"the wild mare"
my mind
a wild mare roaming untamed from
future to past
stopping for scant seconds in the now
only to do it all over again - at a fast gallop
Whoa! i call to her, let's slow down.
healing balm
"wishes"
background story:
For all of us there will be days of witnessing seemingly overwhelming pain in this world, - be it physical, emotional or mental suffering, be it in self or in others.
Facing pain, it is easy to get gripped by confusion and fear - and reach for ill-founded remedies of blame and hatred, even avoidance - hardening the heart and mind.
How then shall I train myself, when, inevitably, encountering pain?
How to give comfort and be a healing balm into the world?
Transforming fear and pain into peace of mind.
How to keep spinning, spinning, spinning compassionately in this mad love dance of life?
A longtime quest to hold close to the heart.
Inviting resolve and wisdom, peace and kindness, buoyancy and forgiveness to be constant companions along the path.
"healing balm"
unclouded by doubt
the power of thought radiates outward
like the rays of the sun
blessings, wishes, prayers - anchor peace and well being
becoming a healing balm for the earth and all its tenants
touch
"anticipating joy"
loving touch
how pleasant it is to give and receive
between all beings
animate and seemingly inanimate - they thrive
as we add our signature of nurturing touch to the palette of life
"a flow of warmth and inclusion"
the stories we tell
"what is her story?"
the story I tell myself
from a blank slate
it takes mere fragments to hum a story-truth into existence
my story makes her what she is for me
then, change the lens and the scene chimes differently…
what if I learned she had traveled the world,
had an engineering degree and spoke five languages
or, that she was a refugee, eking out a living
for herself and her two small children
colorless energy becomes a story
it is what it is
change the story - change your life.
the gaze
background story
Not long ago, while driving on a local highway, there was a sensation of “being watched”.
Do you know the feeling? The sense of someone's eyes on you? Maybe from across the room, across the street?
Well, when i looked to the car on my left, my eyes were met by the eyes of a large dog intently ogling me.
The dog and i, had us a soft, staring game, that lasted several miles, until the cars pulled too far apart to continue.
So today’s musing is a ponder on this feeling, that we all seem to be familiar with, the sensation of “the gaze”.
the gaze
what is this mysterious force
that our eyes emanate - to make their presence known
potently charged beams
with kindness, or any other energy of our choosing
what shall we call this oft overlooked wonderment?
many worlds
on our daily journey
we travel through fantastic worlds
moving between
dreaming
waking
being
arriving from our dream worlds
waking up to the in-between states
to being - more or less - mindful
slipping from awareness to awareness
embraced
always dreaming
of transformations and future bliss
yet already
we fly on fizzy wings
embraced in the Womb of Wonder.
gems
nature gazing
offering my hair to the wind
when the air grows quiet
and my mind complies
soon the gems appear
and everything shines in its own light
be it moss, meadow or dew
all evoke the same call
to move with tenderness
through the seasons
of life
welcome to the mystery
"the questions"
welcome to the Mystery
to the Beautiful Conundrums
to the questions
that can drive you mad . . .
"quite mad"
the perennial questions that ask:
where were you
before you made your grand entrance
through the veil of birth?
and how do you explain
consciousness to yourself?
do you know the language of your dreams?
and what about soul and spirit?
have you befriended them?
where will you go after meeting Brother Death?
have you found meaning in this life?
"the approach"
and how Dear One will you approach these Beautiful Mysteries?
will you try to crack them like a nut, to get at the tasty morsel?
will you ply them with study and reason?
will you observe them like a flock of birds?
will you build a nest for them to dwell with you?
will you take them with you when you are dancing, chopping vegetables in the kitchen?
will you treat them like a mountain to be conquered?
over the years will you make love and peace with them?
