leonard 1934 – 2016

it was the late sixties .. in pasadena, california..
my first real boyfriend and i were painting houses..
(didn’t we all do that?)
only the interiors..

our music of the times was the beatles, bob dylan
and of course, leonard.. his album just out ~
songs of leonard cohen..
remember this?
https://goo.gl/images/J6LKvI
we were smitten..

we would have our music with us..always..
and i recall many a time painting the lyrics
of his songs with primer on walls of our clients...

the residents would return home to
a newly painted living room
with lyrics of suzanne..sisters of mercy..
embedded in the hue..
delighted with the energi ~
interior design ~

they would be so enamoured with us and our work..
wanting us to paint every room in the house..
leonard was our job security!

i had a man fall head over heels in love with me
after we painted his bedroom..
he had no idea why..nor did i..
we figured it must have been leonard..

leonard's music, his poetry,
his life and wisdom  ~
a thousand kisses deep

o see the darkness yielding
that tore the light apart
come healing of the reason
come healing of the heart

the swing & the gypsy

between the conscious and the unconscious,
the mind put up a swing:
all earth creatures, even the supernovas,
sway between these two trees,
and it never winds down.

angels, animals, humans, insects by the million,
also the wheeling sun and moon;
ages go by, and it goes on.

everything is swinging:
heaven, earth, water, fire,
and the secret one slowly growing a body.
Kabir saw that for fifteen seconds,
and it made him a servant for life.
                    ~ kabir



distractions
think about gypsies...
like smoke in the evening they cross a border.
they don't believe in it, and they say if god
doesn't care nobody cares.  in the morning
their wagons are gone, carrying their stories
away.  they like the sound of a wheel
and have given up owning a place.  they roll
beyond old newspapers and broken glass and
start a new campfire.  sometimes, going up
a steep hill, they get off and walk forward
and whisper the oldest secret in the world
into the ear of their horses.
~ william stafford


it is incredulous..this day..
in the words of His Holiness, the 14th Dalai lama :

life is so colourful !

V O T E

  
the form of government which prevails 
is the expression of what cultivation
exists in the population which permits it.
                         ~ emerson

V - vexation   antonym  contentment

O - onerous   antonym  temperate

T - tacky antonym  tasteful

E - eeeew!  antonym  egalitarian


let us be poised and wise and our own today ...
without a shadow of a doubt, 
amidst this vertigo of shows and politics,
i settle myself ever firmer in the creed
that we should not postpone and refer and wish, 
but do broad justice where we are....
                              ~ emerson


to the mind there is such a thing as news,
whereas to the inner knowing,
it is all in the middle of its happening....
.....
to the lover and the visionary,
it is life as it's being lived.
             ~rumi

i have cast my vote..
i vote for love..
i vote for kindness..
& big grace !

W

W
feels like a sunday..
this day after the world champions of champions
cubs
having grinched the curse and wrung it out dry


W
saint james cathedral
on my knees
the church of baseball

all soul's day
tied up in sixes

gabriel faure's requiem

slipping out of my pew
to our blessed holy mother

$2 bill in hand..
a candle for all the mother's
a candle for the cubs fans
a candle for the cubs..

17 minute rain delay!!
divine intervention

right after holy communion
and the sign of peace...

W

the great sea change.....

history says, don't hope
on this side of the grave.
but then, once in a lifetime
the longed-for tidal wave
of justice can rise up,
and hope and history rhyme.
~~~~~~~
believe that further shore
is reachable from here.
believe in miracles
and cures and healing wells.
                        ~ seamus heaney


W

come to the threshold! MoNA All Saint's Day 6:30 pm

this time of year..
samhain
all hallow's eve
all saint's day
all soul's day
dia de muertos

this time of year ...
the veil betwixt life and death is liminal..
liminal defined :
occupying a position on both sides of a threshold..

i like to think of this time as an opportunity
to befriend death..our mid-wife since birth ~
who is traveling with us and guiding us..
to our threshold..handing us over
to the next great adventure!

the yaqui sorcerer - don juan - speaks to carlitos ...

death is our eternal companion..
it has always been watching you.
it always will until the day it taps you...
the thing to do when you are impatient
is to turn to your left
and ask advice from your death.
an immense amount of pettiness is dropped
if your death makes a gesture to you...
the issue of our death is never pressed far enough.
death is the only wise advisor we have.
whenever you feel .. that everything is going wrong..
your death will tell you - that is not so -
that nothing matters outside its touch..
your death will tell you, 
i haven't touched you yet!
...
we don't have time, my friend, 
that is the misfortune of human beings.
focus your attention on the link
between you and your death
without remorse or sadness or worrying.
focus your attention on the fact
that you don't have time
and let your acts flow accordingly.
let each of your acts be your last .. on earth.
only under these conditions will your acts
have their rightful power...


the Tibetans have a meditation practice..
practice the dissolution of the body!
practice the dissolution of the mind!

curious is it not..?
when asked to summarize his life..
Plato actually came out of  a coma to answer..
practice dying.
&
Seneca, in Letters from a Stoic  -
rehearse death.
to say this is to tell a person
to rehearse their freedom.
a person who has learned how to die
has unlearned how to be a slave.

LET US PRACTICE! 

yoga class as usual @ MoNA
Tuesday, November 1st
6:30 - 8:30..
we will practice dissolution together ~

when we die daily..we last a long time!

sit empty of worldly anxiety

so says Hongzhi ~

i find that strong instruction
and not an easy task..

up for debate..
and speaking of ..

for me to sit empty of worldly anxiety
it is best i sit out that show..
unpatriotic?

the rest of Hongzhi's instructions...
silent and bright,
clear and illuminating,
blank and accepting,
far-reaching and responsive.

responsive AND empty?

#46 - Tao te Ching

when a country is in harmony with the Tao,
the factories make trucks and tractors.
when a country goes counter to the Tao,
warheads are stockpiled outside the cities.

there is no greater illusion than fear,
no greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself,
no greater misfortune than having an enemy.

whoever can see through all fear
will always be safe.

# 58 - Tao te Ching..

if a country is governed with tolerance,
the people are comfortable and honest.
if a country is governed with repression,
the people are depressed and crafty.

when the will to power is in charge,
the higher the ideals, the lower the results.
try to make people happy,
and you lay groundwork for misery.
try to make people moral,
and you make groundwork for vice......

# 59 - Tao te Ching

for governing a country well
there is nothing better than moderation.

the mark of a moderate person
is freedom from their own ideas......


Gandhi says that spiritual and political life
are hand mates..

yep!
i resemble that..
watching game 3
toronto bluejays
texas rangers
AMERICAN league politics
&
the church of baseball

no parley

SOS! yoga class venue change 10-13 & 10 -14 ...

EVERYTHING IS TRANSIENT,
AND IT IS PERMANENT
IN THAT IT IS INVARIABLY TRANSIENT!!

the swinomish tribe will have a celebration of life
for sister barbara who passed away last month..
on friday, the 14th of october..
the set-up will take place on thursday, the 13th..

crescent moon yoga
521 morris street
la conner 98257
will be hosting our 2 classes that week..
PLEASE NOTE THE TIME CHANGE
FOR FRIDAY, THE 14TH @ 9:00 AM

thursday evening
october 13 / 7 pm 
@ crescent moon

friday morning
october 14 / 9 AM
@ crescent moon

your class series is honored, of course ~
as are you !
drop-ins welcome..

apologies for any inconvenience ..

life is like a roller coaster..
it goes up and down 
and makes you scream..
and costs alot of money ~
      (hannah c.  age 8)