My He(ART)-Full Life



Monday, July 19, 2010

"Broken Open"

  "Learn the alchemy true humans know. The moment you accept what troubles you've been given, the door will open." -Rumi  


This book arrived into my life  through a kindred spirit (you know who you are!) and I have not been able to stop reading it since. It is an amazing book, a gift really, that speaks of what it is to be fully human. Lesser speaks of how we (most of us anyways) walk around denying our full humanity. As if to admit and talk about our depth of experience diminishes us. As if to talk about our troubles and fears, our deep pain and sorrows...somehow makes us less human, unworthy. As if we have to present this facade of "perfectness" to the world while inside we are anything but. This book presents us with the keys to unlock these fears, drop away these pretenses and presents the radical notion that it is exactly these vulnerabilities that gives us our depth and beauty; our soul force. We are, each of us, given different lessons to work through in our lifetime. The events differ from person to person-anything from divorce, bankruptcy, ill health, the loss of  loved ones...of dreams...of how we thought our lives should be....Sure we can become bitter, angry...close off our heart to life, to ourSELF. Yet we have a choice... it is what we learn from these experiences, how we deal with them that transform us. Like a "phoenix rising from the ashes" ...we leave the old self and become the person we are meant to be...humble, vulnerable, changed...human. I know this is all  kinda' deep for Monday morning! Sorry:)

7 comments:

scrapwordsmom said...

Sounds like such a great book. It is so true. Everything good and bad that has happened in my life has made me who I am today.

I used to feel so much regret for past mistakes. But now I embrace them and know that without them I wouldn't be so very happy and at peace today.:)

Happy Week to you, Soraya!

eva diva said...

Hi Soraya,

I needed to read your post right now, to remember to be open to the lessons in each hardship, am going through a few of them right now. And at times it brings me down and remind me of my imperfections.

And reading your post reminds me that it is ok to be "human"-with all the vulnerabilities, past wounds, as long as we go beyond that, transform.

I might grab the book "broken open" in fact! I'm such a book-devourer!

love to you and your loved ones!

Mindy said...

I am trying so hard to learn to meet each trouble with an open mind to see what God might be trying to teach me through it. I tend to run from trouble instead of embracing the lesson it brings. My mom calls trouble God's sandpaper.

Robin Norgren, M.A, R-YT, Spiritual Director said...

beautiful thoughts for me this morning. As my life goes through a major change in 9 days, the EASIEST thing would be to close off and go through the motions...

Lis said...

I will definitely check this out!

I think it is so important as a mother for me to remember my struggles are what taught me about my strengths, my gifts so I cannot deny my daughter those same opportunities. So hard because I see in her personality things that will be a struggle for her ... but it is her journey to recognize and then instigate positive change.

And I LOVED your previous post of summer fun photos! Looks like your daughter is enjoying herself :)

xo Lis

patty said...

Soraya, I swear we are on the same wave-length! I got this book before our trip, but I haven't started reading it yet. I've looked it over and I know it's going to be good. I'm going to savor it's lessons....

ArtPropelled said...

It's on my Kalahari wish list!