A Letter from Neelam, December 2008

Dear Sangha,

December is here and so far this has been a very slow introduction to winter. I'm enjoying the soft sunny weather and it's much easier to negotiate sleeping outside. There has been a substantial change in my energy level over the past three months or so. My body is growing stronger. And I feel hopeful to regain my health sooner than later.

I am deeply enjoying the subtle beauty of nature these days. Sleeping outside I feel nurtured by the constant interchange of elements. I love waking up in the early mornings before the sunrise as the light gently disperses the darkness and the birds begin their morning dance. I can feel the fluttering of their wings as they fly and play about my tent. I love being touched gently by their movement. Love is here and everything arises in the present.

The world around us has been going through some deep, amazing and sometimes frightening changes. In times of challenge it is easy to move into extremes in our experience: extreme fear, extreme hope, extreme worry and to forget the simplicity of being present. As many of the structures that have defined our world are falling apart we may experience grief, loss, excitement, fear and uncertainty. It is a deeply challenging and cleansing process, one that has the potential to bring the collective to living closer to what really matters and to the truth of how things really are. Letting go of the past, as in any other time of letting go, may feel scary at first. But eventually, we find a new foundation of trust in the free fall which truly is the core, the essence, of all experience.

I have been joking that as I am just beginning to come out of my own falling apart, I'm now ahead of the curve, having just spent a couple of years letting go of the past. "The world is a transit lounge." Papaji used to say, "We are here just waiting for the flight for our final destination." Everything that appears is in constant transition and change. This is the nature of the world. Most of the time we don't even notice as we are so used to the mind constantly presenting us with an image of solidity. It is often only in extreme times that we see the change that the world is constantly in. As the free-fall continues, we try to maintain the structures that give us a sense of stability, too afraid to give up what does not serve us anymore. We are grasping at what we know, hoping that we will not have to experience the fear of not knowing.

This is a wonderful time for self reflection and inquiry. Here we are given the opportunity to examine what we believe about safety, security and trust. Can we really allow ourselves to know and experience that Presence is all there is, and that we are fully supported and taken care of already? I am urging you to use this time of transition to renew and deepen your commitment to Freedom and Presence and to continue your ongoing inquiry. We live in amazing times. Let us allow the full force of the momentum we are in to move us to live even closer to the core of Presence.

LOVE,
Neelam