Living The Questions

Inspired by the Poetry of Ranier Maria Rilke, this meditation offers an insightful way to navigate change and uncertainty. By contemplating specific questions, you will attune your awareness and find the answers grow from within. This is a cross-disciplinary practice that incorporates eastern wisdom from the Tao Te Ching with the western Serenity Prayer. The last part of the meditation will help connect you to your true nature and let go of what is holding you back.

Transcript

I thank you for being here.

This past,

I guess it was just yesterday,

I get a newsletter from a Franciscan priest named Richard Rohr.

I'm sure some of you might be familiar with him,

Some of you,

If you aren't,

I highly recommend checking out all of his very spirited and beautiful things that he shares.

He's very universalist in the way that he thinks,

He's not dogmatic in the way you might think if you have a relationship with your Western upbringing in a negative way.

He really fuses the universality,

I think,

Of all great wisdom,

Traditions,

And someone that I love to read and to follow.

And he talked this week about this concept called liminal space,

Which is another term that might be familiar to some of you.

It was a new term,

I've only learned this term this past year in reading more into psychology and understanding this from a psychotherapist aspect.

But what liminal space is,

It's basically the space in between.

So when something happens,

Let's say an example of,

For me,

It would be leaving one area,

Leaving one identity,

Leaving something that you knew.

However,

You're not yet at somewhere new,

You're not at what you have to take in.

For example,

This could happen when I left my job,

I left my identity,

I left this whole life behind me.

But I didn't know,

I wasn't yet the person that I was going to become,

I didn't know,

I didn't have this new identity,

This new persona.

And it was this time in it which was called liminal space,

And it's a very jarring time,

It's a very uncertain time,

And it's a very sacred time.

And this could happen in many different ways of our life,

This could happen in a crisis,

If we have a health crisis,

That we have to leave what something happened before,

But we're not yet to the other part.

There's this unsure,

This uncertain time.

And it's interesting that,

And as he points out in his writings,

Richard,

We are in a global liminal space.

Something happened,

We're in this in between,

Right,

We know that we can't go back,

We know that it's not necessarily going to be the same,

But we don't know what the future holds.

We haven't yet become,

Gotten to that place.

And again,

It's an area of great uncertainty,

But it could also hold an area of great transformation.

But we have to stay patient and I can just see myself in different areas of my life where I'm trying to force things and push things and move things forward.

When this time also,

It asks us to be okay with not moving,

To be okay with allowing and trusting and surrendering what is going to happen and what needs to happen for ourselves and for our growth and really looking into what is this asking of my life,

And seeing our own growth interwoven in this other large liminal space,

And this idea of staying patient reminds me of my favorite line from the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.

Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?

Can you remain unmoving until the right action arises by itself?

It's one of the hardest things,

Especially if you're a type A go,

Go,

Go,

Get it done personality like I am to remain unmoving until the right action just arises by itself.

It's like,

So I just sit there and wait for inspiration to strike.

And this reminds me of,

It's like an invitation to our true nature,

An invitation to our nature.

If you look at like a tree,

A tree is not forcing itself to grow,

It's remaining unmoving,

And then the right action is just arising on its own.

And this is,

I think what,

If we can allow ourselves to enter that space,

Especially now,

Especially as times are still uncertain,

That we can really see what is the fruit,

What is the gift that is within this time for ourselves and for our growth.

And so today what we're going to be doing is first connecting through some different elements of nature to ground us through the four elements,

And then a practice of really asking questions and not trying to think of the answers while we ask them,

Trying to ask the question,

And then feel and intuit and be with the question,

As I'll quote the poet Rilke as we go along,

Of living the question,

Rather than having to have the answer and I think that's a theme that we can keep with us as we go beyond this day and as we go forward to keep living this question,

Rather than,

Well,

What's going to happen.

And so with that,

We'll begin and get into our sitting practice.

And so letting your body take any,

Any of its natural movements that it wants to find before it goes ahead and settles down.

And once you do get all those fidgets out,

Allowing your body to connect right away with the the earth element beneath you.

That might be the the physicality of a chair or a cushion.

It might be the feeling of your feet on the ground or maybe you're sitting cross legged and sensing the physical space.

This physical embodiment of something that came into being a chair is of the earth in some sense.

And so allowing your body to move down into that and also noting where is the actual earth,

The soil in relation to where you are right now.

Maybe you're on the second floor first floor if you kept going down beneath your house beneath the foundation.

You feel where that earth would be and allow your body almost as if it's releasing down as far down into the earth as you can.

Maybe you're outside where that's even a little bit more embodied.

