What has captured me lately has been working with depth. What we see is appearance - how much time we spend on appearance! Below that is form - the rougher structure of things. Below that, deeper than appearance and form is... what? The self (what is self?)? The essence, and the connection with divinity and with all things.
I spent a couple of weeks on retreat in the mountains. There were no mirrors, and no audiences (goodbye, appearance!). The instructions were - move deep, follow your body’s cravings (what form?) Underneath, I found myself. I found what lies beneath the surface, and even the structure. For the first time in many years I was able to sustain just Being. The clarity of letting go is astounding. I’m home now with electricity and running water, and most of the world is a funny interruption to the depth of essence. Commercials and advertisements look like alien gibberish. But there are so many moments of connection - with our loved ones, with nature, even with strangers, where we can see through the Vsurface and find the essence.
I was just playing the other day, craving my own practice in a few minutes before teaching. I figured I’d throw my phone on the shelf, since I’d been so long without observing form in my practice. There’s no filter on this video, and no special effects (I wouldn’t know how to add them…) I don’t know what the playful light was up to, but I do know that when you let go of everything that’s extra and spend some time with yourself - that moment of the room shifting, filled with light, is what is feels like just to Be. 🌤