12/4/2016 0 Comments Chop wood, carry water .....![]() The well known Zen statement of "Before enlightnment chop wood, carry water, after enlightenment, chop wood, carry water." is comforting me in many ways these days. While I am tending my heart in it's healing I still have to do the dishes, laundry, go to the grocery store and celebrate birthdays and get ready for the holidays. So keeping my head in the day to day tasks is how I can keep from falling down the rabbit hole of sadness and the tears fall only some of the time now and only when my mind is not part of the task I am doing but wanders into the depths of the story that it tells about my heart. But then I see that my mind is just trying to make sense of the sorrow in my heart. So I tell my mind to go back to chopping wood and carrying water because the heart knows what it knows and will be ok. The love that lives there is strong and patient. The heart is a wonderful and amazing part of our being and will always steer us in the right direction. Even when it feels the emotions of love lost or love disconnected it sees the truth that we are never far from our deepest heart connections. Even when those we know we are most connected to are confused and distant with their communication their hearts still communicate with ours and the seperation is all in the perception of time and location which in the realm of the heart does not affect the love and the feeling that they are still a part of our lives everyday. When we can see with our hearts beyond our eyes and feelings we see that the love that we feel is still there and waiting on that one soul to return to us in the physical. And when they do we can embrace them in the physical and yet they never really left our hearts at all. So when I feel the perception of distance in the physical realm I go back to chopping wood and carrying water and do those tasks that need to be done in my life. Life gives us plenty of reminders to stay vigilent with our lives and continue on the path of simplicity and diligence. This is not often easy in this modern society. We have forgotten how to chop the wood and carry the water and this is often why we have the modern emotional dysfunctions of depression and stress. We have not put our backs into the tasks of our lives. Exercising trys to accomplish this and does get the body feeling fit and healthy but the task of chopping wood and carrying water is also a mental task of doing for ourselves those things that modern society has now provided for us without our doing. So how can we bring back the mental and physical relief of tasks into our lives for everyday healing? I think it is different for everyone but for me writing and putting down in word form the process of my thoughts is the carrying water and walking the dog or physically cleaning my house, laundry, doing the dishes, making dinner and providing for my family through my business is the chopping wood part. I am making a difference just by finishing one task at a time and feeling the accomplishment in that moment before going on to the next task. Take time to resonate with what you have completed in your day and see what importance it made to those around you. Send a loving note or message to those who are having a difficult time because when we can see those who are suffering deep inside and need our encouragement and we respond to those needs and also to the needs of our own physical and emotional selves as well we are tending the en"light"enment part of life. So the cycle continues, chop wood, carry water, en"light"en yours and someone elses life, chop wood, carry water. And remember the fire you sit beside during this holiday time and enjoy the warmth of came from your task of bringing in the wood and building that fire and the tea that you drink beside that fire is the water you carried to the kettle, and if you made a cup for someone you love I hope that you enjoy sitting beside them in front of that fire as well. Sharing the tasks of life with someone you love is the ultimate gift, if you are so lucky to have this in your life, give thanks for it and enjoy every moment! The precious gift of sharing a life with someone you love is truly the most precious present we can ever recieve. And if you are missing that one someone who was there but is now gone appreiciate when they were there and go and chop wood and carry water until they return. Blessings to you all, AnnKathleen
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
MissionMy mission is to help people become more in tune with their own Soul Spirit plus Spirit Teachers and Angelic Guides resulting in clarity and awareness of the Divine that lives within! Archives
June 2022
Categories |