my orientation, this leads me to conclude that the very core of us is our heart, the inmost -- the most important part. So as a paradigm shift from the adage "Home is where the heart is," I hereby offer, "The heart is where home is." It seems to me that until our life is aligned with our heart, we're a house divided against itself.
Strictly from a physical point of view, the incessant beating of our heart plays an inestimable role in the overall well-being of the body. And clearly, it's where we feel the experience of love -- romantic love, mother love, the bond we feel for a beloved pet. Now, to my great delight, research scientists at The Institute of Heart Math in Boulder Creek, CA, are telling us that the heart generates the strongest electromagnetic field produced by the body. Moreover, this field becomes even more coherent as the individual shifts to a loving or caring state. This data corroborates what metaphysicians have been telling us for millenia.
The physical heart is housed in an energy center referred to as the heart center. This center is considered our gateway to spirit and to the most powerful and creative energy in the Universe: Love . It's here that we connect with our Source. This is home.
Several years ago at a Dr. Brugh Joy lecture I received an exquisite gift. His theme that evening had been expanding our awareness of the heart energy. At one point, he had us sitting with our right hand on our heart center (the very center of the chest cavity), feeling the subtle variances in the energies of love there. Slowly, one at a time, he had us tune into Compassion. Tenderness. Gratitude. Joy. Each elicited a slightly different feeling. The next morning I was recapturing this glorious meditation process, and prompted, I'm sure, by this familiar "pledge" pose, these words came to me: "I pledge allegiance to the love in my heart -- to the wonder of wonders within me -- and to the divinity in all life -- One God, One Truth, One Love -- Now and forevermore."* I was so moved by the simplicity of this statement, I repeated it to myself several times and, before I entered into my daily routine, wrote it down.
It's my contention that this pledge is what we're up to now. What could possibly be more worthy of our allegiance than love and the deep caring and compassion that love engenders? It will enhance our lives; it will heal our planet. It's time we make a covenant with that intrinsic part of ourselves.
The Indian master, Sri Nisargardatta Maharaj says: "If we are serious about the sufferings of mankind, we must perfect the only means of help we have, ourselves." In this tiny village of a world we inhabit, all of creation is beckoning us to be a blessing to each other and to our earthly home each day -- to pledge our allegiance first and foremost to Love, the Love in our own hearts. Love is the power. Love is the healer. Love is the answer. Come Home to your Heart.
The pledge entitled "A Pledge to Love" is now a beautiful Post Card available at Elizabeth's website - http://www.elizabethhepburn.com/A_Pledge_to_Love.htm
Love is the power. Love is the healer. Love is the answer. Come Home to your Heart.
Elizabeth Hepburn
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Be Here Now
Be Here Now
As a veteran of six surgeries in four years during a challenging tussle with cancer many years ago, I know from whence I speak when I recently proffered the concept of Surgery as a Rite of Passage. The ritualistic aspects of surgery- being plucked out of our familiar environment, being coerced into ingesting, or being injected with, mind and body-altering substances and not being in control of our current circumstances - are obvious similarities of both 'rites' and the surgery process. And it occurred to me that holding what is otherwise a very difficult and often painful experience in this light could be an extremely useful perspective. Rites of Passage take us through an uncomfortable period with the built-in outcome being transformation and the expansion of our consciousness into a better, wiser, stronger place. It seems to me a very worthwhile viewpoint from which to prepare for surgery.
Now I suddenly have a deeper understanding of why this is such a meaningful insight for me. In the past week, I've rescued 2 spiders from the bathtub as I was about to shower. This rescue mode is the result of a harmlessness attitude that I've been incorporating into my life - a respect for the life of all living things. Being a New Yorker I'm still wrestling with the roach population in this regard, but the spiders got my attention and I assisted them up and out to nearby plants. What I noticed when they 'saw' me coming was that they would roll themselves up in a tight little ball - like they really weren't there and if they made themselves tiny enough, I wouldn't notice them and I'd leave them alone.
This is often our very natural and instinctive MO when we're faced with a fearful prospect like surgery. There are few things more traumatizing than the anticipation of this ordeal, and our fear often takes us into such denial that we roll up into a tiny ball, figuratively speaking. Our bodies get tight and contracted and the body/mind system is being flooded by the anxiety producing chemicals that are so valuable when the fight or flight mode needs to kick in. However, in this situation, there's no dinasour chasing us. We're face to face with a date for surgery and, short of divine intervention, we're going to be a major player in this drama.
Here's where the Rite of Passage idea comes in to play. We let go and own the moment. OK here I am - I don't understand why this is here or what I've done to deserve this onerous ordeal in my life, but here I am. And really getting "here I am" is the start of being-here-now. When we're physically or emotionally running rapidly in the other direction from the hand life is dealing us we're totally disempowered. When we stand our ground and surrender to the situation and subsequent process, we open ourselves to the invisible energies that are an intrinsic part of every breath we breathe. A section of this very famous Goethe quote seems appropriate here:
"…….the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way…….." Obvioiusly this quote is all about commitment - embracing the here and now. I say, as challenging as this situation might seem, commit to the surgery experience. Be bold and honor it for exactly what it is - the next chapter.in your life.
