Rock of Ages and the Journey Within

Rock of Ages ©Lynne Buchanan

All Rights Reserved,Watermarked by Digimarc

When I visited Carlsbad Caverns earlier in the week, I got so focused on being in the present moment and the journey into the depths of the cavern and noticing all the mysterious and awe-inspiring details around me that I totally lost track of time.  Coming up on the elevator, I was finally able to see my watch in the light and I realized I had been down there for five hours and not two. Usually, my life is highly segmented into all kinds of activities that I think I need to be doing.  It is often frustrating because just when I am getting deeply into something, I have to let it go and move on to something else.  Modern life is typically over-scheduled and the visit to the caverns showed me that when we give ourselves over completely and immerse ourselves in the mystery of existence, without checking cell phones every few seconds or wondering where we have to be next, we are able to see with our whole being.  It is not that the mystery goes away, because as limited beings we can never fully understand everything, but we can get a whole lot closer to the core of that mystery and stand in awe of it.

The image above is known as the Rock of Ages.  When I came upon it, I immediately thought of Rembrandt's paintings, especially his self-portraits.  The core of being emerges from the light and the mystery.  It is strong and solid as everything around it dissolves into darkness.  It is being in both the dark and the light, in this world and the non-material world, that appeals to me and is the path to higher awareness.  I know that in my own life, I spent over fifty years skating on the surface of my being, fearful of penetrating the layers of darkness as I was scared of what I might find.  Finally, when I began to realize that I could die without ever knowing my true self or accessing my full potential and power, I began to develop enough courage to start looking within without judgment.  Yes, I found some things out that I would rather put back in the darkness, though in bringing them to light they lost their hold over me, but I also found strengths I did not know I possessed and many gems created out of the stardust that is the source of all being.  In coming to know myself better, I am also able to understand signs and make connections that I would have missed otherwise.  My appreciation for all of life has exponentially increased as I have learned to be with myself and look inwards.   It is all about shifting and expanding our vision.  To see in the darkness and fully appreciate the mystery of life requires seeing with more than our eyes...