A New Face of Courage

The thing is, new faces of courage are not really new in the world. But they are absolutely shiny and new when they are new for you, new in your consciousness, an epiphany, a realization, a Big Wow!

It's what I call a Kabir thing. Do you know who Kabir was? A 15th Century Indian mystic poet who spoke - oh hell, he continues to speak! - a lot of spiritual truth. One of his poems speaks of the great truth that nothing is true until it is true for you. In other words: experience allows you ownership. I have followed that truth in my life and work for many decades, because it has proven to be oh so true!

The new face of courage which is issuing its invitation to me these last few days is that of Insisting on not just the experience of creating a new life, but the internal experience of creating a new life in joy, through joy, with joy!

What an incredible idea!!!

I am, by the way, answering in the affirmative: 

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Yes, please let's do everything differently. Yes, let's indeed move forward with more of this allowing that has magically emerged. Yes, let me ask for guidance from the deepest part of me, rather than lean on the intimate and stall-worthy knowing of all of my fears.

And yes, yes, yes, let me look toward my future - be it 10 minutes from now or 10 years - with curiosity. Let me look toward my future with my hands open in trust rather than my hands yearning forward in frightened near-certainty that there is nothing there to grasp.  

​I. SAY. YES!

That's wonderful, Lori! I hear the high school band in my head, celebrating this turn in the road!

And this is where most blog posts and memes end...blood pumping, support of the dream of being more, rising to a greater image of oneself. But that is not where the courage ends. That is only where it begins. So...what now? What to do ?

​Now is when I invite something else its presence in the totality of my being. Where once (yesterday) I would have awakened to the thoughts, "Oh man...*sigh*...I feel so alone, so weird today without all of that worry I have to manufacture some so that I feel normal," today I say something to my Self, "Ganesha [I'm currently and forever in love with the elephant God of the Hindu pantheon - so, insert spiritual term of your choosing there...], help me see what I don't see. Or, better yet, let me ask you this: What do I not see? What is being birthed today within and from me?" 

And it is at that point that my mind gets in on the party and it starts being - gasp! - positive! Even though I'm asking it to do its least favorite thing - not-know - it's now in its proper place, following the marching band and jumping up and down like a teenager trying to see what is in front of that marching band that is so celebration-worthy! It's excited by this new, courageous movement!

Now there's​ some serious payoff! That beats the heck out of policing my thoughts and deliberately changing them.