The Mother Manifests in Many Forms

May 10, 2020

Dawn is just breaking. The birds are not yet singing. The fierce winds of night are silent as if breathless in the suspension between dark and light, out breath and in breath, and past and future. It is the magical moment before time takes another leap into the dawn of a new day, the day we now call Mother’s Day.

As a Mother of five, Grandmother of 12 and now a Great-grandmother, I meditated through the night holding all children of all ages in the embrace of my elderly arms. These arms never seem long enough to embrace all Beings, to protect them from the ravaging impact of this virus’s whims upon our lives.

One day years ago, when my youngest daughter was only 6 years old, I rested my forehead on hers, “Oh Mira I sighed, I wish I could just download all the experiences I have had in life so you can learn from my mistakes so you don’t have to repeat them.”  She then wisely said, “Mother, those are your thoughts and your memories. I must make my own and learn through my own experiences. You cannot do it for me.”
Now, it is the time of Mother’s Day again as I write this with a Mother’s love of all children of every age. It is written with the love that goes beyond boundaries of “yours and mine.” As I have found throughout the years, all Beings are the children of the Universal womb of all creation. This can manifest in the Earthly Mother in many forms from fierceness to serenity, and nurturer to warrior.

In some paths of Yoga, we honor the Mother in a variety of manifestations. This powerful ancient archetype was the only one who could conquer the forces of darkness that were taking over all worlds. In a timeless myth, this all-powerful Being was created and blessed by the Lords of Light as the all compassionate Universal Mother. She was the only one who was powerful enough to slay the demon of darkness and restore order and balance to the Universe.

Last night, I thought of what the Mother connotes in various cultures. One does not have to have a child to be a Mother. Sometimes our Dharma or purpose on this earth may be to serve our microcosmic family. Others may come to this earth not to have their own children but to serve those already here…the macrocosmic family. Then there are times when our life’s purpose on this earth may be to serve both.

Today, there are so many ways in which we can serve others through these rapidly changing times. One of the lessons of the Universal Mother is to hold, nurture and protect her children with one arm while fighting the battle of injustice with the other. Whether we are born into a male or female body, at this juncture of history (herstory), we can hold in consciousness the healing of all peoples and nations, and lift above any imbalances and divisions of our past.

May this celebration of the Mother usher in a new dawn of a new day of the ever-expanding light of universal consciousness. May we hold the space of healing for our own balance in these times of evolutionary change. May we transcend our own fears and past limitations to truly be there to serve another? How can we serve others we may ask? The Sufis would say, “Go where the way opens!”  May these historic times be a gift of healing to you, your family, our nation and our world.

Now I heard the doorbell ring, and there at the entrance was a magnificent bouquet of gorgeous flowers! What a perfect reminder from my children that perhaps this day of the remembrance of the Mother is not only about giving, but receiving!
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May all Beings be peaceful, May all Beings be healthy,
May all Beings be filled with the indwelling light of spirit
and the “lightness of Being.”

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