My love, say yes to life, to the whole spectrum.

Devour the pain, devour the pleasure, making no distinction.

Let life all of the way in,

with sensation penetrating your inner most caverns.

When you’re tempted to resist, soften,

pry your rib cage open and stretch the wings of your heart

to accommodate what’s arrived at your doorstep.

When you’re tempted to cling, soften,

pry open your grip and release the cage of your clutches

because darlin you never have to hold onto what’s truly meant for you.

When a whirlwind of turbulence rages around you,

command your roots deep into the generous earth and stand as an unshakable force of nature.

When a door is slammed in your face, smile,

and let the tide of trust well up in your body washing away any whispering doubts.

When a demon creeps out of the crevasses of your psyche,

give him a wink, slap his ass, and invite that old friend in for a drink.

Then and only then will aliveness drip from your lips.

Then and only then will your angel be in balance with your devil.

To the degree in which you can embrace the depths

is the degree in which you can play in the heights.

If your soul’s tastebuds long to lick ecstasy and get drunk on beauty,

then it’s time to strike up a dance with your shadowy skeletons.

And my love remember,

It probably took many incarnations

to land in a bone and flesh tabernacle wired with the electricity of a human nervous system,

so don’t let a single sensation pass you by.

It will be terrible. It will be beautiful.

And you, my darlin, will be fully alive.