Everything Belongs

A Manifesto of Embodied Awakening

Listen to the song, “Waiting on the World to Change” by Playing For Change: tinyurl.com/WorldInChange

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Everything Belongs: A Manifesto of Embodied Awakening

In the midst of Life-on-Earth’s gorgeous, wrenching, poignant glory, everything belongs. Each yearning I feel to love and be loved, every worry and hope I feel about the future, every confusion that mystifies me and every joy that exalts me: They all belong to the chaotically magnificent totality of being human.

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The Sacred Messiness of Being Human

I don’t banish my ego’s longings as being beneath me. I don’t deride my psyche for feeling fear. I honor all the phenomena that arise inside me as streams in the flow of being a soulful, struggling, ever-questing human.

My desires aren’t obstacles to overcome but currents in the river of consciousness leading me home. My anxieties aren’t failures of spiritual progress but the natural trembling of a sensitive soul navigating uncertainty with an open heart.

The tears that come when I witness beauty, the rage that rises when I encounter injustice, the tender vulnerability I feel when reaching for connection: These aren’t deviations from some pure spiritual path. They are the path itself. Each feeling is a sacred messenger carrying intelligence from the Anima Mundi—the World Soul.

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Against Spiritual Bypassing

I reject the cruel “comfort” of teachers who admonish me to rise above my humanity rather than zestfully inhabit it. I refuse the false transcendence that looks down upon earthly concerns from some imagined mountaintop of detachment.

The real “Reality” is not somewhere else in some future paradise or ideal situation. It’s right here amidst the messiness and uncertainty, in the gap between what I hoped would happen and what actually unfolds, in the gulf between my longing and its fulfillment.

My confusion is sacred. My doubt is a blessing. My restless seeking isn’t a sign that I have failed to arrive at an idyllic pinnacle of achievement. It’s evidence that I’m wildly alive and eagerly engaged with the World Riddle, also known as the Divine ArtGameDrama that has no final answers, only more robust questions that lead to ever-deeper wonder.

Listen to the song “Oh, What A World” by Kacey Musgraves: tinyurl.com/TheseAreRealThings

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The Democracy of Experience

Every twist and turn of my life story votes in the democracy of consciousness. The mundane and the mystical, the painful and the blissful, the clear and the bewildering: Each gets an equal voice in the parliament of awareness.

I don’t hierarchize my experiences into “spiritual” and “unspiritual,” “awakened” and “unawakened.” I exult in the fact that consciousness includes everything, excludes nothing, and transforms all of it into the raw material of wisdom.

When I feel anger at the atrocities perpetrated by the Trump administration, that too is the Divine expressing itself through the particular configuration of matter and energy I call “me.” When I experience profound peace and gratitude for the blessings I’ve been given, that’s not more divine than the anger. It’s another note in the infinite symphony of the Great Mystery.

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The Enlightenment That Includes Everything

I don’t aspire to rise up into some perfectly calm and featureless zero point where all preferences have been dissolved and all personal stories have been erased. That’s not awakening; it’s spiritual death.

My enlightenment and awakening are here now, alive in the ever-shifting dramas we are all creating together, dynamic and messy and gloriously particular.

Real awakening doesn’t transcend the human bustle. It inhabits it with such brimming presence that every gesture becomes a sacrament, every word becomes a prayer, every breath becomes intimate communion with the Divine Intelligence. I don’t aspire to escape the human condition; I want to love it so truly that it unveils its sublime nature.

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The Courage of Belonging

This belonging requires courage. It’s easier to reject parts of ourselves, to push away the uncomfortable emotions, to judge the ego’s desires as unworthy.

But the path of integration demands that I meet everything with the same quality of presence I would offer to a beloved friend in distress.

My grief belongs. My ecstasy belongs. My confusion belongs. My clarity belongs. My fear belongs. My love belongs. Not because they are all “good” in some conventional sense, but because they are all genuine expressions of consciousness exploring itself through the interesting xperiment of being me.

