Good morning! Welcome to the DKos Sangha weekly open thread.
This is an open thread for members of the DKos Sangha and others who are interested in discussions concerning how we integrate our progressive political activism into our spiritual practice. If you have observations about the political discourse of the week, or about practice, or about anything else related to walking a spiritual path through the political world, if you wish to share, or if you seek support, or if you simply want to say hello, please do; this space is for you.
If you would like to write a diary for the DKos Sangha, please let me know.
If you care nothing for spiritual practice and only wish to denigrate and disparage, please do so elsewhere, and respect that this is a community diary for the DKos Sangha.
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This Earth; it is who we are. The clouds, the blue sky, the mountains, the trees, the wind, the roar of the wind moving through the trees, the sound of the creek, and that of the crows.
There is no story here, unless we choose to make one. The earth just is; ever changing, yet always just being. And we are no different; ever changing, yet always just being. Our stories are as dust and grime on a window pane.
When we walk on this earth, we are just walking; we are just being here together with the trees, the trail, the blueberry bushes, the birds. We find shelter from the rain and cold; shade from the hot sun in summer.
When we meet others on the trail, we share our experiences; the best place to cross the creek, the distance to the ridge.
And shared as well, a smile, a warmth, a connectedness; as we recognize in each other fellow travelers on this path, fellow human beings, born of this earth, this home that we share.
Governments, political borders, states; these are ideas, stories, thought. They are not of the earth as we are. They tend to separate us, one from another. We get caught up in these ideas; we begin to believe them as if they were as real as the earth. And believing them, we identify ourselves with these beliefs, these ideas, these mere words. And within this identification, this separation, one from another, there is sown the seeds of distrust, of hoarding, of selfishness, of divisiveness, of pushing back, of exacerbation and escalation, of abuse, assault, and war.
Stop here for a moment. Notice how you are reacting to what you have just read. Notice your thoughts, notice your blood pressure, your breathing, how your body feels, notice any tension or uneasiness or discomfort.
And breathe.
Return to just being here on earth; return to just being of the earth, here, now. Truly ground yourself. Feel your connectedness with this earth. Breathe in from the earth, up through the feet and legs, into the abdomen and chest, arms and head; and then breathe out back down through the body, the legs and feet, and deep into the earth. Establish yourself as and of this earth.
All of the people on this earth are just like us. They, and we, get caught up in the stories that divide and separate us. And yet each of us is as the clouds, the sky, the mountains and trees, the creeks and the crows, and the wind. We are all this earth; we are not separate and apart from this earth, we are not separate and apart from each other.
Unless we choose to be.
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Namaste
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You are welcome to join us each week in our Monday night group meditation here at DKos Sangha. This online group meditation is hosted by Ooooh, and the diary is posted at 7:00 Eastern. So that we are able to be together for as many here at Daily Kos as wish to participate, the meditation period runs from 7:30 to 10:00 Eastern. This group sitting is open to beginners and advanced, and is not restricted to any particular traditions or practices. It is not expected that you sit for the entire period; sit for as long as you like, when you like. The idea is that we are here together; supporting each other, holding space for each other.
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Enjoy your day!
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