“…I have come to see that mental states are also ecosystems.  These sometimes friendly and at times hazardous terrains are natural environments embedded in the greater system of our character.  I believe it is important to study our inner ecology so that we can recognize when wea re on the edge, in danger of slipping from health into pathology.  And when we do fall into the less habitable regions of our minds, we can learn from these dangerous territories.  Edges are places where opposites meet.  Where fear meets courage and suffering meets freedom.  Where solid ground ends in a cliff face.  Where we can gain a view that takes in so much more of our world.  And where we need to maintain great awareness, lest we trip and fall.  Our journey through life is one of peril and possibility—and sometimes both at once.  How can we stand on the threshold between suffering and freedom and remain informed by both worlds? …I have come to see the profound value of taking in the whole landscape of life and not rejecting or denying what we are given.  I have also learned that our waywardness, difficulties, and ‘crises’ might not be terminal obstacles. They can actually be gateways to wider, richer internal and external landscapes.  If we willingly investigate our difficulties, we can fold them into a view of reality that is more courageous, inclusive, emergent, and wise—as have many others who have fallen over the edge.”

Taken from Standing at the Edge, an excellent book by Joan Halifax.

 

Be well, be happy, and join me often at OneAndAllWisdom.com.

 

Glenda Taylor