Winds + Waves

I made this piece on a day when I was wanting to relax and find peace. I imagined lavender and wind. Also water holding me up as I drift in a dreamy state and to wherever the current may take me. As I look at this piece now, I am reminded of the way that we can feel emotions. There are those emotions that come in waves, maybe it’s melencholy or nostalgia, perhaps it’s grief. Without our doing anything to beckon them, these emotions may have a sweeping effect over us, moving us even if just slightly. 

And yet, emotions that move us are not always welcomed. We resist or we feel totally overcome by them; they are a tsunami. So I offer a reminder that all emotions are in motion - they flow. And the more we resist welcoming them, the harder they are to feel. But what happens when we surrender to the feeling and let ourselves just FEEL IT. Well, you may find that it passes. Which reminds me of what my mother used to always remind me when I was feeling big emotions or having a bad day: this too, shall pass. As I type I also am looking at a picture my friend drew of waves. They fill the picture with their curvy lines and flowy shapes, and when I look at them, the pen marks almost seem to be moving. 

What feelings are you resisting and attempting to block out of your bodily and mental experience? What would happen if you allowed these emotions to pass through you, to run their course, and trust that you will be okay on the other end. After all, your feelings are there for you, to help you understand yourself and your surroundings. What do they have to say?  

I invite you to read a favorite poem from poet Rumi...

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

— Jellaludin Rumi