One at a Time
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Steps lead
To steps
Which
Lead
To
More
Steps.
Those
Series
Of
Steps,
Three
Series,
Will
In fact
Take
You
To
The
Street
Which is
Of course,
A hill.
From there,
It is
Onward
And
Upward.
~~~
These two pictures show
Two-thirds of the series of steps,
Required
To get
Out of
Our hotel
In Assisi.
Initially
I was
Somewhat
Horrified,
Breathless,
Resting,
Midway,
And
Midway
Again.
Slightly embarrassed,
Chunky
American.
Pretty quickly
I found
Prayer.
Or perhaps,
It
Found
Me.
A word,
A phrase,
To repeat.
Walking mantra
Has been
My practice,
Taught to me
By my dogs,
Lucy and Zac Joe Doodle.
Regular-paced walking
Adding in
Repetitive
Word,
Phrase,
A tether,
A grounding.
A prayer
In motion.
My dogs taught me.
They prepared me
For
The pilgrimage
I am on.
~~~
Assisi,
Place of pilgrimage,
Place of miracles,
Place of suffering
And
Healing.
I don’t know much about austerity.
I don’t come from a perspective that elevates suffering.
Yet, in my many hours of walking
The steps,
Church
To
Church,
Spot
To
Spot,
I felt the doorway to Grace
That the intensity of the walking
Offered.
I visited
The caves
That
St. France
And
The
Brothers
Slept in.
His bed
Was rock,
Lumpy
And
Bumpy rock,
At that.
I’m not saying I understand.
I am saying that walking the steps,
One at a time,
Feeling the impossibility of it,
Feeling my despair about it,
That
Became the doorway
To more grace.
I’m just saying,
I
Was
Touched.
I
Am
Touched.
I found deeper access
To Grace
On
Those
Steps.
~~~
And then,
There’s down.
A whole
Other
Set
Of
Challenges.
For this wacky human,
Me,
Mostly
Keeping
My focus
On the
Down,
Rather
Than
Imagining,
Obsessing
On
The
UP
That
Is
Inevitably
Coming.
And now, shifting gears…
James Taylor, our Berkshire-Fella, singing one of my favorites. I remember playing this song in our earlier Kripalu programs. This is such a great iteration of the song, from James’ time on the Steven Colbert Show.
What would it look like to do that, to literally shower the people you love—with love? Can you imagine?
Be specific.
~~~
Invite yourself
On a mantra walk.
Walk and breathe.
Keeping normal pacing,
Allow an affirmation,
A blessing
To emerge.
Repeat.
Repeat.
Step.
Repeat
Again.
Let the words
Be
Fluid,
Changing
And morphing,
Or not.
Notice
And
Breathe.
~~~
One step
At a time.
That is
All
That
Life
Is
Asking.
By being
Right here,
Right
Now,
We
Are given
The capacity
To
Continue
The journey.
Safe journeying,
Dear friends.
All blessings,
Aruni
~~~
Friends, please consider—weave your journey into the well-trod path of the Inner Quest Intensive!
This program is alive with decades of energy and Kripalu core teachings.
We have walked the IQI steps for a long time now. So many people have added their steps to its collective journey.
So many humans longing for support and connection and have found it within this program.
Please send this information on to your friends, networks, etc.
For that, I am grateful.
Thursday-Sunday, September 30-October 2, @ Kripalu Center