O for omniscience: on the other end of the spectrum, and without getting theological about it, is that which is so much larger than ourselves; knowing us, seeing outside of us and all that is beyond us in time and space. That which sees through our fallibility, uniting us in the much greater category of love - maybe even despite ourselves.
S for special: "There is only one reason/we have followed God into this world:/ to encourage laughter, freedom, dance,/ and love," writes a Sufi poet. These gifts, that make time fly by, cause us to want to be benevolent to everyone; may we magnify that which is special in this way.
A for acceptance, like in that Bjork song, It's Not Up To You, or like what a Sufi poet wrote: "Whether your destiny is glory or disgrace (in other words: accept it if it's disgrace - you can't please them all), purify yourself of hatred and love of self." Acceptance has something to do with "becoming an unbeliever in your own self", in that there will sometimes come that moment, even if it's once in a few years, when our words cause chaos, and to get out of it, it's better just to accept that sometimes we are not our best self, sometimes we are not that self image we wish were always true.
I for imagination. To realise that things are not what they seem: the painful experience can be transformed into a pearl, there is always space for beauty, but we have to let it percolate, and give space and time to our imagination to play with it until it is Fun or Bright.
C for communication, how we relate to other people. "Judge like a king and choose the purest, the ones unadulterated with fear, or some urgency about 'what's needed'," the poet writes. And how can one be calm towards others? First, be calm in oneself: "Do not worry so much about livelihood/ Your livelihood will turn out as it should. / Be constantly occupied instead/ With listening to God." We can only attain good will towards others when we are not worrying, when we believe in a greater good that accepts us, as well as others, just as we are. It's personal, in an impersonal way.
For today's Much Love Monday, I love the MOSAIC. The little tiny pieces that make up a bigger, coherent picture. If you feel at a moment in life, like I did last week, that you have been reduced to a tiny shard of something, remember that there is a place for you in the bigger picture. I write that with certainty because we write our own stories in life. Our convictions set the course for our lives. Think about all that was passed down to you, without having been said, by your parents. Our beliefs and convictions never have to be articulated to have an effect. We may not realise exactly what we set out to achieve, but the essence will be just what we were looking for.
Elements: mod circles, needlework, paper: minitoko;
vintage flower: graphics fairy.
