DANCING WITH DARK CLOUDS

posted by Reinhard on 18 November 2011

It’s like a dark swiftly moving cloud,
blown across my mind,
by a wind that comes from way way back,
lifting me up, up and away,
away from my life right here right now,
and I forget who I am,
forget that I am not the dark cloud.

Sometimes the calm rhythm of my breathing
can catch the dark cloud,
and hold it, embrace it and dance with it,
and then I can feel the downpour
of cool refreshing rain
washing away my tears,
and my feet are back on the ground.

Reinhard Kowalski
 

Mindfulness and Economic Crisis

posted 30 October 2011 by Reinhard

We are worried about our well-being, our jobs, our bills, our standard of living. And it doesn't look like it will get better any time soon. Deep cracks are widening in our dominant system of greed and selfishness. The patching up efforts are looking less and less convincing, and global structural damage more likely.

Leonard Cohen sings "There is a crack in everything - that's where the light gets in". I am suggesting that mindfulness and other meditation practices could be part of that light(ness) in a situation that feels dark and heavy.

The anxiety that many of us are feeling and will probably feel more, is related to worries and uncertainty about the future. Ambiguity is the source of anxiety. Mindfulness teaches us to be more grounded in the present moment, something we lose touch with when we worry about the future. Being more grounded in the present moment will not make the future less ambiguous, but it will enable us to worry less and approach the future with more clarity and strength.

Secondly, meditation stimulates a deep place within ourselves from where we can experience a sense of one-ness with the whole of life, including our fellow humans. From that place, which according to spiritual traditions is located in the heart region, compassion and loving kindness grow and greed and selfishness are shown for what they really are – not only an affront to others but also damaging to our true human nature.

And thirdly, there is some evidence that groups of people meditating feeds positive energy into our ‘collective grid’ and may have the potential to put something good into our local communities.

So it may be a good time to start meditating now – for yourself, for others and for our future.
 

Spirituality and Politics

posted 1 November 2011 by Reinhard

Many meditation and spiritual approaches , in my experience, tend to ignore the political and social elements of life or they see them as concerns that are secondary to the ‘spiritual path’. I wrote about this in detail in my book The Only Way Out is In (Jon Carpenter, 2001). I am now beginning to sense a change there. For example, Swami Kriyananda of the Ananda Community has published an article entitled Economic Depression – A Solution (see www.ananda.it). Whilst not agreeing with all the points he makes, it is totally refreshing how he analyses the current economic situation from a perspective that is firmly rooted in the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda.

And then there is this exciting development at St Pauls in London. Rather than blindly following the tabloid chorus of “get rid of those sandal-wearing and tree-hugging lay-abouts”, the church authorities have now chosen to engage with the concerns of the protestors. This is big! I am grateful for all the intense discussions that must have taken place in CoE circles to come to such a pastoral conclusion. And this on the day after Halloween. Is there a connection?

In a way this adds another perspective to my previous blog, which was about how the dynamics of meditation can help us to develop a collective consciousness. Here we are looking at how this can lead to morally and ethically sound action.