Friday 14 October 2011

Time to Dance

‘You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star’ Friedrich Nietzsche

This phrase seems so apt for the current time, for it brings a sense of meaning and purpose to the chaos and discombobulation! And, after all, who wouldn’t want to be a dancing star?!

Without going into an academic or philosophical discussion as to Nietzsche’s thoughts behind this quote, my own understanding of the words is more of a feeling than a thought. Just read the words and feel the meaning...

Chaos in the soul is unsettling, but it is a vital part of our personal and spiritual evolution. Without chaos, there is no change, and without change, we cannot grow. Chaos can be frightening, but it can also be a friend. For it is through the chaos, that we find Truth and our sense of Self.

Following a spiritual path in life is never easy, as stuff happens; life happens and frustratingly gets in the way of dedicated spiritual practice, reflection and contemplation! It can be so hard to lead a spiritual life in the ‘dog-eat-dog’ 21st century. Yet, is it really that hard? Is it not possible to move through the mundane and remain connected to what lies beyond? Chaos is part of what we find in that space, but peace, tranquillity and stillness can be found in abundance as well. It is when we rest in tranquillity that we can begin to ride the chaos and so embrace the change that is happening whether we want it to or not.

We all have chaos within us and around us; that is part of life. Our perception of that chaos is where we have a choice. We can choose to feel powerless and alone, or we can choose to have courage, self belief and strength and realise that we absolutely do have what it takes to find happiness and joy. Perception is such a strong filter in our lives; our families, peers, society, culture, beliefs etc all cloud or shade our perception considerably. It is only when we have the courage to look beyond what’s ‘expected’ of us, to connect to the Truth, that we can begin to see just how much clouding we have collected over the years.

Like the proverbial onion, it is time to peel back the layers of conditioning one by one so that we can connect to our true priorities in life. Chaos steps in here once again though, as we have to be prepared to move into the chaos with love and compassion in order to be at one with it, and to realise that it is our biggest aide and strength in life. From the chaos, life itself was created. From the chaos comes creativity, spirituality, joy and bliss.

So, it is time to accept that chaos is not going to leave us be, and to instead embrace chaos as the powerful transformational and life enriching energy that it is. It is time to be that dancing star...