The Gift of Tears

Human beings are made of love and for love.

Do you remember that, or have you forgotten? I know I had forgotten but I was reminded by my tears. I had forgotten my humanness and got trapped in my conditioning and lost in the dream. But I travelled an ocean of tears to come home, and I am home.

Human beings are the only animals that shed emotional tears. Other animals can produce tears for eye lubrication, but they do not cry in response to emotions like sadness, grief and joy. Our tears are what make us human beings – those in the image of God. Our tears uniquely define us as the painters on this canvas of consciousness. Our tears can awaken us.

Our tears are the bridge between our pain and reality. They are the bridge between survival and creation, scarcity and abundance.

When we awaken, we cry to release our grief and to dissolve the armor that we have been wearing to protect our hearts. My first authentic release of grief occurred in my first Kundalini Yoga class. I sobbed at the end of each exercise and sat in a pool of tears at the end of the practice. I had never felt anything like it, but I KNEW I had to continue. I did Kundalini Yoga on my own every morning before the sun came up. I cried, uncontrollably at times, every day for six months. I had so much conscious and unconscious grief, sadness, trauma and pain buried in my body and wrapped around my heart that needed to be released. And one day those tears just stopped.

They were tears of transformation. Alchemizing anger, resentment, sadness, pain and grief into courage, strength, surrender, compassion, joy and unconditional love. I now shed tears all the time, but they are tears of compassion and joy. It hardly takes anything for my tears to flow today: observing the smallest act of kindness, witnessing suffering of any kind, the sun setting on a calm ocean, reflecting on the love I feel for my children and even just being alive.

We cry for all creation once we learn to cry for ourselves. We can have compassion for everyone and everything, but it requires oceans of tears. As Richard Rohr teaches, we are all one collective sadness and one collective joy. Expressing sadness is our gateway to joy. But to find our willingness to cry seems to require going up on the Cross. To take up the Cross means to hold the suffering of the world and shed universal tears for the world.

Call to Action:

Today I observe so much of our world bathed in rage and resentment. Where are our teachers of love? I watch in sadness as our spiritual leaders blast social media with spite, anger, false pride and righteousness – not compassion and understanding. I am begging you to remember what you are. Let grief and compassion guide your actions – not justice, retribution and anger. Please cry yourself down from your own Cross instead of judging the world from it. Only unconditional compassion leads to unconditional love. Let your tears flow.

“Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” – Psalm 126:5-6

The Way