And allow yourself to feel the support that the earth and gravity in our inner weave to give us right the fact that we are moving down we have this support beneath us.

Allow yourself to feel held by that.

Noticing the earth element within your body,

Feeling the bones and the skin and just the density that the body has within it.

And then moving and inviting the air element to come into your awareness.

And that is a symbol and us using and sensing our breath right breathing in the air that is all around us.

And breathing out the stale energy and air that is within our bodies.

So just as the earth kind of weighs us brings us down I'd like you to imagine as the air is just lifting you up a little bit staying grounded to the earth.

But feeling that brightness of spirit feeling,

Maybe your physical body,

Your chest just lift up just a little bit.

Maybe feeling the air that surrounds your whole body.

I'm going to continue on and noting that the fire element within your body.

Maybe you're feeling the warmth of your clothes maybe you're buying a window and you can feel the warmth of your home sun shining through.

Maybe you can feel the passion and the fire in your heart,

Whatever that means for you your desires,

Your love,

Your anger.

Breathing in and sensing that fiery element within you.

And then moving on here lastly to the water elements and noting the fluidity of your body.

And then imagine the fluids that are moving down around in all directions.

And then imagine your whole body as a container of water.

And in this container I'm sure there's some stuck and dirt and muddy energy.

So using this idea from Lao Tzu of remaining on moving until our mud settles.

So see if you can bring that into your own experience right now.

As you sit as you breathe imagining this container of your body this container of water all the mud and the dirt was just settling down in a way.

Not needing to do anything.

And then maybe just for a moment sensing all of those elements together,

The earth,

Air,

Fire,

And water.

And together we'll take a full breath in and a full breath out.

And we're going to move now into this question and listening portion.

And again we're going to ask,

You're going to ask yourself a question and not needing to try and in your mind rationalize or think of what the answer could be.

Instead really trying to sit and to be with the question,

See if anything naturally wants to arise on its own.

And this idea this living the question is something as I mentioned the poet Rilke would write about.

And he says,

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.

Like locked rooms,

And like books.

They are written in a very foreign tongue.

So finding your center and asking yourself this first question.

What is the meaning of this?

And like the word this to be relevant to you.

Is this the meaning of life?

Is it the meaning of the pandemic?

Is it the meaning of maybe a very specific situation that you're going through right now?

What is the meaning of this?

Asking the question staying in your body using your sixth sense.

Listening to those words that are maybe in a foreign tongue,

Listening and living the question.

What is the meaning of this?

What is the meaning of this?

What is the meaning of this?

And then letting that go.

Moving to the next question.

Have I viewed this as against me,

For me,

Or neutral?

I have viewed this as against me,

For me,

Or neutral?

And try not to judge if you can immediately maybe come to this answer.

Again,

Just listening and seeing what arises.

What is the meaning of this?

What is the meaning of this?

And then letting that go.

And asking our last question.

Another way to ask this is,

What can I learn from this?

Can I learn from myself,

About myself,

About others,

About the world?

How can I see this with a new perspective?

What can I learn?

What is the meaning of this?

And then letting that go.

Just acknowledging what came up,

What didn't come up.

All is welcome.

And the line of waiting for the action to arise on its own.

I find some parallel to this in the serenity prayer.

And so I'd like to offer that prayer to work to allow ourselves as we continue to go forward to surrender,

To let go.

And so I'd like you to open up to wherever you may receive guidance from,

Whatever that might mean for you,

Your higher self,

Something greater than yourself,

God,

Spirits,

Whatever that means for you.

And then maybe repeating,

Maybe just listening.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.

The courage to change the things that I can.

And the wisdom to know the difference.

That wisdom that allows us to heal into,

Am I trying to force this or is this action that's arising?

Do I have the courage to try this now?

To trust in this unraveling.

And together,

Let's take a full conscious breath in.

And let that out.

It's hard for us to stay patient and trust and remain unmoving and wait for the wisdom to act.

And remember,

We don't have to have the answers,

We just have to live the questions.

Surrender.

And so that's what we're going to embody for this last portion to really allow ourselves to surrender and to trust in our unique unraveling and what this liminal space has for our lives.

So to do this,

I'd like you to imagine that you are sitting in a grassy field.

Maybe you're sitting right on the grass cross-legged,

Maybe you have a blanket.

I'd like you to imagine,

And you can do this also wherever you're sitting if you would like,

But I'd like you to imagine that your dominant palm was turned up.

So if you're a righty,

That would mean your right hand was turned up towards the sky.

And that your other hand is holding on to something tightly that's tethering you to the ground.

