always dreaming
of transformations and future bliss
yet already
we fly on fizzy wings
embraced in the Womb of Wonder.
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
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
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
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
finding our way home
This week I found myself considering ceremonies, a subject close to my heart.
For decades I have been interested in how we celebrate across the globe. What, as a culture,
we pause for, remember and reinvigorate. It seems that ceremonies and gratitude are intimately linked.
"the spirit of the land"
walking the ground
witnessing the natural rhythms
i celebrate the spirit native to this land
connected through time
i feel the long, living thread of the ancestors
who also celebrated the procession of the seasons
our ceremonies acknowledge a sacred reciprocity
between the land and its people
in the spirit of gratitude
flora, fauna, mineral - ecologies of all ilk
become animate, by the simple prayer of:
I see you! I thank you! I wish you well!
we connect to the weave that sustains all,
to origin and continuity, into the Great Mystery
"reinvigorated by ceremonies"
canvas
"peace"
life,
which for us remains a Great Mystery,
seems a fine time
to find out
and live
what we value
peace plays itself out
on the canvas of my life
soft on the outside, firm on the inside
it does not demand from another,
but makes demand of my conduct
requiring restraint and infinite tenderness
so, i counsel myself
to grow peaceful
in thought
and tongue
the storm
Today’s Musing is a ponder on holding the note of peace
through the storm of anger.
"the storm within"
When anger comes to visit
it intoxicates the senses and all too soon i forget
about peace and all that i hold dear
governed by anger
my mind turns fierce, fast, myopic
my heart cold and hard
for the duration of the intoxication
anger is alluringly self-righteous
"forbearance"
it takes awareness to catch the first signs of anger
and courage to practice restraint
it takes patience to sit with the painful feelings of the storm
and skill to release my grip
"to love peace"
remember, remember, remember
I tell myself
breathe, stay soft, sit with it
know the storm will pass
this is the work of awareness
the gentle stance of try and try again
to love peace more than self righteousness
once again
"illusions"
there is an excitement in the air
that thrills and titillates
it shimmers
beautiful, sly, persistent, with
hooks, crafted to catch the attention
promising much
once again, i am
intoxicated
a dreaming fool
having bitten the hook of another fantasy
once again i dance
with a grand teacher
the spirit of now
"continuity"
each moment, however common it may seem
is unique, in the fullness of itself
for us it seems billions of years in the making
connected to the beginning of time
living in continuity - into infinity
The Spirit of Now
permeating all
"the spirit of now"
soul
among the trees
conditions
giving thanks
respect
So simple, yet to stay close to this way of being, I need continual practice.
One of the one thousand remembrances.
