The origin of the word, compassion, is from ecclesiastical Latin, 'compati' - 'suffer with'. I have been considering the notion of compassion a lot lately, as I move through my own world interfacing with others. I prefer to think of it not as 'suffer with' but as 'be with'. My 'being with' presupposes, for me, that I am up to witnessing and experiencing the chaos and its resulting discomfort in my own body that is triggered by standing with you in yours. Why is it that we can consider compassion for others but we deny ourselves to actively consider 'being with' as our own invitation to ourselves to remember who we are, not what we have been told to believe we are? If we are incapable of embracing compassion for ourselves, then how can we really bear witness to others in the presence of their own perceived suffering? When I consider the word, compassion, as my willingness to 'be with', then I know that its real meaning for me is about me de-cloaking and dropping the mask on all the things that I can hide behind to make me right; then, maybe, I'll be worthy of your compassion, your 'being with' me. The paradox is that, until, I de-cloak, if only to myself alone, what I cannot and will no longer stand in, and, until I can admit that my discomfort is real for me in my own skin, then I cannot even extend the invitation, to you, to just 'be with' me. I actually refuse you my gift of me so that there is no way that you can really extend and offer the gift of yourself to me. De-cloaking is about me 'being' real and authentic 'with' me when I am engaged in myself with you. My compassion for you means, then, my authentic engagement of myself as my invitation to you to reveal your own truth in the security of your own safety - as we stand present to each other. I, as Godforce, bear witness to you as Godforce. Compassion is my invitation for me to 'be with' me and for you to 'be with' you and for us to 'be with' each other. Authentic, free and alive.
Aloha,
Sheila.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Aloha
Welcome the first post to my blog, Conversations in Aloha.
Aloha is the word in Hawaiian for hello, good-bye and everything in between. The translation really means 'My breath goes with you'. Given that breath is the very life force moving through our physiology, our breathing and our breath do go with us; and, when we stay mindful of that movement, we inspire sustaining life force for ourselves as the gift to others. When we forget, we can easily go into 'lock-down' and deny ourselves our right to our own joy. Our world becomes static and flat.
Meaning is a potent force in my own life and is equal to the motivation I carry for living my life. Meaning for me is simple Aloha, here and now. That, alone, is for me as God-Force, the very essence of my being.
English is composed 5 vowels and 21 consonants and is considered a technical language. Hawaiian, a language of the first peoples, is structured by 5 vowels and only 7 consonants. Because of this, the mana, the energy of each word is concentrated within the sound of the word, itself... in its very vibration... and each word often carries more than one meaning. Aloha, then, can be considered a mnemonic for a most simple and elegant template for living my life in all of its various contexts... family, relationship, advocacy, business, education, facilitation, sales, health... all of the areas that my presence loves to touch.
The mnemonic that follows is derived from my 10 years of study in the practice of Huna, an ancient Hawaiian philosophy of life that, to this day, deeply impacts the grace of my life's meaning:
A = Ao, Ala = light, to look (ho'o au), watchful alertness, right time, right place.
L = Lokahi = To become one, to be right with self and others, congruency, to be true to self.
O = Oiaio = Truthful honesty to self and others. Io means truth.
H = Ha'a Ha'a = Humbleness, humility. Being your own joy in developing your own identity (your perpetually unfolding self).
A = Ahoniu = Patient perseverance.
= Aloha = Absolute true love.
When I remember who I am as simple Aloha, here and now, then my life unfolds with ease and humour; I, then, see, hear and experience others as the God-Force. As such, I know, in my very being, that they are aspects of me. If I forget, then the opposite of Aloha shows up and, for me, that equates to denial... my life, then, unfolds in denial and default.
The only way I know that I can live as a perpetually unfolding/becoming, alert, one-with-self, right-with-self, true-to-self, humble, patient, persevering (focused), and loving force in my world is to choose to fully remember who I am as God-Force; also remembering that I am not my body, yet, as God-Force, I express through that body as the most amazing and massive bio-computer. We are God-Force and we are genius.
I wish that same remembrance of you as God-Force and genius... for you and by you. May your life unfold in living, breathing joy...
Aloha,
Sheila.
Aloha is the word in Hawaiian for hello, good-bye and everything in between. The translation really means 'My breath goes with you'. Given that breath is the very life force moving through our physiology, our breathing and our breath do go with us; and, when we stay mindful of that movement, we inspire sustaining life force for ourselves as the gift to others. When we forget, we can easily go into 'lock-down' and deny ourselves our right to our own joy. Our world becomes static and flat.
Meaning is a potent force in my own life and is equal to the motivation I carry for living my life. Meaning for me is simple Aloha, here and now. That, alone, is for me as God-Force, the very essence of my being.
English is composed 5 vowels and 21 consonants and is considered a technical language. Hawaiian, a language of the first peoples, is structured by 5 vowels and only 7 consonants. Because of this, the mana, the energy of each word is concentrated within the sound of the word, itself... in its very vibration... and each word often carries more than one meaning. Aloha, then, can be considered a mnemonic for a most simple and elegant template for living my life in all of its various contexts... family, relationship, advocacy, business, education, facilitation, sales, health... all of the areas that my presence loves to touch.
The mnemonic that follows is derived from my 10 years of study in the practice of Huna, an ancient Hawaiian philosophy of life that, to this day, deeply impacts the grace of my life's meaning:
A = Ao, Ala = light, to look (ho'o au), watchful alertness, right time, right place.
L = Lokahi = To become one, to be right with self and others, congruency, to be true to self.
O = Oiaio = Truthful honesty to self and others. Io means truth.
H = Ha'a Ha'a = Humbleness, humility. Being your own joy in developing your own identity (your perpetually unfolding self).
A = Ahoniu = Patient perseverance.
= Aloha = Absolute true love.
When I remember who I am as simple Aloha, here and now, then my life unfolds with ease and humour; I, then, see, hear and experience others as the God-Force. As such, I know, in my very being, that they are aspects of me. If I forget, then the opposite of Aloha shows up and, for me, that equates to denial... my life, then, unfolds in denial and default.
The only way I know that I can live as a perpetually unfolding/becoming, alert, one-with-self, right-with-self, true-to-self, humble, patient, persevering (focused), and loving force in my world is to choose to fully remember who I am as God-Force; also remembering that I am not my body, yet, as God-Force, I express through that body as the most amazing and massive bio-computer. We are God-Force and we are genius.
I wish that same remembrance of you as God-Force and genius... for you and by you. May your life unfold in living, breathing joy...
Aloha,
Sheila.
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