here comes the light!

 

do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world.

all things break. and all things can be mended.

not with time,  as they say,  but with intention.

so go.

love the world intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally.

the broken world waits in the darkness for the light that is you.

                                    ~ l. r. knost

mama mia

 

The courage that my mother had
Went with her, and is with her still:
Rock from New England quarried;
Now granite in a granite hill.

The golden brooch my mother wore
She left behind for me to wear;
I have no thing I treasure more:
Yet, it is something I could spare.

Oh, if instead she’d left to me
The thing she took into the grave!—
That courage like a rock, which she
Has no more need of, and I have.

                                         ~ Edna St. Vincent Millay

i, too, have a brooch from my mother..

it is a petit point piece she needle crafted 

of roses..or are they poppies?

small lush red blooms that claim her gift

in mastering the art of tiny stitches..

i do not wear it often for fear of losing it..

it is olde fashioned..

reminding me of her great generation ~

our ancestors of indomitable will and courage..

the fullness and the vast capacity she had to love, 

to love her wily daughters,

to forgive the transgressions, 

the myriad misdemeanors,

the punches pulled, 

the bamboozlements attempted..

pulling no wool over her bright eyes..

my mother was resilient, brave and charming.

she traveled the distance - to wherever -

claiming that indeed..

this is the best possible world..

it is good to love many things,  

for therein lies strength,

and whosoever loves much performs much,  

and can accomplish much,

and what is done with love is well done.

there's nothing more truly artistic than to love people..

                                  ~ Vincent Van Gogh

jesus is just alright, o yeah

my relationship with jesus has been an interesting journey..

like many folk i know..

it began when i was a young methodist novice of christianity..

i was brought to sunday school in my best pinafores 

where i was given a picture of jesus..

a very congenial fellow with long hair, blue eyes..

very white and bright..

i liked him right away

- though he seemed to watch me wherever i went -

one of those pictures where the eyes followed one

around the corner and through the walls..

i remember placing the picture in my closet

just to get a little privacy..

every now and then, i'd step in for a viewing

and an intimate conversation..

we were closet buddies..

i grew away from him when i went off to theater school..

leaving him alone with his thoughts..

and taking mine with me..

i began my own svadyaya.. self-study..

buddhism - to study the way is to study the self

krishnamurti - to lead a timeless life, you must wear a watch

yoga - yoga is the dissolution of all reactive tendencies of the mind

gurdjieff - remember your self always and everywhere

sufism - love is the healing power and the remedy for all pain

i ching, the tarot, the runes

leaving him in the dust..in my closet

soo many years later 

while visiting my mother's family

in south carolina..

i was taken to a concert of the doobie brothers ..

of course, of course -

i knew the song..

it turned out to be more 

of a revival meeting than a rock concert..

the mantra ~

jesus is just alright

and he was, is.. always has been..

i like him..

now

much deeper and sweeter 

are my feelings for him and his teachings..

he speaks the truth

and i know 

from our long standing friendship 

that he asks only the best in us 

to 

shine, shine, shine..

after all, 

the kingdom of heaven is within..

he and the holy mother..

(all the holy mothers)

reside in the pantheon 

of high holies in my heart..

he is an ancestor and a spiritual friend ~

he rises every morning with the sun..

embraced by the buddhas,

dancing with the gopis,

sharing psalms in the highlands,

sowing seeds in the lowlands, 

riding the waves of every sea..

jesus is just alright with me

jesus is just alright

arthur reynolds - 1966

( first recorded by the art reynolds singers - 1966

the byrds - 1969, the doobies - 1972, dc talk - 1992)

 

the great yes

for some people the day comes
when they have to declare the great Yes
or the great No. it's clear at once who has the Yes
ready within them; and saying it,

they go from honor to honor, strong in their conviction.

they who refuse do not repent. asked again,
they would still say No. yet that No--the right No--
drags them down all their life.

