Whole Living Today

Elephant in the Dark

Some Hindus have an elephant to show.
No one here has ever seen an elephant.
They bring it at night to a dark room.

One by one, we go in the dark and come out
saying how we experience the animal.

One of us happens to touch the trunk.
“A water-pipe kind of creature.”

Another, the ear. “A very strong, always moving
back and forth, fan-animal.”

Another, the leg. “I find it still,
like a column on a temple.”

Another touches the curved back.
“A leathery throne.”

Another, the cleverest, feels the tusk.
“A rounded sword made of porcelain.”
He’s proud of his description.

Each of us touches one place
and understands the whole in that way.

The palm and the fingers feeling in the dark are
how the senses explore the reality of the elephant.

If each of us held a candle there,
and if we went in together,
we could see it.

~ From the Essential Rumi, Translations by Coleman Barks

Yesterday was the start of a new year for me. I celebrate my birthday as a new start. I’ve always enjoyed the Fall, I look at it as a time of new opportunities and possibilities. Maybe it’s the crispness of the evenings that energizes me. And this year seemed a little more special than usual, falling on the evening of a full moon.

I enjoyed yesterday as my day. The weather was beautiful and I took a drive up to Northampton, MA, a place I’ve always wanted to visit but never took the time. I found it to be a magical little town up in the Berkshires. It was so refreshing to be in a place where everyone appeared happy, relaxed and just living their lives how they wanted, without the worries of what others may think. Northampton is full of every imaginable type of food establishment, mostly on the small cafe style, incredible boutiques, bookstores and wonderful architecture. If you get the chance to visit make sure you check out the Northampton Brewery, their crab cakes are to die for, and their beer is great. And don’t miss Raven Used Books.

Hurricane season is definitely upon us, full bore. I was searching for a song about storms to tie into a spiritual post, as a metaphor. This was one of the first songs that came up in my search.

Praise You In The Storm ~ Casting Crowns

I’m not sure what to say after hearing this song. Trust and faith come to mind.

…to be continued…

“An anomymous text from the Tradition says that, in life, each person can take of of two attitudes: to build or to plant. The builders might take years over their tasks, but one day, they finish what they’re doing. Then they find they’re hemmed in by their own walls. Life loses its meaning when the building stops.

Then there are thos who plant. They endure storms and all the many vicissitudes of the seasons, and they rarely rest. But, unlike a building, a garden never stops growing. And while it requires the gardener’s constant attention, it also allows life for the gardener to be a great adventure.

Gardeners always recognize one another, because they know that in the history of each plant lies the growth of the whole World.”

~Brida by Paulo Coelho