Have Courage and Be Kind

In times like these, I find myself returning again and again to the question of how we stay grounded, open-hearted, and resourced enough to meet life as it is.

When I teach meditation or work with patients, I am always orienting toward the deepest place of resource and clarity possible. The place that cultivates true resilience, presence, and capacity in our lives and mindstreams. It is from this deep well of connection with the divine and our own goodness, and from the cultivation of a strong spine and an open heart in the midst of it all, that we are able to stay present, brave, and kind in this life.

My beloved grandmother died this week. She was a woman ahead of her time, and an extraordinarily open minded and courageous person. I will miss her deeply. Her life motto was “have courage and be kind.” In the poem she chose as her epitaph it says:

When I die, give what is left of me away....

And when you need me,

Put your arms

Around anyone

And give them

What you need to give to me...

Look for me

In the people I’ve known

Or loved,

And if you cannot give me away,

At least let me live on in your eyes

And not your mind.

You can love me most

By letting

Hands touch hands...

Love doesn’t die,

People do.

So, when all that’s left of me

Is love,

Give me away.

~Merritt Malloy

I am going to do the best I can to honor her life through walking the path of her motto, and giving love away whenever and wherever I can. What a gift to know that so many of you in this community are doing the same thing, and together we are creating a vast web of light and beauty that truly does heal and brighten this world.

Included in this newsletter is:

• An invitation to my upcoming three-night retreat in Crestone

• A poem by Maya Angelou that speaks to the path of “have courage and be kind”

• A new free guided meditation

• An invitation to my monthly group, Riding the Waves of Life

Wishing you rest, peace, and courage in this deep winter time.

Share Seeds of Light Elizabeth Astor

Come Join Us At My Upcoming Retreat

Dates: Thursday March 12th, 4:30pm through lunchtime/1:00pm on Sunday March 15th

Location: Vajra Vidya Retreat Center, Crestone, CO. 81131

This retreat is about bridging the gap between being an embodied human and a timeless being of light and presence.

We will explore how to walk in this life with an open heart, strong spine and an awakening mind. Practices and teachings will be offered that explore the art of enjoying and caring for this raw and beautiful experience of being human, as well as showing up fully within your luminous potential.

Together, we will explore what it means to be a pillar of light in this world, a present, divine human being in this life, awakening your true presence, tending your human heart, and shining from the inside out.

We will be held in a field of silence to support deep inward listening, with times for teachings, questions, and shared inquiry woven throughout the retreat.

Retreat Schedule (subject to slight changes):

• 7:00 am Silent sitting

• 7:30 am Breakfast

• 9:00 am Community practice with Vajra Vidya teachers (optional)

• 10:30 am Teaching and guided meditation

• 12:00 pm Lunch

• 3:00 pm Silent sitting or small groups with Elizabeth, with breaks in between

• 5:30 pm Dinner

• 7:00 pm Q&A, poetry, and discussion

• 8:30 pm Silent sitting

• 9:00 pm Close for the day

Pricing:

• $680 per person for private room with shared bath and 3 meals a day

• $710 per person for private room with private bath and 3 meals a day

• $545 per person for commuter option with 3 meals a day

• $215 for zoom participants

Sliding Scale is available for those experiencing financial hardship. A limited number of reduced rate tickets are available to help make participation possible for this who might not otherwise be able to join.

Register Here

CONTINUE
by Maya Angelou
Into a world which needed you
My wish for you
Is that you continue
Continue
To be who and how you are
To astonish a mean world
With your acts of kindness
Continue
To allow humor to lighten the burden
of your tender heart
Continue
In a society dark with cruelty
To let the people hear the grandeur
Of God in the peals of your laughter
Continue
To let your eloquence
Elevate the people to heights
They had only imagined
Continue
To remind the people that
Each is as good as the other
And that no one is beneath
Nor above you
Continue
To remember your own young years
And look with favor upon the lost
And the least and the lonely
Continue
To put the mantel of your protection
Around the bodies of
The young and defenseless
Continue
To take the hand of the despised
And diseased and walk proudly with them
In the high street
Some might see you and
Be encouraged to do likewise
Continue
To plant a public kiss of concern
On the cheek of the sick
And the aged and infirm
And count that as a
Natural action to be expected
Continue
To let gratitude be the pillow
Upon which you kneel to
Say your nightly prayer
And let faith be the bridge
You build to overcome evil
And welcome good
Continue
To ignore no vision
Which comes to enlarge your range
And increase your spirit
Continue
To dare to love deeply
And risk everything
For the good thing
Continue
To float
Happily in the sea of infinite substance
Which set aside riches for you
Before you had a name
Continue
And by doing so
You and your work
Will be able to continue
Eternally

This practice is for resourcing your heart so it can stay soft and strong in a very bittersweet world. You will be invited to step out of the thousand texts and emails and the constant sense of not enough, and come back to this breath, this moment, this luminous presence inside you.

Through grounding, breath, and imagery, you connect with the heart of the earth below and the light of your higher self above, letting them both pour into your heart. You will work with the both-and of your experience - the wellness that is here and the dissonance, the joy and the rage, the cracks and the shutdown places. Instead of fixing or forcing, this meditation invites kind curiosity, loving witness, and the simple courage to feel.

As your heart opens, petal by petal, you are supported to love your life as much as possible, including yourself.

Access this Guided Meditation

This is an ongoing group that meets monthly online with Elizabeth to practice how to ride the waves of the challenging moments in our lives and work with our different mind states. We practice ways to cultivate resilience, self connection, and deep wellbeing. Our time together includes teachings, guided meditation, as well as space for questions, discussion and sharing.

We would love to have you join us!

We gather on zoom 2-3pm MT, the 3rd Tuesday of each month.

$20 / Month

Register Here

Seeds of Light is the blog of Elizabeth Astor, LAc, MSOM, CHom.