LETTERS FROM CAMILLE
PEACE
PEACE
PEACE
PEACE
PEACE
*~~Holiday
Greeting to You from Camille~~*
November,
2006
When I
share musings such as this, I'm aware of voicing
perceptions that most of us have. Yet I am struck anew with
wonder at these simple realities.
In this season, nature calls us to harvest the experiences
of the year - the lessons within our losses and gains. We
begin to turn our attention inward, take stock of ourselves
and our lives.
No matter how "seasoned" I become, life never ceases to
astound me. The mere existence of creation blows me wide
open: the inconceivable vastness of the universe, the
glorious artistry of color and light, shadow and shape, the
dance and music of life going on everywhere, always... The
fragile miracle of birth, the mystery of death... That
humans beings have consciousness to perceive all this, to
feel, to love – and to share these experiences as we
are doing right this second...
Gratitude and wonder are good medicine – practicing
them is beneficial for our physical, mental, and
emotional health. This is a kind of natural, instinctive
spirituality. It’s important to claim this.
An 85-year old friend of ours, a retired Captain in the
Marines, exemplifies this wisdom daily. He is a
trained warrior – a fighter pilot who has
seen more than his share of killing. Yet he is one of the
most spiritual people we know. Every morning he
awakens in wonder, open and curious for what the day may
bring; every night he closes his eyes "counting his
blessings" and giving a silent prayer for those he
loves.
Swallowing the bitter with the sweet in life – and
digesting them both – takes internal fortitude. We
are all exposed to news and events that are unpalatable;
none of us lives in a vacuum, much as we might want to.
When things seem more than one can bear, when we feel
overwhelmed and undernourished, what's a body to do? Well,
we can keep our energies moving freely, and nurture our
hearts with appreciation and awe. Admittedly, something of
an art.
The Divine Comedy is the human adventure, the wild and
poignant journey of the heart - the sorrow and joy, the
knowing and unknowing, the fumbling together in this
theater of the soul. The Inferno
is the tragedy of feeling trapped in the
drama, when our ability to appreciate is occluded,
when the veins and arteries of love become blocked.
Everyone experiences this full spectrum - the notorious
"human condition." Each of us also has within
us, pulsating in every breath and heartbeat, the
instinct to be whole, to be free. Right here, right
now, in these eyes, these ears, these fingertips, is
your ability to love, to touch, to wonder – your
natural, very human instinct to perceive the
bounty and mystery of life.
[In this newsletter] Lorin and I offer some ways to share
and deepen the journey.* We wish you the most heartwarming
of holidays.
Camille
November, 2006
*Join Lorin and Camille for the Wild Serenity
Retreat February
2007
* * *
Read
CALLING ALL WOMEN: A LETTER TO WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD
from Camille
Maurine, December 2005
* * *
LETTER FROM
CAMILLE
September, 2001
Dear Friends,
Since the disaster of 9/11, I have searched for some words
that might be a bridge between my heart and yours. Many
wise and insightful emails have circulated through our
community at fantastic speed, giving support and
inspiration. As I receive their wisdom I am grateful for
such connectedness, appreciative of the mixed blessing of
technology that allows such swift communication. My own
response at first was oddly wordless. The tarot image of
The Tower has become a collective physical reality, and I
sought another image that might redeem the death,
destruction, and despair. What can we do with a psychic
event that is so unbearable, and that is not over? What
images can give awareness a channel deep enough to allow
the intensity of pain to find its way back into creation?
This precious life, the mystery of this tender body and
soul, this planetary home, this inconceivably vast and
glorious universe that encompasses each of us in its
eternal arms… this Body of Love that we are…
In meditation the morning of the tragedy, before I knew
what had happened, the image of wings around the planet
wrapped itself around me - a sacred presence often called
Tara, Kwan Yin, Divine Mother, or Black Madonna. That
humanity is living in a shared dream is more apparent now
than ever. As Lorin and I walked around the Marina, not far
from LAX, the atmosphere was supernaturally quiet: the sky
muted and overcast, the ocean unusually placid, the air
strangely windless, the background noise from planes eerily
absent. Over these days, people I've encountered have
seemed like dream characters, each a messenger voicing some
gift of perception. In this communion of sorrow, the sense
of my body spreads even wider around the world, dissolving
habits of constriction and separation. We are one body; we
carry each other; we hold each other in a tangible web of
consciousness and love.
