I’ve practised Buddhism for over 30 years but every year I am fascinated by Easter. There is something about the solemnity of Good Friday that gives way to the light of Easter Sunday. Even if you aren’t a practising Christian, there is much that you can gain by looking at the symbolism around this event.
It’s not just about Jesus on a cross. Figuratively we all have moments when we crucify ourselves.
Maybe you feel guilty about the way you treated your partner. Maybe you don’t feel that you deserve to be happy since your Mum passed away. Perhaps you feel guilty devoting so much time to your writing when it doesn’t bring in any money.
These are all ways that we nail ourselves to our own cross.
What is your favourite way of crucifying yourself?
What is your habitual way of crucifying yourself?
What do you normally do when you want help to crucify yourself?
What if you could shine a light into this darkness?
You don’t have to suffer.
Your flaws and imperfections are part of who you are.
We are all a contradiction.
What if you believed that you have some great qualities?
What if you believed that you are capable, even if you are not capable in all areas of your life?
What if you believed that you could improve upon the stuff you are not good at?
What if you believed that you didn’t have to be good at everything?
What if you believed that you could forgive yourself?
We are all shadow and light
Our shadow side helps us to grow. It can help us accept who we are. It can be fuel on our fire to improve ourselves. Or a combination of the two.
This Easter, how can you release yourself from your cross and start anew?
In Buddhism we say that fundamental enlightenment lies on the other side of fundamental darkness. But we have to own our fundamental darkness. That means to have courage to move through it, make efforts to change what we can and accept what we can’t.
We don’t have to be perfect human beings. We just have to accept our greatness and our potential alongside all our karmic impediments.
Keep plodding gently
Happy Easter (and don’t eat too much chocolate 😉)
Cali xx
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
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Here are a couple of articles I have written in the past about Easter. You’ll see a common thread in the opening paragraph.
I think self-love is sooooooo tricky. Sometimes I don't even realize what I'm doing is - as my best friend put it - beating my wings upon the rocks. I wrote a little about this for Sunday's post. I spent years getting the obvious stuff out of my vocabulary but now it's the more insidious things - like thinking I "shouldn't" still be struggling with fear or I "should" be able to _____ (so many fill in the blanks).