Monday, September 26, 2011

Invite death to the dinner table


The work is self observation. Sounds simple. It is. But there is something about "simple" that we tend to resist. It may have something to do with our tendency to stay distracted. We can, if not checked find ourselves in a perpetual state of "busy" confusing our essenntial self with our outputs. When we stop and look at our essential goodness, our essential god-ness, our essential brightness what we find is it has very little to do with what we do and much more to do with how we show up to what we are doing.

One of the greatest gifts Max gave me was absolute stillness. My world stopped. The gift to get down and dirty with the present moment is what really matters. Max invited death to the dinner table to see what kind of conversations we would have with our people... and not just the ones we love, but also the ones we think are not worthy of our love. Death at the dinner table actually made me take a seat right between them so I was able to see the microscopic line between worthy and unworthy. Invite death out for a walk and watch how beautiful the sun sets. Invite death to go for a swim and taste the salty water. Invite death out for a jog and see how fast you can run. Invite death to the unveiling of your masterpiece and see if you care about what people think. Invite death to your self obeservation session and see if what rubs you the wrong way is just you neglecting your heart's longing. Invite death to your busy day and see what really needs to be done.

When I talk about the simplicity of self observation what I am really talking about is the pretty radical practice of returning to what is truly important. Keeping death on the horizon slices away at the bullshit to keep us perpetually in the ripped open place of our hearts. It is only in the senses of our hearts that we can truly savor the intensity, taste the uncomfortable, see the infinite chances to open, touch the intangible, and really hear our heart's deep longing. If I may, I encourage you to get "busy" with that kind of work.

Keep letting love in
Heather

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I get this Heather, I really get it.

my love,
sharri

Anonymous said...

Heather, Thank you so, so much for sharing yourself with us. You are an inspiration to us all. I most humbly bow to the teacher in you.

Love and Light
Chris G.

Heather Heintz said...

Aloha Chris
Thank you for sticking it out, staying in your heart and continuing to practice. It is a long haul. This work demands nothing less than inspiring each other. I love your dearly.

Unknown said...

Wow, Heather, grateful to have happened upon your blog. Your words penetrate deeply, an instant crack at a door ready to open. Thank you, for so many things, thank you. Perth

Heather Heintz said...

Aloha Perth

This leonard Cohen lyric belongs to you'
"So ring the bells that still can ring
forget your perfect offering 
there is a crack in everything
that's how the light gets in."

Thank you for staying in it. There is nothing easy about this path.