The Celebration of Longing

Friday, June 18th by Sterling Ross

The Setting of a Clear Intention

Zephyr Cove, Lake Tahoe, Nevada - 2010

We are at a point in time where Science is more common than Spirituality. Where Technology is given more value then Humanity. Yet this is a pivotal moment, just as every moment is, for we are on the verge of a Global Awakening. A potential Mass Realization, but one that is tethered by an ever increasing sense of urgency that is keeping us constantly busy and endlessly on the move.

So it means the world to me, that you have arrived here, present in this moment, and that you have made time for The Celebration of Longing.

We are all delivered here, into this existence, born into this life, with a universal desire, a common sense of longing. This innate gift is often confused and is easily distracted, but it is never absent nor forgotten even if it remains unidentified.

Inside of everyone is a feeling of being separate. This feeling is the longing or desire to connect with the source of life. The truth is we are not separate. We are each connected to everyone and everything. We are all one and the Celebration of Longing is realizing this connection and that the longing itself orchestrates the symphony of life.

This longing is what drives us all to be. All of our actions, whether conscious or not, are propelled by this unknown desire. If you are hungry, that hunger moves you to eat. If you are cold, you seek warmth. Without this longing, there would be no movement and no interaction in life.

The truth is, this longing can never truly be satisfied by anything in the tangible world, but this hasn't stopped any of us from trying and we all essentially do the same thing. We attempt to satisfy our unknown longing with experiences derived from things outside of ourselves.

Some of us keep so busy that we are perpetually distracted from realizing our true desire. We keep busy with work, or family, or school. We distract ourselves with sports, shopping, television, and the Internet. We create experiences with drinking, dating, or drama.

Some of us to turn to others for guidance or direction. Some of us turn to others to fill the sense of longing that has eroded into a gaping hole in the center of the chest. Its like you have this bleeding heart and you try to put someone or something inside the hole to stop the bleeding.

This was precisely my method of choice. I swore it worked and I broke the process down to two simple steps. Step 1, Find someone you like. Step 2, Push them into your heart to stop the bleeding that was caused by the last person that didn’t quite fit. Easy!

Once upon a time I was so sure that I had found the one. She fit perfectly and stopped all the visible bleeding. I was so convinced that she was the one that I gave away everything I owned, moved to another country, and got a job.

This was brilliant, until my heart erupted like a geyser when I discovered she satisfied someone else's insatiable longing.

So there I was gaping, bleeding, and with nothing to plug the hole. I had nowhere to turn and couldn’t sit at home, so I marched out into the world, armed with my camera and no sense of direction. I found myself basking in the beauty of nature. Broken hearted and abandoned, I fell in love with the seductive shapes and shades of the Mother Nature. I found she was everywhere, surrounding me, and whenever I needed her comfort, she was always there. The more I admired her grace and beauty, the more she opened up, and the more I saw that there truly is beauty everywhere.

I collected these intimate moments, the naked beauty of our world, and they filled me with such inspiration that I was soon overflowing with love and appreciation for life. This inspiration introduced me to new ways of embracing the beauty of life, such as yoga, meditation. These practices gave me the space to open up to and ultimately connect directly with the source of longing. The longing that simply longs to be longed for.

The essential thing I have discovered on this path of pursuing desire, is that it doesn't stop. The longing can not be quenched by anything outside of ourselves. We may briefly have the illusion of it being satisfied due to the physical condition of filling our bellies, finding warmth, or shoving someone into the hole in our chest, but the longing simply takes on a new form, lures you in a new direction, and will continue to do so, endlessly because it is the motivation of existence.

When you make space in your life to connect directly with this source of life, the inspiration of longing, it becomes clear, beyond any shadow of a doubt that the purpose of life is to honor this connection in every waking moment and to inspire others to find this connection in their own way.

The Celebration of Longing is the savoring and appreciation of the desire, and the honoring of the object that has inspired the desire. It is the celebration of the fact that you are inspired, a celebration of inspiration itself, and an honoring of that which has inspired the desire. It is proclaiming to your beloved “I am in love with the joy and appreciation for life your reflection inspires within mine. Thank you for being the catalyst of my creativity and a joy to experience.”

