Monthly Quip November

Welcome friends. I hope you are surviving the troubles of our time with some ease and maybe even some optimism. Like many of you I am wondering what we can learn from this endless stream of difficulties, this “crisis” crisis.

One lesson that seems obvious, is that we are all subject to the forces of history and have little control over the events that shape our lives: wars, climate change, viruses, political upheavals. We are like Charlie Chaplin’s character, the “Little Tramp” who gets mixed up in these events, quite literally caught in the cogs of the machine of “Modern Times.”

In this historic moment that affects all of us, we can at least recognize, as Joanna Macy says, “we belong to each other.”  We are tied together simply by existing at the same moment in history. We move as a group. We really are family.

Some musing on the political scene: Perhaps I’m being paranoid, but it may be no coincidence that the national elections are scheduled to take place just a few days after Halloween. What is more frightening: the ghosts and goblins, or the politicians?

To help us deal with the “crisis” crisis, we can always take refuge in the teachings of the Dharma and remember our place in the greater unfolding. We can take refuge in the Earth itself. The Earth gave birth to all of us: the microbes and the macrobes, the ferns, frogs, fish, finches, four-leggeds, you and me and we are all together. You can feel the Earth, beneath you, around you, even inside of you. Our bones are made of calcium, magnesium, silicates– the clay of the earth molded into our shape. Our bodies are made up of water that has the chemical consistency of the oceans- we literally sweat and cry sea water. We aren’t just on the Earth, we’re of the Earth. Even amidst our human struggles, we can feel our larger identity as Earthlings. (See below for a quick guided meditation to tap into your earthling identity, and check out this clip  “Earthlings” for more on the topic.)

Speaking of identity, I contain multitudes! Scientists estimate that 90% of my body is made up of other living beings – billions of them.  Molecular biologists say there are at least 1 thousand different species of life inside my large intestine alone; and on every inch of my skin are millions of living beings.  Do I speak for them? Do they enjoy living with me? Do they wish I wouldn’t shower so often?  What if we had different desires? What if the alien cells in my body all got together and took over? Maybe they already have.

Finally, some advice to meditators. I read somewhere that every cell in your body goes through 4,000 transactions a second – exchanging chemical and electrical signals with other cells, processing fuels, monitoring the environment, creating proteins and enzymes. Considering that you have approximately 50 trillion cells in your body, there are a few quadrillion events taking place inside of you every split second. Be mindful!

So friends, stay in touch with any requests, complaints or revelations. Stay awake, stay connected, stay amazed, and now, more than ever, if you don’t like the news go out and make some of your own.

Wes

PS: Join Matthew Brensilver, Beth Sternlieb, Kaira Jewel Lingo, Terry Vandiver, and yours truly for a 5 day retreat we’re teaching  at Spirit Rock in November (online of course). You can sign up here.