Being able to identify integrity and courage is a skill well forged and useful in times when decisions need to be made. A hard and illustrious light bearer, the diamond, is born through concentrated pressure deep within the earth and this valuable gem/archetype within our own darkness, too, requires stress.
Knowing our worth and standing in it is our greatest power. It doesn't take grandstanding and declarations of power. It takes inner knowing and faith in what a person believes is of value and cultivating that. This may mean a pass on distractions and self deprecation. It may mean we stop feeding what we assume protects, defines and absolves us. It may mean changing our story; changing our minds and it may mean humiliation in the wake of revelation. We have choices to make as we go through our days and if we consider our opinions and values important, we should be aware that having a choice and an opinion can be rescinded with complacency and sloppy idealism. In other words, ignoring our privilege of choosing wisely is done at our own peril.
There was never anything easy for anyone about being a freedom loving, decent and compassionate human being. No promises were made by any authority that an outside force would rescue us from ourselves. It is a hard truth but if we look around and allow it, there is benevolence in the beauty we are surrounded by. This is why it is so important to let ourselves actually see and absorb all the beauty available. It strengthens us. We are wired to love each other despite our misgivings about our vulnerabilities in doing so. We can, as medicine, let the beauty of nature - the best of ourselves and the planet - flow into our eyes and flood our hearts to feed integrity and courage.
Hafiz speaks here of the nature of the diamond earthly and human:
..."The diamond takes shape slowly
with integrity's great force,
And from
The profound courage to never relinquish love."...
Thank you for listening.
Music: Here is more music from the 80's - sorry/not sorry. Crowded House singing, Don't Dream It's Over. I'm apologizing to myself, really, because I was clearly not paying as close attention as I thought to the music at the time. Ah well....we get what we get when we get it and not a moment sooner. I'm adding this song here primarily for the line, "...don't dream it's over..." because as long as we are still standing and doing our best, and no matter how bad and hateful we as humans appear, we are not over. We are still in the fray armed with what is good in us.
The original post in this series of poems by Hafiz (including an addendum regarding the authenticity of these poems) can be found here. Also, my thoughts on this series a year into these poems, HERE.
The Gift: Poems by Hafiz and translated by Daniel Ladinsky can be purchased here.
My book can be purchased HERE. E-book HERE. The Season Two blogcasts with audio excerpts from my book begin HERE: in Behind The Lines. This reading of the book excerpts in a mixed media format is Season Two of this blog. These recorded excerpts are outside the chronological order in which the book was written. Podcasts with audio only beginning with episode 22 can be found HERE.
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