                                 - constantine p. cavafy

recently - listening to a dharma talk by jane hirshfield -

she shared this poem..

a poem i knew vaguely..

yet one i could not forget..

the great yes 

the great no

do they abide within us?

the answers to mighty questions

perceived immediately..

with no doubt..

arising in a just this moment..

then - the wibbly ways

with no certain conviction, 

the great and perhaps wise unknown...

our saying No..

may be saying Yes elsewhere -

cloud hidden at the time..

our saying Yes

- a No in another meadow 

of our lives?

is Maybe the middle way?

Maybe.....

might we translate Rumi's poem..?

out beyond ideas of No (wrongdoing) and Yes (rightdoing),

there is a field. i'll meet you there.

when the soul lies down in that grass,

the world is too full to talk about.

ideas, language, even the phrase each other

doesn't make any sense.

peace be with you ~

peace be with you,

friend 

full moon musings - eirēnikos

3 in the morning..

a clamor of some sea bell 

dinging 

ringing

if i listen deep enough

the hark bark of harbor seals

some comfort from the wild wet ones

cutting out paper hearts

colouring them blue and yellow

a ukraine leader declares peace

the way to freedom

emancipating the world 

perhaps the galaxies 

how to move about when one’s own heart

is shackled by the shackle of others

how to make things whole when 

there is a riptide in every holy haven

landscapes soaked in blood

breathing in bloodshed

breathing out boundless peace

there is a lighthouse 

a beacon

a flare 

a watchtower

in the pocket 

of every heart..

bearing witness

no turning away 

steeped, seeped 

saturated 

with the wages of war

the perfect moonlight 

spotlighting the wisdom

of those who know 

the time 

for peace has arrived

is always arriving

not peace between two wars

the peace residing 

in the center of each heart

bursting 

busted

wide open by the bloodbath

drenched dripping 

come away 

come awake

now

 

there will come soft rains

 

holy moly!

it is 4:44 in the morning of august 6 ~ 2021

there is a soft and tender rain pattering across 

the pavement, the yellowed dry grasses, 

the folded yard umbrella - table and chairs..

out in my barefeet to feel the moist..

barely enough wet to soak into my thirsty feet prints

hardly a trickle to dampen my morning bed head..

yet rejoice! hallelujah! praises in all things drizzly!

a poem seeps into my head..

sara teasdale

there will come soft rains..

googling to post it this drippy morn..

i find a short story by beloved ray bradbury

there will come soft rains

about 5 pages 

it is august 4, 2026.....

o my o!

a worthy shocking read..

bradbury at his best..

~ further on my search.. sara's poem ~

published just after the start of ww1 and 

in the midst of the 1918 flu pandemic.. 

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum trees in tremulous white,

Robins will wear their feathery fire
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree
If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,
Would scarcely know that we were gone.

note to email subscribers..

 

goodbye

you lean with one arm out
against the porch post,
your big hand cupping its curve, 

shy of that handshake
we both know is coming.

and when we've said enough, 

when the last small promises

begin to repeat, your eyes

come to mine, and then

you offer your hand, 

dusted with chalk from the post,

and sticky with parting.

                      ~ ted kooser

well,

i received a note from feed burner..

whoever they might be..

saying they would no longer feed

or automatically send out 

peaceishealthy posts..july 1..

i dunno...?

so dear subscribers ~

many heartfelt thanks for subscribing

and ..

please cheque the blog now and again 

to find some new posts..

though fallow for the last few months..

( the world around me felt somehow too too-some

to add anything too it..)

i have been blogging for the last 14 years ..

~ with a hiatus here and there ~

and will continue to muse about the this's and that's

that tickertape through my heart and mind..

as the cowgirls are wont to say ~

how can you miss me if i don't go away ?

much gratitude for reading, dear friends..

high

to pray you open to your whole self

to sky, to earth, to sun, to moon

to one whole voice that is you.

and know there is more 

that you can't see, can't hear.

can't know except in moments

steadily growing, and in languages

that aren't always sound but other 

circles of motion.

like eagle that sunday morning

over salt river. circled in blue sky

in wind, swept our hearts clean 

with sacred wings.

we see you, see ourselves and know

that we must take the utmost care

and kindness in all things.

breathe in, knowing we are made of 

all this and breathe, knowing

we are truly blessed because we

were born, and die soon within a

true circle of motion.

like eagle rounding out the morning

inside us.

we pray it will be done 

in beauty.

in beauty.

