12.14.08
Word (Phrase) of the Week 12/14/08
Palms-Up
Placing the hands outwards with palms facing upwards.The idea of holding ones palms up is not uncommon in many spiritual traditions, Eastern and Western. Often in supplication to the “higher power” or Universal Mind, or as a symbol of letting go into either a spiritual or emotional experience, there is something to be said about applying this simple position on a daily basis. I like to weave it as a practice into the fabric of my broader personal and familial culture. For me, “palms-up” is both an energetic and attitudinal asana (pose/posture), and also actual phrase spoken and unspoken as I walk through my day and face the many mundane and exceptional choice-points (phrase for another week – PFAW) that pop up.
Ultimately it is about being attachted to or wanting some outcome (experience, feeling, object, person, etc.) and instead of holding onto that result tightly with closed fists, we open our hands to provide a landing space for the Universe to descend upon in ways we likely can’t anticipate and with abundance (PFAW) we have not imagined.
If you, for example, held a pen (one that you really want or don’t want to lose) in your hand and held it with a closed fist – facing any direction but upwards - you have to apply a lot of effort (which = stress) to keep that pen in place. As soon as you open your hand to lessen that stress the pen will fall out and away from you, at least on Earth where gravity is a fact of life!
On the other hand (as it were) imagine holding that pen with and open palm. It just sits there, without any effort on your part. You still have the pen, but do not have to do anything but provide a place for it to be.
When I recently married, my beloved and I held each others hands by placing them in our open palms as a way of receiving each other fully, in all our our glorious and imperfect beings. And we were also saying, in a way, to the Universe: “We are ready for your blessings, both known and unknown, we are together for this leap in to the mysteries that will unfold and by these open palms, we make space for that and more.”
Palm’s-Up – A simple saying or position that can save stress and increase abundance.
Hanan Says: The Blog » Word (Phrase) of the Week 12/21/08 said,
December 21, 2008 at 8:31 pm
[...] by working on letting go, forgiving ourselves and others of past grievances and taking a more palms-up approach to the season we can actually do some unpacking of our spirits, and not just our gifts. [...]
Hanan Says: The Blog » Word (Phrase) of the Week 1/11/09 said,
January 11, 2009 at 9:28 pm
[...] joy, as they play a sport they have played since being children. And with that joy has come more abundance, today demonstrated in another logic-defying [...]