Newsletter 14/2/23
David Whyte the Poet and so much more is coming to JHB on Saturday 11 March 2023 at JHB country club. For those interested in Soul work and Poetry this is a gift to listen to this man tap into the stream of knowledge and understanding of Soul and spirit, of the human condition in a troubled world. Courage in our time. Rage of the heart. How to find it, and keep it.
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JUST BEYOND YOURSELF The Art & Practice of Shaping a More Courageous Life |
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JOHANNESBURG SATURDAY, MARCH 11th 10:00am to 1:00pm |
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Courage is a word that tempts us to think outwardly, to run bravely against opposing fire, to do something under besieging circumstance, and perhaps, above all, to be seen to do it in public, to show courage; to be celebrated in story, rewarded with medals, given the accolade, but a look at its linguistic origins is to look in a more interior direction and toward its original template, the old Norman French, Coeur, or heart. Click here for details. RH click opens in a new window. A Morning with David Whyte in Johannesburg It seems to me when I listen to the international and local political news that we are all at war or a low-grade war with each other Ukraine, Ethiopia, and others. Yet at a personal level we all bump along with each other. We understand that the media always report stories at the extreme end of the spectrum, leaving the more mundane and human stories out of the mix. Those stories don’t sell copy or get hits on Utube. This is why on Utube the content rarely actually covers the tagline or the clickbait that got us there. For these extreme stories to take place it seems that within humanity is a store of anger just waiting for an opportunity to find expression. This is where I thought to start with this, the anger within us. The anger within. Once there was a monk who was the leader of a monastery for men, He joined the monastery to find peace so he could meditate. However, it was soon discovered that he had a flair for organisation and so found himself in charge of the day to day running of the monastery. For those of us who have a family or head up a department, there are always people who need permission for exceptions of rules and need direction. Our monk found it increasingly difficult to find a quiet space to meditate without interruption. He became increasingly angry at these interruptions, soon he was known as grumpy. (When we practice something, we become good at it, even with negative emotions) One day he hit upon a brilliant idea, there was a lake nearby and he would hire a rowboat and go out onto the lake drop anchor, and get some peace to meditate without interruption. So, that’s how that was, here he was sitting in the middle of the lake and meditating, just hearing the wind, the birds, and the slap of waves against the boat. All of this was going great when he felt a bump against the boat, All the anger of his previous disturbances came rising within him, in that instance, he assumed that somebody had rowed out to ask him something. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the boat that hit him was empty and was blowing away in the wind. At that moment he realised the Anger was within him. In this way we learn about Projection. Projection is the first way we come face to face with the content of our own unconscious. The stuff we put in the long bag we drag behind us to ensure our emerging Ego is not overwhelmed in our formative years. If the anger is inside us, we must have somebody to blame. Putin blames the Ukraine, and like the old Sicilian saying “If you start a vendetta dig two graves” In this way the axiom “Before you stand your teacher” has never been more true. What to do? What to do? What to do? Well, this little poem by David Whyte could offer us one answer. The first step is to stop having the conversation we are having now. Fall still and listen. To turn our head to the side and look from another point of view. To be invitational in that moment and wait to be informed. Then to be powerfully and authentically vulnerable. It’s where you need to be. Half a step into self-forgetting and the rest restored by what you’ll meet. There is a road always beckoning. When you see the two sides of it closing together at that far horizon and deep in the foundations of your own heart at exactly the same time, that’s how you know it’s the road you have to follow. That’s how you know it’s where you have to go. That’s how you know you have to go. That’s how you know. Just beyond yourself, it’s where you need to be. Just beyond yourself. David Whyte |