Phyllis Edgerly Ring's Blog, page 55

Snow Fence Road – is open

It’s official – Snow Fence Road is available for pre-order at the publisher’s site. ( Smile )

Set to release June 15.

http://www.blacklyonpublishing.com/Snow%20Fence%20Road.html

Are we as smart as our cells?

When I was young, I had to choose between the life of being and the life of doing. And I leapt at the latter like a trout to a fly. But each deed you do, each act, binds you to itself and to its consequences, and makes you act again and yet again. Then very seldom do you come upon a space, a time like this, between act and act, when you may stop and simply be. Or wonder who, after all, you are. ~ Ursula K. Le Guin

These ponderings of Le Guin’s posted yesterday prodded my own: What if experience only reflects “life” when we’re as completely present to the moment as possible? And what if that can only happen if we’ve had adequate periods of rest and reflection?

One scientist’s research suggests that these hold true for every cell in our body. And if they’re true for us at that most basic level, they apply to every other aspect of human be-ing, too, she says.

In her book, Cellular Wisdom: Decoding the Body’s Secret Language, neuroscientist Joan C. King came to the conclusion that what she’d been studying under a microscope over two decades of research at Tufts University had significance beyond simple anatomy and physiology. Her up-close observation of cells led to the discovery that the keys to balance and well-being are written right into them, and modeled for us in the ways that both cells and our various body systems act and interact.

She proposes that just as each cell functions from a nucleus or center, so our human design intends that we live from some sort of core or center in order to be healthy and whole. Cells need to be connected with their center, and the same seems to hold true for us.

In order to do that, people, like cells, have to function within that core or center’s timeframe, which is the present. If my thoughts and awareness are swirling around in what-ifs of the future, or mired in what’s already become part of history, then I’ll be disconnected from that ever-present center. It doesn’t go away, but my functioning has no access to it.

Something else cells model that’s part of what enables them to function from that core, says King, is that they don’t stay “on” all the time.

The rhythm of cell life is cyclical. They routinely go “on” and “off.” They experience periods of significant output or expenditure of energy, then immediately shift over into a “refractory” period during which they rest and gradually accumulate energy and resources in preparation for their next expenditure. Cells have no choice but to rest. Their innate wisdom abides by this requirement of healthy function.

Humans often skip this part of the cycle, though it’s as much a part of our design as it is that of our cells, says King. Genuine rest and re-creation (to break the word down to its intended roots) are what help us have the capacity to access our core, our greatest source of strength. Without a rest cycle, we have little opportunity make use of this, or of that other power tool, learning from our experience by reflecting upon it. It’s the “resting” phase of our design cycle that gives us the time and space to reflect.

King’s discoveries about cellular activity point out a lot of other instructive patterns within cellular behavior. Beyond the individual level, cells only fulfill their highest potential when they connect with other cells. We, too, tend to achieve our highest purposes when functioning in relationship with others.

In its evolution, the human body, at the cellular level, has also adopted principles of moderation, diversity, and even compassion to help maintain its survival. How willing are we to learn from it with humility, apply its wisdom, and do the same?

The space of time between

When I was young, I had to choose between the life of being and the life of doing. And I leapt at the latter like a trout to a fly.

But each deed you do, each act, binds you to itself and to its consequences, and makes you act again and yet again.

Then very seldom do you come upon a space, a time like this, between act and act, when you may stop and simply be.

Or wonder who, after all, you are.  ~ Ursula K. Le Guin

Artwork courtesy Lauren Chuslo Shur

Created noble, to arise

O Son of Spirit! Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself. Rise then unto that for which thou wast created. ~ Bahá’u’lláh

“Noble have I created thee” does not mean some of us, or most of us. Or everyone except me — but all of us.

Each of us is the only person capable of investigating and discovering our unique identity and purpose.

How “honour and nobility” manifest themselves in us — each a unique creation of God — is a one-of-a-kind and wondrous journey.

What gradually helps the spiritual nature to become the decision-maker in our lives?

Are we ready to embrace the truth that our own truest and deepest reality, that for which we were created, is a presence and power in whose light fear and the trappings of mere survival disappear like shadows?

Excerpted from With Thine Own Eyes: Why Imitate the Past When We Can Investigate Reality?, coming this summer from George Ronald Publisher.

Artwork, “Pearls”, courtesy of Lauren Chuslo Shur.

The river that is life indeed

 

Let go of what you are not and be who you truly are. When you let go, you create space to receive more. ~ John Whiteman

When we deeply trust, our minds open to discover what is true, regardless of what we are feeling.

~ Gangaji.

Questions arising today: (with loving thanks to Chele Hauschildt):

What is the power of the present moment to draw me nearer to the guidance and loving help that unfailingly arrive?

How does it draw me closer to these?

How does what arrives require willingness – dedicated determination — to meet, receive, and act from what it brings?

How are these all part of a path of living, loving, and serving?

Draw me nearer unto the river that is life indeed… ~ Bahá’u'lláh