Pic and a Poem #20

 

on the long walk of life

what loads we carry

the weight of what

we have been and

who we long to be

along the road we often

drop our playfulness

lose our simple joyfulness,

the delight of climbing walls

and talking to the trees

learn from the children

see them skip, run,

dance and sing,

remember, remember,

look and remember,

set your load down

feel how you breathe

sense your deep energy

come home to your body

wonder once again

at your fingers and toes,

no matter the gravity

situation or station

we all are such children

of light and of soul

let's run and laugh

just for this moment

spin in wild circles

throw our gaze up to the sky

and feel the beat of

our fierce child hearts,

our inner perfection

we are beautiful,

all of us,

every single one

Living and traveling here in Asia I have seen many people living in the toughest of circumstances. I have witnessed people living in absolute poverty, and with no recourse or resources to turn to in hopes of a change. I have also seen among those people, especially the children, a capacity for happiness and play despite the gravity of their life circumstances. I feel this is evidence that our true nature is joyful and playful. Children are still connected to their pure energy and embodied soul nature. To watch a child at play, is to watch a wise teacher, a teacher who shows us powerful remembrances, of the same wisdom, the same playful nature, we all have within us. This is a wisdom and quality of being, that goes beyond country, culture, gender, it is so deeply, so profoundly human. Remember, remember, look and remember, this joy and freedom is who we are.

I took this photo in Delhi, India. I was so taken with this playful child, balancing, almost dancing along this wall, while her mother and I presume, older sister, looked on.

Pic and a Poem #19

 

 

 

at the gateway of the heart

guardians hold their vigil

custodians of secrets

protecting things unseen
holding their posts
in the unknown shadows
waiting patiently and faithfully
for the moment of truth
the lightening strike of
potent awareness
that cracks them wide open
and what was held for so long
is finally set free


This image called to me today, and as I considered it, this stone post head at the end of a bridge had the feeling of being a protector. I know there are pieces of me, feelings, emotions and parts of my "story" that I might be conscious of, or not, that I have not fully processed or integrated. To think about these vulnerable or wounded parts, the things that are hidden, being guarded and protected until the time comes to bring them into the light of truth is comforting to me. It is the idea of having inner angels of steadfast protection, holding safe space for my inner world to unfold as it will, when the time is right. Maybe this resonates for you, or maybe not, but we all have things we hide or protect, even if we all hold them in unique ways. Love to all of us in this magnificent messy life!
 

 

Pic and a Poem #18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it is such small treasures

of mysterious origin

that set my heart alight

      with wonder

  and leave me struck

  in sweet captivation

  delivering me back

to a wide eyed innocence

  that is open and joyful

   and so fully in love

     with this world

 

 

 

The events and happenings of the world and life can get to feeling really heavy for me sometimes. It is useful for me to engage my senses toward the small beautiful treasures around me, they help me to open my heart even when that is a difficult thing to do.

 

Pic and a Poem #17

 

 

 

 

 

take the first step

ascending or descending

either way, any direction

it is the movement that matters

coming unglued from

bindings and hesitations

feel your way along

through both light and shadow

up and down and back again

until you know each step

so intimately and yet

attuned to the constant

changing and shifting

each footfall a discovery

a moments visitation

of what arises and falls away

a journey of becoming begins

with even a small willingness

take the first step

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pic and a Poem #16

 

 

 

 

 

 

solitude

is an invitation to

finally strip it all down

to the bare bones

and be naked,

exposed in front of

the one who matters

to revel in all the power

and beauty that this

one being can hold

 

in solitude abandon

the long told lies

of doubt and fear,

slide out from them

like a serpent shedding skin

and bask in the light of

your own perfection

 

sing, dance, howl

for the majesty of

this miraculous creation,

only you can unlock

your mystery

your divinity,

know your truth,

speak it

 

cocooned in solitude

enter and find yourself,

emerge from your shell

transformed again and again,

take the slow path back,

we are in the circle

waiting

 

 

Bonus haiku:

 

go to the mountain

wrap solitude around you

soul light leads the way

 

 

I have a complicated relationship with solitude. For a long time I could not embrace the gift of solitude because it kept getting lost in my fear of being alone. My story of "alone" is full of rejection, pain and loss. As I have committed more and more to a spiritual life over the last decade or so, my relationship to solitude has shifted and evolved. I recognize now that if I want to truly step into myself, if I truly want to go deep and grow, solitude is essential. If I want to create and express from an empowered and authentic place I have to take the time with myself to connect to that place of truth. In solitude I can go into my heart and soul space, get to the distilled essence of what I am here to experience, feel, process, and in doing so I feel my core relationships getting stronger, I make better choices about how I invest my time and energy, I can engage with the world in a more skillful way.

 

Solitude brings me sustenance and grace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pic and a Poem #15

 

 

 

 

 

  throw me into the ocean

  let her swallow me whole

  i will pour myself into her

  until she renders me weightless

  and lifts me up

  in the palm of her hand

  an offering to the moon and the stars

  i will ride her waves

  gentle ripples that rise

  to torrents of violent dancing

  let me be churned and

  turned inside out

  completely dissolved

  immersed in a baptism

  down to the very cells

  that pulse as oceans within me

  let her wash away everything

  that isn't wild and bubbling

  with freedom

  and then

  and only then

  set me safely back on shore   

Pic and a Poem #14

 

 

 

 

 

           we are here,

           great torchbearers

           of this lifetime

 

           born into the light

           of our inheritance,

           from a long line

           of sacred blood and spirit

 

           we carry that flame

           kindled in our hearts

           the fires of

           all the love,

           all the pain,

           the infinite

           joys and struggles

         

           what was done and

           what was left undone

 

           in the dark unknown

           of what might come

           raise your lantern,

           release all fear,

           guided by grace and angels
           step into what calls you, 

           the many behind you

           will not let you fall


    Today is Halloween and I already confronted fear as I showed up to write this. What I wrote yesterday was so well received that it caused me hesitation in writing today. In my mind I thought "What if that is the best? What if nothing more comes?". I drew myself back to my original intention, that this is a creative experiment, and I am simply trying to be an open channel and trusting that what emerges is what was needed on that day, in that moment, even if it is for myself alone.

As I relaxed into that it occurred to me that today is Halloween, the day where the veil between this world and the spirit world is thin, and this image popped into my head. I went and found the photo and the words came from there. These words are the very reminder I needed, to have faith in my journey and that everything is arriving on time, through a guidance beyond me and behind me. I am not alone.

I wish I had my own family tree of photographs to use here, but living in China, this idea of honoring ones ancestors is a prominent part of the culture, and this was part of a display at a museum of local architecture. The picture isn't perfect but it is what presented itself. Just like my poem suggests, I let go of fear and stepped into what called me. Creating by faith, trusting the flow.

Take some time on this Halloween to remember your ancestors, both those known and those unknown, in the end we are all one family, in it together.