The other day I picked up a book I purchased about a year ago and during that time, struggled to connect with the content. The Great Work of Your Life by Stephen Cope is sheer brilliance…he chronicles the ordinary tales of those seeking their dharma through the lens of The Bhagavad Gita. The Bhagavad Gita is a 2,000 Yoga scripture on dharma. Dharma according to Cope's research is all about "vocations and callings." As the Bhagavad Gita states, “It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection.”
As I re-visit this book, I keep stumbling over the same sentence…"What do you fear most in this life? What is your biggest fear? Right now." Re-reading this sentence I feel urgency sauntering through the crooks of my life. Thomas Merton says, "What you fear is an indication of what you seek." I feel myself standing naked with truth. This is a really BIG question to allow into one's inner world. It takes compassion to stand in the center of your life and disrobe to all the 'stories' you have allowed to steer you thus far. It takes courage to simply practice 'being' with yourself instead of identifying as a 'doing' machine. Exploring this vulnerable question allows us to put down our weapons, to silence the inner critics, to simply be present…'Right now.' What is your dharma and why aren't you living it...
Fear is a rhythm in life that either propels us towards our greatness, or cripples us in our pursuit of discovery. Fear's opposite is love. Marianne Williamson so beautifully captures the essence of these two opposites, "Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on Earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us."
As we move towards our dharma; towards our calling, the waters of life can at times sweep over us in tsunami like proportions and at other times they wash over us in baptism. This crazy beautiful ride is our life…it is our chance to practice sharing our dharma with the world. With gratitude at the helm we can navigate any circumstance. We don't need 'eternal garments' squelching our inner spirits. What we need is a sacred alter at the center of our hearts…at this alter we can consciously practice sharing our gifts with the world. In this spaces we honor the rhythms of our lives, we allow love to emerge out of the ashes of fear. We find freedom in disrobing the unkept desires of our souls. When we are living our dharma we are unstoppable.
May you be inspired to live your vocation. May you inspire others to live their callings. May you not shy away from your own light, but rather run towards it with outstretched arms…come home to yourself.
May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude,
Sarah