Life calls to Life – in the sigh of the breeze, in the taste of clear water, in the voice of the child.
Treasure life and you will find its gifts at every turn.
– From the course The order of Bards, Ovats, and Druids
Every Gwers (a lesson) in the course presents a triad, followed by a paragraph that expands and develops the ideas suggested by the triad. The paragraph above really spoke to me, especially the second part: “Treasure life, and you will find its gifts at every turn.”
I work in IT, so naturally I’m surrounded by technology at every step and staring at screens all day doesn’t always offer the opportunity to really live. I never felt the duality of my life more than I do now. The daily work life and the soul life. Or so it seems. Where I feel most alive isn’t in the deep belly of technology, but in the shadows of the forest, whether in the sun or in the rain. It’s the solitude that births life, even though I’ve always considered myself to be an extrovert. It’s in the moments in-between that I see the mystery, the magic, and the joy.
But in the end, it shouldn’t be just about Nature or finding yourself only in Nature. We as a whole are greater than the sum of all the different parts of ourselves. I don’t believe anyone can compartmentalize so well that they walk around in the world as connected parts of themselves—like little boxes connected by tiny silver strings with legs and arms and the brain floating above it. I believe that we are who we are in all situations. No matter how much we try to mask ourselves. And there is a catch. I think that masks prevent the life and therefore they prevent creation. They hinder the view, because they force us to work harder and focus on ourselves, our ego, and how we are perceived by others, rather than on curiosity, observation, and life.
Thinking of this, a question naturally appears—what would it take from me, from us, to take these masks off and be our authentic selves so that we could truly see and treasure life? And then the second question: this one is probably even more important than the first one—what even are the masks that are keeping us from that? Business, need for speed, laziness, focus on more, fitting into an outside idea of who we are, procrastination … anything that hinders the view.
So much to think and process just from two short sentences and a new triad.
Until next time,
Pia
