We stand on the edge of dying and becoming.
Life and death.
Each breath a crossing between worlds.
Everything changes.
Everything trembles.
Hearts break,
Heal,
And break again.
Fear rises and falls in a continuous rhythm.
Yet there is a flame within us that no storm can extinguish.
Hafez called it the breath within the breath.
One single sound fills this room.
Are you able to hear it now?
There is one true sound within you.
All else shakes but this sound remains steady.
Every moment carries its own consequences but the breath remains the same.
This place cannot be denied to you by any external force.
What is most precious and true is yours now and now and now.
Somewhere in you knows what lies beyond the chaos,
Even in moments of profound uncertainty.
Somewhere in you knows what lies beyond.
Love trembles in our bodies and when we look deeper into those trembling with love eyes we realize we have known this all along.
Regardless of the cost we are here with love.
When we find that one truth we can hold in the center whatever life has brought us or will bring us.
With and by this one sound we are bound beyond differences,
Beyond all appearances.
This cannot be changed.
In spite of everything this remains.
Gentle now,
Gentle.
As we approach our distrust,
Our tears,
Our trembling.
As we feel the almost unbearable tenderness of being alive.
Place what is most true at your center.
Close your eyes and let the door open.
Remember who you are and what you stand for.
Focus all your energy on this breath within the breath,
This universal sound and stay here.
Gently inside life's raw tenderness.
Offering yourself wholly to this love.
Feel how this love reverberates through your being.
It's the same breath you see in a dying person's eyes and in a newborn's first gaze.
With both those dying and those being born we cup our hands around this flame of truth and we ask that we never forget this miracle.
We intuitively,
Instinctively guard it with our whole body.
We whisper aloud what is true.
We use our entire being as a shield for this flickering light.
Remember beloved one,
What you knew in your birth and what you will know in your death must be embodied and protected now.
It is your birthright.
There is a breath inside your breath.
As you journey into your own darkness to find what has always belonged to you,
You piece by piece allow yourself to receive this gift.
Your body,
This moment,
This one true sound.
The time has come for us to claim it.
Follow whatever shakes at your gate,
Be it love or fear,
And meet its eyes.
Look within it for the breath and plant your flag in the earth where you choose to stand.
Inhale deeply into your belly.
Find the warmth of your own fire.
Let this flame flicker deep in your body.
This gift is yours to help you and me navigate through the wild winds and harsh weather.
There is a small flickering flame with one heart.
The light is on.
We cannot know how anything will unfold,
Dear one,
But we can promise ourselves this.
We will not abandon our flame.
Inside this light,
We hold our whole being.
This is the promise we can make,
The commitment we can keep.
Our only assurance lies here.
With each breath,
We stay present with ourselves and with each other.
This love will be protected at all costs.
And so,
Beloved,
Whatever you find yourself facing in this moment,
Whatever death or rebirth is knocking on your door,
Stand back,
Breath deep in your body,
Find your immovable center.
You can,
And in many ways,
You already are.
Allow yourself to be carried by this river,
Even as you stand your ground.
In times of greatest uncertainty,
Remember you are the keeper of an eternal flame.
All that trembles outside cannot touch what burns within.
This love will be protected at all costs.
One breath,
One sound,
One eternal flame.
