Lotus of the Heart > Path of Spirit > Grace of Sadness

 
 

Touching the Skin of Worlds

The Grace of Sadness

Nov 22, 2023


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Impersonal sadness is the sign of love. Such sadness is sadness for all, is the union of wisdom and compassion. One has reached out of one's skin and touched the skin of worlds.


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'sadness' derives etymologically
from a word meaning 'seriousness'

seems illuminating
this relationship between 'sad' and 'serious'

for many years, until recently, I lived with sadness
I think partly for I came up in a serious environment ~
being alive is first-and-foremost a very-serious-matter

so, I became well-acquainted early with
gloom and gravity

I wish not to blame, however, as though assigning fault,
and some of this likely related to a predisposition to depression
~ environments, natural and collective, tend to accent or not
biological propensities

even after healing from depression,
which I suffered in childhood into my third decade,
and living a wisdom path of Grace for many years

I recognized, finally, I was living
with a palpable melancholic cloud
hovering over me

that is how it felt, hovering over me,
for I did not personally feel sadness ~
this sadness was more like present, but non-attached, impersonal,
a left-over hanging around from the past

so, this relationship with sadness
was, "sadness was ever-present,
I could not be said to be sad"

we likely all know the look of thick fog, early morning
then, with the Sun shining, the fog slowly transforms

there being nothing substantial about fog, water vapor in origin,
water vapor after sunshine heats the air to a certain degrees

yet, fog was present, literally a cloud in contact with the ground
made of small water drops condensed on particles in the air

this is the movement of Creating
the action of Grace expressing in form to form - transformation

so, nothing is lost in this trans-formation
only change to change occurs

this melancholic cloud attached to me
like the fog, was form, that form transformed into another form

where did the fog go?
the fog inheres in the prior pre-form and post-form

so, this foggy cloud of sadness 'left' and
I cannot locate the time that it was gone ("transformed")

like the fog-cloud hanging on to air particles
there is no one moment to locate transformation ~
transformation is a process

there was, however, a single moment ~ after it was gone, long after ~
when recognition arose that sadness no longer was
hovering over me

transformation occurred for many reasons, I am sure,
one an intentional path of transformation

another ingredient in the transformation process was
accepting kindly the presence of the sadness

as I wrote, recently, here
Love transforms into Love

I recognized the sadness, did not judge it as weak or wrong,
and did not feel impaired due to it being around

likewise, I did not try to understand
the whys of why the melancholy cloud was ever-present ~
I did not see it as a 'problem' to be overcome,
an 'enemy' to vanquish

indeed, I am neither better nor worse,
now that the sadness is not present

I share this, to urge again,
regarding the path of loving embrace being healing

in embracing our 'brokenness' we find
a new relationship with ourselves, suffering, the past

we do not indulge in this brokenness ~ that is neurotic, selfish ~
we accept, we have compassion for ourselves, and this leads
to compassion for all beings suffering, human and otherwise

in holding near, in Grace, our own suffering
we hold near the suffering of the world

for, really, as example, 'my' sadness was not 'mine'
sadness is impersonal, is the same sadness anyone feels, is universal

now, sadness arises at times, with me and that is fine,
and like fog, it goes

sadness and gladness
come and go
when the causes and conditions are present

what does not come and go
is Grace, and all the Good, True, and Beautiful of Life ~
Grace only gives Grace ~ "Thankfully!"

If asked, "So, sadness once hanged around, what now?"
"Thank You!" ~ Life is received as Gift


*Brian K. Wilcox. Nov. 2018

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*(C) Brian K. Wilcox, 2023. Permission given to use photographs and writings with credit given to copyright owner.

*Brian's book is An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love. The book is a collection of poems Brian wrote based on wisdom traditions, predominantly Christian, Buddhist, and Sufi, with extensive notes on the poetry's teachings and imagery.

 

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