Sacred space between us
Moyo is the Swahili word for “heart.” Maya is the Sanskrit word for “illusion.” To me, the words “MoyoMaya” together represent an intention to use the heart to heal the “space between us.” After all, the space between us (between people, between cultures, between countries, between you and I) is an illusion. Separateness is not our true nature.
The space between us is actually a sacred illusion. It swims in and around us in every moment, between people, between countries, between worlds, and is governed by universal, spiritual law. This means that: (1) the purity of the intent with which we reach into this space will be reflected and echoed back to us within our own lives; and (2) we are powerful, creative beings whose thoughts, words and deeds continually create our experience, individually and collectively.
From individual to global
Inevitably, as you open your awareness, you begin to deeply understand and appreciate that your own life is as deeply connected to immediate family as it is to people in foreign lands, and that you are not powerless or irrelevant to the experiences of poverty, disease, joy and triumph anywhere on the planet.
In fact, MoyoMaya suggests that the solutions to all so-called world “issues” or global “problems” must begin at the level of the individual. There is no other way to truly heal these things called poverty, hunger or homelessness, other than through a simple, spiritual and compassionate reverence for human life by all people everywhere.
Global change is first and foremost about healing, and that healing must begin within. Whether our work begins as healing past trauma and emotional pain, or healing thoughts of our irrelevance, or healing ourselves of assumed superiority or inferiority – all these healings are essential groundwork in order for global healing to begin.
It is with a new sense of self-awareness that we begin to understand and accept that our simplest daily decisions and actions are inextricably bound to, and in fact impact, people in distant lands. Eventually, we are open and aware enough to bring a new consciousness to each moment – a consciousness that intentionally and compassionately makes new choices that respect our human unity across borders, boundaries, cultures and oceans.
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[This is an excerpt from a minibook that I published in 2010, titled “MoyoMaya: Sacred Space Between Us and the Power to Change the World“. You are welcome to download the eBook to read more.]