Aligning with Grace

Some people come into this world, and make all the difference... Some people come into your life, and leave it forever changed... Some people come into your life - and as a dear friend and songwriter once sang - leave footprints in your heart and your soul... Some people come into your life - and despite immense tragedy and suffering - manage to truly live in the light... Some people come into your life, simply to point the way... Some people come into your life and make their mark - in very quiet and unassuming ways... The gifted poet, Mary Oliver asked in her poem about summer: "Tell me, what is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" I still ask myself that question, while some never get the chance to do so... Why do we come into this world? "We come into this exquisite world to experience ever more deeply our divine courage, freedom and light." ~ Hafiz Some people come into the world to shine light - and when they leave this world - go bac...

On this day of the Summer Solstice, I say goodbye to the first part of this year, and to a concluding phase of my life... On this day, I close the doors on what has been one ministry and open the windows to breathe in the air of something that is not yet... As I taught my last yoga class of the session this morning, and just before I conclude teaching my last in a place that has been spiritual home to me for over six years, I reflect on how endings, even though they hold the seeds and key to something new, can be so bittersweet. While intellectually I know it is time to move on, and that I made the right choice right now given some health considerations - in my heart feels like an entirely different matter... I've never been great at letting go... It has been a year of unexpected changes for me - so many endings, deaths, and a dire diagnosis here and there - for so many that I know... Surely this year thus far, has not in any way turned out to be what I had envisioned or expected. ...

This morning, as I sat in meditation, on this day of a lunar eclipse, sandwiched in between two partial solar eclipses - the first occurring on June 1, and the next on July 1, I heard these words deep inside: "You are the love that you need. Shine it out, and then see that love reflected in others - in their eyes. Everything you need is inside. Anything else is limiting and unfulfilling..." I was surprised by this insight arising within, but then later on, I read a metaphysical interpretation of these three eclipses and the coming Summer Solstice , and found that they were about releasing and letting go, about healing and restructuring relationships, facing challenges, and taking decisive actions to move forward. And really, who doesn't find all of this relevant on some level? Later in the day, I spoke to a dear friend experiencing a great loss, and she shared with me the wisdom and tools one of her teachers had given her to deal with her situation. He too, reminded my fr...