Here in the un-United States, we’re moving closely to a very important election. As conflicts and tragedies of our complex World increase, the practice of harmony has been showing up in all areas of my life.
I’m moved by the stories of community (teamwork) coming together in Asheville, North Carolina, in the aftermath of massive flooding from the hurricanes. One living example of harmony arising from loss and sorrow.
What is harmony in life? In psychology, harmony refers to a positive state of inner peace, calmness and balance, as well as the feeling of being tuned in and aware of this world. In a musical sense, harmony represents a pleasing sound of people singing well together. Each time I walk in nature, I witness the birth and death of seasons and the interplay of this essential harmony on earth.
Harmony can be nurtured when we gather with friends and family for meaningful connection and laughter. During more difficult times, the strength of harmony is tested for those facing another day without a loved one and/or experiencing their own physical and mental health challenges.
As I encourage my clients to do, recently, I needed to welcome my own uprising of uncomfortable feelings. With my Bic pen in hand and my journal companion, I carved out some quiet reflection time and began to write. I trekked through the fog of fear, some angry reactivity, bubbling doubts, and even a couple of unfulfilled wishes (desires). Some of the content wasn’t even mine. Bottomline: I’ve come to realize it’s all a house of cards that my ego has built.
With conscious pro-aging, comes the appreciation of our limited time here. I crave what’s real and meaningful, beyond the egoic mind. For decades, the dynamic duo of meditation combined with reflective writing has helped me to sift through what is real (good) and what is not. To paraphrase Confucious, “Education without meditation is useless. Meditation without education is risky”.
I’m curious, what does harmony mean to you? If you’re reading this blog, I know you are interested in creating a more awakened state of harmony, too. We are all in this together. Yet, clearly, our global humanity is on a steep cliff and it’s teetering.
Let’s tip our sanity back to terra firma. How do we do that?
Each day, to the best of our ability, let’s demonstrate the power of being a kinder and brighter human being to ourselves and others. Confucious wrote “I am not concerned that other people do not understand me. I worry that I do not understand other people.” Gulp. With that, I’m off to make an amends to a loved one. I’ll start there.
In more harmony together,
~Marcia
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