                    ~ eagle poem

                            joy harjo

it is hot..hot like bangalore, like cairo

i have taken up roost in a red plastic chair

these last few days

with my spy glasses, used for viewing great distances ..

in any shade i can find..

watching, surveying, witnessing the eagle nest

chaliced in a faraway tree ..

leaping greenly spirit branches keep me guessing ~

is it a bird? a plane? a superhero?

and yes, indeed it is..

an eaglet..fledging..

the hero of my morning look outs

hopping in the depth of the eyrie to its very edge, 

expanding the span of great wing,

fluttering flaps of fantabulous faith

lifting ever so and springing to a nearby branch..

o imagine

what courage and gallantry to rest on the verge

of upward mobility and downward dive..

then

back to the nest

and 

stillness

and 

rest 

gathering the cliff notes 

for flight

for fly again for the first time

breathless..

not able to lower my specs

awed

and so strangely melancholy 

and so strangely exuberant 

and say out loud  

to myself 

to those deep listeners..

we must be our best selves always..

we must be 

nothing small 

or narrow 

or  low....

 

seasonal greetings

 yes ....

seasonal greetings..

this is an expression that the folks 

in india use to give voice to their hearts 

without offense to any one's credo or faith.. 

this early easter morning..

a chorus of owls..

singing praises for the day..

seasonal greetings..

in the morning's grey cool light

just beginning to stretch out 

across the blue yonder ~

one right on the roof top summit..

silhouetted, close-in presence

holy whooooo.. 

whoo, whoo, who..

then, the well timed reply of a trinity ..

hither and yon.. up and away.. yonder and thither..

standing in the nippy daybreak dawn

a congregation of one..

beholding the inquiring resonance  

bringing back to life that which never dies..

o my..

just yesterday, i myself used the expression

seasonal greetings to an elder (ha!) on the morning path..

a small woman with a coat of many colors..

camera in hand, binoculars around her neck..

walking slow and golden-aged..

her rainbow coat matched my rainbow shoes -

we are a pair, i said.. as i caught up to her

your coat, my shoes..

o yes, she concurred..

we chatted on about what she had spied on the field, in the waters..

where we lived and what great good fortune to be alive and thriving

even in our olde and elder and wizened lives..

as we parted, 

seasonal greetings !

she offered back..

passover for me !

i responded..

o! we have passover persons

in our family..

i was just at a seder..

and i sang out : 

LET MY PEOPLE GO!

she rang out :

AMEN! 

her hands uplifted..

her shining eyes aglow..

palms folded -

we bowed to one another 

i, with my rainbow shoes..

she, with her rainbow coat..

walked the path away from one another

joined at the heart

in the midst of 

seasonal greetings ..

and in the sweetness of friendship

let there be laughter, and the sharing of pleasures.

for in the dew of little things the heart

finds its morning and is refreshed.

                ~ kahlil gibran

leonard says it best

'tis a full year now this month ~

we have lived through  (and many have not)

the most astonishing of times

there will be more to wade through..

no doubt..

come healing!

o gather up the brokenness

and bring it to me now 

the fragrance of those promises

you never dared to vow

the splinters that you carry

the cross you left behind

come healing of the body

come healing of the mind

and let the heavens hear it 

the penitential hymn

come healing of the spirit

come healing of the limb

behold the gates of mercy

in arbitrary space

and none of us deserving

the cruelty or the grace

o solitude of longing

where love has been confined

come healing of the body

come healing of the mind

o see the darkness yielding

that tore the light apart

come healing of the reason

come healing of the heart

o troubled dust concealing

an undivided love

the heart beneath is teaching

to the broken heart above

o let the heavens falter

and let the earth proclaim:

come healing of the altar

come healing of the name

o longing of the branches 

to lift the little bud

o longing of the arteries

to purify the blood

and let the heavens hear it

the penitential hymn

come healing of the spirit

come healing of the limb

full moon ferlinghetti

 

the world is a beautiful place to be born into

it's late..

