Oh, it's not so easy and immediate as we might like it to be, but here's a little bit of a primer on manifestation of our choices in the moment.
First of all, let's be clear that all creation happens in the moment and nowhere else. That's actually the challenge. What you are being and thinking and loving in the moment - every moment - is what brings experiences to you. So consistency is important. It's one thing to radiate love and trust in the process for a single moment, but can we maintain it?
To give an example from my own experience, I desire the creation of paths and simple benches scattered here and there on the ten acres of woodland I am privileged to steward. I desire that this is created as soon as possible, since patience isn't one of my virtues. I love the idea of this. I hold it with enthusiasm. I breathe it out into the 'World-Whole' - which is a continuous process of becoming - as I walk through the woodland. Yet, I have moments of doubt - the old refrain of 'not enough' comes in. Not enough money, not enough time, not enough muscle power for me to accomplish what I desire.... Such a tired old story, that 'not enough', don't you agree? And that tired old story contradicts the story about the paths and benches.
The World loves me. It loves you too. It will give you, joyfully and lovingly, whatever you are radiating. If you are radiating anger, it will give you anger. If you are radiating shame, it will give you shame. If you are radiating an abundance of paths and benches, it will give you an abundance of paths and benches. But if we are inconsistent in our being, which radiates out to the World-Whole-Becoming, it gets confused and confusing. "Oh," says the World, "so now you want to be lacking.... Okay. I'll give you that." We take a deep breath and renew our confident projection of the creation of our desires. "Oh," says the World, "so now you want to be standing in that woodland on a lovely path beside a conveniently placed bench. Gotcha! I'll give you that."
You can see how the inconsistency of our radiance could really get in the way of the World-Whole-Becoming offering us the experience that we ourselves are radiating. It's a kind of 'red light / green light' scenario. "Stop. Go. Stop. Go. Go..... No, don't..... Okay, go." Ultimately, that is just not going to work very well for us.
So, here are some ideas that might help with this inconsistency.
First of all, you need to know what it is that you really desire and you need to be okay with that. That means, no hidden blocks - these tend to run along the lines of, "I don't deserve it. I'm not good enough. I'm not worthy. I haven't worked hard enough...." You get the picture. These can be buried pretty deeply within us. I've mentioned before the importance of delving within to find your truth, of spending time with the parts of yourself that aren't so pretty or so nice. These all need to be known and accepted and loved before you can truly release the beliefs about your own self-worth that block you from receiving what you desire. If you can't accept everything about yourself, you are, on some level, projecting unacceptability out to the World-Whole-Becoming. Remember that the World gives you exactly what you are. If you feel yourself to be unworthy, that's what the World will oh-so-lovingly give back to you.
Secondly, since consistency is key, it might help if you think your thought, imagine your desired outcome, feel that enthusiasm and that desire, and then LET IT GO. Busy yourself with other matters and when you do think about it, be consistent, as much as you are able. If you pick at it, worry over it, wonder when.... you'll be doing a great job of getting in your own way. I know it's exquisitely pick-at-able, like a scab that's itching and just ready to come off. Still, be where you are, NOT where you might be later. Perhaps. If everything goes well....
Love the self you are. Love the moment that you are in. Appreciate what now surrounds you. Enjoy the experience which you are currently immersed in. That projects self-love, love for the world, appreciation and enjoyment. And being that, you attract that. Your life becomes filled with love, self-love, appreciation and enjoyment. Pretty good, I'd say.
This is not an easy thing to do, but it is a huge step toward becoming a conscious creator of your experience, and toward the manifestation of your desires.
What you love, you attract. What you are, you end up surrounded by. So being is important. Being in love with the World. Being in the moment.
Above all else, enjoy the process, the practice and the Now.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Uncharted Territory
Imagine yourself standing in a place unfamiliar to you. You have never been there before and it is quite different than any place you have been. What is even more intensely obvious as you stand there at this moment is that no one has ever been there before. No one. You know it, as surely as you know that you will take that next breath. No one has ever been here before. You're in uncharted territory.
