April 2009 Newsletter
Online Issue # 21

Practice Page

"Each of us leaps instinctively at what is needed for understanding and completion."

-T. Alan Broughton

Here's something for you to think about, write about, talk about, wonder about, and try out.

Before this newsletter became available online, I reviewed two books written by Wayne Muller. How Then Shall We Live? came out in 1996, followed by Sabbath in 1999. These are books I still turn to for inspiration, and books that others continue to recommend to each other in some of my groups. The themes are timeless: revealing meaning and beauty in our lives, and restoring sacred rest to our lives. Both of my copies are marked with handwritten notes and underlined passages that leap at me when I read them.

To give you a feel for what I'm describing, here are three portions I highlighted in How Then Shall We Live?

"What is our song? How do we name ourselves? Which word, when we speak it, reveals what is most deeply true about this inner voice, our deepest heart, our fundamental nature?"

"What if the answers to our questions about life and path and practice are already speaking to us, and in our rush to find them elsewhere we miss the easy, gentle wisdom that would teach us all we need to know if we simply center ourselves and be still for just a moment?"

"What are the elements of our craft? What few simple tools are necessary to live a full and happy life? Which few things, if we choose them, would be able to sustain our creativity, enthusiasm, and passion?"

Challenge:

Pay attention to what leaps for you as a way to know, or know again, what matters.

Notice The Leap:

When something leaps for you, it's as though it's printed in bold-neon-orange and jumps out from what comes before and after. On the page, it might be a phrase, a couple of lines, or a question. Or it might be something you hear in a song, conversation, or interview. Maybe it's something triggered by a collage of silky textures and dreamy colors, an unforgettable blending of scents and flavors, or a YouTube video someone sends to you.

Many people make use of the rule of three: the third time something comes up, again, they make a mental note to pay attention. That's a beginning too: notice what repeats for you.

Follow The Leap:

If you're open to writing for discovery, this makes a great exercise. You begin by noticing something, anything, that leaps for you. Record the details of what happened. Listen for any associations that are floating around. Don't evaluate anything. The idea is to document the leap in the way you might record a dream you remember in the morning.

Next, allow yourself to wander freely on the page, considering a few questions. Capture fragments. Note impressions. Make associations. Follow along.

Who or what might be showing up, wanting my attention?
Has anything similar happened recently?
What else am I reminded of?
Do I detect any patterns?
Is there meaning or connection to decipher?
How am I responding to all of this?
What's my best guess?

A Short Cut:

This doesn't need to be time consuming. So, if you aren't interested in introspective writing, just keep a list of what leaps for you. Make it something small you can carry around and review every so often.

However you try it, you will soon notice that your leaps are not random. There are patterns to what wants your attention, patterns deep within you that the world is simply reflecting back to you. As you spend time in a state of curiosity and openness, you'll be rewarded with glimmers of insight or knowing, confident that the next guiding leaps will be there for you when you need them.

Laurie Mattila
© April 2009

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