It could be a rope,

A chain,

A string.

Right,

So it's as if one hand is kind of offering up and the other hand is holding on to something that's keeping you down.

And your palm that's up is representing your connection to your true nature.

The nature of life that is trying to live through you.

Your highest,

Your best,

Your most loving self.

It has the church bells that you might hear in my distance as a recognition of that nature.

So I'd like you to feel the energy from the sky,

Feel the energy of that nature pour into your palm.

And allow the energy to start to electrify your body.

Enlivening each cell of your body.

And this nature actually it wants to lift you up,

It wants to pull it with you for you to experience your most expanded and unbounded potential.

And so you start to ascend off of the ground.

But you're still holding on to this tether which is representing your wanting this to control and to force and to hold on.

And so what does this tether represent for you?

What are you trying to control?

Where can you just let go and surrender?

And this may be something specific,

Or maybe it's just a general tendency to force and to control.

And asking yourself,

Can you let this go?

Can you allow the nature,

The spirit of life that wants to grow you and bring you up towards your highest potential?

Maybe using an affirmation to help if it feels okay for you.

If I surrender,

I let go.

I surrender,

I let go.

And when you feel I'd like you to feel ready,

Excuse me,

I'd like you to let go the grasp that you're holding on to the tether.

Feel the ease and the release in your hands.

And imagine yourself being lifted up towards the sky.

You can feel yourself floating untethered.

Feel the expansion,

Feel the lightness of this.

Maybe you go all the way up into space really allow yourself to feel this unbounded potential.

This limitless potential.

Maybe you say I am untethered,

I am free,

I am limitless.

See yourself floating and bringing this last element that I didn't mention which is not really an element but it's where the elements live and that is space.

Where it's all happening,

Sense the grandness of the space inside and outside of you,

Representing all that is possible for your nature.

And letting that self float in space,

Untethered for as long as you like.

Until at some point you begin to bring your body down from the sky.

Letting go of that image.

And maybe again finding the rest and the support of the earth element beneath you.

And then whenever you feel complete,

You're welcome to start to maybe move your body in any way that feels right and when you're ready gently open your eyes.

Thank you all so,

So,

So much.

Living the questions,

It's really,

It's not easy.

But I trust at least,

I can only speak for myself,

That great things are being planted.

And I find that it's always up to us to find that in some way,

Even in dire situations too.

All traditions are really asking us to,

How can I don't change the situation but change my perspective on it.

So,

I hope that was supportive for you all.

Much love to you all.

Namaste.

Reviews

This has sparked journal inspiration. You have a natural way with words, thanks for taking your expansive experience of being with these questions and passing them on for all of us to participate in the same process.

Really nice path to complete calm.

Thankyou .. very helpful 🧘‍♀️🙏👌

My elderly parents just passed away within 12 weeks of each other. I had been visiting and caring for them every day for the past year, so you can imagine how untethered I've been feeling since their deaths. This meditation was just what I needed to permit me a new sense of freedom and give myself space to let my next steps reveal themselves on their own. Thank you for this, Lou.

I found this to be incredibly grounding, clarifying, and powerful. Thank you SO very much. 🙏🏻

feeling gratitude found this guided from Lou. I surrender. palm to palm.

I have always been seeking the answers. I welcome the new perspective of living the questions. Namaste

Excellent. I found the intro a bit fast and long, but when the meditation began it was comforting and unrushed. Created a space to explore the hard questions in my heart. Thank you, Lou.

My favorite of your recent live meditations. So good to hear it again. 🙏🏻🌺

Always get your meditations right on time... Thank you so much for sharing your gift with us!

I've been 'off my game' lately. Perhaps I have been seeking answers when living the questions might be my better option.
Perspective change.
Namaste.

Lou, I always really appreciate your meditations and your thoughts. It is so obvious you speak directly from your heart and your soul which in turn invites the listener and participant to fully engage. Thank you for these evocative questions and the invitation to let the mud settle.

Thank you, Lou🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻Great timing! The collective luminal is keeping me in a personal luminal ( I can not even move, the borders are closed). My focus has been/is on surrendering to the Universe. Reminding me to live in the question is great. And a new perspective came though. Grateful🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

This came to me when needed (as usual!) I am in the midst of preparing my mind, body, and spirit for surgery next week. I do feel like I’m in that space- in between the ability I have now and the long road of recovering... to what level? It is unknown. I will try to live with the question. Thank you, Lou. You’ve given me another way to wonder...and wait. Letting the mud settle. Peace and love.🕉☮️🕊