it's early..

it looks like noon outside..

noisy, too..

the geese are moving..

trolling for a place to catch forty

winks

i am up in a pool of brilliance..

the moon/

after much reflection says/ 

Sun is God

i've gone back to the beginning 

(of the blog..and this longstanding missive)

~ the walkabout from anacortes to california ~

attempting to traverse the usa

what is light what is air what is life so passing fair?

coming up on 14 years 

(march 10)   long live tibet

since we gathered at mt. erie school

and walked to deception pass together..

there are some gems of poetry tucked in..

many stories of random acts of kindness ..

hints of things to come..

(my hip was mentioned early on 

and lo! titanium 10 years later...)

i really could write a book

what dawns on me

in this dawn's early light

is the precariousness..

(mid 17th cent.: from Latin precarius ‘obtained by entreaty’ 

(from prex, prec- ‘prayer’) + -ous.

and the big-heartedness..

the far rockaway of the heart

placing myself at the feet 

of so many along the way 

the prayers volunteered for my safety ..

it was a trip to be out on the highways  -

such freedom and travail 

rolled into one long ribbon of road..

made of love and light and dung/ 

some great immortal song

what made me start?

what made me stop?

 a mysterious sooth-sayer 

within

giving me marching orders

pushing me to halt!

I am signaling you through the flames.

now the now is always here

the kindnesses persist

in the smallest and brightest and most baffling ways

we are made for each other

poets of life, liberty and the pursuiters of happiness

wooing and cooing our way along the Way

the moonglade that glides us toward our destiny

will we walk? will we run? 

far-seeing sybil,  forever hidden, 

come out of your cave at last 

and speak to us in the poet's voice 

the voice of the fourth person singular 

the voice of the inscrutable future 

the voice of the people mixed

with a wild soft laughter—

and give us new dreams to dream, 

give us new myths to live by!

lawrence ferlinghetti

1919-2021

RIP

holy wall of molies..

for everything that lives is holy ~

              -william blake-

a wing and a prayer yoga shala

was often graced with a holy "man" wall..

a holy person wall..these days..

vast numbers of push pins on cork 

held their numinous presences in place..

from  marilyn monroe, thomas merton,

the 14th dalai lama, bob dylan..

to yoda and ET 

jiddhu krishnamurti, my mother,

john and yoko..

the stretching cowboy,

ananadamayi ma  ..

neem karoli baba and baba hari dass,

bks iyengar and tkv desikachar..

pir vilayat inayat khan..hazrat inayat khan..

mother teresa and marcel marceau..

ramana maharshi, vivekananda, 

sri aurobindo and the mother,

saradha devi and sri ramakrishna..

dr. vasavada and babar..

on and on..

they will all be blessed 

on the burn pile

when the weather softens..

having been stashed away for  safe keeping..

it's time, yes! time to liberate them.. moksha!

however, dear friends of the dharma...

if you have a yen for one such holy moly,

send me a note and i'll send you the divine in photo..

please note :

some are tatty copies, newspaper clips..

lovers gather and give each other shade,

relief from the direct sun.

stay close by that community 

'til you become light like the moon,

then like the sun.

                ~ rumi

leave no trace

 

water birds 

go and come back

without leaving any trace behind.

even so, they do not forget

the path.