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Living the Paradox

I am simultaneously infinite and finite, eternal and temporal, ripe and evolving. I don’t need to resolve this paradox; I strive to live it with all my liberated soul unleashed.

In my particularity, I touch the universal. In my limitations, I discover the limitless. In my humanity, I find the divine not as something separate from my experience but as the essence of what it means to be consciously alive on this beautiful, broken, beloved planet.

The awakening is not coming. It’s here. Not despite the complexity and contradiction of human life, but because of it.

Every moment of genuine presence, every act of authentic expression, every instance of real intimacy with what is: This is enlightenment embodied, awakening actualized, the divine living itself as the gloriously messy miracle of being human.

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Listen to the song “Up To The Mountain” by Patty Griffin: tinyurl.com/ToTheMountaintop

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Unconditional — by Jennifer Welwood

Willing to experience aloneness,
I discover connection everywhere;
Turning to face my fear,
I meet the warrior who lives within;
Opening to my loss,
I gain the embrace of the universe;
Surrendering into emptiness,
I find fullness without end.

Each condition I flee from pursues me,
Each condition I welcome transforms me
And becomes itself transformed
Into its radiant jewel-like essence.
I bow to the one who has made it so,
Who has crafted this Master Game;
To play it is purest delight;
To honor its form — true devotion.

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Jennifer Welwood is here: jenniferwelwood.com

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Links to all my other stuff: linktr.ee/robbrezsny

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

For the Week of October 2

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In ancient Egyptian myth, the goddess Maat ruled truth, divine law, harmony, and moral order. After death, each person’s heart was weighed against Maat’s feather of truth on a scale in the Hall of Judgment. If the heart, which embodied the essence of a person’s actions in life, was equal in weight to the feather, the deceased was assessed as virtuous and cleared to continue to the glorious afterlife. If it was heavier . . . well, I’ll spare you the details. Maat’s scales were not symbols of punishment, but of fairness and justice. That’s also your special power right now, Libra. You have subtle insight into every choice. You understand that your wisdom is best used to bless, not censure. My hope is that you will foster gentle clarity and offer forgiveness to all, including yourself. Lay down the old guilt! Let grace be the law!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The I Ching is an ancient divinatory book compiled in China over 2,500 years ago, Amazingly, it’s still quite useful. In accordance with astrological omens, I call your attention to one of its oracles: “Work on What Has Been Spoiled.” It tenderly counsels us to be brave as we repair what’s broken. But it’s crucial that we make the correction with patient grace, not blame and anger. The good news, Scorpio, is that you now have an uncanny ability to discern what’s out of tune, what’s crooked, what has been wrongfully abandoned. I hope you will offer your genius for re-weaving. A frayed friendship? A neglected dream? A forgotten promise? You can play the role of restorer: not to make things as they were, but to render them better than they’ve ever been.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In ancient Egypt, the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet wielded both intense heat and nourishing warmth. She had the power to destroy and heal. When outbreaks of chaos threatened, she incinerated them. Once order and balance returned, she served as a physician. I dare you to summon your inner Sekhmet, Sagittarius. Give your bold attention to an obstacle that needs to be crushed or an injustice that needs to be erased. If necessary, invoke sacred rage on behalf of sacred order. But remember that the goal is not merely combustion. It’s transmutation. Once the fire has cleared the way, unleash your gorgeous cure.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In Nepal, there’s a tradition among Sherpa mountaineers. Before ascending Mt. Everest, they perform a ceremony led by a Buddhist monk or Lama. It’s a way to honor the sacredness of the mountain, ask for grace during their climb, and return from the journey in good health. As you eye the peak ahead of you, Capricorn, consider making similar preparation. Ritualize your intention. Direct it with clarity and care. Bless your journey before you surge forward.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When people call something “glamorous,” they usually mean it has an elegant, captivating style. Its beauty is sophisticated and luxurious. But the original meaning of “glamour” was different. It referred to a deceptive magical enchantment designed to disguise the truth, whipped up by a conjurer or supernatural being. That’s the sense I want to invoke now, Aquarius. You have been seeing through the glamour lately—of the media, of consensus reality, of false stories. Now it’s time to go even further: to actively tear down illusions and dismantle pretense, preferably with tact. When you see through the spell, don’t just call it out—transmute it into clarity.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Pisces-born Nina Simone (1933–2003) started playing piano when she was three years old. At age 12, her debut concert was a classical recital. She developed a yearning to become the first Black female classical concert pianist. But her dream collapsed when the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music refused to let her study there. Then came the plot twist. She redirected her disappointment ingeniously, launching a brilliant career as a singer, composer, and pianist that won her global fame. The rebuff from the Curtis Institute was ultimately a stroke of good luck! It became a catalyst for her greatness. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to designate a frustration that you will use to fuel future success.

