"There is a breaking of the heart which is gentle....and there is a breaking which is violent and harmful, shattering it completely."- Mark the Ascetic
For Sufi's it is the rose which symbolizes the opening of the heart. As Rumi says, What was said to the rose that made it open was said to me here in my chest.
And as UU's sing- I know this rose will open, I know my fear will burn away. I know my soul will unfurl its wings. We hold flower communions of color, joy and hope in the midst of despair.
For the Buddhists it is the lotus flower- The flower, as a closed bloom, is like the human heart.
When enlightened with the teachings of the Buddha, it blossoms.
I think of Easter lilies in Christian resurrection- a symbol of new life. Lilies planted beside a cross...How many layers of the sun until we rise?
Tonight I contemplate this garden of symbols as a way of imagining wisdom. We hold the seeds of contemplation...what new life shall emerge from its depths?
Let me accompany this bursting forth. From the depths of contemplation, may my heart break open gently, as from the seed emerges the flower of new life.
(Quotes and images inspired and collected from spiritual director reflections, in anticipation of the 2014 SDI Emerging Wisdom Conference...)
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