It’s a fine balance, isn’t it? I’ve written about this before—how so many of us are so busy
doing, and not realizing that we’re in total yang mode most of the time. Yang—outward, active, the male
principle. It is impossible to
receive in yang. Receiving is the Yin principle—the receptive, passive,
feminine aspect of life. You can’t
receive if you always putting out.
Sometimes it’s appropriate to just sit back, receive, take it all
in. In fact, for there to be balance, it is necessary to do it a lot more than sometimes.
This came up recently at a meditation I was leading. There was a specific purpose to the
meditation, so I was leading a specific energy experience. This one friend had arrived late and
had missed the part about the intent.
The meditation, as experienced by those of us who did it, was very
powerful and significant. When we
shared, it was incredible the beautiful journeys through the cosmos we'd experienced.
When it was my friend’s turn, he said, “I was gone. I didn’t hear anything you said, I went
way far out and just did my own thing.”
Now, this is a friend who has been on the spiritual path for
a long time, and has years of experience with energy work and meditation. And, this has happened before, where
I’ve lead a meditation experience, and he just doesn’t participate. He’s there, but he’s not on the same
page as everyone else. When he
said that, it really kind of changed the energy—we had all been sharing our
experience of the meditation, and what he said really kind of blew it all away
dismissively.
I was thinking about it this morning, because I have been
guilty of the same thing. I’ve
been meditating and working with energy so long, I have my own way of doing it,
and so that’s what I do. But last
spring I was doing meditation once a week with a friend who lead a particular
technique that I was not familiar with, nor really comfortable with. Knowing and admiring this person,
however, I quickly realized that I wanted to receive what he had to offer. What he was offering, with his heart,
his spirit and his intention was beautiful and precious, a gift, and I knew I
just had to put aside my way of doing things, and give myself over to him and
his intention to offer this particular experience. Over time, I got used to it, and I really liked it for the
completely different experience it was.
It had a really beautiful effect on me, and I got there a totally
different way than I had experienced before.
But I had to get out of “doing” mode, the yang, active
principle, and get into the receiving, yin mode. Then I was in a state where I could “get” it and fully
receive the experience.
I don’t think my friend the other night realizes that there
is a little bit of ego, and arrogance, in what he said… the energy of my way
is better, you aren’t offering me
anything worthwhile, I’m special
and different so I don’t have to do what you guys are doing … that was all very subtlely in there. That energy then has a detrimental
effect on the room, the rest of the participants, and the experience.
Now, I did what I could to mitigate the situation, and
energetically it was all fine. But
I think it’s a good lesson for all of us.
Are we really receiving? At
all? Or are we pre-judging,
assuming and just closing ourselves off to so much of what life is bringing to
us? Because we think we know
better, or are better than …
Just sayin’ … It’s the last breath of 2012, and the time for
excuses is long over. I’m choosing
to be present, to be ever more aware and to receive with intention, just as
I give with intention.
May you receive many blessings throughout the holiday season
and in the New Year. What can
you allow yourself to be and receive in 2013???
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| Throwing a dinner party for friends is one of my favorite ways to give and receive! |
