Read Between The Labels
The best labels are no labels but we cannot dismiss that they serve a purpose and act as waymarkers on the journey of life. Namely, they give us a clue as to where we are in space and time, helping us to get from point A to point B. They also let us know what it is we truly want and favor, as we choose a given item or brand over another. And, more strikingly, they alert us as to how we may view others and ourselves, prompting us to look more closely at our own judgments and self-worth. The issue is that we want to hold on to the labels and reuse them over and over again, stockpiling our lives, homes, and consciousness with identities and definitions that just aren’t necessary.
When we become accustomed to a certain route to work, we numb ourselves to the newness that is around us, leaving us wondering how it is we got home because we went completely on autopilot. As we attach ourselves to food labels, we may begin to hoard items in our home when there is a big sale, believing that one day we may be in lack of the chosen item. Those are two more blatant examples of how we can become attached and comatose to labels, however, the ones really worth our attention are the ones we give others and ourselves as a means of maintaining a certain role or responsibility.
Nature is a beautiful teacher. She lacks nothing, wants for nothing, and effortlessly goes with the flow. She does not mourn a fallen leaf or shudder at the presence of dark clouds, rather She accepts and trusts all things. She does not even attach herself to a particular season. She feels when it is time to move on to the next and does so without resistance, for a season is just a guideline and is never the same one year to the next. Nature is not static but a continuous energy that ebbs and flows. Her signals for a season are just guide posts, alerting all of nature, and our internal nature, of the appropriate time to hibernate, plant, blossom, and harvest.
As we read between the labels we come to know more about our own nature and the seasons in which we find ourselves, honoring our own process in life and not rushing to the next. It is recognizing the delicate process of listening to our own intuition, which is beyond labels, roles, and identities. The hard work and effort comes when we try to hold on to a certain season in our life rather than allowing the natural process of understanding to unfold, trusting our own intuition.
Reading between the labels is experimenting with the balance of knowledge and intuition. It is abiding in the space in between, in nothingness, in that place without judgments, and recognizing that this is what we are truly made of and the base of any human recipe. In this space, free from labels, definitions, and identities, we are free to just choose, to choose without attachment, and without any sort of residue or expected outcome. We use labels to guide us to this space and then we leave them at the door as we walk through another, free from identity and who we thought we had to be.
On Whole30, as I have read label after label, I realize that I know intuitively what is good for me. I instinctively know what to eat and how to eat it. I know that real food is best, which means there is no need for labels, because what is real does not need one.
A freeing practice is walking through the grocery store, picking up random items, and asking your internal guide, “Will this serve my body in a healthful way?” In that space of silence, an answer will arise and it may surprise you. Even chocolate, when consumed joyfully, is healthy for the body. It is the guilt, shame, and over-abundance of it that leads to something unhealthy. Yet, such a practice in the grocery store with food is a wonderful means of connecting to our intuition and that space beyond labels. It helps us to reclaim our power and the self-knowledge of our own bodies, experience, and seasons.
Labels can point the way but we must be willing to go beyond where they lead. We must be patient and compassionate towards the curious heart that desires something real. It is the offering of pure freedom and self-knowing. Today, may we read between the labels and see what is real about ourselves and those around us. Namaste.