Tension is the feeling of standing between heaven and ground, the space which all beings occupy. There will forever be tension here, the pull of the planet’s gravity versus the siren call of the wild blue yonder, the elements of earth and air.

When humans acknowledge the tension of simply existing, they can actively use it to benefit all of life. When they try to deny or disregard it, then tension is embodied and causes strife.

Your neck and shoulders: what are they rejecting?

Tension does not have to end in explosions. We would like to make that perfectly clear. Sometimes it’s fun to blow off steam, but only if the steam does not burn you.

Tension is the pull of the polarities, the moon and sun, the time and tide of life on this dear planet that gives you so much. It is the quality that allows the bug to skate on water. It is the element that keeps the boulders up the hill.

You can rely on the tension of gravity to keep you in your place. When you defy the tension you can grow stronger, through stretching, and lifting, and running and jumping in place.

But know what it is that you play with, so you explore tension with respect. Be aware of the tension of anger, of sorrow, of fear, and the tension of happiness and love, the potential for bursting with the tension of news unshared. Please be aware.

And then comes the moment of death: tension dissolves, no longer holding you upright, no longer keeping the soul attached to the bones of the body at all. Finally, relaxed. ❀

To rest is to draw into yourself all the resources and energy you have been expressing out into the world. It is to take a period of time out of time, and space out of place, and withdraw what is generally given out.

When the body or the mind or the spirit fatigues, some people try to push on. Which is an interesting thing if you think about it. Like trying to drive a car without power or fuel. Even getting out to push the beast to the final destination, instead of crawling into the back seat for a nap, or waiting for the day to break so you can see what you’re doing, or waiting for help to arrive.

It is not necessary at every moment of every day to be moving forward. It is not a requirement that all the action you take be under your own steam. Sometimes it’s the better part of valor to ask for help, and then accept it when it arrives.

If you don’t know where to seek help, that is a useful meditation to have with yourself. Maybe write a list of ten places and people from whom you could seek assistance. If you don’t know how to receive help, this is as good a time as any to begin to learn. It is a skill, after all. It is a skill everyone needs. Nothing gets done in pure solitude, not really. So, resting in your efforts is mandatory.

Confront your fear of being lazy. There is a false equivalency between resting and lazing. Also, there is nothing wrong with lazing. But resting is purposeful in the accomplishment of your life. (OK, lazing is, too. Everything has a place.) You will not get as far as you think without resting. It is the reconstitution of the dried-out tissues of your soul. It is the rejuvenation of the skin of your being and the organs deep within, which keep you going. Is your fear of laziness and judgment greater than your longing for health and well-being?

Nobody ever exhausted themselves into better health. May we say, while we’re at it, that of course effort is called for in living your life, doing your work, loving yourself and others? May we say that at times great effort is required, to meet a deadline or launch a task, or even just to get through a day? Effort is not an objective measure; therefore, neither is rest. Both are required for function. Ask yourself, perhaps, why would you skimp on or sacrifice half of this equation? ❀

Fear doesn’t actually get much done.

Fear makes a lot of noise. It pretends to be useful and energetic so you will agree to keep it around. Kindness and love accomplish more in life, more usefully, and do not exact as high a price. In fact, they pay you to let them stick around.

Fear doesn’t help you navigate the world; it often causes trouble, or turns to anger. Disembodied energy – where you came from – is pure love. When embodied, you have something – everything – to lose. The body is the only locus for fear in the universe, therefore, the embodied ones feel fear. Very rarely is fear a useful response to things, but it tries to keep you safe.

Because fear is of the body and the mind, a stronger emotion than almost anything else, it takes up a lot of space and time. So, you might ask yourself if you agree to this rental of your mental world. Do you wish to allow – with all your heart – the fear to occupy such a disproportionate amount of time and space? Most likely you do not.

We recommend you find a time and place to feel your fear, and contain it there. Each morning from ten o’clock to ten fifteen, perhaps, invite fear for conversation and a cup of tea. Then when fear rears itself up at other times, and tries to take control, you can send it back where it came from, call in the antidote (love), and turn your attention elsewhere. Tell Fear it can come back tomorrow; you have an appointment available from ten to ten fifteen.

We know it seems easy for us to say, not being in bodies. Some of you are wedded to your fear. We want to say, remember, it’s OK to get a divorce. It may be embarrassing or put you out of sync with friends and family, but you are not beholden to fear, you do not rely on fear nearly as much as fear wants you to believe. If you say goodbye to fear when it is not useful, you will find you have a heck of a lot more fun*.

*Fun is an umbrella term translating loosely as “enjoying your life and finding it a nice place to be.” ❀