A blog series sharing the stories behind the poems in my book, where they came from, and the moments that gave them life.
The first poem, Coming of the Light, in my new book, Breathing Life into Death: Poems, Songs & Visions, is an attempt to describe the "Holy Instant" from which there is no return.
Meditators know that sweet spot where time and space fade into pure awareness. The apparent "reality” of the busy phenomenal world is no more, as thoughts - the usual movements of mind - are embraced and dissolved in a state of peace and profound rest.
I’ve had over half a lifetime to consider the impact of my first fully conscious awakening from “the dream,” a seeming endless list of things to do and undo. I was losing my voice, and my friend, Jan, had kindly come to my place to offer shiatsu sessions. We spoke about meditation. She told me, “Meditation is my favorite thing.”
Jan invited me to come over someday before work to meditate with her.
I showed up just a few days later. We sat cross-legged opposite each other on the floor. Recalling what Jan suggested, I looked for a place inside that was free of the burdens that felt heavy, piled up in my body like so many heavy mattresses. At the time, I had no clue what “inside” even meant.
I closed my eyes. Then, when tears of despair were about to explode, I heard a loud c-r-a-c-k, and saw a bright light emerge from a chasm that appeared in the region of my heart. Everything went still. The chaotic cascade of assignments to myself and judgments about what I oughta be and be doing vanished. I returned - changed - in the light of day, having no idea for how long or where “I” had gone.
Years later, I asked Jan and her husband, Rob, “How long was I there?”
“You sat for an hour.”
One very blessed hour. Many more would follow.
Comments