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Listen to the song “You Can’t Kill Light” by Monica Pasqual: tinyurl.com/CantKillLight

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): In Zen Buddhism, satoris are sudden flashes of illumination that are fun and clarifying. I’m happy to tell you that you’re in a phase when these sweet breakthroughs are extra likely to visit you. They may barge in while you’re washing dishes, in the grocery store check-out line, or during your fantasies before sleep. Be on high alert for intimations from the Great Mystery. PS: Some satoris could be gems you already half-knew.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You are eligible to be named “The Most Brilliant and Effective Complainer” for October. If you want to secure this prestigious award, spend time organizing plans for changing what’s amiss or awry. Decide which irritating off-kilter situations are most worthy of your thoughtful attention. Figure out how to express your critiques in ways that will engage the constructive help of others. And then implement a detailed strategy to compassionately achieve the intriguing transformations.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): On certain medieval maps, an island paradise known as Hy-Brasil had a fuzzy presence west of Ireland. Did it truly exist? If so, it was said to be a blessed land that could restore lost youth and offer extravagant happiness. The place was thought to be rarely visible, and only under certain magical or auspicious conditions. I suspect you Geminis are within range of an experience like this. It won’t appear in a specific location but as a state of mind that settles over you. Don’t chase it. Allow it to find you.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): A stalactite is a stony formation that hangs like an icicle from the ceiling of a cave. It forms over long periods as mineral-rich water drips down and incrementally deposits hard calcium carbonate through precipitation. This marvel is an example of earth’s creativity at its most leisurely. A four-inch-long stalactite might take a thousand years to make. With that as your seed thought, Cancerian, I invite you to attune yourself to the slowest, deepest, most ancient parts of your soul. Important developments are unfolding there. A wound that’s ripening into wisdom? A mysterious yearning that’s finally speaking in your native tongue? Be patient and vigilant with it. Don’t demand clarity all at once. Your transformation is tectonic, not flashy. Your assignment is to listen and be receptive.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): When bilingual speakers engage in the behavior known as “code-switching,” they may begin a sentence in one language and finish it in another. Or they may move back and forth between two different languages as they deliver a discourse. Why do they do it? To enrich their meaning, to dazzle their audience, to play and experiment. In a larger sense, we could say that code-switching happens anytime we swivel between different styles of presenting ourselves: from formal to casual, serious to humorous, cheerful to skeptical. I bring this up, Leo, because you are in the heart of the code-switching season. Have fun!

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the Arctic, polar bears move through the world not by sight alone, but through scent trails that stretch miles across the ice. Their sense of direction is olfactory, intuitive, and primal. If I’m reading the omens correctly, Virgo, your navigation system will also be more animal than logical in the coming weeks. I advise you to trust subtle cues—like goosebumps, a sweet or sour taste in your mouth, or an uncanny pull toward or away from things. Your rational mind might not be fully helpful, but your body will know the way. Sniff the trail. Access your instincts.

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