The rain is beating down on this bleak stony landscape. Life is hanging on, but everything seems hopeless and designed to make us feel despair. There is nothing left. We are stripped naked before the elements.

What makes you feel naked?

Loss has broken all our defenses. All around us, the world seems bleak and inhospitable. The pain is like driving rain lashing our flesh. There don't seem to be any prospects. All we can do is breathe. Breathe and feel. Being present to the pain and not fighting it helps to dissolve it and keeps us open. And suddenly, the emptiness feels like freedom.

What pain do you need to accept?

The only answer to deep pain and loss is to stay with it, to remain open. We must feel the pain in our body, attending to every tension and every current. We must pay attention and feel, so that it dissolves enough for power and inspiration to do their work. If we remain open, we will catch the seed of life and new creativity will grow from the empty black.

Where are the currents moving right now?

The world is cruel, but there is sanctuary in stillness. Suffering opens our heart to beauty and compassion.

Stone Five, like all fives, is associated with the Maturing Moon.