A Story

Who are We?
Beyond our titles or what we do for a living; 
Beyond the kinship of parents, 
Beyond all names for our various identities, 
genders, religions, social status, 
Beyond our politics, disabilities 
(that everyone has in one way or another); 
Beyond oppression of race and others
Beyond our talents, accolades, successes or failures;  

Who are human beings?
some say spiritual beings having a human experience, 
Here and now we are living flesh, blood and bone 
No better or worse, 
then other animals on the planet 
or the plants —from the mighty oak to the lowly dandelion.
But all life is finite. 
We are here a very short time then dust,
No better or worse than rock. 
Then who are we?
We are a story.

Stories are also told by
woodlands and meadows,
mountains, bogs and beaches.
Stories are told of climbers who come and go, chattering 
like the rain
and the comings and goings of the glaciers 
The structures; stone walls, weirs, jetties and grave stones
The hunters and the hunted

Stories are told by the wind moving through branches
of the Maple tree sleeping its winter nap.
Story told as the wind whisperings 
trees unpronounceable name
Tree’s stories teach;
How to be beautiful and bend around objects
How to grow from rotten stumps or rocks 
They teach of a time to rest, a time to grow, 
the cycle of life. 

Stories are told by water
the stream’s songs moving over rocks, part of God’s laughter.
the water falls, then rises in mist
Water’s story in stillness reflecting the sky
up close each drop 
A reflection of reflection of reflection
all part of this whole 
contains everything, the flower, the rock 
those living and those called inanimate. 
all a fractal of Oneness.

Stories are told by rocks.
Stories that intertwines with every other
stone walls, jetties and streams 
solidly demonstrating
What is IS. 
from life to life, from atom to atom
Bound by electromagnetic and nuclear force
a strong attraction
A love story

It is all Love; Soul Love,
Story of truth,
real and immutable, 
surrounding each and every cell,
animate or inanimate,
like a mountain sparkling with mica.

Stories of fellow travelers; companions,
some for a short time,
some longer,
the chipmunk and the squirrel, 
the woodpecker, or owl, 
even the gnat, tick or biting fly,
They all have worth.

Stories connect
connection to connection
moment to moment, 
the story advances
One step follows the next
a journey, an adventure
a path of mystery

The story teaches; 
pay attention lest the trip 
is over an unseen root
or stuck in muckyness. 
Challenges develop muscle
our lessons give strength
and courage.
A story of healing,of growth
And deep gratitude.

The story continues
Beyond the pitfalls and lies,
Beyond the fair-weather friends.
Beyond the disappointments, painful revelations
Beyond personality,
betrayer and the treacherous.
Beyond trauma, fear, disrespect, 
exploitation, the horror of racism.
Beyond even the stories themselves.
Beyond the Beyond

A bigger story.
A story that isn’t unique to this telling.
From the beginning through to the end
moving in a beautiful circle, 
within and to that which is Eternal.

What are we?
Who are we?
We are a story
One story about everything 
Love
Beings of Love,
A love story of Light, of Peace.
Rachel Carey-Harper

A Mountain Dancing with Light — Mount Monadnock 2.0.21

There is a mountain that literally is dancing with light.  Light is in the rock and the stones because the entire mountain, from the tiny pebbles to the largest boulder, is infused with mica. The light is there in other ways as well. It is visible not only in the earth but in the bubbling water, in the sparks of a fire, even the shimmering briskness of the air.  

 

The mountain also brings stillness; a quiet without any car, with no manmade sounds, only the sound of the wind, the rustling leaves, the journey of the bubbling stream. I sit listening to the joy of the water’s song as it moves over the rocks wondering if it’s part of God’s laughter.  The water’s blessing was also apparent as I brought it to my face and eyes. The wind coming through the branches cooled my hot forehead.  I was infused with an awareness that we are all part of this whole that contains each of us, all living creatures and those we call inanimate. We are all a fractal of a whole. Beauty, peace, and a sense of connectedness saturated my Self-ness.  What is IS. It may take different forms, move from life to life from atom to atom. Love is that energy that connects us. It is all Love. Love is real and immutable. It surrounds and inhabits each and every cell of every thing whether animate like me or inanimate like the mountain. 

One of the tasks I had set for myself on this particular journey was to get clear, to reaffirm and stay true, and in tune with my life purpose moving forward. Yet instead of looking forward, memories from the past sparkled in my mind. I was taken to remember the first message I gave in a Friends Meeting. It was in 1962 at the worship group that would become Framingham Friends Meeting. I was 12 years old looking out over a spring garden where fruit and ornamental trees were blooming. It was a 3-word message; simply “God is Love”.  Over and over, this simple message repeats in my life. I became aware of how everything synthesizes down to Love. Love is that energy that from the beginning right through to the end moves in a beautiful circle, from, within and to that which is Eternal.  

The second full day in the forest, through the stillness I feel a familiar whispered leading. I sensed or heard the call, a desire for usefulness, to be of service. But what can the puny old mind and body do to be of use now?  Very strongly it came unto me that love means honing down to basic Truth that we are one, seeing the intense beauty that is everywhere; and that radiating love means feeling and broadcasting gratitude for all that is. It also is to not be so fixated on any particular end goal, that is not my business. I heard that being focused on getting to some future objective, even one as worthy as beloved community, means I can at times forget to appreciate the journey itself.  When you fixate on the hole, you miss the sense of being part of the whole, (holey-ness rather than holiness). 

In fact,  it is the journey that is really what it’s all about. It’s walking through the woods with perspective, not isolating on a fixed screen but instead seeing and appreciating the beauty. It’s feeling full of gratitude for where you are in that time in space. This is true whether the journey is working on racial justice or walking on a path at Mt. Monadnock; whether stepping through the sparkling rocks and bare-bones trees or whether working toward a better world from everyone. It’s about the journey. 

It’s about how we get there, what surrounds us moment to moment, and who are the companions walking with us.  Do we sense the moment and all present with gratitude?  One step follows the next step and paying attention lest I again trip over an unseen root or get stuck in muckiness that sucks off my shoe (or in metaphysical terms, wrenches a piece of my soul).  Pay attention to companions both seen and unseen, the chipmunk and the squirrel, the woodpecker, or owl, even the gnat or biting fly or the oak tree still sleeping from its winter nap. They all have worth and stories. Trees can teach a lot. They teach how to bend around objects and still be a beautiful life form. They teach how to grow out of the rotten stumps or rocks into a lovely tree.  They teach about there being a time to rest and a time to grow, they teach about the cycle of life.  

I was reminded to pay attention to the inner being.  Am I walking with a heart and mind full of love or full of anxiety?  The Light is all around and true gratitude means letting go of a fullness of sadness, the weight of lost friends, and failure. Perhaps sadness and failure are illusions that mask true reality which is never-ending, unconstrained Love and Light.  Such is the case with the sparkliest rock I saw. I took a picture of it but the photograph did not show its reality, it looked like any other nondescript plain rock; no sparkle, no light.  

The journey is about sitting by the seen or unseen bubbling stream, hearing the water sing with joy as it flows over the rocks, having the breeze touch us so gently, taking a sip of water and sensing the mystery.  

Lightness and Love; the cycle of birth, then growth and productivity, then death. Ultimately, Life is about the journey, walking a path of mystery and being a Being of Love, of healing, of peace of Light. 

                                                                                                                 Rachel Carey-Harper

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For another perspective: https://vimeo.com/208145716

For more of my writing on this sort of topic and on racial justice work visit: 

https://tools4racialjustice.net

 https://journeyofhealing.net