Photography as Meditation: The Friday Flower. Sometimes just photos. Sometimes with writing. Appearing on Fridays.

the tender edge © 2009 Mahala Mazerov

There is a misconception, I think, that meditation and living in close relationship with your heart means your life will go easily.

But being luminous isn’t easy. It isn’t all love and light. It isn’t soft. It isn’t new age-y. And it isn’t an automatic fix for whatever hardships you may have to face in life.

Being luminous means you engage in the continual practice of meeting the tender edges of your heart.

Your love expands, yes. But it comes from including experience with darkness. Not only other people’s suffering, but personal acquaintance with the abyss. And you choose not to run away, soar above it, or wall yourself off from it.

Being luminous means you try to face darkness and light with equal presence. You strive to act from a higher awareness no matter what your world looks like at the moment.

In some sense, you learn to become comfortable with the changing states because you recognize they are just that, changing.

Now, I’ve never been comforted by the words “this too shall pass.” Maybe because they’ve been said by people who didn’t have a clue about the depth of pain I was feeling. Or were said by people uncomfortable with any kind of disharmony, who had no solutions, and wanted to quickly move on.

When I talk about being comfortable with changing states of being what I mean is that impermanence proves to you that it is not your true nature. It proves your essence is indestructible. No matter what life, the world, karma throws at you — no matter the sufferings you bring upon yourself — there is a ground of being that is unstained.

Meditation will meet you there. It will help you find it.

It isn’t easy being luminous. But meditation offers strength and steadfastness, so you can experience the most true and beautiful moments at the tender edges of your heart.