On the property I live there has been a spate of death and decay alongside the budding freshness of spring. We rent, and there are animals here from the owners, roosters, some hens and sheep.
Last week some of the neighbours dogs escaped and kill half of the new beautiful lambs. It was cause for a good cry. On the same night we discovered that one of the rams had an injury caused by the growth of its horn pressing against its face, which became infected due to the warm weather (and associated flies). With the help of a friend we put an end its suffering. The ram will now feed her dogs and the garden, His guts now rest in the hot compost pile I have been diligently tending, his gut biome will prosper throughout the garden. His death has perpetually flowed back to life.
I’ve been reflecting on what the meta pattern of these happenings is, the significance of maintenance. Had the fences been in good condition the dogs would have been far less likely to make it onto our property. Had the ram been regularly checked and cared for across his life it’s unlikely that things would have escalated to this point. But it’s also deeper than that. Maintenance would have kept things at the status quo, more in service of control than of life. Tending listens and embraces the dynamic needs of life itself.
So then I wonder, how is this pattern showing up in my own life? Its presence is felt in some close relationships and the re-kindling of a yoga practice left untended for some months.
Just like the sheep and the property our relationships require tending to flourish, be that our relationship to ourselves and our inner knowing, close relationships with others or our relations with wider communities and humanity as a whole. It all requires maintenance. And when we don’t perform that maintenance, the decay begins quickly. The same goes for personal practices, without maintenance what was growing quickly decays and dissolves.
And you know what – that’s ok. It’s ok for things to die. It’s totally natural. It’s a necessary part of life. It’s ok for practices to devolve and dissolve. We are not static, we are flowing, changing, evolving. We are life and life is not still. Decay and death is not a failure of life, it is a necessary component of it. It is an important part of the wheel that leads us back to life. The preciousness of it. The brevity of this bright shining moment.
Sometime when a relationship crumbles we might need to let it go, other times it crumbles because we need to build a new relationship in it’s place. Something more complex, intricate and beautiful.
Similarly stepping away from a practice may lead us back to it, with renewed understanding, or, towards something new and necessary for this stage of growth.
So yes, maintenance is important, tending is a beautiful art, and so is letting things go, letting them decay and dissolve, knowing that their energy is never lost. It transforms, nourishing the soil for new seeds to sprout, unfurl, and flourish.
Just as we tend to the garden of our lives, these soundbaths offer a chance to nurture your inner world. They are moments of reflection and healing, where you can embrace the ebb and flow of life’s rhythms. Join us for an evening of profound connection, both with yourself and the world around you.
In this perpetual cycle, may we find the preciousness and brevity of every shining moment of life.
With love,
Erin