I've been documenting my experiences in this unfamiliar realm of heightened awareness, of consciousness that encompasses multiple dimensions simultaneously. I've been trying to put words to something that goes so far beyond words that it almost pulls us right out of our bodies sometimes. I'm doing this documentary work for a couple of reasons; one - because I just happen to really love words! I used to read poetry, not because it was assigned for English homework, but because it spoke to sweetly to me! My heroes are Shakespeare, Thoreau and e. e. cummings. I read something written by cummings last night and it just blew me away! I'll share it with you in a minute. That's the other reason why I've been documenting the undocumentable - for you, for all and any who will now or later make use of these words. It is my joy and privilege and honour to serve in this way. I've little else to give, since I crave solitude and serenity these days more than ever before - having always been a 'loner.'
Uncharted territory. Sometimes, it's a little scary. To be completely honest with you, that's another reason why I write it down. Sometimes, by documenting it, I seem to make it more manageable, more known. Other times, words fail me, but then I turn to the images of photography and the rhythms of poetry and let them sing.
If you have doubts about your being in this new world of ours, you are not alone. I share them. Yet, our trust in ourselves, our love for the world and the divinity growing more sure and strong within us will prevail. It is this pioneering spirit, this brave stand, that I choose now to address.
Way back in 1938, as an introduction to his Collected Poems, e. e. cummings wrote something that speaks very much to me today as I move through this uncharted territory of heart, soul and service to the ALL:
"... nothing proving or sick or partial. Nothing false,nothing difficult or easy or small or colossal. Nothing ordinary or extraordinary,nothing emptied or filled,real or unreal;nothing feeble and known or clumsy and guessed. Everywhere tints childrening, innocent spontaneous,true. Nowhere possibly what flesh and impossibly such a garden,but actually flowers which breasts are among the very mouths of light. Nothing believed or doubted; brain over heart, surface:nowhere hating or to fear;shadow, mind without soul. Only how measureless cool flames of making;only each other building always distinct selves of mutual entirely opening;only alive. Never the murdered finalities of wherewhen and yesno,impotent nongames of wrongright and rightwrong;never to gain or pause,never the soft adventure of undoom,greedy anguishes and cringing ecstasies of inexistence; never to rest and never to have:only to grow.
Always the beautiful answer who asks a more beautiful question...."
He goes on at length, describing his indescribable process of putting his passion for living into poetry. It somehow fits with what I want to convey here to you now.
Uncharted territory. Isn't it wonderful, strange, disconcerting sometimes, changing constantly... And we have such courage, just to BE here. Just to BE as we are, right now, right here - courage that sings the world into its new and newer colours of becoming. Oh, I have other heroes - I just realized it. You who read this, companions on a journey never before undertaken - you are my other heroes.
Be of good courage!
I've been documenting my experiences in this unfamiliar realm of heightened awareness, of consciousness that encompasses multiple dimensions simultaneously. I've been trying to put words to something that goes so far beyond words that it almost pulls us right out of our bodies sometimes. I'm doing this documentary work for a couple of reasons; one - because I just happen to really love words! I used to read poetry, not because it was assigned for English homework, but because it spoke to sweetly to me! My heroes are Shakespeare, Thoreau and e. e. cummings. I read something written by cummings last night and it just blew me away! I'll share it with you in a minute. That's the other reason why I've been documenting the undocumentable - for you, for all and any who will now or later make use of these words. It is my joy and privilege and honour to serve in this way. I've little else to give, since I crave solitude and serenity these days more than ever before - having always been a 'loner.'
Uncharted territory. Sometimes, it's a little scary. To be completely honest with you, that's another reason why I write it down. Sometimes, by documenting it, I seem to make it more manageable, more known. Other times, words fail me, but then I turn to the images of photography and the rhythms of poetry and let them sing.
If you have doubts about your being in this new world of ours, you are not alone. I share them. Yet, our trust in ourselves, our love for the world and the divinity growing more sure and strong within us will prevail. It is this pioneering spirit, this brave stand, that I choose now to address.
