Dear Spirit to Spirit friend,
As the weeks of our at-home sanctuary lives continue, with no clear end in sight, it feels as if we are being stretched, doesn't it. Stretched in our capacity to simply "be"- at home, with or without others, with or without work. Stretched in our capacity to face into anxiety, fear, grief, and death. Stretched into an up-close relationship with unknowing and the unknown.
When we feel we've reached the far edge of the stretch, we may feel frustration, impatience, resistance- which makes that edge feel even tighter and more restrictive.
How can we be with this edge more gently, more easily?
Oftentimes, when we are struggling with "how to be", our animal family members- and all animals- can show us the way by their living example.
As you observe your animal family members- and all animals- you may notice that- as best as possible- animals always seek a way to "be with what is." Whether we're speaking of a dog who is stressed when being rescued off the streets- or wild animals finding new ways of being in climate change- or our animal family member being asked to adjust to something new: animals always seek inner and outer balance. Even when they are challenged to the limits of their capacity, what animals are brilliant at doing is... letting go into how things are... "letting go into what is."
How do they do that, you might ask?
What is most essential for animals- and for us humans too- is to live in balance, from his/her own True Nature, and in alignment with life. When an animal feels out of balance, s/he will do whatever it takes to restore it.
We humans think of "letting go" as giving up, raising the white flag. We often see it as a kind of failure: we have to give up the way we see things, do things, what we want. And, on the flip side, we often see resistance as strength.
True letting go is an acceptance of and an alignment with the way things are. It's often hard for us to see that letting go of resistance, letting go into what is, is balance and grace. And...as we are in balance, in alignment with our True Nature, something can arise from the deeper part of who we are. A kind of wisdom, knowing, sense of right action. A more centered and peaceful way of being within ourselves and in our lives can emerge.
So, in those very stretched to the edge moments, perhaps that is a good time to look to the animals and ask "how do you do that- let go into what is? " Perhaps they'll help you open the doorway that is always there, always available to you... the natural place inside us all-
of letting go, opening, allowing.
You may find yourself feeling much more peaceful and at ease with how life is.
And your animal family members will smile.
In Gratitude & Love, Joanna