Catastrophe rips us open, and for a moment or two our
consciousness stretches to perceive a reality larger than
the fear, hatred, and pain. The outpouring of compassion
and generosity during this grievous event demonstrates the
best of human nature, in the face of the worst. That there
is a divine or higher purpose behind such horrendous events
I am not prepared to say; the most unspeakable atrocities
have been perpetrated in the name of "holy" wars and
crusades.
One thing has been proven: the human spirit can and does
turn crisis into opportunity. Each of us responds in our
characteristic way, and we each have our own way to
transmute shock into creativity. Ministers, astrologers,
seers, and healers have shared their visions, and I admire
their faith. Though theories provide little refuge for me,
seeing how the human soul grapples with this very raw
material and transforms it for good does give me solace and
hope. This creative capacity of the human being to
perceive, to feel and communicate from the soul through
symbols, imagery, and words seems divine to me. Great art
is often born of tragedy; art, music, dance, poetry, and
theater give expression to feelings that are too huge for
one heart to hold, whether they are of sorrow, despair,
wonder, or joy.
I believe this is a time of personal and world initiation.
These openings typically are fleeting; the needs of
everyday life readily fill in the cracks. Lorin and I find
that a daily awareness practice &endash;meditation,
reflection, expression&endash;becomes an urgent
necessity if we want to seize the opportunity to change and
live more fully in the substance of love. Meditation is a
sanctuary for the soul, and cleanses the senses to be able
to perceive reality more directly, intimately, and
creatively. It helps us to wash fear from our system and
cultivate the atmosphere we want to breathe in. We can
strengthen our willingness to be moved by life, to flow
with change, to balance passion with equanimity. Our bodies
can become more open to the streamings of life force, more
available for manifesting our heart's desire. We can see
with the eyes of an artist through surface appearances to
the living soul of the world beyond. We can find what is
ours to be and to do, the life we are designed for, the
life we want to create.
In the union of spirit and flesh, every conscious breath
renews the marriage vow. These values I hold dear: To keep
our energies flowing, to make sure that the truth of our
hearts gets felt and expressed, especially to loved
ones… To dare to be intimate… To take time to
see the miracle in each other's face, to receive the little
miracles of nature that are everywhere around us…To
welcome each day with awe and wonder and
gratitude…to serve this precious and sacred
life…
In that spirit, and in that flesh,
Camille
* * *
January,
2002
Dear Friends,
As we ease into 2002, most of us long for renewal, healing,
and reconnection with life. The trials of last year and the
specter of challenges on the horizon require new and deeper
inner resources. We have come through a major passage
together and stand facing the unknown.
Almost all people we speak with express some version of
rededication to their deepest values. Intimacy with
friends, family, and other loved ones tops the list; we
want to make the most of our precious time with one
another. The crisis has sparked the desire to live fully,
to express ourselves and engage with the world creatively
in whatever ways our hearts are called. At the same time we
are drawn to live more simply and honestly. Soul is calling
and its time is now.
I will be forever grateful to Alan Watts for his writings
on "The Wisdom of Insecurity." Since reading his book in
the 70's, the title has remained etched in my awareness, a
powerful mantra of living in the present. So as here and
now all of us have a heightened awareness of life's
insecurities, many people are experiencing the wisdom and
strength of that raw, tender state.
Opening to what is, dilating the senses to perceive reality
more directly and intimately, having the courage to love
again despite our disappointments and loss…these are
the gifts of the moment.
Every one of us can use some support on this journey of the
heart. Not the least of the tools for being present is body
awareness developed through movement and meditation. This
grounding of energy in the body helps to soothe the tigers
of stress and to "breathe in our own atmosphere" no matter
what's whirling around us in the world. Connected to our
essence, we can then have more access to the contributions
that are ours to make.
Lorin and I invite you into this intimate awareness. We
send you sustained wishes for a healthy and heartful year.
Camille