Longing – an embodied experience, a desire for change and belonging.

The arduous task of being a human is to balance longing and belonging so that they work with and against each other to ensure that all the potential and gifts that sleep in the clay of the heart may be awakened and realized in this one life.

John O’Donohue – Eternal Echoes: Exploring Our Hunger to Belong.

What are you LONGING for?

‘Longing’ is a pining, a burning desire, a yearning – for something lost, yet to be found or something somehow out of reach.

Longing means change – which is why we are most often so hesitant, inflexible or numb to our longing…

Longing is a powerful aspect of grief – a longing for the lost to be found, the dead to rise, the good-ol-days to reurn…

Longing is different to wishing or hoping – it is a full embodiment, a whole being experience – mind, body and spirit.

‘Longing’ is a whole being experience, that calls your mind, body and spirit together in one focused purpose – for change and fulfilment and belonging.

What do you long for? – this is not a question often asked.. it is such an intimate question.. that asks of our deepest heart and spirit desires…

What does your body burn for? What does your mind pine for? What does your spirit yearn for? With what or whom do you long to belong?

Sit with these questions for a moment.. allow your heart to lead the way toward the longing… the longing that will offer warmth, energy and fulfilment.

What do you LONG for? Wholeheartedly… ? That takes your mind, body and spirit into the realm of flourishing and sacred belonging?

We are often encouraged to move away from our ‘longing’ – it is seen as a waste or a distraction or a pipe-dream… a powerful force that is not attainable?

From the moment you are conceived you ‘LONG’ for belonging and connection – with Mother, the person who carries you… then with your first breath comes a longing for safety within your new world… and with each step and stage throughout life you ‘LONG’ for connection and belonging, so that you feel safe, seen and understood.

Your ‘Longing’, your need for safety and belonging may have not been met – maybe ignored, something you learnt to hide, it was not acknowledge or you believe only brings disappointment. As a child you may have been told that what you need or ‘LONG’ for is not important, too expensive, too energy zapping or a ‘pipe dream’… As adults, what you ‘long for’ may be impractical, out of your control, too time consuming, out of your experience or simply too hard!

Depending on your previous experience, you may have come to believe that what you ‘LONG’ for, the belonging you desire, makes YOU ‘too needy’, ‘too much’, unworthy or undesirable…

But, your ‘longing’ is simply a desire for change – a desire for safety and belonging! A deeper connection to your heart, your creativity, your spirit, or even your ‘God’… to be different in some way.. a desire to feel, be, or move differently… more simply, or more in tune with your own personal rhythms…This longing may invoke emotions or feeling of sadness, regret or grief… but what we long for ‘long’ for may also invoke emotions or feelings of courage, hope or connection and elevation.

What you ‘long’ for may be confusing, for you may not know exactly what it is, what it looks like, how to get there, or what steps to take first… but the first step has to be setting your intention and the invitation to listen… to your heart, your body, your spirit.. what you desire, acknowledging what you need to shine or live a balanced and in-tune life…

Your ‘Longing’ comes from your essential need to:

1. feel loved,

2. feel that you belong,

3. feel safe.

So, resting on these three grounds of LONGING, ask yourself these few questions for clarity and discernment.

• Will you feel that you belong once your longing is satisfied?
• Do you feel unsafe and what you long for fulfils that need?
• Do you long to feel loved? What are a few ways you feel loved right now?

Mirabai Starr speaks of our ‘longing for God’ or our ‘longing for connection’ to spirit, universe, or whatever your world view requires. Our connection and belonging to and in God – in a contemplative fashion as an intimate encounter…

And so, I bring to you the idea that your ‘longing’ is actually a spiritual necessity – a desire to be who you were born to be in relationship – to God, to others, to yourself… an intimate relationship that asks, invites and encourages your ‘be-longing’, your life imperative, to be fulfilled, held and realised.

‘Longing’ is also a ‘beckoning and exhilaration’… a pull and an awakening… an invitation and a letting go… there is a sorrow that is felt with our ‘longing’ for we also know that you must release or let go of something, or say goodbye to something as a result of moving into and toward your longing… saying goodbye to the illusions that have held you, propped you up.. kept you safe all this time.

Your ‘Longing’ is a window into your soul, a window into your sacred heart – an ‘invitation’ into YOU!