Crone Speak stands out as a writer’s inspiration because it combines energy medicine applications with its encouragement to write. The key to masterful writing is authenticity. We are surrounded by cultural influences that promote appearances and discourage unique expression. This mystique seduces most people into believing they have to be like someone else in order to succeed. This could not be further from the truth. In order to persevere with your singular manifestation, I suggest that you utilize somatic practices to instill confidence in how you are unlike anyone else. The Smile of Life Meditation is designed to do just that. Read the story that inspired the meditation, and then practice daily or as often as possible Your writing and your creativity will flourish. Guaranteed!
“Be the smile you are.” ~ Mary Iino Burmeister
The story behind this quote begins in Colorado where I was attending one of Mary Iino Burmeister’s courses in Jin Shin Jyutsu. By this time, I had a private practice with a steady stream of clients and I was also working on my doctoral dissertation.
One of my clients was a woman who was part of the Buddhist community in Boulder, Colorado that was in the midst of the fallout from the accusations of sexual abuse on the part of Chogyam Trungpa. This woman was a leader in the community. She had a reputation for always being positive and inspirational. She had a brilliant smile that was her “go to” expression. She was admired for this smile. Her daughter had been infected with AIDS by the person selected as the Regent for Chogyam Trungpa and her son had recently been killed in a car accident. Nevertheless, she continued to smile, and she was praised for smiling.
In listening to her pulses, however, I felt they were in trouble. This contrasted with her appearance of triumph over circumstances. The Fire Element was calling loudly, incessantly, and did not change, no matter what flows were applied. The woman also practiced self-care devotedly and was an advanced meditation practitioner, having been a direct disciple of Chogyam Trungpa and part of the founding Buddhist community that created Naropa University, where I was on the faculty.
Mary had offered me the option, as one of her advanced students, to bring my clients to her before class started so that she could listen to their pulses and advise me on their treatment. This was her form of “supervision.” I selected this woman as my supervision client as I was concerned about the incessant Fire Element pounding and what this implied for her wellbeing. Her face was also always reddened, and her voice was thrusting and insistent.
The consultation was quite brief, lasting no more than five minutes. Mary listened to her pulses and turned to me (not to the woman) and said, “Maybe someday she can be the smile she really is.”
This experience taught me more about the Fire Element than anything else. When the Fire Element is balanced, authenticity permeates one’s being so that pretense is impossible and you live as the smile that you are, to repeat Mary’s phrase. Pulses will be buoyant and resilient, reflecting that you are embodying your truth. This is true regenerative health.
To help avert pretense– which is so highly regarded in the cultures of stardom, hierarchical systems, domination, othering, and shaming– I developed the Smile of Life Meditation for TARA students (illustrations by Courtney U. Graham) —>
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