L O V E

Photo by Diana Turner-Forte

The mystics are those who are let in on this secret mystery of God’s love affair with the soul, each knowing God loves my soul, each knowing God loves my soul in particular; God loves me uniquely. We are invited into that same mystery. — Richard Rohr

Perhaps, love is what is simply indescribable. Perhaps we spend way too much time attempting to analyze, define, describe and negotiate the content of LOVE and a variety of encounters that resemble it in our minds, rather than just being in the present moment, in the Presence. In the mystery, with no words, we experience a feeling of sheer awe.

It’s a rather disconcerting state in which to function. Afterall, I’ve spent most of my adult life accumulating degrees, certifications, awards, and more knowledge. In those endeavors the goal was striving for a means to earn a living and a persona that was supposedly representative of success in our society, in spite of the fact that my vocation and profession is in the performing arts.

When all those tokens of self-satisfaction fail to fulfill the much needed quest for survival, how are we to function? What do we do when we don’t know what is next— and we really don’t and never did — while we are aiming for a tailored route to achievement and productivity. Not knowing what might be coming at us, based on our well measured plans, grasping our to-do list; dare we let go and put our faith in love?

I write these words with some ambivalence having dwelt for long periods of time in states of success, fear, anxiety, and worry; attempting to maintain some semblance of security, all to no avail. Just so you know, I’m not speaking from mastery—but from experimentation, discovery, and curiosity.

And I’ve had enough moments of pure love, at surprising intervals to say I’ll go with the mystery. I’ll be patient and wait to live into the next moment and to stop trying to to intervene on behalf of the Divine. In the letting go the next moment naturally arrives.

As a dancer participating in an artform that takes considerable concentration and training, as you might imagine ‘letting go' is not at the top of my list, but trust is and is acknowledged regularly.

Hours and years of training and practice, we rely on flawlessness from the moment we enter the studio. Alignment and being on the correct musical cue to work with other dancers is essential. At the very least arriving at the right spot, in the correct position for your partner to lift you safely into the air is no mere feat of luck. It takes lots of practice to create beauty, poise, and grace throughout the body. A lack of attentiveness to posture, shape and form would be disastrous, not only for the viewer, but for the dancers. During rehearsals and performances our moments are on cue, precise, and perfect!

So, when I step out into the non-protective space of a dance studio and revel in the sight above—captured one afternoon not too long ago—I did wonder if this was love. Perhaps love is witnessing a cluster of clouds floating across the sky and having a camera to capture the shape, lightness, and uniqueness of just that moment; never to arrive in the exact same fashion again. Or perhaps love is the only reality as Tagore suggests:

Love is the only reality

and it is not a mere sentiment.

It is the ultimate truth that lives

at the heart of creation. —Rabindranath Tagore

I hope that wherever you are and whatever you are doing you are experiencing LOVE.