tree evening

©fourteenth

I measure myself
Against a tall tree
I find that I am much taller,
For I reach right up to the sun
With my eye;
And I reach to the shore of the sea
With my ear.
Nevertheless, I dislike
The way the ants crawl
In and out of my shadow.
- Wallace Stevens

opening to presence

©fourteenth

In the opening to presence, there are two steps to be understood: first the seeing, that is, the moment when I hold myself entirely under my look; and second, the letting go toward which the look has led me, the release that follow the shock when I see. In order for me to have a real perception, an act of knowing, I need an attention that is as total and as even as possible, an impartial all-embracing look that does not take one side or another.

The most important thing is to discover whether I am capable of such a look. When my attention becomes truly active and my mind acquires the clarity of this look, there is a letting go both in the head and in the rest of the body, which becomes still. At this moment I can experience a Presence that has no need to project outwardly and is maintained under this look. I have the impression that this letting go takes place from top to bottom, and that my inner volume changes, as though no longer confined to my body. Here I approach the meaning of relaxation, not an artificial letting go but one that appears as I understand the act of seeing.

from An Inner Stillness
THE REALITY OF BEING BY JEANNE DE SALZMANN

thanks to Miguel