Becoming a child again.....

In August's edition of the Cygnus Review (see: www.cygnus-books.co.uk/) there were a number of articles that reminded us as adults of the time we were children - and the importance of being child-like.

Louisa Mills in The Wise Child Within (www.cygnus-books.co.uk/magazine/2012/07/the-wise-child-within/)  opens with the lyrics from Madonna's Dear Jessie:

If the land of make believe
Is inside your heart it will never leave
There's a golden gate where the fairies all wait
And dancing moons, for you

Close your eyes and you'll be there
Where the mermaids sing as they comb their hair
Like a fountain of gold you can never grow old
Where dreams are made, your love parade

I have just read the whole song and it really touched me.  Its sad to think how life takes over and we loose all sense of being a child.  I hope for Jamie's sake we can hold onto the wonder for him as long as possible.

Louisa goes onto say; Sometimes we do take life so seriously, don't we, and we really can be a bit hard on ourselves.  The pressure we put ourselves under when it comes to work, family, finances, social composure...even spirituality.  We can come down on ourselves rather harshly, if we feel we've got it 'wrong', becoming ashamed or self cynical when we stumble from time to time.

What is her answer?  Be kind to yourself!  Let go of the burden or worry so that your heart, mind and spirit are free to smile, giggle and dream as they always did and should always be allowed to do.

Later on in the same edition, Vernon Kitabu Turner discusses Child Mind - Zen Mind www.cygnus-books.co.uk/magazine/2012/07/child-mind-zen-mind/  He talks of children being natural masters of Zen as the young child is able to play with such concentration and learn with ease because his mind has no concept of past and future. He is present. Being present, he is full of energy. The child mind does not cling to things or events but drops them at will and moves on with equal intensity to whatever else he chooses to do.

When you cling to a fixed concept of yourself – doctor, janitor, lawyer or waitress, weak or strong – you develop a rigid program that your mind is compelled to support.  It is not the duties that present a problem but our tendency to associate ourselves with a limited concept as self.  But this image is no more the real you than a photograph is. The quicker you rid yourself of this crippling barrier, the more alive you will become to the moment and the endless variations of this remarkable creature called you.