The Kingdom of Both – The Red Book

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Image result for pathway razors edge

Two countries I knew
Two roads I walked
Both were exquisite and fine like the edge of a razor. Exquisite was the joy. Exquisite was the pain
Both flayed me, opened my soul to heights and to depths for which there are no words
One was ruled by the Sun
One was ruled by the Moon
One was filled with light, and joy, and the thrill of growing things
It is hard to breathe there, the air is thin and the light hurts your eyes
One was dark with a sweet, saturating, sadness heavy as the earth
It’s hard to breathe there under that weight, in the stillness, in the dark
One Kingdom promised the answer to dreams and desires of the heart
One Kingdom answered the dread of my deepest fears

Back and forth, back and forth, long I journeyed the bi-polar pathway
As high as I soared, even touching the sun, that far I fell, down, down, down
Longing’s ache, movement, hope’s teasing tug pulled me into the glorious fire, my wax melted and I fell
Great was the fall, epic was the ruin, dry, dusty, darkness, solitude, empty hollow ache
Long I lay there, time’s ticking warped, stretched into intervals that only the shifting Earth can reckon
As the mountains grew and continents shifted, dust settled over me, nothing grew but the rocks
Only silence and solitude and stillness were my companions, grief my nourishment
Then something stirred in me, a movement, an energy, a foreign force that frightened yet awakened me
I rose from the dark earth and made my way into the place between places, that space between light and dark
A region rarely traversed. The powerful pull of the poles seeking to claim me for the left or the right, the good or the bad, for gods or the devils
But I refused, something had changed, I rebelled against them both and was reborn on the utterance of the word No
Neither was my mortal home, neither was the land of my true habitation

The new way was neither/nor, but Both at once
The path, at first unstable, unfathomable, impossible like a drunk man on a tightrope
I learned to let go my clinging, my addiction to knowing, to allow the currents of emotion to wash over me
Stillness, the only way to move in that place between the paradox
And as I surrendered movement I was moved by forces larger than I, changed and rearranged
My pattern resonating with that which has called to me from forever
The lie of the either/or is tenacious and It’s powerful spell can only be starved slowly, never broken
The black sorcery practiced by the ancients continues still, hidden in view
The promise, the lure of distraction, life lived falsely, divided, unaware, asleep on the square, a bird in a cage
The Kingdom of Both is among us, can you not perceive it? Awaken to reality’s dream
Come walk with me here. I need a companion. We need companions to help us balance along the razors edge
Come and lay down your striving, lose all, and find everything here in the Kingdom of Both

28 thoughts on “The Kingdom of Both – The Red Book”

  2. I honestly believe this is your best piece of writing because it is like the pearl of great price. The way of balance is contained therein if one has ears to hear and a heart to believe. 🙂

  7. When I arrived here yesterday, I was not prepared to meet such an arduous journey. I had to go outside, and walk upon the grass, and let the words settle upon me. I have learned not to come to this sanctuary lightly, because I know that things are told, and to simply let them roll off my back would be a great disservice.

    I have come again this evening, to listen and now to return to reading the words, and try not to flutter by that which I know holds not only truth, but describes a way to consider.

    I will return again, and again, and even more times.

  9. “Back and forth, back and forth, long I journeyed the bi-polar pathway…” That sentence keeps popping back into my head. Makes me wonder if people can actually become bipolar from trying to live with one foot in both worlds… Just musing…

  11. Oh my… That is so deep and tragic yet hopeful. And very self-explanatory. Anyone could apply that to their own life. it’s a sermon, really, disenfranchisement and hope. “The lie of the either/or is tenacious and It’s powerful spell can only be starved slowly, never broken…” That line makes me anxious, creates a tension that we have to learn to live with? This one was well worth the effort. It’s as if your whole story is there… Beautiful, darlin’.

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