Hari
Om
'Freedays' are the 'gather our thoughts' days;
Q&As; a general review of the week so far…
Keeping it going, that's the challenge' In every single day and in
every way, we have to keep 'it' going. Life. Work - even our hobbies and
interests can challenge our resolve at times. It is a peculiarity, also, that
for much of humanity (which is after all part of the animal kingdom), the
period of autumn triggers something about storing away, building reserves for
the winter months, huddling… hibernating.
In some ways the North American word - 'fall' - is a better name
for this season. Of course, the term relates to the fall of the leaves from the
trees. Let's be honest with ourselves though, it can also mean that we 'fall'
away from our personal disciplines of diet and exercise, of attending weekly
meetings, even of a favourite group or club. We think we will just miss the one
week, but the following week the weather is even more inclement and all we want
to do is snuggle by the fire or early to bed.
For a spiritual practitioner, the 'fall' from saadhana can also
happen. Not weather related per se, but simply because of that animal instinct
of wanting to curl up and hide from the darker months.
It takes dedication and Love to maintain the disciplines in a
consistent, daily manner. If we are applying our viveka and vairaagya
correctly, the season will not matter to us and we will engage with each day
exactly as much as is required of it. Beware those urges to skip a session,
then; in work or in hobbies there may be capacity to 'catch up', but in
saadhana it is what it is and if not practiced, we can far too easily 'fall'
back and in a blink, all gains are lost.
Dedication, determination, discipline.
D three must be!
