Wisdom's
Source
“To
be old and wise, you must first have to be young and stupid.”
Unknown
I
spent last evening reuniting with friends who, twenty years ago,
embarked together on a journey of discovery. We set out to experience
every dimensions of spirituality we could find, from Christian ritual
to drumming circles, shamanic journeying and sweat lodge. We danced
the liturgy, meditated transcendentally, healed with energy, jumped
over Beltane fires, swam naked in the ocean and river, and celebrated
Solstices and Equinoxes. We built a labyrinth, the first in
Birmingham, and a native American medicine wheel. Our circle grew to
forty or fifty people and transformed every notion any of us had
about divinity and the nearness of spirit. It was a juicy, spirited,
lively time.
Now
we are older by a couple of decades. Our conversations are deeper,
reality based, and earthy. Each of us has a personal story involving
loss and the gravity and fragility of human life. We have no desire
to jump over fires or swim naked. But the flame still burns within,
and we relish the collective experience. The memory of that time is
like a glowing fish caught from an ocean of dream, numinous and
strange, but clearly belonging to us. It fortifies our souls for the
next phase of life.
Wisdom
does not come from living small and within the confines of
convention. It is the product of experience, experimentation and
research into the breadth of life's possibilities. Aging well and
without fear, comes from living life to its fullest, and having the
scars and marks, and sometimes, even the tattoos to show for it.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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