And do you know what happens then? Well, let’s just say when you bring two “hole” people together the relationship has a couple holes, and when you bring two “whole” people together you experience a whole lot of love.

I would like to share some of that love with you now. Here is a highlight of the moments of inspiration I have received from the source of longing. Each of these pieces holds a clue, a message from the source, and each of them invoke a feeling within me, that I am honored to share with you now.

This is the celebration of the longing for freedom. This scene invokes within me a sense of freedom and with that feeling comes an understanding that freedom is not something that will ever be given to you. Whether you are in a prison or a palace, freedom is something that you must desire and pursue, but it is there, everywhere, patiently waiting for you. Freedom Awaits on the Shores of Desire

The celebration of the longing for companionship. A single shell, a sense of solitude, so peaceful and steady. When you find your connection to the source of all that is, you are never truly alone. When you honor the relationship between yourself and God, between yourself and your higher self, between yourself and the source of life, all other relationships are in perfect harmony, you are filled by a well-spring of love and peace, and you are never alone. There is Nothing Lonely About Being Alone

The celebration of the longing for the grace of life. The grace of life is the current of love and inspiration that flows through the stream of consciousness. Every moment is held by this grace and receiving it is simply a matter of opening and allowing it to flow through you. Any pain or negativity in life is resistance to this natural goodness and through the process of letting go we are able to open up to the true love and grace that permeates all of existence. Open to Grace

The celebration of the cessation of longing. And here we taste it, the connection to the Source of Longing. Through meditation it is possible to connect directly with the longing of life. When your longing aligns with the longing that longs to be longed for, you become one with the grace of life and you are filled with peace and clarity. Even amidst chaos, when you are still and in the moment, the truth of life becomes clear. The truth of any moment never changes and if we could take a photo that exposed all time we would see that only the love and grace of life rendered in its sweet longing would remain. But in this 30 second exposure we see the truth as... The Sea’s Soul

The celebration of the wisdom and guidance of longing. When we learn to connect with our sense of longing and to make decisions based on what feels right, as opposed to what we think is right, we find that we carry with us the most informative of guidance systems that will always lead us in the right direction. Removing our ego which is informed by our mind which is persuaded by society and external forces, we find we can make the best choices that aid and benefit everyone involved. You Do Have a Choice

The celebration of longing for acceptance. This moment is our existence, your awareness is the leading edge of cosmic intelligence. This moment is absolute perfection and if it could be any other way, it would be. Accepting the moment is accepting the grace and gift of life. Take root and bloom where you are planted.

The celebration of the longing for innocence and imagination. All the wisdom in the world is useless without a sense of humor or happiness. The child-like innocence and enthusiasm for life is full of imagination and inspiration. Remember to look at the world as if it were your first time, through the eyes of a child, and you will see... Bows and Arrows.

Ultimately this will all fade away. Our thoughts will fade away, our bodies will fade away. This island will sink into the sea and fade away. Even the Sun will fade away. The Earth will grow cold and fade away. The galaxy will spiral on and fade away. The Universe, in all of its teeny tiny microscopic vastness, it too will fade away.

But one thing will remain. This sense of longing. This longing that will grow so strong with its desire to be longed for that it will be physically unable to contain itself and will burst in a big bang of enthusiasm, giving birth to a new Universe with new galaxies, new Suns and new Earths. With new oceans and new islands we will crawl from the sea, swing from trees, scratch our heads, and learn to celebrate longing all over again.

Between now and then this longing wont change. So the next time you want a beer, savor and appreciate your desire for that beer. Hold it up as an offering to the Celebration of Longing. When you find yourself eating sushi and you proclaim that you are happy, celebrate that feeling and honor the sense of happiness. When you wake up in the morning with the excitement of what might be, celebrate that feeling and honor the sense of excitement. When you meet someone and you are filled with rockets of inspiration and appreciation, celebrate and share that feeling. Hold them softly, savor them sweetly, like a tender flower that refreshes the moment with the fragrant scent of longing.

Thank you so much for letting me share my feelings and inspirations with you. It has been an honor. Now let’s celebrate!