The bridge was packed shoulder to shoulder as we crossed into the market. I had my eyes glued to the guide a few steps ahead of us. Kisma has always been better at moving through dense crowds than me.
Something bumped my arm. I looked over to excuse myself, only to realize it was a cow. Completely unbothered by the people, heat and dust. Just…being a cow in the middle of everything.
We turned left at the end of the bridge, and walked down 3 or 4 doors.
There we entered a dim and cluttered shop. It was surprisingly quiet despite the chaos just outside. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, stacks of singing bowls revealed themselves. Some piled so high they looked about to topple.
The guide hovered by the door as I dove in. All I told him was that I wanted to buy some singing bowls.
He delivered.
An hour or so later I emerged with this bowl.
There were three in fact. But this is the only one with me today. One was broken in shipping. Shattered, in fact. The other was lost when I moved to CA a few years later.
Which is also when I lost touch with music all together, for a time.
For about 7 years we lived just a 5-minute walk from the beach. And for most of that time, that beautiful bowl sat on a shelf. Untouched.
I didn’t realize what salt air and neglect could do to an instrument like that until one day I picked it up. The etching was practically invisible. Patches of green corrosion marred the inside.
It was a perfect reflection of my own music at the time.
I felt like my Soul was tarnished. And I couldn’t stand it anymore.
I’d polished many a trumpet in my day, so I got out my tools and set to work.
For the first hour, I actually thought it was getting worse. Black on black smeared everywhere. My skin drying from the chemicals.
By the second hour my shoulder and wrists were aching. My fingers starting to cramp. But something was starting to shine through. Every swipe just a little more.
This methodical work suits me sometimes. My mind starts to let go in the simple repetition. Eventually it wandered into one of my favorite teachings from Vedanta. One that was shockingly relevant in real time.
A brass bowl is always brilliant. You just have to remove the tarnish and debris to see it.
The same way that the inner Self is always brilliant. Always perfect. You just have to remove the dust and distortions to see it.
We are prone to neglect. Life is just too busy with too many distractions. The most important things getting lost in the mix. Too simple to grab attention. Too familiar to compete.
But the truth under it all never fades.
The perfection of you.
Not just the divine spark at the core of your being. But the amazing expression of your unique Soul.
The gifts that come so naturally you discount them. Thinking they're "normal." The things people thank you for that you barely remember doing.
And countless other nuances that might seem insignificant at a glance, or too common to matter, but when you put it all together, it becomes something more that could only be…
…You.
That's the brilliance. Not some polished, perfected version of you hovering on an ever receding horizon. The one that's already here, doing what you do, in your weird little ways, without even trying.
And yes, the tarnish is real.
Whether we actively hide those parts of ourselves, tucking them away on a dusty shelf.
Or simple neglect. Too caught up with everything happening around us and inside us that we forget to swipe away the tarnish to see what’s underneath.
It’s easy to look at the tarnish with blame or self-criticism. Or think it’s too big a job, putting it off for another day.
Especially as memory of the natural brilliance fades with time. It’s easy to forget why we’re bothering with all that effort in the first place.
Except you’re not a project. Or a problem to fix.
You’re a human being.
Removing the tarnish isn’t about making you better. It’s about revealing more of who you always were.
The incredible brilliance at your core.
So this Full Moon, think of the ritual as a polishing. (resources below)
Use your journal to find the tarnish. The parts of you that have been neglected. The stories you tell to stay small. And what you already know is underneath, even if it's just a vague recollection.
Then hit play on the Sound Healing and let the swipes happen. Let your own mind work its magic as you let go. To find the hidden connections and wake up the dormant parts of yourself that have been waiting for a chance to breathe.
I meditated on the emerging brilliance for a few more hours before I was done. Shoulder spent. Fingers covered in tarnish. My bowl was ready to sing again.
I’d read that metaphor at least two dozen times before that day. But now I’ll never forget that lesson.
And I hope you won’t either.
Everything that comes after this was built on that simple understanding.
The truth never fades. Even if we forget about it for a time.
Happy Full Moon,
Nick
The Full moon is September 26th about 9:50am Pacific. The energy will be perfect for your ritual over the next few days.
Here are your Full Moon Ritual resources.
Comments