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Radical  Transformation

Transformation has several meanings.  It can mean change in outward appearance, or a change in the nature of things, or even a change in character or personality.  The operative word in the various definitions is change.  Transformation can occur from without or within. All of us have experienced change from our life situations.  Some changes appear big. Life events such as birth, death, falling in love, loss are all part of our human experience. 

Sometimes events are so big a cultural shift or change occurs.  Often it comes after many years of smaller changes for example, the changes as a result of the civil rights struggle.   Other times it can be a single event like 911.  The reaction and resulting changes have had far reaching global consequences. Natural events like the tsunami, hurricanes, or wildfires can also create radical transformation of both landscape and awareness.

We could look at birth.  An amazing transformation of form occurs to the body, yet the female remains herself.  Following birth, as with many life events, nothing is ever quite the same.  Indeed the only constant we have is change and transformation.

There is another transformation so radical, subtle and quiet that we might miss it. Transformation can occur in a nanosecond.  So swift, it happens in a breath before our system can even really register what has occurred.  It is as gentle as a breeze. It is as beautiful as the oneness we feel when seeing a sunset or a flower unfold to greet the light. It is as powerful as seeing that oneness and love reflected in the eyes of our beloved. Sometimes it is as if we have taken off clouded glasses and can see clearly for the first time.

Whether that seeing is focused outward toward the world or inward toward the self, like birth, nothing is ever quite the same. This is transformation that comes from remembering who you truly are. It is often accompanied with a realization sometimes called “the peace beyond all understanding”  It is a direct experience that is often beyond words.

It is here that a profound transformation of awareness occurs. Once we have acknowledged that oneness and that we are made of that oneness, how can we harm ourselves or another? How can we harm the earth if we are not separate from her?  If we can allow awareness and mindfulness to guide our actions what choices would we make as individuals or as a global culture? I offer this invitation written by Rumi

“The breezes at dawn have secretes to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open,
Don’t go back to sleep.”

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