“Thanks to Impermanence, Everything is Possible”

“Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible.”-Thich Nhat Hanh

When I read that quote for the first time last week, I laughed out loud. How truthful. How difficult it is to feel sometimes.

I invite you to go back and to read last week’s blog around the mantra, “A state, not a trait.” It is where this blog continues from in essence.

Yes, we are always changing. Yes, life is always changing.

What do you use to anchor yourself in the shifting tides? What practices, tools, qualities, do you draw from that support you in keeping your composure through it all?

“When you realize the fact of impermanence, and find your composure in it, there you find yourself in Nirvana.” -Suzuki Roshi, Zen Master

Can you feel the ‘calm within the chaos’ as the yogis say? What is that “calm place,” that “eye of the storm”?

I believe it is your awareness. And that aware space within you is your True Self supporting you to be able to simply see all things as they are. Watching like the LightHouse, the beacon, the heart. Loving, understanding, and accepting of all of life as it is.

To be able to simply state, without judgment or trying to fix things, “this is how it is right now.” Can be a powerful tool. To name your current experience. To be in the moment.

“Allow”
By Danna Faulds

There is no controlling life.
Try coraling a lightning bolt,
containing a tornado. Dam a
a stream, and it will create a new
channel. Resist, and the tide
will sweep you off your feet.
Allow, and Grace will carry
you to higher ground. The only
safety lies in letting it all in –
the wild with the weak; fear,
fantasies, failures and success.
When loss, rips off the doors of
the heart, or sadness veils your
vision with despair, practice
becomes simply bearing the truth.
In the choice to let go of your
known way of being, the whole
world is revealed to your new eyes.

When we open ourselves to seeing things as they are, and uphold the sense of self-compassion, our eyes open. Our heart opens. We can begin to recognize choice and possibility, which Thich Nhat Hanh was speaking to earlier;

“Everything is possible,” he said, “thanks to impermanence.”

Life begins to open up. Our vision of what’s possible in our life can widen. It’s truly as if a new perspective arrives.

“The voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but seeing with new eyes.”-Marcel Proust

Depending on our situation, this might feel difficult. Might not feel possible. The mind is a powerful thing that can keep us stuck, if we aren’t watching, aren’t practicing, and aren’t caring for ourselves.

This is why losing a loved one can send us into a headspin. And why the departure of a close friend breaks our hearts and we can’t think of anything past this moment and how we will make it through. It’s why we can feel as if there is no other option in life than to just give up when things don’t turn out the way we hoped and worked for.

And I am here to tell you otherwise. Sure, it will take some effort on your part, but remember just how much the Universe is ALWAYS conspiring and working behind the scenes in your favor!

Each breath is a change. A possibility for something different; whatever you want! So set your mind to that which is good.

Be willing to see the truth so you can change it if you want. And, to be able to gracefully let go when what you have and what you wish to keep, changes on its own!

“It is not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not.”-Thich Nhat Hanh

“Willingness”
By Danna Faulds

In the willingness to feel,
There is healing. In the
choice not to closet, cast
aside or deny experience,
energy is freed, and I
dive deeper into life.

There may be maturity in
choosing not to act, but
there are no rewards for
suppression and denial.

To be fully alive is saying
yes to the wide array of
human feelings. When I
soften, release and breathe,
I discover I am more than
what I think, feel, reason,
or believe.

I pray that the energy of this blog has allowed you to explore some of these human feelings. And to consider your own relationship to the concept of impermanence. Let yourself ebb and flow. Be gentle with yourself.

Here with you through the changes,
Shawna 🙏🏼
Breathe and Believe.

P.S. In January of 2023, I had a melancholy feeling with the unknown/impermanence. I’m grateful for the creative expression, the art, and the allowing that were tools at that time. Tools which grounded me in acknowledging my present feeling with care and compassion. The mantra was channeled through me as I picked up the paintbrush and watercolors: “The unknown is also beautiful”. Because, “Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible”! Thanks to Quinn who recently added the graphic design sticker of the woman. See picture.