Dissolution Of Self: All You Need Is Love
I've been writing these last weeks about the dissolution of the small, individual identity into the vast, eternal presence of the Divine. As St. John of the Cross wrote in the final stanza of his Dark Night of the Soul, "I remained, lost in oblivion; My face I reclined on the Beloved. All ceased and I abandoned myself, Leaving my cares forgotten among the lilies." In our realization of oneness, we must inevitably become emptied of the self - dissolved into nothing, to possess everything.
In recent posts, I have shared personal experiences of this most blessed and intense process of dissolution. From the embers of the ego's burning arises a startling and profound phoenix from the ashes. Love. To simply be Present with whatever is arising, truly and single-pointedly Present, without strategy to distract, deceive oneself, resist or evade...that is Love. To stay Present to the most seemingly shameful or heinous qualities within ourselves or others, without judgment or resistance, is Love.
The love I speak of is not one of common definition. It is not an emotive love, dripping with sentimentality or affection. Nor is it a romantic love, infused with infatuation or adoration of another. It is not familial love, like one would experience through the bond of kinship.
This love is the naked opening into Grace. Unconditioned by any factor. It is vast and eternal, available without reserve in every moment. The Divine Mother holds everything within her bosom - joy and ecstasy abide side by side with pain, anger, jealously and every form of human suffering. There is not a single aspect excluded. There is nothing out of order. She is All That. We are All That.
As I open into Divine Presence, I recognize instantly and with certainty: for every part of "me" that feels lost and lonely and confused, 6 billion people feel the same way. Everything you feel touches my heart, and the tenderness my heart yearns for will also soothe your sorrow. We are not separate. We are one heart in this place of Presence.
For you, then, I love. I choose to stay present to whatever arises. And through Presence I care for all of us. Through meeting my shadow, I meet the shadow of all of humanity. And I stand here. With open arms. Greeting it ALL. I do this for every soul who cries. For every soul who is cold and hungry and alone. For every soul who carries heart sorrow beyond their capacity to hold it. And for every soul who longs to be home but does not feel at home in this world. My heart is stretched so wide that all of creation rests upon my breast and it is no longer heavy. It is as light as a feather.
This Presence is so unfathomably vast that all suffering evaporates like the morning mist, leaving only the radiant light of the Beloved. My Beloved. Our Beloved. OursSelf. In our Divine Love Making every drop of sweat is sacred. Every sigh, every heave. Every scratch of the fingernail and nick of the heart. Every inch of your sacred body is my body and as I love you I become You.
In recent posts, I have shared personal experiences of this most blessed and intense process of dissolution. From the embers of the ego's burning arises a startling and profound phoenix from the ashes. Love. To simply be Present with whatever is arising, truly and single-pointedly Present, without strategy to distract, deceive oneself, resist or evade...that is Love. To stay Present to the most seemingly shameful or heinous qualities within ourselves or others, without judgment or resistance, is Love.
The love I speak of is not one of common definition. It is not an emotive love, dripping with sentimentality or affection. Nor is it a romantic love, infused with infatuation or adoration of another. It is not familial love, like one would experience through the bond of kinship.
This love is the naked opening into Grace. Unconditioned by any factor. It is vast and eternal, available without reserve in every moment. The Divine Mother holds everything within her bosom - joy and ecstasy abide side by side with pain, anger, jealously and every form of human suffering. There is not a single aspect excluded. There is nothing out of order. She is All That. We are All That.
As I open into Divine Presence, I recognize instantly and with certainty: for every part of "me" that feels lost and lonely and confused, 6 billion people feel the same way. Everything you feel touches my heart, and the tenderness my heart yearns for will also soothe your sorrow. We are not separate. We are one heart in this place of Presence.
For you, then, I love. I choose to stay present to whatever arises. And through Presence I care for all of us. Through meeting my shadow, I meet the shadow of all of humanity. And I stand here. With open arms. Greeting it ALL. I do this for every soul who cries. For every soul who is cold and hungry and alone. For every soul who carries heart sorrow beyond their capacity to hold it. And for every soul who longs to be home but does not feel at home in this world. My heart is stretched so wide that all of creation rests upon my breast and it is no longer heavy. It is as light as a feather.
This Presence is so unfathomably vast that all suffering evaporates like the morning mist, leaving only the radiant light of the Beloved. My Beloved. Our Beloved. OursSelf. In our Divine Love Making every drop of sweat is sacred. Every sigh, every heave. Every scratch of the fingernail and nick of the heart. Every inch of your sacred body is my body and as I love you I become You.
posted by Stacey Lawson at
9:39 AM
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