               ~ dogen zenji 

alexander khimushin wanders the world..

photographing indigenous people whose 

lifestyles and settlements may be on the 

edge of extinction.. saving the memory 

of these vanishing cultures..

cheque out : the world in faces..

his stated mission is to capture the faces of 

these last vestiges of ancient culture..

here at home sweet home, 

feeling the weight of stuff and such, 

knowing in my cells and bones 

the wisdom of impermanence 

i have been rummaging through files and papers

that i have been saving/collecting

pictures, newspapers clips, letters of gratitude

(even a psychedelic letter to my mama from the 60's  - o my o!)

and wonder.. as i wander through this past..

am i documenting my history and last

vestiges of some ancient karma?

and wonder further..

who cares?

not in some self-deprecating way

nor in any poor me mode..

simply..who will care?

i am not a prominent stateswoman..

nor a celebrated yogini or a legendary actress,

certainly not an illustrious politician..!

there is no progeny.. 

to pass along the modest history of me..

we know life is fleeting..

the 8th decade is unfolding for me..

rather, it is folding up around me..

the fetters of this incarnation are receding ..

there is now a boxload to purge and burn and liberate..

my past will not follow me to the grave..  **

no youthful pictures nor sentimental poetry

will weave my stories of love and loss

sketching me back into existence 

... like the flight of birds in the sky, 

the path of the selfless is hard to follow. 

they have no possessions, 

but live on alms in a world of freedom.

like the flight of birds in the sky, 

their path is hard to follow...

...freed from illusion and from personal ties,

they have renounced the world of appearance

to find reality.

                      ~ the dhammapada

REQUEST:

I AM LOOKING FOR A BURN RECEPTACLE

TO SET AFLAME TO THESE ENCUMBRANCES..

~ ANY FIREPIT OR FIREPLACE OR BURN CAN

WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED ~

** this blog..

when i get closer to the veil..

what to do?

pictures and epistles that are floating about..

what to do?

it will come to me..

 

mojito

the thought manifests the word;

the word manifests the deed;

the deed develops into habit;

and habit hardens into character;

so watch the thoughts and its ways with care,

and let them spring forth from love

born out of compassion for all beings.

as the shadow follows the body,

as we think, so we become.

                                  ~ dhammapada

good morning!

my new..relatively new..

morning practice..

to attempt to catch myself 

between sleeping and waking ~

to see if i might maintain some awareness 

of  deep consciousness..

just before habitual thought takes over ..

here is how it went today

amusing to intercept my first word/thought..

mojito ~ 

it was mojito..!

an adult beverage i have yet to try..

though maybe i was thinking wohelo

the campfire girl's set of values..

work

health

love

given my proclivities this seems 

to me more noble than *mojito..

yet who can say?

or maybe it was mosquito 

recalling the tlingit totem pole of strong boy

in myrtle edwards park / seattle..

it's been said that mosquitos 

are rarely included on totem poles..

yet the brave grizzly bear is holding one..

warning us all is not easy..

which is to say..

this new practice is not ..

the first word/words out of my mouth..

as i come to..to the new day..

hmmmmmmm?

remembering.. in the early 70's..

 my dear friend barbara and i attended 

a week-end silent yoga retreat in santa barbara 

with the integral yoga institute clan..

we were silent wee mice, purging ourselves in ditches, 

eating bland sattvic food and  probably counting the minutes 

until we were free at last.. and when we were, 

as we drove away and opened our mouths,

the first word to explode in the ethers was muffins !

maybe it was muffins, 

this morning...? 

whatever a practitioner keeps pursuing

with their thinking and pondering,

becomes the inclination of their awareness ~

                             -  the buddha

my prayer -

to be wise in my thinking of thought..

that habitual, recycled thought-train..

entering into the silence just before..

noting the space, the interval..

and expanding it..

riding that stillness as a wave..

into samadhi..

into union/communion

with all and everything thing..

may it be just so..

*mojito - cuban spanish - mojo

grudge grinch

purge out of every heart the lurking grudge.

give us grace and strength to forbear and to persevere.

give us the grace to accept and forgive offenders.

forgetful ourselves, help us to bear cheerfully the forgetfulness of others.

give us courage and gaiety and the quiet mind.

spare us to our friends, soften to us our enemies.

