the e-mail: Was reading recently in a book of “Christian Hermeticism” that aspirants on the path are encouraged– indeed obliged– to endeavor to mature in their mental and emotional constructs to a point that their everyday experience is one where, as scriptures suggest, “my yoke is easy, my burden is light.” For one reason or another, I was struck by the truly revolutionary implications of this admonishment.
In this culture, and particularly for men in this culture, we are most often conditioned to assume that if your own particular yoke is easy, and your burden is light, you are shirking your responsibility! Although people whose yoke seems easy and burden seems light are easy and fun to be with, we know for ourselves that this yoke should be tight enough to choke and this burden heavy enough to bend our backs.
So the question(s) of the week: how easy is your yoke? How light is your burden? Like on a daily walk around basis? Another question: do you have to work to keep it easy, keep it light? What is your default yoke? Your default burden? I have lately been using (on occasion) “my yoke is easy and my burden is light,” as a personal mantra, both in meditation, and while driving down the street, or doing the laundry. Is this fair? What might be the benefits? The pitfalls?
These sunday gatherings are easy yokes, light burdens. Hope to see you soon
The worksheet:
“My yoke is easy, my burden is light.”
Vintage engraving showing a scene from 19th Century London England. A milkwoman with two pales of milk circa 1870.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
- how easy is your daily walk around yoke? How light is your daily walk around burden?
- Do you have to work to keep it easy, keep it light?
- What is your default yoke? Your default burden?
- What might be the benefits of using (on occasion) “my yoke is easy and my burden is light,” as a personal mantra, both in meditation, and while driving down the street, or doing the laundry?
- The pitfalls?
Vintage engraving showing a scene from 19th Century London England. A milkwoman with two pales of milk circa 1870.
