The River and the Dance of Opposites

The river was quiet this morning, and the water was clearer. I could see all the way to the bottom, and when I paddled upstream, the sun's reflection on the waves sparkled like the facets of a diamond. It was beautiful and peaceful for the short while that I spent there.

I reflected on the news I had received from so many this past week - a diagnosis of cancer here, advanced Lyme's disease here - and so forth - and I could not help but think of the fragility of life. I recalled a friend sharing an expression of deep gratitude for her life, despite the many challenges she was facing. This was a simple reminder that nothing truly, is forever in this life.

Yet, instead of being weighed down by all the somber news received, I could see the light contained within each experience and piece of news received, as I watched the golden reflections of sunlight skipping joyfully on the surface of the water.

I carefully reviewed the theme and lesson from my yoga class yesterday. My teacher's theme was the play of opposites, and she deftly led us through a practice where we experienced the interplay between muscular energy and organic energy, where we rooted, in order to rise - and where we pressed our shins forward and towards the mid-line - while pressing our thighs back and apart.

My teacher spoke of the interplay between Siva and Shakti - which are commonly understood as aspects of the Divine manifested as both consciousness and its creative energy. However, Siva and his consort Shakti - are manifested and simultaneously present in the expressions of both union and diversity that are evident in so many aspects...

As surely as there is darkness, there is light - and as there is life, there is death...As we move into a new month, I have noticed that it is not as light in the morning as it was a mere few weeks ago, and we have begun our journey of slowly edging towards the fall season, and the coming winter...

There are times in our practice when we lie fallow - perhaps sidelined due to injury or other circumstances. There are times when we shine and every pose we attempt seems within our grasp. There is truly a time for all seasons in our lives...

As I emerged from the river, I noticed it did not smell or seem as slippery and toxic as it had been earlier in the week. Everything changes...The river is as much a reminder of the impermanence of things in our lives, as the very events and situations that we are presented with every day...

As I move more deeply into a new phase of my life, I am grateful for the new opportunities that are coming my way and how everything is unfolding as it should...As a dear friend noted yesterday, my fall is shaping up to be an exciting time!

Good things come to those who wait...Yes, there is a time for waiting and simply being, which slowly opens into a time of doing and expressing...

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