Way back in 1938, as an introduction to his Collected Poems, e. e. cummings wrote something that speaks very much to me today as I move through this uncharted territory of heart, soul and service to the ALL:
"... nothing proving or sick or partial. Nothing false,nothing difficult or easy or small or colossal. Nothing ordinary or extraordinary,nothing emptied or filled,real or unreal;nothing feeble and known or clumsy and guessed. Everywhere tints childrening, innocent spontaneous,true. Nowhere possibly what flesh and impossibly such a garden,but actually flowers which breasts are among the very mouths of light. Nothing believed or doubted; brain over heart, surface:nowhere hating or to fear;shadow, mind without soul. Only how measureless cool flames of making;only each other building always distinct selves of mutual entirely opening;only alive. Never the murdered finalities of wherewhen and yesno,impotent nongames of wrongright and rightwrong;never to gain or pause,never the soft adventure of undoom,greedy anguishes and cringing ecstasies of inexistence; never to rest and never to have:only to grow.
Always the beautiful answer who asks a more beautiful question...."
He goes on at length, describing his indescribable process of putting his passion for living into poetry. It somehow fits with what I want to convey here to you now.
Uncharted territory. Isn't it wonderful, strange, disconcerting sometimes, changing constantly... And we have such courage, just to BE here. Just to BE as we are, right now, right here - courage that sings the world into its new and newer colours of becoming. Oh, I have other heroes - I just realized it. You who read this, companions on a journey never before undertaken - you are my other heroes.
Be of good courage!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Humanity's Future
My vision for humanity begins with humans themselves.
As we begin to feel the presence of the Divine within us, which is our I AM presence, our truth and our expanded consciousness, we also begin to understand deeply and completely that we need nothing, want for nothing.
We begin to know beyond any shadow of a doubt that all that we need and choose comes to us from within. We seek nothing outside of ourselves. We therefore do not need to strive and fear lack and do things that we hate to do but feel compelled to do. So, we begin to experience a lightness of being based on our own authenticity and integrity.
Emanating from this I AM presence in people is a reverence for self, for all of life, for all of creation. There is honour for all, compassion for all. So, people feel able to spend their time doing the things that they love to do. This person sews clothing of her own design. This person repairs car engines and maintains them in good working order. This person grows fruits and vegetables. This person teaches children. This person keeps an office and accounts in good order. And so on and so on. All of these activities are valued and everyone has all that they need. There is literally no fear of lack, no expectation of lack and no experience of lack. So economics, as we currently understand it, is gone, because economics as we currently understand it is based on scarcity, limited supply and growing demand. That is, and always has been, an illusion. And the illusion is dissolved by the simplicity and integrity of the I AM presence in individuals, and then in families, and in groups of people working together and in whole communities.
In classrooms, legislatures and places where people gather to disseminate news and views this clear, simple I AM presence, this being God in the World, changes everything, and this change occurs slowly and surely, without anybody really noticing it.
People tend to live in peace because they have no reason to do otherwise. People tend to do what they love doing because they feel no obligation or compulsion to do otherwise. People create the situations that they choose for themselves. They feel themselves to be safe and provided for by their own Being in the World.
The strength of divine intelligence as it grows within us breaks through the hypnotic effects of the mass media's outpourings of polarized stances and dramatic exchanges, breaks through the mass consciousness that tries vainly to keep telling us that this and this and that are all impossible. In our hearts we know that everything is possible and that all that we love is probable.
People fall in love with themselves. This is huge. They fall in love with themselves and then they fall in love with everyone else, but not in a feeding or needing way; for they deeply experience the truth that they always have all that they need. We love the world and take full responsibility for ourselves, for our reality, our situation and then.... Then we begin to take responsibility for this beloved Earth that surrounds and sustains us because we love Her so much.
We tend to create strong and creative communities because these are fun, joyful and healthy places for people to be in. We exchange ideas, supplies, skills, crafted items and so on. Will we still feel the need to use a medium of exchange such as money? I don't know. I allow it to be as it will be. And that openness to possibilities will be pervasive among all of us as more and more of us awaken fully to the divine intelligence and wisdom that is within us. We access this divine intelligence and wisdom through our I AM presence in the moment, as we realize more and more that we are radiating divine love, divine light through our bodies, right here on Earth.
As we look out at other people, places, situations, we will be filled with compassion, with honour, with gratitude, joy and blessing. And these attributes of God Being in the World will become pervasive among people all over this planet. We will be completely without judgement, without denigrating labels for people or situations. We will know beyond all knowing that each person is a perfect whole being experiencing what is theirs in their own way and that this experience of theirs is sacred and to be honoured, no matter how different it might be from our own. We will fully honour each person's free will as our own has always, without fail, been honoured by the limitless All-That-Is. We will, more and more, enjoy the experience of being on Earth, in a human body, fully and without reservations, guilt, shame or regrets. This way of being will become more and more 'just the way we are.'
