September 1, 2020
The Capacity to Wonder
By Amba Gale
Each of us has the capacity to Wonder, to be with the joy and delight of all of our senses, and observe the details of all we see, hear the life breathing joyfully underneath the surface of nature, be attentive to people and to the world all around us, to “listen with the ear of our heart,” as St. Benedict wisely counseled us.
What is it to “listen with the ear of our heart?” we might ask. It starts with noticing, then dropping, our judgements, our expectations, our righteous opinions, our identification with our internal conversation that says, “It should be some way other than the way it is.” Then we listen as though our Master were speaking to us, we listen like our life were dependent upon it, we listen for receiving wisdom from everything we touch and see. We allow ourselves to be delighted and surprised, by everything we touch and we encounter. We are committed to that. We live in gratitude, as we approach the world through Beginner’s Mind.
Meanwhile, here is one of my poems, along those lines. I wrote it upon awakening, on a recent short vacation to the mountains of Oregon. A dear friend, a Benedictine monk whom I honor, had recently counseled me to “stay inspired.”
What in the ordinary world inspires you, and turns your life extraordinary?
Black Butte Morning Guidance
Allow
the soft tree tops of your body
to welcome the sun in the morning,
to dispel the worries,
to greet you with their glorious
embrace of this new day.
New, as if the sun arising from the horizon
Has just seen the earth for the very first time.
Allow
the cool soft morning air
to brush your face,
caressing your skin
with its welcome love.
Let
the sound of the wind
brushing the pines
remind you of all those other
golden mornings of splendor
you were blessed by
in other sacred places
In your life.
Rest
in the shadows and light brownness
of the sandy tufts of grasses
as they dance
with the breeze
in a slow and gentle waltz.
Be
with the soft and silent power
of the tall ponderosas,
dark brown and golden,
ever still,
in their Presence
welcoming the day,
leading the way
to morning gladness.
