Thursday, April 26, 2012

The Ocean Refuses No River

The ocean refuses no river.  Mirabai Ceiba

I listened to Mirabai Ceiba for the first time this morning singing their beautiful song of life, The Ocean. The opening line of the song really resonated -- The ocean refuses no river.

Ferry Crossing from Vancouver Island to Horsehoe Bay
I thought about life and my sometimes refusal, or resistance, to accept all that life offers. I thought about my desire to carve my path, regardless of life's terrain. To determine my course, regardless of life's flow, sometimes paddling upstream, sometimes drifting aimlessly in back eddies, steering along tributaries that take me further away from the ocean of life waiting to accept me, exactly the way I am.

And I breathe.

Last night in meditation I shared my experience of bliss with the group, of seeing the separation of personna (ego) and spirit, of knowing the separation is man-made, not universally directed, and I cried.

I seem to be crying a lot in meditation these days. Not tears of sorrow or sadness. Tears of stillness, of awakening, of knowing -- this is my one and only life.

Be the condition, Dal our meditation guide encourages me. Be the condition and let the rest fall away.

I breathe into being and become the condition I am. In the moment. Alive. At peace. Free. I breathe into the condition and become all that I am when I let fear fall away and surrender and fall into Love.

The universe refuses no life
Just as the ocean refuses no river, life refuses no spirit, God refuses no soul. No matter your belief, or colour of skin or size of your bank account or education, there is a sacred place for each of us within this universe. A sacred chant that sings of your beauty, your wonder, your brilliance. It is rising up within you, just as it rises up within me, calling out to your heart to dance free, to spin about and laugh and turn cartwheels. To sit in silence and dream. To leap for joy and be.

I experienced it last night in meditation. The universe refuses no life. And in that knowing is the truth -- That sacred knowing that this life, this beauty, this brilliance is mine, and yours and each of ours to live as best we can, as best we allow, in Love.

No matter how small, how big, how rusty or difficult, how tired or weary, how young or old, the universe refuses no life.

The ocean refuses no river.

The open heart refuses no Love. The open mind no knowing.

And life refuses no body, not me or you or him or her or them.

Life refuses no life.

In that acceptance, in that awareness is the knowing, deep and profound and healing. We are not alone. We are one with life flowing in the ocean of Love flowing all around.

Namaste.

10 comments:

Stacy Wills said...

louise, what a wonderful post..."god refuses no soul." i love that.

Josie Two Shoes said...

"there is a sacred place for each of us within this universe" What a beautiful, healing, hopeful statement of belonging.

Unknown said...

Such beauty in your words

Anonymous said...

well, I'm not sure I see it the same way at all

only dead fish swim downstream with the current, and I think the universe forces all life forms to struggle to survive, struggle to exist ... and we do

blade of grass or human form, the horse the goat and the monkey brained jockey all fight to survive every day

when we give up, we die .. and easiy float downstream and was out to sea

so, you see, our struggle is life and defeat is death

life, survival, is winning for as long as we live

and then it isn't

Cheers,

Mark

S. Etole said...

What a wildly lovely photo that ferry crossing is.

JeannetteLS said...

My women's song circle sings "The Ocean refuses no river, no river" very often. It resonates.

I think of it as an ocean of light all around us, but that light amounts to love, perhaps. Agape. Nothing to do with emotion and everything to do with giving and receiving.

The struggle may be life, but I do not see defeat in death. Simply the transition into something else. The defeat, to me, lies in giving up the struggle as endless.

Semantics. Just semantics. I was reacting to a comment, rather than responding to your message.

Sometimes I believe we may over-think a post that may be designed to help us experience and feel. And even if it was NOT designed for that, when I read it as a river, simply flowing from image to image, I knew precisely the message. Without words.

Thank you, as always.

(All is well, Louise. Thank you for your kindness on my blog.)

Louise Gallagher said...

we all yearn for belonging Josie -- and in that sacred space of heart, Love creates a welcoming home where we always belong.

So grateful these words resonated with you!

Louise Gallagher said...

Thanks Susan. Because I had Ellie with me in the car, I didn't go up onto the passenger levels and stayed with her. We were parked just beside the opening through which I took the photo (with my iPhone) and I was really grateful for her presence because I probably wouldn't have taken the time to simply explore the view!

Hugs

Louise Gallagher said...

Mark my friend -- I struggle with your perspective -- and that's okay. I don't see life, nor death, through your eyes. My perspective is so completely opposite. I see life as a journey taken through beauty and joy and loveliness even in our struggles, there is loveliness. and death is simply part of the cycle of our lives here on earth. Not to be resisted. Not to be feared. Not to be controlled. Simply to be seen and known as part of the cycle of life.

Louise Gallagher said...

I love this thought Jeannette -- I think of it as an ocean of light all around us, but that light amounts to love, perhaps. Agape. Nothing to do with emotion and everything to do with giving and receiving.

Like you, I do not see defeat in death -- I see life's endless cycle coming full circle.

And it's okay to over-think responses as long as we stay true to our own beliefs in Love.

Hugs -- I'm glad all is well with you Jeannette. Your story is powerful -- and your journey inspiring, even in its heart-wrenching moments.

Namaste