“The sons of Adam are limbs of each other,
Having been created of one essence.
When the calamity of time affects one limb
The other limbs cannot remain at rest.
If you have no sympathy for the troubles of others,
You are unworthy to be called by the name of a Human.”
~Bani Adam by Saadi Shirazi (medieval Persian poet)

Another Sort of Pilgrimage

Today, pre-corona virus era, I would have been on a flight to Japan to start the walk of the 88 temple pilgrimage route. Instead, I am finding myself in a different type of pilgrimage, but, very similarly in the betwixt and between, this liminal space between the old and the new. What is different here is that the entire world is in this transition, a season of waiting, a state of not knowing what is coming next. And being in the liminal space of not knowing is not easy: it brings doubt, anxiety, stress and a sense of having lost agency in one’s life. But it also can bring a sense of openness and curiosity and allows for new possibilities to emerge.
When I lead pilgrimages, after a few days of walking, I invite the participants into a practice of Embracing the Unknown. I usually start the conversation with the following Zen koan about not knowing:

Two Zen teachers meet; one is carrying his bags. “Where are you going?”, inquires the first teacher.

“I’m going on a pilgrimage”, the other teacher responds.

“What’s the purpose of pilgrimage?” asks the first teacher.

“I don’t know.” he responds.

“Not knowing is most intimate.” Replies the first teacher

What the teacher in the koan is saying is that not knowing is just right.

Marc Lesser, author of Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader- Lessons from Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen, while commenting on this koan, writes:
“With not knowing, I am open, ready, willing to learn, to be surprised. I can see and hear others beyond my own ideas. Though my experience and knowledge are important, they can get in the way. When I let go of my own ideas, I can be present, humble. When I am humble, I am not afraid. I can enter this moment, engaged, moved, open – intimate.”

Being comfortable in the not knowing space needs practice: I am inviting you into this practice during a solo contemplative walk.

Practice: Embracing the Unknown

Today as you start your solo meandering walk, preferably in Nature, bring this theme of Embracing the Unknown with you on the path. As you meander, forget about reaching a specific destination, or walking a number of miles, or being on a schedule or navigating a given trail. Let go of the need to know where you are going. Notice when your mind is busy trying to figure things out and pause to reconnect with your intention to practice Embracing the Unknown. Experiment with walking as if in a liminal space where you do not know what is next: whom you may encounter, what the next turn may show, or what else you may discover on the path. Pay special notice to what you may be attracted to in this special state of awareness and of any insights that the natural world may give you about Embracing the Unknown. When you get back home, journal about these images or insights to further understand the wisdom that you may received about releasing the need for certainty in life.

Inquiry: Which Beautiful Harvests Are You
Bringing During This Pandemic?

Seasonal Contemplative Walks: Stay Tuned!

Because of the shelter-in-place ordinances of San Mateo and Monterey counties, I had to cancel the April 4th walk in Garland Ranch, Carmel Valley, California. The next walk in that location is scheduled for June 13th: it’s too early to tell if it will be possible or not to conduct it as originally planned.

The next contemplative walk in Portola Valley, California is scheduled for May 9th: current shelter-in-place for San Mateo county are in effect until May 4th, and should these restrictions be lifted as planned, we may be able to walk the trails. We’ll see.

Please check the events calendar to check the status of any of these walks or email me directly at annemarie@designingyourlife.coach. If you had registered for any of the upcoming walks, you will be contacted directly.

Stay tuned as we all practice Embracing the Unknown!

Free Coaching Sessions Extended

Poem: Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda

Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still
for once on the face of the earth,
let's not speak in any language;

let's stop for a second,
and not move our arms so much.
It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines;
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.

Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would not look at his hurt hands.

Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.

What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about...

If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with
death.

Now I'll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.