"with love"
welcome to the Mystery
to the Beautiful Conundrums
to the questions that can drive you
mad with love
for this gift of life
observing
watching restlessness
watching boredom
watching the fantastic follies
watching expectations
watching pleasure
watching agony
watching words
watching words dissolve
until silence speaks
what shall i call you?
what shall i call you?
you wondrous shapeshifter
as you move
through the seasons of your life
what shall i call you?
as you compose
the chapters of your story
from life’s many hued experiences
what shall i call you?
you - who are condensed stardust
you - who are consciousness wed to human form
you - who are in constant flux
you - who are kin to me
you - who are unique
yet colorless at core
what shall i call you?
to remind us both
of your noble birth
the gates
YES and NO
are two mighty powers
we wield
and yield to
life without likes
and dislikes
seems unimaginable
while we bounce between
for and against
love and hate
grab and toss
in an ever-present restlessness
yet throughout time some have found
and lived alongside these two mighty pulls
stepping through a third gate
its password is:
thank you
right now
right now
mustangs roam the open wild
and fruit bats rest in mango trees
vultures soar on thermals high
and cave shrimp do what cave shrimp do
right now
rivers roll with snowmelt to the sea
and dust whirls up around the steps of pachyderms
lightning crackles on the plains
and polar ice sighs in the night
right now
dreams stir sleepers with their imagery
and love is lost and found and made anew
inspiration knocks on doors to find a home
in this great flux and thriving,
the Beautiful Mystery lives on!
on gardening
after years of searching
a decision was made
unanimously!
to make a garden of this life
growing crops of perennial peace
nourishing generosity
healing forgiveness
alongside deep rooted gratitudes
surrounded by a hedge of good humor
now, every garden attracts
the buzz
of beneficial visitors and the voracious
appetites of potential pests.
what to do?
out of fear build a barrier tough enough to keep out
destruction?
is that even possible?
maybe just grow some more
for can there ever be too much gratitude?
too much forgiveness? too much peace?
keep a few seeds in reserve
voices
springtime
brings a chorus of new voices
as we orbit and navigate space
never before encountered
it is the season of birth
and rebirth
passing through
the Veils of Coming and Constant Change
on our Celestial Blue Mother
brilliant
eternal
sparks
seek experience
adding their voices into the Great Theater
sidestep
we walk through life and so much knocks
on our doors of perception
once we have learned to sidestep
the merchants of fear and swill
there is so much to love
to deeply drink in the beauty of
there are the infinite cloudscapes above us
and the warmth of the sun on skin
there is the texture of the ground beneath bare feet
there is the warmth of a smile and the welcoming
hospitality of a friend
there is the touch of a dogs wet nose
let me salute these moments
they all cause my heart to soar
before me lies an ocean
of opportunities to love
waiting for me
waiting to be seen
to be with, be part of
to be a love requited
i have no doubt
stay
before me
glitter
endless distractions
endless entertainments
endless ways to exhaust
the daily dollop of energy
nothing wrong
with the sparkly stuff
it can fill many lifetimes
with satisfaction
yet,
there is also the call
to stay
with inner wonderlands
the antidote
looking at our human story
it seems that we have no difficulty rationalizing
anything
still now
millions
of our animal kin
are held in great suffering
by us
noble
spirited beings
ignorance and forgetting
has dimmed our light
what is the antidote?
look
feel
love
the spirit of unity
ink
eyes fly
across words
with ease
in childhood
reading and writing
seemed formidable tasks
now words unfurl
into worlds of meaning
almost instantaneously
written messages gain longevity
and the ability to time travel
from one mind to another
a potent magic
with endless possibilities
the power
of literacy
Four hundred and seventy one
Under a february full moon on the Mediterranean Sea
amidst hungry sailors, i learned about the human heart
laden with a cargo of oranges
our freighter was on passage from Israel
to Italy in heavy seas.
anchored to bed, seasick, for three days my ears
fixed on the regular thump of the ships engine
while i marveled at the tireless working of the machine
a wisdom in my body spoke up:
listen to your heart, it said,
it has been beating throughout it all
four hundred and seventy one
full moons later - my heart still beats
what a marvel!
as our hearts pulse and roam
across this magnificent Earth
i find myself in gratitude and awe of their grand design
