This moment itself has no meaning. It is empty save all but possibilities. It is an imagined world that sits always before us. Nothing is certain. There is only the promise of this instant…we are guaranteed nothing more. It is enough.
There are worlds within worlds that wait to be discovered. Our touch extends deeper and farther than we imagine. Each moment drifts before us with a window to these worlds. With awareness and practice we may follow the farthest reaches of our touch. And then the depth that hides shyly in each moment will reveal itself at last.
Tantra is the teaching of touch. We learn to touch fully what lies in every moment. The stroke of flesh holds the mystery of the universe. The breath becomes a vehicle for expansion and union. The eyes penetrate the veils of separation. Our ears embrace songs found in the silence of our wonder. We catch the subtle smells that speak of far away. There is nothing that we do not touch. Yet what is it that we truly ever feel?
Tantras foundation is in the touching of 36 elements or tattvas. This is touching God on every level. The first five tattvas are earth, water, air, ether and fire. From here the elements rise in subtle nature. The next group consists of smell, taste, form, touch and sound. This is the group that concerns us now.
Have we ever really smelled the day? There is a deeper fragrance that floats beneath the layers of the day. It is the smell of the world itself. It is fresh and alive even while full of the decay of each passing moment. It is the smell of life…and of death. These twin souls entwine in the fullness of the moment. Our sense of smell can take us to the depth of these mysteries. We explore each layer, going deeper, deeper and always deeper. There lies no end to our explorations.
We are consumers by nature and necessity. We feed on food, water and air. Yet do we truly taste that which keeps us alive? Do we taste love on the lips of those we kiss? That is the underlying nature of taste. Love is inherent in all that we consume, in everything that passes by lip and tongue. This is the taste that lies beneath the superficial flavor of food and sex. We can kiss our lover and taste their hunger, their desire, and their want. We can savor our food and water as gifts from the Divine. We can taste on a deeper level by experiencing the heart of our food…Divinity itself. In truth we don’t consume…we reabsorb the nature of our deepest self. We taste…who we are.
The tattva of form is the formless world where all forms begin. We begin from nothing…yet from where did the first impression of “us” arise? The nature and form of an oak tree reside as potential within the acorn. The acorn itself holds the mystery of the formless world within its form. We are as the tree and the acorn…born into form while holding the formless world within the flesh of our being. When we kiss another we become the form of one. Our arms open, as does our spirit to embrace and invite the formless to make love within our space. We can look past the form of any object or person and see how the formless molds the unique pattern that brings shape to this existence. We can see with the “artist eyes” of the Creator. The infinite…gazing into a holy mirror…and seeing the length and splendor of its nature staring back. This is the wonder of formless world of form.
There are times when a stroke across the cheek can be felt throughout and within every fiber of our being. This is the element of touch. How can two fingers on a wrist measure the pulse of an entire body? It is not the mere fingers themselves…it is the stilled presence of another feeling into the ocean tide of our blood. When we are presented with the sweetness of a gift…we hold our hearts and proclaim ourselves “touched”. This is the presence of true touch. It is deeper then the flesh…although the skin calls for its caress. It is sacred and leaves us in a state of holy want. We rise to such a touch. Our flesh chills and heats in a flash of anticipation. This is a touch that is felt before the hand. Subtle fingers may read our stories with a single stroke. And subtler still…write the story of our future. This is God touching God. We are the fingertips of eternity…caressing this very moment. This is a touch.
The ocean is heard in the shallow depth of a shell. There are melodies playing in the spheres of our surroundings. We carry the voice of our loved ones soft within our hearts. This is the pure element of sound. In silence we may hear the wonder of the universe play
in a singular mantra. It is the vibration of love…slowed in a warm embrace to play across our inner ears. Sound carries. It reaches in an urgent manner and continues on its way. It never ends…only growing less in subtle understanding. Sound longs for the kiss of ears. Musicians know this intuitively and remain open to its caress. To catch a song, a melody, a poem floating through space and time…the artist listens to the entire universe. Every sound is the sound of God. We are the fortunate songs that play across a lifespan. In this way…we give voice to the deeper “sound” of sound.
To touch on these five tattvas is to touch the entire universe. To consciously caress the elements is to make love with the entire universe. It only takes a single pause…the moment will bring the fragrance and its subtle depth to us. The air that passes by will share its unique flavor with us all. We can see past the form that holds steady before us…and allow our eyes to play in the formless. What we touch…touches us in return…in this way we may caress the world. And all of life is music…we can simply dance to this one-song.
This is a hint of what lies in a meaningless moment. By themselves the tattvas just are.
When recognized…they spring to life…in such a meaningful way.
Love,
Eric
[This message was edited by Ericc on Saturday August 16th, 2003 at 06:33 PM.]
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