“diversity and unity”
life is pulsing
arising, living, dying
sparks
from formless
to form
from form
to formless
transformation
everywhere
the mind imagines,
it witnesses
in this palace of diversity
and unity
i woke up grumpy
“dawn clouds”
this morning i woke up grumpy
i knew that something else
was needed to jive with the gifts of life
thankfully a flock of silly thoughts
came to perch - cackling about gratitude
one silly thought said:
“thankfully our feet still reach the ground”
“yeah”, another chimed in, “and aren’t you glad our heart
hasn’t become an improvisational jazz player overnight?”
a third one eagerly offered:
“… or that we didn’t wake up with a boil on our nose”
and they went on and on
trying to outdo each other
to my delight
grumpiness
lifted like morning fog
morning ponder on patience
“flow and resistance”
with patience
there is space
to slow down
to rest and relax
till ease arrives
in my body
with patience
there is space
to endure
to navigate difficult terrain
until compassion fills
my heart again
with patience
there is space
to be alert
to contemplate more deeply
until clarity emerges
in my mind
with patience
i offer less resistance
to the flowing energy of life
seven little words
“enter here”
a wise man used to tell me:
“alter your stride and meet a stranger”
at first i though:
what an odd statement
and soon forgot
but he kept repeating
these seven little words:
“alter your stride and meet a stranger”
taking the quote quite literally
i played
with “the ministry of silly walks”
and to my surprise,
in sidestepping the known
a gate opened
and dawn arrived
would i have believed,
upon first hearing these seven little words
that they were the keys to my freedom?
boisterous visitors
“voices in the forest”
your true needs
do you know them?
do you follow their songs
into the tangled woods
until they perch in your cupped hands
raw and shining
these boisterous visitors,
coming from the shores of the body,
heart, mind and spirit
do you know them well enough
to live in harmony?
intentions
“slumbering”
may i become aware
of intentions
slumbering
and already circulating
through my life
seeing the power
of their persuasions
intentions,
the seeds of my future deeds,
may they bring peace
and not a life of exhaustion,
running on an ever spinning
hamster wheel
celebrate
“lighting the way”
celebrate
your life
yes,
celebrate the wondrous
oft forgotten
divine spark
that lives within you
it has been with you throughout
all your follies and growing pains
it does not look upon you
as imperfect
it loves
in vast all enduring stillness
if only you could see yourself
like it sees you
you would laugh
at yourself
and there would be peace on earth
healing and loving
“out of practice”
when we meet again
let’s not talk too much
about the town’s gossip
or our hurt egos
we are out of practice
having conversations
that nurture the soul
of the world
let us talk about
about the Path
of beauty and stillness,
the mysteries of life
let us sit
together
in companionable silence
healing and loving
the listening game
“undivided attention”
i still need training wheels
for this wandering mind of mine
to welcome all sounds with
undivided attention
open, with good humor
sans expectations, like or dislike
this is
quite an art
being present
neutral and un-rattle-able
welcoming your voice
like the earth receives the rain
thank you
“in gratitude . . .”
you,
reading this
right now
thank you,
for your presence
your kind attention
thank you,
for your encouragement
words written, spoken and unspoken
all your support over the years
may these musings
bring us closer
to ourselves, to what we hold dear
through a pause,
a spark, the gate
of a smile
there already is kinship
sensed and nurtured
as we each walk our path
in gratitude i
thank you!
playing the part
“before me a glittering sphere”
before me life
like a jewel
asking
to be lived
asking
which part will you play
this time in the Great Game of Life?
where we all wear masks
where we all play roles
remember,
once in a while,
to question the rules set by man
to question everything
especially when it comes to
seriousness and righteousness
then return to play, knowingly
in emerald fields
with gusto and sincerity
beholding beauty
“an intimate affair”
it is an intimate affair
between you and beauty
opening
all your senses
resting in its presence
long enough
making yourself tender
once more
marveling
beauty is everywhere
sunbeams, peeling paint
stillness, creativity, forgiveness …
your immeasurable heart
can hold all
where will you find yourself?
“morning meditation”
quietly
sit
begin to
listen
sounds from
far and near
coming and going
effortlessly
listen
listen
without expectation
or wishing it to be different
feel
feel
the quiet
returning
your natural wide
stillness
true
home
perfect circle
“right on time”
in this season
fog rises off the river
veiling the morning-sun
i see its perfect circle in the sky
a wonder all by itself
sun and moon - perfect circles
then, remembering
a total eclipse
two circles aligning
both exactly the same size
spectacular
design!
and the clockwork of it
happening “right on time”
another marvel
finely tuned mechanisms
that make our life possible
wonders
upon wonders
surround us
they will still be here
when current dramas deflate
to their true size
your inner voice
“listen …”
your inner voice
do you hear it now
as these words become sounds
in your mind’s ear
curious
isn’t it?
now,
listen ...
is it a gentle voice
that speaks to you?
is it patient with you
when it comments on your life?
is it kind?
does it love you?
why reserve resentment
for yourself…
keep encouraging
yourself
rediscover
tenderness
subtleness
the vast
quiet
star-fields
within
plop
“echoes of well-wishes”
imagine
a quiet and calm pond
then
plop
a stone falling
through its glassy surface
cast with good intentions,
well-wishes spreading with its ripples:
may you be happy
again
plop
may you be healthy
plop
may you be safe
plop, plop, plop, plop …
now adding your own
to the circling patterns
well-wishes rippling
out and inward, permeating all
may we be happy
may we be healthy
may we be safe
…
you and i
at low tide a young girl collects sea creatures on Zanzibar
we have so much in common
you and i
no matter when we were born
where we were born
we live under the same radiant sun
the shapeshifting moon
you and i supported by sacred earth
equally cleansed and refreshed by cool water
while air fills our lungs
no matter what color our feet are
how wonderful that earth,
air, water and fire are colorblind!
the very young still seem to know this
the old, having one foot in the grave
often remember it too…
that there is so much common ground
as we travel on this graced path
called: a human life
connected to the infinite
where is freedom
"the parade of my thoughts”
a continual waterfall
the parade of my thoughts
old thoughts,
newly combined thoughts
but
ever an original thought?
not to be thinking
the same old drivel
again
and again
how free
that must be
where is freedom . . .
if not in the mind?
it happens so quickly
"from sweet to sour””
it happens so quickly
the move from sweet to sour
judgement
closing off my bright eyed-senses
replacing all i hold dear
with convulsions of dislike and raging impatience
temporarily
disconnecting me from my chosen values
how good it is to witness this state of affairs within
brought on by decades of conditioning
and no longer hide in shame
or blame “the system” or another
but look closely and tenderly
at these moments of insanity
and
slowly
patiently
return
home
we get better
"another moment in time”
to love one another
in all of our brilliance and imperfect perfection
is an impressive task
a lifelong practical experiment
giving up on perfection in self
nor requiring it from others
what happens then,
when we open our hearts?
we get better
