On Saturday, April 30 at 4:28pm the moon was new again.
Last month I spoke of the sweetness and simple joy found in Harmony. The idea that “the best of times can be found in the simplest things” carried on through the month. The day after I had posted that focus I left for a five day trip to Pittsburgh to honor the life and path of Fred Rogers. The path that he had manifested so clearly and consistently was one of Kindness, and this informed my focus choice for this cycle. This ethos is also reflected in one of my favorite quotes from Doctor Who – “always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind”.
It is not easy to consistently exhibit Kindness though. In the past week, as I moved to try to write this, circumstances in the world made me truly wonder if I was capable of even attempting to focus on Kindness. The more I was exposed to news, the more I saw large segments of the population fundamentally misaligned from the principles of Kindness and Compassion. I even wondered if they were deserving of my Kindness.
It was then that I recalled an important lesson I learned from my spiritual mentor – we have the freedom to feel however we are called to – but it’s what we choose to do with that feeling or motivation that counts. Abandoning my principles would make me no better than the groups I would stand in opposition to. I am called back to Doctor Who – “hate is always foolish, and love is always wise”.
This was also echoed in the teachings from a class I attended at Beltane this year. This class spoke of the Four Sublime Attitudes of Buddhism, or the brahmavihārās; which are benevolence, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity (or non-attachment). What if it were possible to approach everyone – our friends, our enemies, and the world – in the spirit of these teachings?
This is all wrapped up nicely in the lyrics to the companion song choice for this cycle – Nothing More by The Alternate Routes: “We are how we treat each other and nothing more”.
Wishing you Kindness on your path.