"flowing”
you are unique as you are in this moment.
you are never the same.
you have never been what you are now.
you will never be the same again.
here and now awake to yourself you are free
pondering waves
"incoming and outgoing”
becoming aware of my breathing
following the steady in and out
arising, cresting and fading away
breath moving though me like waves
and i wonder and begin to experiment -
can emotions be sensed the same?
continual waves
arising, cresting and fading away
it would seem so
then follows the observation of thoughts
arising, cresting and fading away
a constant flow and flux
moving through
a liberating,
continuing
in-house
observation
dream time
“one third of life”
in my dreams
i can breathe under water
travel through time and sometimes
even gravity lets me escape and fly
the impossible is possible
even believable
and nightly i make my visits there
feeling quite safe in these altered states
whenever my ego gets too big for its britches
i remind it of the wondrous
one third of life
we spend in dreamtime
on loving
“learning to love”
begin where you are
and love that which you can love
the sunrise, a bird, your friend, a favorite chair . . .
and season upon season
nurture the circle of love
opening your heart
wider, deeper, including more
of what shares your life
taste the honey
“taste the honey”
a sage who traveled
the ocean of truth
spoke of treasures that
bring peace to the heart of man
”know the good and the bad,
yet only ever dwell on the good” he said
too simple, I thought at first
thankfully
even the fool
gets to taste the honey
when she tries
the small big things
“gratitude for the small-big things”
let me give thanks
for these days
of mobility,
good eyesight,
and freedom from pain.
for my voice,
sense of balance,
and healthy lungs and guts.
for all that works so well
that gives and lives in constant service
to this body i call home
let me give thanks
the art of remembering
“above the fog”
this seems to be a hurdle
we all face
the remembering
of our best intentions
of kind, skillful ways
and qualities that nurture the heart
of humanity
easy to talk about, to write about
much harder to practice
living life from our genuine core
each of us making their many attempts
to rise above the fog of forgetfulness
change the world
“shine upon all equally”
our words
change the world
spreading far and wide
long after they have left our lips
our communications
with others and with ourselves
ultimately decide the quality of our lives
may our words then
be spoken from the heart
with the clean intent to uplift one another
playgrounds
“the fields of discovery”
there are four playgrounds
each of them holding special connections
to the Path of Joy
one trains us
to maintain positive mind states
another helps to develop skills and stamina
to recover from negative states of mind
the third playground instructs us in focus
and keeps the mind from wandering
and in the fourth we learn to be generous
be it as a giver, receiver or witness of generosity
learn to play in these
welcoming fields of discovery
The Great Enduring
“even now”
within each of us
there is a quality
that sees us
through all times
everpresent
even right now
with an astounding strength
it endures
and in its healing ways
it causes lift - the ability to go on
stay close to,
even if not understood,
this faithful ribbon
called the Great Enduring
natural mystic
“ever present … ”
gradually
night gives way to day
and brings the first muted colors
this morning warm rain
and soft breezes stir the air
all-around me
signs of emergence and new tender growth
a natural mystic
ever present
speaking the language of companionship
“ . . . and enduring”
keeping the date
“intended”
intentions come and go
appearing like flocks of birds
on the sky canvas of my mind
how many have there been - just today?
and which will stand the test of time?
“keeping the date”
an invitation to remember
“jewels of instant quiet”
there are these rare moments in life
maybe a handful over decades
touching the deepest core
pure and strong they speak to us
in the wordless language of the Friend
jewels of instant quiet
and belonging
remember then these moments
that sustain
the thread of love
between the Friend and you
“remember often”
orient
“location, location . . . ”
seven directions
are my good friends
Greetings to the East
and Salutations to the West
Aloha to the South
and my Good Wishes to the North
Up and Down - How do you do?
Within - I welcome you!
to orient
the island of peace
the ripples of light
from the basket of wonder
the gems and joys to be found along the way
“in flux”
gentle
“soft focus”
it still astounds me
what gentle attention can do
. . . how it can bring much well being
letting my mind walk slowly
through my body from head to toe
greeting my eyes, ears, arms, hands, fingers, heart . . .
saying: “hello eyes. please relax and be at ease”
“hello ears. please relax and be at ease”
“hello shoulders . . .
slowly, like on a garden path,
walking through the community of my body
i feel tensions ease and deep calm spread within
it seems that together, mind and body,
we create a small miracle
of greater well being
beautiful what gentle attention can do
“attention”
upside down
“upside down”
ideas, like flocks of colored birds
perch in the branches of my mind
. . . and after decades of idea-having,
i wonder: what’s going on there?
surely i don’t rule the movements of these idea birds,
i can’t will them to be absent from my mind,
nor manifest a truly original thought
so i find myself trying out another view:
people don’t have ideas,
ideas have people
turning my world upside down
“in wonderment”
crossroads
what Love, would you like
to be like in ten years time?
at the crossroad now
masters we have always been
of the weeds we grow within
patience
"where patience lives"
each moment arrives
on its own shimmering wings
patience lubricates
the meeting of now and self
- a peaceful continuum
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
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.