                         ~  robert louis stevenson

my mama had this in our house..tucked away in a desk drawer..

where lots of interesting and colorful notes, quotes and missives

were snestled..along with important papers, un-noteworthy bits and scribbles..

it was always a meritorious rustle when i was granted permission

to enter into the innermost jumble of her secretary...

now it is amongst my jumbled collection

and i pull it out often to re-read or post and share ..

grudge partners well with forgiveness..as RLS petitions -

which is an every day, maybe an every hour assignment

for one thing or another..

whether it is forgiving the teacup for her topsy-turviness

or a friend who voted for the other guy

or my laziness or foot-in-mouthedness..

( life is very short.. but it is wide, i have heard )

my letting go must be that empty harbor

where no grudgeboats can dock and rest at sea..

where there is loyalty to all humanoids for being just that..

(the one thing i don't like about being human.. is.. being human... )

at this beginning of the new year 2021,

may the true debt jubilee be to forgive those

who we think have caused us harm..

*oh, the thinks you can 

think up if you only try!

forgive ourselves for being a self and claiming hurt..

perceived or true.. 

for declaring the self as a target..

forgive the grudge grinch within us!

lift up the self by the Self

and don't let the self droop down,

for the Self is the self's only friend

and the self is the Self's only foe.

            ~  bhagavad gita  chapter 6, verse 5

there was a headline in the washington post:

march 21, 2020..

a debt jubilee is the only way to avoid a depression

ha! indeed..

to be free of depression we must unhinge our grudges

and set them sailing..

let them float away in the great ocean's vastness

evanescing into emptiness..

(don't you love the word evanesce?)

the art of forgiveness is a life skill.. yes?

like the art of happiness..

skillful means to perpetuate a life of open-heartedness

if i can liberate my grudges, i can liberate the self to the Self ~

the back of my hand to you, insults, injuries, self-importance, grudges!

in the buddhist tradition there are three dharma seals..

impermanence, no-self and nirvāna

nirvāna = sanskrit = to extinguish = to blow out..

whoooh! gone, gone, gone beyond..

impermanance!

no-self!

these are my skillful means 

to open the doors, 

windows, 

pathways of the heart/mind..

forgiveness rides on the coattails of these three golden keys..

or.. vice versa ~

i make a plea to all i have unknowingly 

(for it is unknowingly)

harmed, hurt or misled..

been selfish and stupid and unkindly.. 

...like a bird on a wire,  

like a drunk in a midnight choir

i have tried in my way to be free.

if i have been unkind

i hope you can just let it go by

if i have been untrue

i hope you know it was never to you...

                               ~ leonard cohen

                    

* most ginormous gratitude to dr. seuss

for the grinch! and so much more....

'twas...

'twas the day before christmas and all through the shala -  not a creature was stirring, not even a koala

the straps were all hung on the hooks with great care -  in hopes that the guru would offer a prayer 

the yogis were snestled so sweet on their mats, while ganesha and krishna danced 'round their hats

shakti-ma in her sari, shivam in his dreads - settling their chakras, readying their beds

when out in the valley there rose such a clatter, they jumped out of savasan to see what was the matter

the chandra reflected on new fallen snow -  gave a shimmer, a dazzle to the objects below

when whoa! what the farnbang? to their eyes did appear - a wee golden chariot and 6 tiny reindeer

with a powerful driver so bold and so bright - it's hanuman! the monkey! so brave and so light

more rapid than garudā, his coursers they came - he whistled and shouted and called them by name

now ustrā, now bakā, adho mukha svānāsan - on vīrabhadrā, gomukhā and matsyendrāsan

to the top of tadāsana, to the top of the wall - now dash away, dash away, dash away all ~

he was dressed all in fur from his head to his tail - he twinkled, he chuckled, he jumped without fail

he spoke not a word and went straight to his stocks - stacking the blankets and stashing the blocks

then folding his palms right up to his heart - he gave a quick nod, and rose with a start

he sprang to his sleigh, gave his sangha a whistle - away they all flew, like a NASA space missile

we then heard him chanting as he drove away - om gaté gaté ~ om namaste!

SOLSTICE BLESSINGS BRILLIANT AND BRIGHT

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL  ~ AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT !

 

patience

 

patience is the art of concealing your impatience.

