When We Were Six

When we were six, we were geniuses.  We had within us an innate ability to relate to the world around us at a very conscious and playful level.  At this tender, young age, there is an innocence and an openness and a great wisdom.  We see ourselves as a part of the whole and everything around us as a part of me.  

At the age of six, our bodies and minds are quite well developed.  We may be small, and we still have a lot of growing to do, but we can dance and sing and speak.  We know our way around our little part of the world, yet we are still very connected to the whole and we hold fast onto our little thread in the fabric of life.

They call the age of seven 'the age of individuation' because that is when we begin to separate from the very close ties that we have with our parents.  At seven, we start to come more fully into our own identity.  It's almost like coming out of a dream.  We wake up to who we are, separate and individual.

But while we are still just six, we are completely connected and it suits us well.  We see ourselves as a part of the whole.  This lets us communicate directly with our animal friends.  We can feel what they feel and know their thoughts are because we share those same thoughts with them.  And this is our genius, because indeed, it's true.  We are all one.

And now, as humanities consciousness is rising, we are waking up to this realization.  We are now beginning to see once more, as we did in our youth, that everything is a part of the same one thing.  Science shows us that we are actually all fully integrated with everything else.  We are totally interdependent.  We all share the same atoms, both in life and in death, both while we are animate or while we are inanimate.  We are a part of the same thin crust of compost that coats the surface of the earth and we rise up and dance from time to time, sometimes as a tree, sometimes as a bear, sometimes as a person, sometimes as you, sometimes as me.

So, because of this, this understanding of our oneness, I like to try and remember my six year old self, to slip back into that playful and interconnected state of consciousness as often as possible.  Here I can once more be a member of the community of everything, with all of it full of life and light.  When I do, the rocks, the trees, the water, the air are all willing and wanting to be my friends.

So, I invite you to join me, if you will, in this dance, together in harmony, in the present moment of now,  ... and now,  ... and now.

© Josephine Laing, 2016

Happiness Runs

In 1969, Donovan, the Scottish singer, songwriter and guitarist, released a beautiful album called Barabajagal.  In it he shared one of my all time favorite songs which he had written and composed.  If ever I want to smile and have myself some fun, I remember his little tune and start singing its lovely chorus.  It's a wonderful tool to keep in one's back pocket to share at parties or with children and it is a sure fire cure for the blues.  If you don't know the tune, listen to this little excerpt.  It is such a joy and will make you want to get up and dance around.  And speaking of rounds, it is delightful to sing this in a round.

Happiness runs in a circular motion
Thought is like a little boat upon the sea
Everybody is a part of everything anyway
You can have everything if you let yourself be
Happiness runs, happiness runs
Happiness runs, happiness runs
Happiness runs, happiness runs
Happiness runs, happiness runs
Happiness runs in a circular motion
Thought is like a little boat upon the sea
Everybody is a part of everything anyway
You can have everything if you let yourself be.

Sometimes I substitute the last line with "You can be so happy if you let yourself be."  And both are true.  We all tend to ride ourselves so hard.  And most often, if we just let ourselves be who we really are, not only do we enjoy ourselves much more, but we also find that we are quite naturally tending to our own unique part in the grander scheme of things.  So with thanks to Donovan and in honor of all of our New Year's resolutions, here's to letting ourselves be happy.   Happy New Year to you all. 
                                                ♡

© Josephine Laing, 2015