Unknowing

When I awoke on Sunday morning last weekend, in the in-between waking and dreaming states, a phrase was literally being chiselled into my becoming conscious mind, it said "get caught in the act of unknowing, there is a space here for you to shine". As it turned out, I had a kind of awkward, difficult day that day, not really shining with unknowing at all. I am interested though; these words had announced themselves from my unconscious in a curious way, so I could imagine, wanted to be known. Naturally I googled 'unknowing', as well as the obvious 'lack of awareness and knowledge', I quickly found 'The Cloud of Unknowing' a classic medieval text on contemplative prayer. A quote struck me as rather beautiful "For it is not what you are nor what you have been that God regards with his most merciful eyes, but what you would like to be." Somehow this brings a tear to my eye, it feels like a balm for the difficult-ness I found in that day. Perhaps 'unknowing' is resting in this in-between state, just below the surface, in which we can let go for a moment, what we have been and even what we 'are', creating space so that more of ourselves and our deepest intentions 'what we would like to be' can come through.

I think in this way unknowing can be related to shiatsu. In the space that is co-created between the shiatsu practitioner and the recipient, there is a deep listening to the body, giving rest and pause, perhaps there is a current of unknowing, the potential for just a bit more of an individual to come through.