portal 3 - GATES

current best reasoning

 

“living in the land of “It Would Seem So” what do i know for sure?”

after observing 
on a Saturday night and a Monday morning
when satiated or hungry
in the spring of life and in the winter months
what is beneficial for one and all?

after contemplating and reasoning
continually
when well-rested or tired
what is beneficial for one and all?

what is worthy to be accepted, 
practiced and lived in accordance with?

not because of traditions or personal habits,
not because it was adopted from sages or pundits,
not because it is the view of authority or the view of the masses

but because it agrees with my own current best reasoning
to the benefit of one and all
that is my living path

 

forgiveness

 

“a remedy in life’s medicine cabinet”

imagine, 
holding no grudge, not even a tiny one

imagine,
no longer carrying the weight of resentments

imagine,
having forgiven enemies, loved ones and self

imagine,
having disentangled and tidied up the past
being free to meet this moment unobstructed

imagine,
forgiveness as a remedy in life’s medicine cabinet
always available to heal

imagine,
how it would feel to embody forgiveness 
as a mental habit, an attitude, a way of life

imagine,
forgiveness as an agent of change
that seeks to create and maintain greater love

 

a wonder held tenderly

 

“when i meet death”

when i meet death
will i be trusting?

will i be curious
when the veil is drawn aside

and meet death
with the heart of a child?

can i approach my death
as a wonder held tenderly in the heart?

have i prepared myself?
time will tell

if i will cling and fight
or let go peacefully

for now let me practice making peace,
deepening the wonder, tending the garden of trust

 

make yourself soft again

 

“…and forgiving”

do you remember . . .
uncontrolled giggles and belly laughs

ripples of mirth
cascading from eyes to lips

let us travel again to this land of joy
in fact, let us live there

where we are soft and resilient
where ease abounds

and nothing is too sacred to be joked about
where our fears are kites in the wind

and our capricious egos
are watched like good sporting matches

where we know that our culture is a little mad,
but we don’t mind

for we have become curious again
and forgiving,
and now there is trust among us

fools, under the same stars,
here for a while
rejoicing

 

conversation with a lemon

 

“we pause and connect”

before i flavor my drink
we pause and connect

she tells me of dawn light, the morning air
and night sounds under the stars

her memories of the soil, of rain squalls and pollination,
how fond she was of the bees,

the underground song-lines amongst
her kin in the orchard are news to me

she tells me of her heritage
the seed her mother once was
planted, cared for, for many years

then, of the hands that picked her
the bumpy ride, skin to skin,
a seasons generation, all going to market
a journey of hundreds of miles

being displayed under lights made by man
that is where we first met
me unaware . . . she just one more item to procure

now that we have become acquainted
gratitude and awe fill me, as i slice this lemon

and i stand in wonder, slightly overwhelmed
at the contents of my refrigerator

 

bon voyage

 

“skillful ways”

sometimes we get shown a skillful way
that can radically improve the quality of our life

a shift of perception that brings insight
new skillful means of communication that takes us
from the land of loneliness to genuine companionship
mindful habits that bring us a foundation of inner peace

we are able to learn and integrate new ways
at any age and let ourselves be moved 
by fresh currents

just imagine what this means . . . 
vast new horizons lay ahead!

as we embark on the journey of unlearning
the confines of our old ways

I wish us all
Bon Voyage!

 

not minding

 

“ The Art of Not Minding”

here i stand before myself

a patchwork of mindsets and memories

of fussy habits and divine spark

amidst the veils of my bewilderment

incongruences and beautiful delights

i try to make peace with them all

equally

practicing the Noble Art of Not Minding

of holding lightly the

i, me and mine

surrendering identity to observing

waves, in cycles of crests and valleys 

beholding

trusting

being

nothing and everything

in a wink

 

gentle endurance

 

“holding the course”

entering this new land,
disorientation accompanies me
as i meet the unfamiliar

then i hear a timeless call:
adapt
and it echo’s:
adapt . . . adapt . . . . adapt . . . . . far into the distance

to thrive,
it continues,
hold the course
of calm
compassionate patience

foster
gentle endurance

for this is just the beginning of a journey
of still unimaginable gifts

 

the moment of freedom

 

“take a breath . . .”

how do i meet the arrival
of the emotions that are difficult to bear?

will the trance of anger, greed, doubt . . .
cause the temporary loss of reason
or can peace prevail?

in the space between trigger and response 
is where my possibilities are still infinite
before the hasty word is spoken, the unkind act unleashed

so take a breath
and another  . . .

cherish the moment of freedom of the space between
cherish the ability to choose
a response that aligns with my dearest values

it is in these small moments
that the quality of all our lives are shaped

 

all is not the same for all

 

“red berries remind me”

on a winter’s day
a warm breeze holds
the promise of spring

and as my senses drink in the world
i wonder: is my red the same as yours?
is the chickadee’s call the same for you?

red berries remind me
that all is not the same for all
that we see what we have learned to see

that each of us is a unique lens, a facet of the whole
that is gathering and reflecting light back
into the Mystery

 

the hearth of kindness

 

“the hearth”

may my life never stray far from kindness

for do we not all flourish when nurtured by kindness?

does kindness not reach across distances and divides,
healing our loneliness and misperceptions?

given freely, without cleverness or calculation,
asking nothing in return 
kindness becomes a simple way of life

may my life always return
to the hearth of kindness

 

thought experiment

 

“imagine, imagine, imagine”

a thought experiment 

i imagine
the views that have congregated inside of me,
the firm stances i have on juicy topics such as:

animal rights, freedom of speech, pollution, violence in the media, abortion, weapons proliferation, capital punishment . . . the list and my views on them is long, very long


now i imagine
holding the opposite view 
moving from pro to anti, or anti to pro
with equal acumen of reason and depth of feeling,
with equal surety of being right


the question is: will my old mindsets 
even allow these temporary thought experiments?


then i try to imagine
holding no fixed views at all,
living without instant likes and dislikes
free from preexisting conditions


is it possible to experience 
such childlike freedom again?

 

first thought

 

“how to greet the moment”

what is my first thought 
upon waking?

when after hours
of living in vivid dream-worlds

i wake up and recognize 
myself for myself

marveling to find myself 
in this familiar body

with the same set of ideals
and bothersome habits

so i ponder how to greet the moment, 
when consciousness and awareness returns

may my first thought be
Thank You!

gratitude for the gift of another day 
of living in this Great Mystery.

 

FEARLESS QUESTIONING

 

“timeless ”

there are these fertile unanswered questions

like:
where did i come from before i was born
what happens when we die?
what is the meaning of life?

children still ask these questions without fear,
startling adults back into instant humility

so what then about these rich, timeless questions?
what are our current best views on them,
our own working theories?

can we live with not knowing,
yet still caring deeply
for these questions
in our own way and style
with honesty and tenderness

which may be 
the very antidote
to our loneliness

. . . let’s reconnect
to the fearless questioning of childhood
and warm our soul in contemplation,
keeping company
with these abiding questions

“let’s reconnect”

 

stay tuned

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