Unlock the Power of Relationship through Compassion

Contemplative living requires that we enter into our core relationships in ways that bring us into communion.  Communion, the deepest form of communication, invites us to go beyond a superficial connection of words and enter deeply into connection and solidarity. In communion, we are aware of the common good that binds us to another: love.

Although we may sometimes feel disengaged from others and the world, this separation is only an illusion. At no time in our life are we not connected to others.  We connect to others by the invisible threads formed by our thoughts, actions, and words.  We twist and fray those threads with our hurtful reactions; we strengthen them with compassionate intent and action.  In each moment, we build our bridge.

The stability of our compassion bridge and the beauty of its deck depend upon our life choices — choosing to be hurtful or to be compassionate.  We are never alone on our bridge for we walk the deck of our bridge in relationship.  We walk the decks of others’ bridges that intersect with ours when we form relationships. We create our reality through the interconnections created by our relationships. 

We build our bridge and live our life while in relationship. Our life is filled with intimate connections, and we realize that being alone and separate is an illusion. Intimacy forms when we connect with the other person in ways that are wordless and compassion filled. This connection of intimacy reverberates within the heart, the body, the mind, and the spirit. This resonance creates communion, and we align with the others in loving, gentle ways. The potential for this deep, wordless connection occurs each time we share unconditional love and compassion.

Walking with you in compassionate unity,

Vanessa

Engaging Compassion Through Intent and Action, p 168-69

www.intentandaction.com

Fireflies & Compassion

Fireflies flit in the woods just beyond my patio. Those flickers remind me of the divine spark within each of us.   Kabbalah names this glowing ember as the Sacred within us.  For me, our divine spark is the well of our compassion.  By keeping an open connection to the Sacred, I have constant access to limitless compassion response.

As the flickers jumped around the canvas of the woods, I imagined the flow of compassion as it moved from me to another soothing suffering. I could feel the compassionate response of others soothing me.  In all this alleviation of suffering, I felt the presence of the Sacred.

Compassion calls us to be in the moment.  Only in the present, are we are aware of the opportunities to share compassion and are able to respond compassionately in the moment. Each time we act compassionately, we create our connect-a-dot image of compassion.  The more we share compassion, the more we have, and our sphere of compassionate influence grows.  Each time we alleviate suffering, we find it easier to find the next dot of compassionate experience.  We stretch into places that call to our hearts.  In this stretching we become the best of who we are.

What does compassion want?  It is a question that I return to over and over again.  I believe that compassion wants me to chase those fireflies of opportunity; to share our compassion with each flicker we catch; and to co-create a world where compassion is…just because there is no other sustainable way of being.

Peace & All Good,

Vanessa

www.intentandaction.com