today is the brighton (england) pride celebration. the town is festooned with rainbow flags and joyful people of all genders and identities. the sun is shining and the mood is contagious.
many years ago, when the rainbow flag was adopted by the gay community (later shared by the wider LGBT community) i noticed that one colour was missing, indigo. i wondered why. there are seven colours in the human visible spectrum. indigo sits comfortably between blue and violet. why were there only six on the flag? too hard to manufacture indigo? maybe. it is a difficult colour to reproduce. and yet, i felt denied of its richness.
i was aware, even then, that indigo had an association with the yogic energy system. it is related to the ‘third eye’ energy centre (chakra, in sanskrit). this centre is held to be the focus of wisdom.now, as an elder, i want my wisdom acknowledged. i want it displayed proudly along with all of the other rainbow colours of my being.where has wisdom gone? why is it consistently disregarded and undervalued? where are the elders to hold the wisdom of long experience? how can we pass this wisdom on in a world filled with information and sound bytes which pass as knowledge?we, as elders, have been ignored and sidelined.it is time to stand up and be proud!maybe we should have a flag of our own.
the five remembrances
the beloved zen teacher thic nhat hanh has reworded the traditional buddhist five remembrances for modern times. these are short aphorisms that can be used as the object of meditation practice, or as simple reminders of the truth of human existence.
- I am subject to aging. There is no way to avoid aging.
- I am subject to ill health. There is no way to avoid illness.
- I am going to die. There is no way to avoid death.
- Everyone and everything that I love will change, and I will be separated from them.
- My only true possessions are my actions, and I cannot escape their consequences.
many people see these as morbid and depressing. i find them uplifting and liberating. as i read them i sink deeply into the reality of life...this is how it is. from here i can choose how i act. the fifth of these remembrances allows me freedom and carries great responsibility.certainly i have learned about the consequences of my actions. i am living with them daily. this reminds me that, from the perspective i have now as an elder, i can make decisions with different values, different priorities than i did even ten years ago.in the last year i moved into a property for people over 55. at 71 i’m one of the youngest people here. and i’m so happy i’ve made this choice. i wouldn’t have done this ten years ago. i made this choice when i realised that climbing up to the second floor with a load of groceries would become very difficult. i wanted to move on my timetable, not that of my landlady. she could ask me to move at any time. now i am secure in my housing and i moved when i still had the energy and motivation to choose wisely.often this choice is made more difficult by owning property and having lived in it for decades. we become attached to the past, unwilling to grieve and let it go. and, remembrance number 4 reminds us that everything i love will change and i will be separated from them. if i truly remember this i can prepare. i can begin to let go before letting go is forced upon me by circumstances of health, finance, mobility or any of the thousands of other possibilities.these 5 remembrances allow me to open to change, to welcome it as adventure, and to honour it by grieving. if i truly allow the loss to move through me i can be with it until it too changes. i can allow it to transmute into a different form of energy, one that might enliven me and energise me.