Sea
Crossing
“I
am asking you to imagine the life of your spirit on earth as such an
immigration, as one constant arrival in a new land.”
Mark
Nepo (The Book of Awakening)
Mark
Nepo compares the life of the soul on earth to a sea crossing in
which we catch a glimpse of eternity only briefly when we are at the crest
of a wave, but lose sight when we are in the valley. Sometimes we
rock along for days, even months, with fair skies and smooth sailing.
Then some painful thing happens—a death, a loss, a fight with
someone we love. In an instant, all the good is swept away, leaving
us swamped, bruised, and in doubt. There is simply no way to ride the
crest of a wave forever, and truly, we wouldn’t want to even if we
could. Any surfer will tell you it’s the trough that builds
excitement and forward momentum. No life occurs in only one
dimension.
We
are always in transit, never arriving. The 17th
century Japanese poet, Basho, wrote, “…each
day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.” Sometimes
when things are good, we just want to hang on for dear life—to not
let this sweetness pass. And when life is painful, we want to put it
on fast forward and get it over with. If you're anything like me, you
just run for the hills and hide until it passes. It takes a truly
disciplined person to see both crests and valleys with the same
eyes—to value both equally as valid and important passages.
The
Sufi poet Rumi, in the “Guest House,” describes our human
experience this way:
“...A
joy, a depression, a meanness,
some
momentary awareness comes.
as
an unexpected visitor.
Welcome
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.”
We
rely on poets to show us how to navigate life's rough waters and dark
nights of the soul. They have the eyes and the steady sea-legs for
such passages.
Loss
is a great equalizer. Every one of us will experience loss many times
over the course of our lives. There is no sea journey without these
valleys. But, when we are at the crest of a wave, we can hold
our glimpse of eternity close to our hearts, to light our way. Trust
that for every valley, there will be a brighter day.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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