I was wondering what to share with you all this week. There is so much going on in the world right now. So much turmoil, so much hurt, uncertainty. And we have undoubtedly carried a lot of grief of late. In in the midst of all of this this, we might end up wondering if life is worth the effort after all. We might ask “What is the use?”. We might feel as if we are going nowhere slowly. Or we might have a tremendous urge to do something significant, only to feel brick-walled by circumstances beyond our control.
In times of great change, it is sometimes best to “let go, and let God”. Sometimes we must open our clenched fists to discover what we already have in our hands. Sometimes we must just chill, relax and allow.
Allowing is not always easy. As humans, we naturally want to control, be in control. When I struggle with just letting go for a while, I am reminded of this beautiful poem by Oriah Mountain Dreamer. It is called “The Call”. I hope you enjoy it.
THE CALL
The Call I have heard it all my life,
A voice calling a name I recognized as my own.
Sometimes it comes as a soft-bellied whisper.
Sometimes it holds an edge of urgency.
But always it says: Wake up my love. You are walking asleep.
There’s no safety in that!
Remember what you are and let this knowing
take you home to the Beloved with every breath.
Hold tenderly who you are and let a deeper knowing
colour the shape of your humanness.
There is nowhere to go. What you are looking for is right here.
Open the fist clenched in wanting and see what you already hold in your hand.
There is no waiting for something to happen,
no point in the future to get to.
All you have ever longed for is here in this moment, right now.
You are wearing yourself out with all this searching.
Come home and rest.
How much longer can you live like this?
Your hungry spirit is gaunt, your heart stumbles. All this trying.
Give it up!
Let yourself be one of the God-mad,
faithful only to the Beauty you are.
Let the Lover pull you to your feet and hold you close,
dancing even when fear urges you to sit this one out.
Remember- there is one word you are here to say with your whole being.
When it finds you, give your life to it. Don’t be tight-lipped and stingy.
Spend yourself completely on the saying.
Be one word in this great love poem we are writing together.
© Oriah Mountain Dreamer, from the book The Call, HarperONE, San Francisco 2003