Mother’s Day Weekend: Lessons on Love, Fear, and Presence
Three-Way Weekend Commemoration
This weekend, May 10 and 11, contains three momentous occasions. Two are birthdays, and one is the United States’ celebration of Mother’s Day. Each celebrated figure has garnered my love and respect for various reasons, which is perhaps why they created this unique intersection in my mind.
The first birthday belongs to Swami Sri Yukteswar, author of The Holy Science, who was born on May 10, 1855. Sri Yukteswar’s pragmatic mastery of peace and astro-scientific understanding underpinned his role as a divine incarnation of wisdom.
The second birthday is of Dr. Wayne Dyer, a psychologist who became a public voice for spirituality. He was born 85 years after the revered swami on May 10, 1940. Wayne authored dozens of books, piloted talk shows, and ran television specials that bridged Western intellectualism with abstract Eastern wisdom.
And of course, with Mother’s Day on May 11, there came much to appreciate about my biological and community mothers.
Overcast skies momentarily stilled the early Saturday in Seattle. Streaming the audio recording of Wayne Dyer reading the Tao Te Ching, my inspiration began to whirr. I sank into and savored that duality of stillness and sound.
Wisdom & Clarity from Swami Sri Yukteswar
“Look fear in the face and it will cease to trouble you.”
Sri Yukteswar
Sri Yukteswar’s wisdom was sometimes so straightforward that one could almost mistake it for common sense. Yet, the nescience of the human condition complicates things.
The human mind is like a self-perpetuating watermill. Unchecked and uncontrolled, it can power itself all day using the thought-currents of stories, opinions, anxieties and sorrows.
If we actively listen to those thoughts, it’s clear that much of our attention is either stubbornly latched onto the past or anticipating and grasping at the future. Both instances contain at least some fear. And oh, how much of our suffering transpires this way!
But if we ground ourselves in the present moment, employing our innate watchful, objective eye, we can realize that our fear is only a fog screen on our consciousness. It’s merely a belief of limitation, inadequacy, shortcoming, or impending doom—it has no basis.
When we discover the falsity of our fear (and better yet, the limitlessness of our true nature), all it takes is our present-minded choice, and concentrated awareness, to extinguish it.
A message of Being from Wayne Dyer
“Remind yourself daily that there is no way to happiness; rather, happiness is the way.”
Wayne Dyer
Wayne Dyer was another strong proponent of mastery over the mind.
Many of us see happiness as a destination—a state of being “out there,” reachable only after getting the best toy in a Happy Meal®, landing a dream job, getting married, or retiring with a hefty bank account. Yet when we get our toy, dream job, marriage, and retirement, we discover that the toy can break, the hours are back-breaking, intimacy loses its sparkle, and that our sense of purpose was at least loosely tied to being productive. In effect, we’re either bummed about the happiness we’ve lost or fixated on finding a new thing to chase.
We damn ourselves by keeping happiness at a distance. The proverbial carrot is dangling in front of our noses, but we can never quite catch it.
Instead of relying on fleeting desires and external circumstances, we can choose happiness as our state of being; we learn to trust, and eventually love, the process. Then, even dismal situations reveal grace and gratitude.
A Broader Embrace of Motherhood
“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh, a beloved Buddhist monk, is only tangentially related to this grouping. However, his words illustrate the profundity of our mothers.
Sometimes, days like this are ill-perceived because not everyone was raised by a loving mother. Those wounded and embittered hearts ache with grief as appreciation posts flood social media.
But here, Thich Nhat Hanh gives us a universal perspective of motherhood—one that applies to our human ancestors, Mother Nature, and the effeminate Divine. Our hands reflect the unique grooves of our immediate mothers, whether they nurtured us or not. They resemble the veined surface of leaves. And at the molecular level, far beyond our regular scope of awareness, there is an intelligent, loving energy maintaining our very forms.
This moment is a culmination of all moments before. Every person to have ever walked this planet is connected to us; we have known, loved, and been many mothers. Love will flood the hearts and minds of those who realize and honor this.
Final Words For this Commemorative Weekend
As the rain drips from the leaves like thoughts from a meditative mind, I find myself in quiet awe of what these three occasions represent. This weekend provides a unique opportunity to reflect on a cultivating inner stillness, choosing joy as a state of being, and honoring life-givers in all their forms.
Though Sri Yukteswar, Wayne Dyer, and our mothers may seem worlds apart—spanning continents, philosophies, and life roles—each offers a timeless invitation to rise above fear, return to presence, and remember the sacred thread that weaves us into one another.
Whether through insight, affection, or simply the miracle of being itself, each voice echoes the same fundamental truth: our lives are not isolated experiences. We are continuations of love, lineage, and awareness.
And when we pause long enough to feel that—not just as an idea, but as a lived experience—we begin to sense the profound wholeness that has always been ours.
⋆.ೃ࿔ :･⚝⭑
*The featured image on this post, which was taken in Hawaii, is inspired by Wayne Dyer and my own beloved mother. Wayne lived and died on Maui. As for my mother? Well, she deserves to live every weekend in the tropics.