(Untitled)
Don't look up
by yourself
at the sky where stars meet--
the wind from the Milky Way
blows cold.
How I envy the Tanabata Stars
their once-yearly lovemaking tonight--
in this world,
there is a woman who doesn't know what love's future may be.
--Izumi Shikibu
Tanabata (translates as weaver or loom)--known as the Festival of Lovers, this celebration is centered around an old Chinese legend, the story of two lovers, Shokujo & Kenju. Shokujo, a princess, was asked by her father to weave a heavenly cloth, but instead, she met and fell in love with the common shepherd Kenju. When her father learned of his daughter's disobedience, he banished his daughter and her lover to the sky in a rage. The King dictated that they could only meet once a year on Tanabata (July 7), but when the lovers attempted to meet, they could not cross the distance between them. Taking pity, the lovebirds spread their wings between the two, creating the Milky Way, and in this way Shokuju and Kenju are able to be together once a year. The two stars associated with the Festival are Altair and Vega, on opposite sides of the Milky Way.
What is it about love that sometimes makes us feel like Shokujo & Kenju, and sometimes the King himself?
We live in a state of being love, yet we imagine we can parse it out as if we might not have enough for the long haul, or someone might need a little more than we can spare, or the timing is just not right, the doubts are too cavernous and uncertainty is a constant companion.
Why do we sleep walk through all the love we simply are? How do we wake up to this love?
May we find the love we so deeply deserve, a love that exists without reserve, without qualification, unborn, undying. It's right here.
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