Bud and Bloom

'Writing Begins with Breath' by Laraine Herring

And the day came when when the risk it took to remain tightly closed in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom.

The above quote by Anais Nin has been making the online rounds again recently. I can't remember when I first encountered it but it spoke deeply to my inner landscape. However familiarity breeds, if not discontent then, at the very least a lack of imagination. I stopped feeling its beauty at some point. Today though I find the quote as the opening to a chapter in Writing begins with Breath. And I'm being asked to go deeper with it, with the experience of risk.

Before continuing I drew the card, Compassion, another widely used word these days. 'Be a force for quiet compassion', the card suggests. On their own, Risk and Compassion can easily slip into trite, over prescribed words of advice, empty of heart, of the sinew and synapse that make them a breathing reality. But together something magical happens. What if being a force for quiet compassion took shape around risk? Around daring to speak and move from a place of heart no matter the outcome?

Art of Attention Cards ~  Elena Brower

We can't map out the inner world ahead of time. That is the nature and magic of the inner world. But we can dive deeply and consciously into its terrain as travelers on a holy pilgrimage. And like all good pilgrims, to complete the journey we must share what was risked. Be it through the medium of writing, dance, art, storytelling, through whatever voice is able to convey the language and body of the wild soul. Sharing in this way becomes the lamp posts for others, the encouragement that says, risk yields heart.

Laraine Herring, author of the book, says, As you explore, reflect, and express what you're finding, you'll be shown new things. 'Oh, I thought I was done with that,' doesn't really exist in there. There's always a level beneath. That 'level beneath' is what I like to think of as the silence that continues to inform what's being expressed. It keeps me listening, watching, experiencing. It keeps me engaged with wonder, with the question. Bringing it forth into the light to share is a potential river where risk and compassion can meet.

The section of the book finishes with a simple, somatic exercise which highlights beautifully, Risk and Compassion, which brings them out of the conceptual realm and into the breathing body of truth. It's a quiet and strengthening way to begin to engage with the reality of these powerful qualities as they live in our own body.

Lie down on your back, knees up if that's more comfortable. Allow your arms to rest at your sides, palms up. Close your eyes. Use an eye pillow if you like. Lie here as long as you like. It is a place of deep relaxation and awareness. You are still, but awake.

Why? This posture helps stimulate the imagination. And being on your back, your heart, which is the home of compassion, is open, allowing you to experience both vulnerability and surrender. In this place of safe openness, of trust, you can dare to risk.