05/102022
Lynn Murphy Mark
A soul event
It’s time for some Spring cleaning of my soul. Wrapped in Winter’s darkness for several months, she has begun to open her eyes to the neon green of Spring. There’s energy in nature’s colors and they call out vigorously to all of my senses. The trees behind our condo are fully dressed in leaves that practically glow with new life. I can’t help but respond to the new growth with gratitude.
This morning’s meditation from Richard Rohr has these words that spoke to me. They are from a translation of “The Dark Night of the Soul” by John of the Cross:
“The best thing for the soul to do is to pay no attention to the fact that the actions of her faculties are slipping away. . . . She needs to get out of the way. In peaceful plentitude, let her now say “yes” to the infused contemplation God is bestowing upon her. . . . Contemplation is nothing other than a secret, peaceful, loving inflow of God. If given room, it will fire the soul in the spirit of love.”
The words, “slipping away”, perfectly describe what happens when I don’t pay very careful attention to the world around me, with all of its gifts and abundance. Gratitude is a sure way to awaken my soul to the possibilities that surround me. Sometimes my soul will get “fired up” by something as simple as a dogwood tree in bloom, or a redbud showing off its colors. These episodes come to me like a jolt of happiness. I remember once driving on Cerillos Road in Santa Fe and looking at the mountains being kissed by the rays of the setting sun. I literally felt my psyche jump for joy at that moment.
When I get out of my own way, as John of the Cross says, I am open to such moments. They are inevitably followed by a period of complete peace and contentment and an acceptance of the fullness of my life. I believe in my ability to feel great love for family and friends. Any petty concerns fade away. In that moment there is great contentment and no resentments.
One morning I was out in the woods of Missouri and I sat down under a tree to rest from my hike. Suddenly what felt like a little lightning strike passed through me to the tree behind me and the ground underneath me. In that moment I felt intimately connected to the world around me; I felt like I absolutely belonged under the tree and on top of the earth. I could have died in that moment and been perfectly content.
Another time I was at a piano concert given by Lang Lang. It was at the Santa Fe Opera venue where there are no walls and the sky is visible. As he played, as his fingers flew across the keys, as he poured his talent into the piano, I was mesmerized. I looked at the patch of sky visible to me and thought, again, if I died right now I would be OK.
These were not morbid moments. They were joyful experiences of my place in the Universe. My atoms, just like yours, came from stardust. That makes us fellow travelers. Welcome to the journey.