It is Jan 2, 2022. The second day of a new year. Another “new” year but somehow it looks suspiciously like last year. The second day after two full years of Covid, political, social, economic, planetary, … well, shall we just say chaos? No, I think polarity bests chaos.

Polarity, the blue revolving “nonresponding circle” on the computer, unsettles my nightly meditation. Holding my gratitude rock, I face each direction, and give thanks to each direction and its elements.

Simple. Straightforward. Grounding. Visually beautiful in my mind and heart. I drop into the earth’s images. Suddenly, I crash into her natural fierceness of death, the human devastation and killing. Shaking off the polarity, I flow into the East and Wind. My body and heart smile to hear the wind’s voice, the dancing clouds, and oh, oh sweet mercy, the rising of the sun and moon. Quickly, the freefall into the recent devastation of hurricanes and tornadoes, and windswept firestorms ensues. I grab a cloud and soar into the South for the light, warmth, and comfort of fire. What a miracle is fire and light! To know the aliveness of a heart inflamed. The rush of firestorms consumes the imagery as they have acres of land, homes, life, and my precious trees. With smoke filled eyes I plunge into the West’s cleansing waters and seek the healing baptism. Flow and acceptance, like the ocean’s waves, wash over me as I look up towards the sun and moon’s setting. The tides of flow and acceptance gather and amass. Flooding consumes and all is water with white caps of lives and life.

Simple. Straightforward. Grounding. Visually beautiful in my mind and heart. I drop into elements with gratitude and peace. Each element that draws forth a whispered “thank you” juxtaposes a polarity. It is a polarity that inescapably, it seems, cries forth a “why?” Why?

The same polarities have daunted me all day in the news and people’s actions – or inaction. Cannot my simple, little nightly meditation be free?

The sweet, whispered grace simply smiles each night when I chase this holy grail. And I return the next night. I stomp my little foot or heave a sigh between each turn. I will ground myself in the beauty of nature’s diversity and brevity. My voice of love shall be carried upon the winds caressing this world. I will allow my heart to become inflamed and burn the dross I control while offering light, warmth, and comfort. And I will always follow the tide’s fingers that carry away a child’s sandcastle while leaving gifts.

Polarity. Inhale, pause, exhale, pause, begin again. Heartbeat, silence, heartbeat, begin again. Left foot moves forward and bears my weight, right foot swings forward and now bears my weight.  The polarity of breathing, life, and walking. The polarity of sun and moon.

Today is January 2, 2022. The second day of a year that looks suspiciously like the prior two where we longed for the new January 1 year 20xx. Tonight, I shall face each element, gathering strength to do so throughout the next day. And when the rocks of polarity grow heavier than my little gratitude rock, I shall remember this written reflection. So many words, to simply say, polarity fades when we but admit our humanity, fragility, fear, strength, goodness, hope and faith in ourselves. To face the elements within ourselves first. In doing so, we anchor the elements for the world and beyond.

Stand. Give thanks. Turn. Stand. Give thanks. Repeat….

Namaste