Only a few more in this series... Bear with me.
Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her, and to wonder what was going to happen next.
Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her, and to wonder what was going to happen next.
It's Alice in Wonderland going down the rabbit hole.
She let go
let it happen
did not try to control it
did not try to go a certain direction
just
watched
as
she
went.
From a place of trust, of vulnerability, she opened up to what was happening in that moment. She let herself be who she was in that moment, did not hold on to who she was:
Who are you? said the Caterpillar.
This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, 'I - I hardly know, Sir, just at present - at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.'
And because she had let go, she knew there was nothing to fear. She had faced it in vulnerability and had come out unhurt. The fear that had been associated with it was no longer a concern:
After a fall such as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down-stairs! How brave they'll all think me at home! Why, I wouldn't say anything about it, even if I fell off the top of the house!
As a result, she just moved with openness:
'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?'
'That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.
'I don't much care where -' said Alice.
'Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat.
'- so long as I get somewhere,' Alice added as an explanation.
'Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, 'if you only walk long enough.'
From Pema's The Wisdom of No Escape:
Alice became a heroine for me because she fell into this hole and she just free-fell, she didn't grab for the edges, she wasn't terrified, trying to stop her fall; she just fell and she looked at things as she went down. Then, when she landed, she was in a new place. She didn't take refuge in anything. I used to aspire to be like that because I saw myself getting near the hole and just screaming, holding back, not wanting to go anywhere where there was no hand to hold.
She let go
let it happen
did not try to control it
did not try to go a certain direction
just
watched
as
she
went.
From a place of trust, of vulnerability, she opened up to what was happening in that moment. She let herself be who she was in that moment, did not hold on to who she was:
Who are you? said the Caterpillar.
This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, 'I - I hardly know, Sir, just at present - at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.'
And because she had let go, she knew there was nothing to fear. She had faced it in vulnerability and had come out unhurt. The fear that had been associated with it was no longer a concern:
After a fall such as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down-stairs! How brave they'll all think me at home! Why, I wouldn't say anything about it, even if I fell off the top of the house!
As a result, she just moved with openness:
'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?'
'That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.
'I don't much care where -' said Alice.
'Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat.
'- so long as I get somewhere,' Alice added as an explanation.
'Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, 'if you only walk long enough.'
From Pema's The Wisdom of No Escape:
Alice became a heroine for me because she fell into this hole and she just free-fell, she didn't grab for the edges, she wasn't terrified, trying to stop her fall; she just fell and she looked at things as she went down. Then, when she landed, she was in a new place. She didn't take refuge in anything. I used to aspire to be like that because I saw myself getting near the hole and just screaming, holding back, not wanting to go anywhere where there was no hand to hold.
No comments:
Post a Comment