to perish
Ochre landscapes
the dust of pink sunrise
settles into lavender
at the edge of surrender
to another day.
A longing to return
with the birds, young
swallows sweeping lemon
blossoms with wingtips
sprinkled by the sunlight.
The topography of prayers
dangling from pursed lips
(black tea, white sugar, mint leaves)
a recipe for neutralization
(( Tamas, Rajas, Sattva. ))
Cellular comprehension:
Creation is the Field of Consciousness,
My Death is the Realm of Rearrangement
to perish: to be reborn: to accept
What I dream is what I receive.
— Seraphina Dawn
To perish is my mantra for the next three months.
I enjoy moving in 90-day cycles. This timeline gives me ample space to root in my chosen work. I also have time to iterate, adjust, and anticipate the ending.
The consious acknowledgement of a conclusion inspires me; it gives me the impetus to act and move toward what I desire.
Everything ends.
Unconsciously, we each feel the temporal rhythms in our bodies. The sun and moon are symbols of the ascension and release expressed in 24 hours.
To perish: I love how this word sounds. It’s elegant and reassuring despite the heavy invocation.
I move in exactly ten days. I am very comfortable in my current home. Mornings brushing the cat, evenings listening to bath time while I read, and long walks in dark dusk to visit my favorite cafe have accentuated this trip.
The memories are written on my skin. I’ve absorbed each moment like the snow droplets I shake from my hair. The salt scatters and small rings have stained on my white leather boots.
I will scrub the minerals and rinse the dirt.
I am ready to move on.
I am looking forward to being in my own living space. I have enjoyed being in an environment where I am greeted by my name with kisses and laughter. I also love being anonymous: I am excited to disappear in a city where no one knows me or speaks my native language.
This month, my practice has focused on holding the paradox: accepting what is while longing for something else—accepting people for who and what they are at this moment while having an awareness of what could be.
To perish: an ending, little death, and dedication to transformation.
The Sanskrit word Tamas comes from a root to perish. Tamas is one of the three Gunas. The Gunas—Tamas, Rajas, Sattva—are vibrating energy vortexes that produce the universe. (Source: Esoteric Anatomy.)
I’ve included more on the Gunas below if you want to learn more about the energies of the universe, why we consider them, and how to create balance amidst the flux.
What will your word be for the final weeks of the month?
Wishing you well,
Seraphina
“About the Gunas”
The Gunas are a concept from The Sanatana Dharma. They were first mentioned in The Upanishads from Vedic Philosophy. — Esoteric Anatomy.
The word Guna comes from the Indo-European origin ‘gere,’ which means to twirl.
Each Guna embodies unique attributes, and we need a balance of all three to live in harmony within and with nature.
Tamas - negative - lethargy, dullness, ignorance, inertia, darkness.
Rajas - positive - passion, heat, action, attachment, change.
Sattva - neutral - light, truth, intelligence, bliss, essence.
These three energies are in constant motion; they are constantly available to us to create more awareness, acceptance, harmony, trust, and truth.
Being the negative pole, Tamas is just as essential as the neutral or positive poles. We need all three to exist and work with our pure, instinctual energies.
The Gunas provide a tactile way to make the unconscious conscious.
For example, if a person feels anxious, fidgety, or lacks focus, Tamas may be necessary to provide stability and grounding.
If a person feels agitated and propelled by cravings, Sattvic energy (via breath work and adjusting the diet) may help temper Rajas's overabundance.
Sattva, being the neutral pole, is the phase of equilibrium, attunement, and liberation. Because life is constantly in flux, this state cannot be everlasting.
The dance between all three states of the Gunas gives us the impetus to create, heal, grow, and transform!
Inspiration from sensitive creators:
✦ Sitting By The Well by Marion Woodman.
Woodman was a Jungian analyst who focused on feminine archetypes. Her work has greatly influenced my thoughts, writing, and actions.
Quote to F O C US Your Attention -
≌
The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most, are those that are absurd - The longing for impossible things, precisely because they are impossible; nostalgia for what never was; the desire for what could have been; regret over not being someone else; dissatisfaction with the world’s existence. All these half-tones of the soul’s consciousness create in us a painful landscape, an eternal sunset of what we are.
—Fernando Pessoa.
2 questions to brew on:
What will be your guiding phrase/mantra this week?
What is the quality of your energy? Between the three Gunas, what are you experiencing/exploring right now.
