Patterns

“If you don't know the kind of person I am

and I don't know the kind of person you are

 

a pattern that others made may prevail in the world”

                                                                                  from A Ritual to be Read to Each Other by William Stafford 

 

Once in a while, one finds something so meaningful that it is inspiring. The quote above was part of a larger poem that has been meaningful to me for such a long-time. Each encounter with another is a microcosm, a little moment, that has monumental consequences. The world we humans know, teeters on an edge, composed of our regard for each other. The poet sagely reminds us that each of us matters, and that how we show up, determines so much.

 

Reality trembles unfixed and unkind when we don’t really meet each other. The tension inherent when beings like us come together is palpable, because so much is at stake. More important than us liking each other, is that we reveal ourselves, and the portion of the world that shines through our eyes.

 

We humans drift when no one reaches out to us. The world also gets darker, less humane, and more dangerous.  Touching is a multi-dimensional thing, and essential. It involves disclosure, vulnerability, and a deep regard for how mystery comes through us. When we begin to know each other, a sigh goes out into the cosmos, renewing faith in all gravity.

 

Some say it takes a while to truly get to know someone. That is true. In the paradoxical world we inhabit, it can take a long time, and it can happen in a micro-second. If one is willing, and open, something deeper than words is translated into the atmosphere between, and knowing becomes a form of breathing. Souls are so airy and lithe, they travel faster than light, and have a sticking power we cannot account for. The world forms around them.

 

Many of us have swallowed the kool-aid. Believing that we don’t matter, we forget Creation coming to pass, and settle for merely existing. The world longs for the airy sigh that starts it all again. It is in us, has been from the beginning, and finds its way into the lungs of Creation, when the unleashing moment comes. Sometimes it does take time, to peel off old betrayals, but happily Creation unfolds in both fast and slow ways. Break open what longs to fly in you. Listen to the other’s heartbeat. Let the games be elevated!

 

There is a reason we all breath. It isn’t just respiration. The Universe longs for news of itself. Cosmic navigation cannot happen without our parts. You are wrapped up in the news. Before, during, and after. The other, is a bridge, designed to help the news go further. Shine forth, and ignite. No pattern can withstand the gravity of true messages. 

 

We live in the midst of mystery. And, we play our parts, dimly knowing how crucial we are. Poems occasionally remind us, that we are weaving a great tapestry, and that we are the pattern-making component. It is our opportunity to participate in Creation. What we share with each other, the signals we send each other,  are  the weight of destiny unfolding through us.