Serenity's Sanctuary - Authenticity

Several weeks ago I started this post called Serenity’s Sanctuary. They are excerpts from compilations of insights that were written during times of meditation and deep listening between 2004 and 2006. The e-books are available free on my web site – A Serenity Sanctuary. They are meant to inspire. (And no this is not a promotion:). It’s been interesting going back and reading through the books as I look for phrases to post, realizing how much I have forgotten from those times, how I have gotten away from deeply listening - the sanctuary of Serenity - and how much I need to hear them again. I also see that I could do a little word touch-up, like an artist touches up a painting, adding or changing a word here and there to better reflect the meaning. Each week seems to present a theme based on the posts I have written, as well as the other blogs that I read during the week. I extract a few phrases from the books that seem to represent that theme. Many Serenity’s Sanctuary posts in the past have been inspired by writings by ZenDotStudio, Meg Hitchcock, this unlit light, and Liminal Light. This week I was touched by a comment that Kris at Watercolor Haiku left me. She said: “And sometimes the best answer….. is not our ‘idea’ of what compassion is – all sweetness and peace – but rather, authentic, heartfelt truth.” And so this week’s post is entitled Authenticity, as it appears this is what I need to see – again: That it’s not about working on being more compassionate, more loving, but being authentic in the moment. When we bring awake awareness to a situation, our response is authentic and appropriate to the situation, and not some pretense of compassion. When we are authentic, our compassion is real. It’s not something the ego can manufacture…

Serenity's Sanctuary - Authenticity

Don’t try to cover things over with a pretense of love…a shadow love.

Just let things be as they are.

Your responsibility is to be real, authentic –

maintaining a sense of integrity for yourself.

There is great healing in this.

Maintain your integrity through authenticity.

Go beyond “love”, the shadow love, into realness – authenticity – integrity.

Don’t allow love to be a pawn, manipulated by the fingers of illusion,

misdirected energies and perceptions.

Take love down off the pedestal.

Don’t aspire to love – but aspire to be real.

Be clear and transparent.

When love is just a covering, an egoic pretense, it dissipates.

Let “love” dissipate to reveal what’s beyond love’s shadow veil,

to the truth beyond the shadow heart.

~

Compassion is not sympathy or rescuing, (or fixing).

It is an objective *seeing* of the whole

- the context of the experience –

how we all share the experience of humanity.

~

There is something beyond “love” as we define love.

It is Presence.

Sweet Serenity...

~

From: At the Edge….

and Postcards From The Heart

Photo by Christine Kennedy

Love - from the Heart :)

Thanks to all who inspire me!