Contemplative Life

In Praise of the Earth by John O’Donohue

Let us bless

The imagination of the EArth

That knew early the patience

To harness the mind of time,

Waited for the seas to warm

Ready to welcome the emergence

Of things dreaming of voyaging

Among the stillness of the land.

And how light knew to nurse

The growth until the face of the Earth

Brightened beneath a vision of color.

When the ages of ice came

And sealed the Earth inside

An endless coma of cold,

The heart of the Earth held hope,

Storing fragments of memory,

Ready for the return of the sun.

Let us thank the Earth

That offers ground for home

And holds our feet firm

To walk in space open

To infinite galaxies.

Let us salute the silence

And certainty of mountains:

Their sublime stillness,

Their dream-filled hearts.

The wonder of a garden

Trusting the first warmth of spring

Until its black infinity of cells

Become charged with dream;

Then the silent, slow nuture

Of the seed’s self, coaxing it

To trust the act of death.

The humility of Earth

That transfigures all

That has fallen

Of outlived growth.

The kindness of the Earth,

Opening to receive

Our worn forms

Into the final stillness.

Let us ask forgiveness of the EArth

For all our sings against her:

For our violence and poisonings

Of her beauty.

Let us remember within us

The ancient clay,

Holding the memory of seasons,

The passion of the wind,

The fluence of water,

The warmth of fire,

The quiver-touch of the sun

And shadowed sureness of the moon.

That we may awaken,

To live to a full

The dream of the Earth

Who chose us to emerge

And incarnate its hidden night

In mind, spirit and light.

I’m sure that all of use have our own unique stories as to why we came to the understanding that meditation is imperative to our daily lives.  Looking back, I came to this place in a rather unusual way.  Raising 4 children, working full-time and even with a supportive husband, having 2 of the children labeled special needs often stretched our patience level to where we felt like we were ready to break.  The stress was catching up with me, I was having stomach problems, I looked and felt stressed all the time.  About that same time, a friend asked if I would consider joining her in a 5K run that was supporting women who had breast cancer.  Yep, that’s all I needed was to add running to my schedule.  It really was exactly what I needed!  Not being even anything close to athletic, I purchased a pair of running shoes and tried it.  One foot in front of the other. Okay I made it only a couple of blocks but that’s how we all start – right?  What does this have to do with meditation?  I’m getting there – so once I make up my mind to do something, it gets done (just slightly stubborn).  As I made running a routine (after my kids would go to bed), I started chanting to myself, “let it go, let it go,” to the beat that my feet were making as they hit the cement.  That was my way of releasing all the tensions brought on my daily activities.  I was now feeling like a real “runner” so I subscribed to Runners World magazine and one month they had an article on how running is actually meditation for many people!  Hey! I was meditating and didn’t even know it.  All I knew is that my head was clear and I was ready to take on the world after I had completed a good run!

From that point on, I started to put a bit more effort into the idea of meditation and as I continue to meditate as I exercise, it is also a part of my day when my legs are perfectly still. What’s your story?