Allow the World to Offer Itself to You

"You do not need to leave your room.
Remain sitting at your table and listen.
Do not even listen, simply wait.
Be quiet, still and solitary.
The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked.
It has no choice.
It will roll in ecstasy at your feet." - Franz Kafka

With the above quote, my Teacher ended the telephone conference call yesterday. He reminded us about the value of focussing on the vision of the heart and releasing the limitations of the locked up mind. It needs the freedom to focus and bring to the forefront the desired image in order to do its part to bring it forth. Wanting to create a way to remember this lesson, I switched on the computer. Resisting sleep, my head and heart danced with the above image until 3:00am. Listening to "Consciousness Rising -Music of the Cosmos", my body fell into a deep sleep.

Today the Kafka quote echoes in my head. I watch the hustle and bustle of the Toronto streets around me. Everyone trying to rush somewhere, go somewhere, move something, buy something, attain something, avoid something. Mothers with baby strollers rush past me. There is no time to let the babies walk for themselves. I glance up at the highrises around me. There are new ones being built all the time. Moving, rennovating, building, designing, constructing, shaping... we reach out and marvel at our achievements. We try the latest fashion, food or fad. We watch the movies, know the tv shows and listen to i-pods wherever we go. Informing, stimulating, gathering, learning, analysing, comparing, measuring....

Still the Kafka quote echoes in my head.
"You do not need to leave your room..."

I open a random book in a bookstore. The sentence reads.."One in twenty-five people are clinically depressed." I put the book down and walk over to the coffee shop and spy a young woman flipping desperately through a stack of magazines. I wonder if she is looking for a particular article. She absent mindedly sips her coffee and keeps flipping. While sipping my tea slowly, my eyes wander and gaze around the room. People are talking on cellphones, chatting with others or working on something in front of them. Everyone is busy... busy-ness...buzz...buzziness....

"Remain sitting at your table and listen."

I breathe in all the way into my belly and feel it inflate.

I breathe out again.

I think about my belly-button.

What's it for now?

I was once attached to my mother's body.

"Do not even listen, simply wait."

My imagination opens and I see myself laughing and completely carefree. I see the ocean. Waves roll in and out of the horizon. I feel my toes in the warm wet sand and the occaisonal wave cools my feet. I hear the seagulls crying joyfully above me. They dive and soar with ease and grace. I see children laughing and playing on the beach.

"Be quiet still and solitary"

I think about my belly button again.

The great fourteenth century poet Kabir once once wrote:

"He who cared for you while you were yet in your mother's womb.
Shall He not care for you now that you are come forth?"

I think about Kafka's words again.

"The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked.
It will roll in ecstasy at your feet."

Filled with a sense of peace now, I feel my feet walking on the earth of the city. I make eye contact with some of the people passing by and many smile back at me. The warmth of the sun feels good on my face. A slight breeze blows my hair.

This freedom stays with me until the night. I feel rich. I lie down on my bed. I fold my hands behind my head, cross my legs and stare out the window. A breeze comes in through the open window and caresses my face. I feel the sounds of the night melt into one harmonious symphony. I see the endless sky so dark and beautiful. Everything whispers to me to stay perfectly still. My heart beats with elated anticipation.

Sweet dreams,
Ganga