Osho, Wild Animals And The Art of Reflection

Why is it important to take a moment to review one’s week?

There’s value in stepping back as the Observer of what took place in the space of 7 days. As you pause and reflect, you’ll be reminded that little waves in the big ocean of existence are just that — waves. They pass. They get bigger, smaller, and bigger again. That’s what oceans do, and waves are part of life.

In retrospect, you may notice you made small progress on big projects, for instance. You took steps. You got the ball rolling.

Go ahead and say, “Good for me…”

I’LL HAVE WHAT HE’S HAVING

Here’s a little wisdom about Observing from Osho.

“It is simply sitting silently, witnessing the thoughts passing before you. Just witnessing, not interfering not even judging, because the moment you judge you have lost the pure witness. The moment you say “this is good, this is bad,” you have already jumped onto the thought process.

It takes a little time to create a gap between the witness and the mind. Once the gap is there, you are in for a great surprise, that you are not the mind, that you are the witness, a watcher.”

LOOKING BACK

As I thumb through the pages of my week, as I witness what occurred, these things that stand out.

Charlottesville erupted and exposed a deep part of all of us. It works best for me when I realize fully that Charlottesville is not “over there.” It’s in me, too. Where is it?

Maybe now that the wound is open, it can heal, but it will heal faster if the rest of us can find where Charlottesville lives in our own hearts and soften that.

Driving up the mountain one day, I came upon a small fox. At first I thought it was a lost dog, because he acted very dog-like. I think he was young. He also stayed on the road, trotting in front of me as if he had all the time in the world, as if to make a point of his presence. Finally, he darted off into the woods.

Rain, rain, rain, so much rain. Let it rain!

Two beautiful young deer also said hello. They paused and made contact with me before darting into the green cover of the forest. They made their hello abundantly clear. What’s this thing about wild animals lingering to connect?

Hummingbirds visited, too, hovering and catching my eye through front windows, back windows, side windows. They didn’t care about flowers or nectar, only to take the time to peer at me. Who are they and what are they saying?

I’m almost hesitant to confess that I dreamed about a little black kitten who found his way home to me. I don’t know this kitten, but clearly he knows me and he was hungry.

The daughter of a dear friend of mine asked for help with her relationship. I said yes. I love working with young women between 18 and 35 years old. Women at this age are unencumbered. They are nimble and they know it. They have deep faith in their ability to shift anything. Best of all, they are completely willing to simplify their thinking, which makes way for profound change in practically no time at all.

Cleaning and clearing continues. You’d think I lived in a dump, and maybe I did! But I think I lived in an average way, with too many things. In the last seven days, the weight, the footprint of my existence is even lighter.

Tears are clearly my teachers, and this week tears taught me about trusting my future.

Isn’t fear an interesting animal?

I noticed fear hiding quiet like a fox in the corners of my heart or trotting ahead of me to get my attention. Sometimes, fear hovered like a hummingbird long enough for me to notice, or it came home to my heart like a lost and hungry kitten.

There were moments when I felt this fear linger at the edge of the forest of my mind, gentle like a doe, even when there’s no earthly reason to have the fear.

I have never noticed fear so clearly before. With Eric gone, I notice more about me. I’m not relying on the cushion of him.

You could say fear is my personal Charlottesville. I’m working with that idea, opening to whatever fear I find in me. I’m doing my best to treat my fear with the innocence of a young doe or two, wide-eyed and curious as I feel what I feel.

I’m contemplating what Osho says. “Life begins where fear ends.”

I’m still working on the blog series I mentioned last week in a blog called “She’s Working On It.”

We could call today’s blog, “She’s Still Working On It.” Hopefully, I’ll roll out Part 1 next week. We shall see! I’m making no promises.