conscience as living awake

It is an extraordinary human ability to be able to shift from being me-focused to other-focused.  This can happen spontaneously like in an emergency when, without thinking, we put ourselves aside for someone else or, on a more regular basis, when we cannot rest knowing another is in pain.  This is compassion or sympathy, the human ability to suffer with another.

As quickly as we may open to others, we can snap shut again in an instant.  We turn away from others’ pain and shut down to feeling.  This is indifference or apathy- a form of ignoring others (literally, “not knowing” them).  As much as this may preserve individual survival at times and perhaps, even, our bliss, ignorance causes tremendous suffering to others.

The Buddhist god of compassion, Avalokitesvara, is depicted as having one thousand hands and eyes with which to see and respond to suffering.  Central to Avalokitesvara’s name is the word “lok” or “look”.  To see, to know.  This is conscience, the root of which is "science" (knowledge) and literally means to know within oneself or be conscious of.

To respond from a place of compassion we must have access to conscience: to see, to feel, to know. 

That is the heart of living awake.

owed to sleeping beauty

Try as they might have

To fill the space

They were like the hole in Henry’s bucket

And the water needed

To mend it

Meyou

Miou

Me

Fluid as rivers and rain

A stream of suitors

Fell down got up and tried

And tried again

Filou

Fille ou

Fée

Rose in briar

Sans merci

Si belle si belle

Mais oubliée

Mais oui

The Truth about PMS and Perimenopause

The truth about PMS

Most days of the month women are on an estrogen-induced high which blinds them to others’ shortcomings and makes them industrious, stoic, compassionate, forgiving and devoted to their loved ones without demanding anything in return. The rest of the days, they are enlightened.

The Truth about Perimenopause

I read an article that listed about 200 symptoms of perimenopause.  Increased libido.  Decreased libido.  Constipation.  Diarrhea.  Dry skin.  Oily skin.  Cold feet.  Hot flashes.  Insomnia.  Lethargy.  It covered every body part and every occasion.  At the bottom of the page, an indebted reader gushed, “Thank you, thank you!  This is exactly what I have!”

During perimenopause a woman’s body is doing everything in its power trying to balance a hormonal deficit.  This is a no-win and will cause many physical problems.  That is all we know.