I am contemplating on the Katha Upanishad (again). I have a deep calling to read the Katha Upanishad. I learn something from it every time I return. I came to this verse:
'May we light the fire of Nachiketa that burns out the ego and enables us to pass from fearful fragmentation to fearless fullness in the changeless whole.'
The words fearful fragmentation to fearless fullness caught my attention. I felt a deep stirring in my heart with those words. What would it be like to live in fearless fullness? What a wonderful potential!
We all experience fearful fragmentation. Over the course of our lifetime, we have learned to fragment ourselves to fit within family and community. Our fragmentation usually is so that others won't see our shadow parts: our shame, our fear, our anger, our despair, etc. As women especially we learn early that parts of us need to stay 'hidden' from outside. We often learn that it is not safe to be in our bodies. Each time we hid a part of us, we became more and more fragmented. We started to lose the inner alignment of who we actually are. We are at our truest self, a radiant and beautiful being, filled with the unconditional love of Source. We have been given wondrous gifts including our bodies and minds that we may be in service to the greater good. We are marvels and miracles.
For many of us, we lost some of that radiance, marvelous-ness and miraculous-ness over the course of our lifetimes. The challenge that brings is that we also feel disconnected and overwhelmed more of the time than not. We are caught in fearful fragmentation.
So then, the question that comes next is 'how can I live in fearless fullness?' How indeed? According to the tradition of yoga, we have to remember who we are. We have to reconnect to that radiance and inner alignment with our most true and beautiful self. This is done through various ways but, to me, the most significant method, is to undertake a sustained spiritual and contemplative practice - the practice of yoga.
What would your life be like if you lived in fearless fullness? The joy that would radiate from you would change the world. We would see the challenges before us as opportunities. We would build relationships based on knowing that each one of us are pearls strung on the same thread of consciousness. We are all beautiful and worthy of love and understanding. Our fullness would be contagious and would attract others to us!
For me, living with fearless fullness means:
Living in alignment with Source
Quieting the noise in my life to hear my inner guide
Bringing kindness and love to those around me
Working daily to quiet that part of my nature to be critical, judgmental (that is definitely work), and patient
Surrender.
I certainly haven't mastered fearless fullness. I have experienced a glimpse of what that would be like and I am willing to do the work of making it happen.
What do you think? What does fearful fragmentation mean for you? How does it show up in your life? How does it disrupt your ease? What does fearless fullness mean to you? How would your life be if you lived in fearless fullness? Can you even imagine how lovely, radiant and amazing you would be?
Peace and blessings my beautiful ones.
Mary