Mystic Musings: Lent 2/25
“You are the sun, I am the moon, you are words, I am the tune. Play me.”
Photo by Alvaro Reyes @alvarodesigns
I will admit that I spent most of my adult life setting future goals and then planning the next year, the next month, the next week, the next day, and even, at times, the next hour working toward those goals. I grew up with the American adage, “You can be anything you want to be in America” popularized by the play, “West Side Story.” History didn’t matter. Family of origin didn't matter. Childhood triumphs and traumas didn’t matter. In America, you are allowed to erase the past and start with a clean slate at any time. At least that is what we tell ourselves.
Neil Diamond’s song “Play Me” is one of the purest examples of mystical poetry and experience I know. The mystical life is not about taking this lump of clay we call a human being and shaping it around the desires of our egos. It is about acknowledging who we are and then allowing ourselves to fall in love with the life that shows up in front of us. I was divorced in 2006 and one of things I had to learn to do was shift my dating profile (yes, that’s how it’s often done these days!) from “this is what I want” to “this is who I am.” An interesting thing happened when I made that shift. Women started showing up who didn’t necessarily fit my “perfect checklist”, but who were, nonetheless, in harmony with who I actually was. The thing about harmonization is that it takes two different notes and creates a sound that is far superior to the nice melody that is sung by two people singing in unison. Simon and Simon would have been okay to listen to, but Simon and Garfunkel singing in harmony was magical!
Photo by Thomas Lee @thomasble
We can be anything we want to be in America. But why would we work so hard when the spiritual laws of the Universe remind us that life is a mysterious and mystical collaboration: between differences: “Just be the sun and the moon will dance with you. Just share your deepest words and the tune will find its way to you.” Collaborate with life. “Play me” writes Diamond.
Sit quietly. With each breath, surround all your feelings, your character, your history and your memories with the gift of goodness. You are all you need to be for today. There is no part of you that should be hidden in shame. Ponder these questions:
Have you been able to achieve all the goals you have set for your life?
Are you frustrated that you can’t seem to be everything you imagined you should be?
What if who you are right now is good enough? Would you feel relief? Anxiety? Fear? Disoriented? Grateful?
What would it take to trust that Life will show up for you just as you need it?
Complete the sentence, “This is who I am today: _________ (write as little or as much as you need to).” Then be open to who and what shows up.