A fine example of being in the world and not of it is when one goes to a family reunion and recognizes the soul family by every indication but doesn't want to put up with anybody's bad behavior. Tentacles run deep: old belief patterns, ancient customs going back to the Pre-Christian era, and habitual behaviors coming home to nibble, sometimes biting hard. The wonderful side of all this is never having to identify with anything from the past. Even under the grimmest of circumstances, it's possible to fall in love with the family and walk away untouched by past conditioning.
The beauty is threefold: there is the moment of recognition ("Oh my God, it's so and so!"), the penetrating point of precipitated energies ("How have you been?"), and the active alertness of a keen awareness that the next sentence isn't necessarily true ("Pretty good. Pretty Good."). However, love flows if one is present in the circumstances because that's all one can do.
In a perfect setting, every person would be 'pretty good' and 'so and so' would be greeted with warm hugs, understanding, and a comforting shoulder to rest upon. At most family reunions, I'd say this may be true. But even truer than true is the abiding presence, and if one is truly listening, the whispers of love's eternal calling never leave the family.
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