The life/death/life cycle being what it is, I’ve ended up taking a much longer break than anticipated. For me personally, this has  been a season of grief.  I lost not one, but two beloved aunts, two remarkable women who formed me in so many ways. My Aunt Maureen lived in England so we had precious little face time, but what a long and deep connection heart to heart. My Aunt Bunny lived in NYC so we got to spend much more time together. For that I am so grateful. I only wish I could have had many more years with both of them. Sitting with my Aunt Bunny as she moved through the process of dying was devastating, relieving, exhausting, heart-breaking, shattering, grief-filled — and somewhere, floating around the edges, the memory of grace. This life and our connectedness is so precious. The thread so easily severed. I want to thank everyone who’s reached out during this time. Your outpouring of love is such a gift.

I’m slowly returning to the shapes my life moved in before death intervened. Coming back to this blog for the first time in weeks, I see I started a post on 12/20/10. Our last class before the Winter Holiday Break. That was quite an auspicious evening: winter solstice, lunar eclipse, celestial cycles moving us towards 1/1/11.

Here it is now 2/4/11. Weeks later, and yet, the poem I read that night seems more perfect now.

On the Spirit of the Heart as Moon-Disk
Kojiji

Merely to know
The Flawless Moon dwells pure
In the human heart
Is to find the Darkness of the night
Vanished under clearing skies.

Huge thanks again to DanJ for being the Keeper of Monday Night Class — and for holding class so beautifully while I’ve been away. I look forward to returning this coming week. My love to you all.