                 ~  guy kawasaki

there are three things that cause me great consternation..

as far as my patience is concerned..

or rather my lack of patience 

or my failure at concealing impatience..

vacumn cleaner cords..

or cords of any kind, actually..

garden hoses,

and hangers.. all and every kind of hanger..

these all seem to get caught up within themselves

or other ends of themselves or others of like mind and shape..

i am shown in no uncertain terms the ignobility of my impatience..

my language becomes garbled, my face contorts into a mass of wrinkles, 

my voice raises 3 octaves, and my entire mellow nature melts into aaarrrrgh..

that is to say, it used to..

i have trained my shabby impatience to rise up! to rise up to higher ground..

now, when i encounter the encounters

of cords, hoses, and hangers..

i speak in honeyed tones and storytime intimacy...

as such :

ah! dearest hanger of the clan of hangers-on..

where are you running off to..

with your brothers and sisters in tow?

please come back to the fold..

please join in the queue..

or

of course, dear vacumn cord of wandering caught up ways..

let's get your legless thread out from under the chair, desk, bedstead

and find the clear path to cleanliness..

or

gardening hose of gathering water..

why tie yourself in knots over the flow of the universe?

let me unkink your body and mind so you are able

to pour forth freely

your wisdom and fresh wet essence..

these wee fairytales change my tight-talking mind 

into a humorous fable of spacious cascading lucidity..

and.. my dialogue is..ha! ha! so amusing to my very own self, 

that i end in laughter..

now though, there is another impatience..

the impatience of wanting things to be other than they are..

really?

why would i want that?

well......

because...

i would o so like to travel the highways and byways..

the airways and seawaves

my nomadic propensity is up in arms..

akimbo and askew..

even from the simplest,

the most realistic point of view,

the countries which we long for

occupy a far larger place 

in our actual life

than the country

in which we happen to be...

              marcel proust / swain's way

quite honestly, there is no where else to go..

this very land is the lotus land of purity..

this very body is the body of the buddha..

a whiplash of awakening and i see my faulty view..

until my longing (impatience) sets in yet again 

and i imagine a scene from the himalayas..

the coastline of crete,

the soup and ice cream of istanbul,

the monastery in upstate new york..

it's all in the mind

imagining is like feeling around

in a dark lane, or washing

your eyes with blood. 

you are the truth

from foot to brow. now, 

what else would you like to know?

                  ~ rumi

where else would you rather be?

okay already..

here now 

just this

as it is.. 

is now..

as it was in the beginning

now and ever shall be ~

the snare of gratitude

 

there have been o so many people in my life 

who have been kind, generous, 

willing to come to my aid on my way to ..

wherever..

here, now..

'tis a practice of mr. rogers, isn't it..

to take ....  what? 5 minutes 

to recall a face, an action

holding them with your inner vision..

your heart/mind ~

to recollect the kindness that slid you 

to the next move on your chessboard of life.

after watching the queen's gambit..

(i think i qualify as a binger of the series..)

i was touched by the many who uplifted 

the young protaganist along her way..

magnanimously.. 

(from the latin.. magnus animus - great soul)

afterwards, i sat for a time reminiscing

the faces, the places, the benevolence

showered upon me throughout my life..

what a worthy practice !

most thanksgivings i share this poem by rumi..

and here we go again:

giving thanks for abundance 

is sweeter than the abundance itself:

thankfulness is the soul of beneficence,

abundance is but the husk,

for thankfulness brings you

to the place where the Beloved lives.

abundance yields heedlessness;

thankfulness, alertness:

hunt for bounty with the snare of gratitude...

                               thankfulness, alertness

                                     translated by kabir helminski

                                         edited a wee bit by djl

sitting quietly with the countless souls

who have traversed this splendid life

with me, 

who guided me, 

led the way, 

paved my streets with gold, 

held me back, 

pushed me onward..

~ nothing to do 

but bow my head 

~ tasting the saltysweet 

honeyed tears 

of thankfulness..

