Lesley's First Post
The aftermath of the fires that raged through Yellowstone National Park was evident when Eric and I visited several years later. In the woodlands, now carpeted with rich green undergrowth, many of the trees were charred and fallen, a powerful contrast in destruction and resurrection. The fires destroyed huge areas of the park and yet within a short period of time nature reasserted herself and fresh shoots began to emerge through the ashes.
When fires rage through our lives, seemingly out of control and destroying all before them, we are faced with a choice. Will we be brave even in the face of devastation and push tiny green shoots of life out of the darkness? Will we grieve, be fearful and anxious about the future and yet allow the courage from our fiery heart to emerge? Or will we succumb and remain lifeless and barren.
Every day we are challenged to live from a courageous heart for life is not easy for anyone, no matter how it might look from the outside. Daily living is simply difficult. And devastation, with its many faces, always arrives sooner or later to all of us. A fiery, brave, courageous heart helps us face the smaller daily challenges, as well as the devastation, with an openness to love of self and from others. It allows us to embrace much needed support and face the pain in its many forms with humbleness and the hope that eventually we will learn the lessons that life is offering us with each twist and turn.
Yellowstone presents with another image of hope, the bubbling geysers. They provide us with the symbol of the huge energy within us that is potentially available to fuel the fire of our hearts. It is up to us over time to find our own unique way of doing that.
But as a start begin practicing simply breathing deeply into the area of your heart, imagining the vast energy deep within you, just like within the earth. Know that the fiery, wild self has the courage to rejuvenate and become lively once again even after terrible trials and tribulations, just like Yellowstone.
But as a start begin practicing simply breathing deeply into the area of your heart, imagining the vast energy deep within you, just like within the earth. Know that the fiery, wild self has the courage to rejuvenate and become lively once again even after terrible trials and tribulations, just like Yellowstone.
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