I’ve enjoyed thinking and writing here about integration of the parts of the self. But there is more to an integrated life than the self. Once the inner parts have come together consciously and are functioning relatively well, we’re able to pay more attention to what wants a response from us. This self we have nurtured is, itself, part of a larger whole of family, community, nature, the whole world we live in.
In a manner of speaking, “my” life is a particular perspective on the ever changing/evolving life made up a whole multitude of perspectives. As some of these end, new ones come into being. We can never see the whole fabric, being one of the strands within it. But whatever we do (or fail to do) affects all the other strands.
Just as integrating all the lost repressed and denied pieces into myself is critical to my well-being, so does the proper functioning of the whole require that we all pull together, recognizing our kinship. This has always been true, but for the first time in our history we are able to see that our survival depends on it. We all have work to do. The next step after individual health and wholeness is service.
Wise woman and teacher, Jen Louden, has been devoting energy lately to exploring the concept of “Savor and Serve.” There is much to digest here! I’ve found that forcing myself to serve, or serving because I “should” is neither sustainable nor all that useful. In order to express myself through service, I must first know and accept (savor) all of who I am.
Beyond that is a need to savor all I experience. This has to do with appreciation and love. And it applies to everything. It’s easy to savor a sunset. Much harder to find appreciation for a cold, smelly inversion (one of the downsides to the climate where I live!)
To savor doesn’t necessarily mean to like (the same is true for loving). But like it or not, whatever is real in any given moment is what there is. Wishing otherwise is futile. Savoring is both affirmation and acceptance of life, itself. It’s a profound practice, developing muscles of humility and compassion. This makes a solid foundation for service!
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