The Traces We Leave

If you go back in time, and think of all your different cat lives, that was all part of you. But also, that is not you. You have been through a lot. We all have a story. What happens when we forget our story? Can we let ourselves simply be? Or maybe it is good for some to feel proud of your experiences, even the crappy ones that you learned from and that drew you into a fuller sense of self: responsibility, awe, correction, self-transparency, honesty, wonder, stillness, compassion for others, sorting out what kind of person you want to be. The experiences when you were at this age or that, in this relationship or that: That is all you. Of your past, to cleanse yourself from what you hold onto, forgive areas that feel dead and discarded. Release those you dislike from the power of your dislike. The dead trees are as much of a part of the landscape as the living trees.

Tree Goats of Morocco

Trees are worth more living than they are dead.
-Prince

Don't live in the past, embrace the present, who you are, and seek within and around you the understanding or elements that would help you be a kinder or a wiser soul or both. Pull those strings of you together, gather up the energy and bring it into the now. Here I am, in the present. How do I best move forward in the present? There is the yoga of contemplation and meditation, and there is also the yoga of action. There are many different kinds of yoga - see which you like. I am exploring too. Anytime I have gone through immense shifting or change in my life, I have needed to seek deeper faith and sometimes I have contemplated what ancient texts say, and then sit in silence and marvel at how my questions evaporate for a time.

Artistic rendering of Racine's Phèdre

Everything is illusion. Why chase the illusions: everything is temporary. Can you live without so much judgment, can you cultivate clearer perceptions? How do we still the mind, have disregard toward the wicked, have compassion for the suffering, and celebrate those who have compassion and love? How do we let go of that idea of self even when we have minor success in that?

Life is a lot of ignorance, a lot of fear, ego, attachment to living and survival, and a lot of avoidance of suffering. But is that really living? Inquire about your source. Identify your inspirational texts, thinkers, doers, or images.

Right thinking, right speech, right living, these are hard to get "right" - but when you see other persons and the light they carry within, when you read texts that make you truly think and reflect, when you develop a practice, when you seek... at least you can be semi-confident in what you are seeking. Maybe dharma means to do your duties with a clear conscience, as a devotional painting.

Pariksit hearing, rendering based on Part II of the Bhagavata Purana

Peace and wellness, good education, nutrition, and excellent healthcare for all.
Namaste