WISDOM WEAVING
What would you say if someone told you that you were wise?
Would you believe them?
Would you call yourself ‘wise’?
Not many of us would.
And yet each one of us weaves wisdom through our lives.
Some of us do so explicitly in traditional ways such as teachers, mystics, or leaders.
Some in less conventional settings such as prisoners, gardeners, or children.
Yet I know plenty of teachers who I would not consider wise.
And many children who I seek their advice as sages.
Wisdom is something that we each build, experience, and share in our own unique ways.
It is not a commodity to be bought and sold.
Or something material that you can put in your home.
Some say it is somewhat akin to life force or chi.
Hidden from view and yet essential to our wellbeing and even survival.
And how do we gain wisdom you might ask?
Through experiencing life would be the obvious answer.
Experience leading to learning.
The less cliché answer would be that wisdom is a dance of initiation.
Initiations that push us beyond who we know ourselves to be at any given moment.
Life has a habit of throwing us off physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual cliffs when we are ready. (Of course, if we were to be consulted before these events occur, we would never say we were ‘ready’ – this is the nature of initiation).
You are never consulted on your initiations.
They are presented to you when you least expect them.
And initiations come in many guises.
Large and small.
Human and more than human.
Inner and outer.
With each test and resulting experience, we learn a little more about who we are and who we are not. We learn about who we are choosing to become. And who we are choosing to leave behind.
We are honed through the rough edges of challenge.
We cry, we laugh, and we pick ourselves up again and again.
We are lost and we are found.
In an endless cycle of transformation.
We are never certain.
And must learn to run in storms of mystery.
The wisdom gained through these experiences is integrated back into the conscious and subconscious fabric of our lives as we move from initiation to initiation.
Like a dreaming blanket or a vision tapestry.
The threads of our adventures made into beautiful and intricate patterns that reflect our deepest lessons and blessings on the journey.
The beauty of weaving wisdom in this way is that no one blanket is the same.
We each carry, weave, and share unique wisdom.
And this is how the story of life in our Universe grows.
And evolves.
And becomes more exquisite.
What initiations are you in the middle of now?
How is your wisdom blanket looking?
Are you integrating the threads of your experience?
Weaving them into new patterns and cycles?
Me too.
Us all.
Forever.