 

....should one who is absorbed with the 

Generous One

be distracted by the gift?

it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

timely rain

 

from chögyam trungpa ~

in the jungles of flaming ego,

may there be a cool iceberg of bodhicitta.

on the racetrack of bureaucracy,

may there be the walk of the elephant.

may the sumptuous castle of arrogance

be destroyed by vajra confidence.

in the garden of gentle sanity,

may you be bombarded by coconuts of wakefulness.

it's very wet..squally..sopping..

the hummingbirds are gathering in droves 

for the sweet ambrosia i concoct..

one such bird is holding hostage

a feeder all to him/herself..

the others are joined two by twos 

to  snuggle up and share the nectar ..

as many as a dozen to a feeder..

community..not two..generosity..

as i stir each batch of sugar water

i chant the heart sutra mantra..

or the gayatri or om mani padme hum..

it seems i have a non-bodhisattva in the tribe !

it is said that generosity is the gateway to the bodhisattva path..

(no wonder the second phrase above the gateway to the

temple at delphi was: nothing in excess)

the giving practice is the practice of letting go..

letting go of narrow views, of concepts of small, tight and lack..

letting go of ownership, close-fistedness, insufficiency  ~

i must stir up my next quantity of nektar with "enough" mindfulness..

(recalling a bumper sticker - if you had enough would you recognize it)

a friend shared that she had offered some money to a  homeless fellow 

outside a coffee shoppe..and he said.. o, no thank you, i really have enough..

as i cultivate generosity in my own nature, all else follows generously..

i experience this as so!

next time i will whisk in the circle of offering ~ ampleness and plenty ~

then the dear renegade hummer will feel contentment..

igniting the wake-up mind of his/her own wide wingspan to gifting..

nurturing billions of brother and sister hummingbirds

with the syrup of bounteousness!

HA! MAY IT BE JUST SO!

 

from *81 - daode jing 

......  the sage avoids accumulation--

the more (s)he works for others, the more (s)he has;

the more (s)he gives to others, the more (s)he gains.

the way of the heavens is to benefit, not to injure.

the way of the sages is to act, not to compete.

                      ~ translated by louis komjathy

not two..

 

JFK's planned speech for austin, texas  ~ 

evening of november 22  ~ 1969

... this country is moving and it must not stop. it cannot stop. 

this is a time for courage and a time for challenge.

neither conformity nor complacency will do.

neither the fanatics nor the faint-hearted are needed. 

our duty as a party is not to our party alone, 

but to the nation, and, indeed, to all humankind.

our duty is not merely the preservation of political power 

but the preservation of peace and freedom.

so let us not be petty when our cause is so great.

let us not quarrel amongst ourselves when our nation's

future is at stake.  let us stand together with renewed 

confidence in our cause....

determined that this land we love shall lead all humankind 

into new frontiers of peace and abundance.

PLEASE VOTE!

david spangler

if we fear each other, it may be because in some way, 

we fear ourselves. let's change that.

let's trust our goodness

and help others do the same.

there is no reason the winner of our election 

in this country has to be fear and anger.

we can decide otherwise.

whoever holds the office of presidency

the offices of senator or representative,

we hold the country.

we hold the country in our hearts, in our choices,

in our actions, and in our behavior towards one another.

in the days and months ahead, 

let's ensure that the winner is the best in us.

PLEASE VOTE!

you (bodhisattva) and wisdom (prajña)

are essentially the same,

like pearls rolling on a tray,

light, random, uninhibited .

                        ~ hakuin zenji

in this not two nothing is separate,

nothing is excluded.

                   ~ hsin shin ming

i confess..there was a time when i didn't vote..

it was after nixon won a second round...

by a landslide..1972...

george mcgovern, my vote..

gone, gone, gone....

it was years before i got my head and heart on straight ..

the vote, our vote, my vote..is one of the most effective

ways to wrestle with the snake of politics..

if i seem to take part in politics, 

it is only because politics encircles us today

like the coil of a snake from which one cannot get out,

no matter how much one tries.

i wish therefore to wrestle with the snake..

                 ~ mahatma gandhi