Peaceful Horizons

When I'm stressed and confused, which seems to happen more and more frequently these days, I have a mantra that I chant in my head. It often brings me a sense of peace, but most times it simply refocuses my negative energy in a more productive, orderly, direction. In a word, it stops the insanity!

The mantra comes with a picture of the place where it was born within me. Many years ago I vacationed in the Cayman Islands. The resort where I stayed had a pier which extended far into the ocean. The region was just being developed so the beach was in it's natural state and swimming was prohibited. That meant that except for the occasional docking of a fishing or snorkel tour boat, the beach and the pier were deserted and quiet most of the time.

Every day, just at sunrise, I would take my cup of coffee and pad barefoot to the end of the pier to say good morning to the ocean, the sky and the constant wind. The Caymans remain temperate largely because of a brisk ocean breeze. In the mornings it is so gusty that it dulls ones sense of hearing entirely, making the end of the pier seem even more like a secret hiding place. There I would stand, facing into the wind, gazing across the water to where the ocean met the sky. Some would call it the horizon. I considered it a sacred alter, formed by the two most powerful forces in my universe. For reasons I cannot explain, a prayer formed in my mind. A simple mantra. " Mother ocean give me strength, Father sky give me peace, Brother wind clear my mind, Sister earth keep me grounded. "

If I close my eyes, even at this moment, and chant that mantra, it's as if I am there again. I can smell the salty ocean, feel the wind, and sense the strength and order of these basic elements of life, even amid the daily chaos of my real world.