Raw = exposed, instinctive, alive

Calm = grounded, spacious, still

by Bruce Kasanoff

Raw Calm is a container of time and space that I am setting aside so that I can make it my priority to play with the universe.

The Universe wants to play with us, but much of the time we are too serious and self-absorbed to notice. So we have to hire coaches and read serious books, and think. Maybe we go on a retreat. No - wait - it’s a vision quest, but we are still very serious… and only when we are so weak and tired does our grownup seriousness fade… and we can finally see the playful nature of the universe!

Raw Calm has no rules, no principles, no frameworks, no public face other than this brief note.

For me, it is a space for experience that contains certain suggestions that include a willingness to deal with contradictions, with perplexing clues and vague hints. Most of all, it describes my desire to follow the energy where it leads me.

What is the energy? It's what I feel. It's what is most attracting and intriguing and mysterious and alluring to me. It dooesn't have to be logical or easily explained. It only has to be felt, noticed, and motivating enough for me to be interested.

If you're curious what I think “raw calm” means, the simplest explanation is that it’s the intersection between being completely open to and immersed in the realities of the world, while at the same time using stillness, awareness, surrender, and acceptance to navigate those spaces.

This is an intersection that sometimes is in perfect alignment and sometimes is in extreme conflict. But I believe that if I follow the resistance, much of which comes from the raw part, then I will direct my attention where the potential is highest.

So… that which I wish to avoid is where I should go. That which makes me want to run away, I should run towards. Of course, this is hard to do.

But most of all, I want this to be an opportunity to play with the universe. I am increasingly convinced that's what the universe wants of me, so that's what I'm doing.