Clearly, it's human nature to be terrified in certain circumstances. Not being fearful when presented with the prospect of impending surgery would border on the aberrant. Being heroic and brave is not about being fearless, it's about moving through the process, regardless of the fear, trusting, perhaps for the very first time in our lives, the essence of ourselves. We are body, mind and most importantly, spirit. Think Lance Armstrong. As I write this I see him so clearly winning the Tour de France over and over again, when he had been so desperately ill that his very life was in question to say nothing of his ever participating in a race again. Be very still for a few moments. Listen and feel the energy within you which is beating your heart, breathing within your lungs, digesting your latest meal, to mention just a few of its never-ceasing tasks. The spirit - the energy that championed Lance is available to all of us - at all times. And the more quiet we become, the more subtle and delicious is our experience of this ever-present energy.
Regardless of the challenges before you, be-here-now in the present and trust in this spirit, this energy that sustains us from the very first beat of our hearts throughout our entire lives. You are now acknowledging your connection to the Life Force of the Universe - God, The Source, The Force - however you chose to identify It. We are all intrinsically connected to It. Embrace that connection. Let It empower you. Be-here-now.
As a veteran of six surgeries in four years during a challenging tussle with cancer many years ago, I know from whence I speak when I recently proffered the concept of Surgery as a Rite of Passage. The ritualistic aspects of surgery- being plucked out of our familiar environment, being coerced into ingesting, or being injected with, mind and body-altering substances and not being in control of our current circumstances - are obvious similarities of both 'rites' and the surgery process. And it occurred to me that holding what is otherwise a very difficult and often painful experience in this light could be an extremely useful perspective. Rites of Passage take us through an uncomfortable period with the built-in outcome being transformation and the expansion of our consciousness into a better, wiser, stronger place. It seems to me a very worthwhile viewpoint from which to prepare for surgery.
Now I suddenly have a deeper understanding of why this is such a meaningful insight for me. In the past week, I've rescued 2 spiders from the bathtub as I was about to shower. This rescue mode is the result of a harmlessness attitude that I've been incorporating into my life - a respect for the life of all living things. Being a New Yorker I'm still wrestling with the roach population in this regard, but the spiders got my attention and I assisted them up and out to nearby plants. What I noticed when they 'saw' me coming was that they would roll themselves up in a tight little ball - like they really weren't there and if they made themselves tiny enough, I wouldn't notice them and I'd leave them alone.
This is often our very natural and instinctive MO when we're faced with a fearful prospect like surgery. There are few things more traumatizing than the anticipation of this ordeal, and our fear often takes us into such denial that we roll up into a tiny ball, figuratively speaking. Our bodies get tight and contracted and the body/mind system is being flooded by the anxiety producing chemicals that are so valuable when the fight or flight mode needs to kick in. However, in this situation, there's no dinasour chasing us. We're face to face with a date for surgery and, short of divine intervention, we're going to be a major player in this drama.
Here's where the Rite of Passage idea comes in to play. We let go and own the moment. OK here I am - I don't understand why this is here or what I've done to deserve this onerous ordeal in my life, but here I am. And really getting "here I am" is the start of being-here-now. When we're physically or emotionally running rapidly in the other direction from the hand life is dealing us we're totally disempowered. When we stand our ground and surrender to the situation and subsequent process, we open ourselves to the invisible energies that are an intrinsic part of every breath we breathe. A section of this very famous Goethe quote seems appropriate here:
"…….the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way…….." Obvioiusly this quote is all about commitment - embracing the here and now. I say, as challenging as this situation might seem, commit to the surgery experience. Be bold and honor it for exactly what it is - the next chapter.in your life.
Clearly, it's human nature to be terrified in certain circumstances. Not being fearful when presented with the prospect of impending surgery would border on the aberrant. Being heroic and brave is not about being fearless, it's about moving through the process, regardless of the fear, trusting, perhaps for the very first time in our lives, the essence of ourselves. We are body, mind and most importantly, spirit. Think Lance Armstrong. As I write this I see him so clearly winning the Tour de France over and over again, when he had been so desperately ill that his very life was in question to say nothing of his ever participating in a race again. Be very still for a few moments. Listen and feel the energy within you which is beating your heart, breathing within your lungs, digesting your latest meal, to mention just a few of its never-ceasing tasks. The spirit - the energy that championed Lance is available to all of us - at all times. And the more quiet we become, the more subtle and delicious is our experience of this ever-present energy.
Regardless of the challenges before you, be-here-now in the present and trust in this spirit, this energy that sustains us from the very first beat of our hearts throughout our entire lives. You are now acknowledging your connection to the Life Force of the Universe - God, The Source, The Force - however you chose to identify It. We are all intrinsically connected to It. Embrace that connection. Let It empower you. Be-here-now.
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