The River of Life

The River of Life

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Grace and mercy remind us we are greater than the narratives we create about ourselves and others. Please, let’s not get trapped in our small stories, as they are often only partially true and therefore not “true” at all. Typically, they arise from past wounds and unconscious motives, causing us to perceive and evaluate things in a highly selective manner. They’re not the whole You, not the Great You, not the Grand River. Therefore, your big life cannot truly unfold there. It’s no surprise, the Spirit is portrayed as a flowing river of life. Interestingly, our existence is not centred solely on ourselves but is rather a part of a larger scheme known as the Ultimate Reality.

We understand that faith is exactly that capacity to trust the Big River of Universal Love. The river is moving, we are already flowing in it. This is the deepest meaning of Life. All we have to do is accept it and find joy in it. It requires great confidence, particularly when we’re feeling hurt or in pain.

People who possess a strong faith are more familiar with uncertainty, and understand that certainty and order are only necessary for the small self or ego. The True self is perfectly at home in the River of Life.

The River Within

For most of our life, we fluctuate between our perception of enchantment and mortality. Apart from this subjective understanding, each human is fashioned in a particular environment. The environment we live in shapes how our life will evolve.

When we pause, close our eyes, and immerse ourselves in the silence, the true self we come back to is peaceful and everlasting. Every situation we face urges us to grow toward the light. Therefore, we must stay in close contact with life—embracing the secret and miracle of being here, and understanding that we will eventually die. This requires an ongoing courage that will reduce the amount of fear in all circumstances in our life.

Over the years, we have come to understand that we can be open underneath our likes and dislikes, keep devoted to a practice of love, and risk being vulnerable, thus unfolding the patterns of our fear.

No matter how loving we are, each of us will be broken wide open at some point in our life, allowing the light of our being and the light of the Universe to join forces and become one. Then it is impossible to discern who is speaking and who is listening, impossible to distinguish where you and I begin, so the heart is freed into the movement of compassion.

When caring for you, we learn to care for the world. And perceiving the truth in one thing, we start perceiving the truth in everything. Our faith in life restores when we can remain in communication with the greater movement of enchantment and mortality in which our life is drifting. At that point, loving from the depths of our being is experienced as a river within us that flows of its own accord. And we realize we were created with love, and for love.

By Frantisek Strouhal and Chantal Robert

Prose from Inspirations: Art Embracing Awareness 2

Cover image © Quang Nguyen Vinh