Hello Friend.

Today, we move into our practice as a way to open us up to the discomforts we carry. We will find that the growth of our capacity for love may come with some great feelings of being stretched. This opens us to receive all of the suppressed emotions that we have buried for years, decades, or even longer. As we approach this protective wall of shame, we will be well rehearsed at dissociating from the experience, and this may be our impetus at the beginning of the practice. When you can find your ability to sustain the practice, and be with the breath for a long enough period, you will see how you can be there with your pain, and not be in pain.

You can cultivate the practice of loving kindness towards your own experiences. In fact, there may be no other way to cultivate loving kindness at all.

Then, of course, bell hooks comes along to shine light on our footpath.

Appalachin Elegy 35. bell hooks winds of fate take the air push it past the known in this world of nature no one can undo mystery abounds harsh cold burns skin fire waits raging tempests sweep us carry us toward destiny recorded written down past present future change comes

change comes. Yes, it does bell hooks. Yes it certainly does.

All In Love,

Michael

Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.

This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.