For me, this is the true change that is coming. It isn't as dramatic as Armageddon, or the Rapture, or a polar shift, or mass extinctions from the effects of global warming. It is very quiet, very pervasive and impossible to stop. It is happening now - slowly, but surely. It is ours, if we choose it.
This is my vision of humanity's future. I invite you to create and enjoy your own such vision.
Blessings!
As we begin to feel the presence of the Divine within us, which is our I AM presence, our truth and our expanded consciousness, we also begin to understand deeply and completely that we need nothing, want for nothing.
We begin to know beyond any shadow of a doubt that all that we need and choose comes to us from within. We seek nothing outside of ourselves. We therefore do not need to strive and fear lack and do things that we hate to do but feel compelled to do. So, we begin to experience a lightness of being based on our own authenticity and integrity.
Emanating from this I AM presence in people is a reverence for self, for all of life, for all of creation. There is honour for all, compassion for all. So, people feel able to spend their time doing the things that they love to do. This person sews clothing of her own design. This person repairs car engines and maintains them in good working order. This person grows fruits and vegetables. This person teaches children. This person keeps an office and accounts in good order. And so on and so on. All of these activities are valued and everyone has all that they need. There is literally no fear of lack, no expectation of lack and no experience of lack. So economics, as we currently understand it, is gone, because economics as we currently understand it is based on scarcity, limited supply and growing demand. That is, and always has been, an illusion. And the illusion is dissolved by the simplicity and integrity of the I AM presence in individuals, and then in families, and in groups of people working together and in whole communities.
In classrooms, legislatures and places where people gather to disseminate news and views this clear, simple I AM presence, this being God in the World, changes everything, and this change occurs slowly and surely, without anybody really noticing it.
People tend to live in peace because they have no reason to do otherwise. People tend to do what they love doing because they feel no obligation or compulsion to do otherwise. People create the situations that they choose for themselves. They feel themselves to be safe and provided for by their own Being in the World.
The strength of divine intelligence as it grows within us breaks through the hypnotic effects of the mass media's outpourings of polarized stances and dramatic exchanges, breaks through the mass consciousness that tries vainly to keep telling us that this and this and that are all impossible. In our hearts we know that everything is possible and that all that we love is probable.
People fall in love with themselves. This is huge. They fall in love with themselves and then they fall in love with everyone else, but not in a feeding or needing way; for they deeply experience the truth that they always have all that they need. We love the world and take full responsibility for ourselves, for our reality, our situation and then.... Then we begin to take responsibility for this beloved Earth that surrounds and sustains us because we love Her so much.
We tend to create strong and creative communities because these are fun, joyful and healthy places for people to be in. We exchange ideas, supplies, skills, crafted items and so on. Will we still feel the need to use a medium of exchange such as money? I don't know. I allow it to be as it will be. And that openness to possibilities will be pervasive among all of us as more and more of us awaken fully to the divine intelligence and wisdom that is within us. We access this divine intelligence and wisdom through our I AM presence in the moment, as we realize more and more that we are radiating divine love, divine light through our bodies, right here on Earth.
As we look out at other people, places, situations, we will be filled with compassion, with honour, with gratitude, joy and blessing. And these attributes of God Being in the World will become pervasive among people all over this planet. We will be completely without judgement, without denigrating labels for people or situations. We will know beyond all knowing that each person is a perfect whole being experiencing what is theirs in their own way and that this experience of theirs is sacred and to be honoured, no matter how different it might be from our own. We will fully honour each person's free will as our own has always, without fail, been honoured by the limitless All-That-Is. We will, more and more, enjoy the experience of being on Earth, in a human body, fully and without reservations, guilt, shame or regrets. This way of being will become more and more 'just the way we are.'
For me, this is the true change that is coming. It isn't as dramatic as Armageddon, or the Rapture, or a polar shift, or mass extinctions from the effects of global warming. It is very quiet, very pervasive and impossible to stop. It is happening now - slowly, but surely. It is ours, if we choose it.
This is my vision of humanity's future. I invite you to create and enjoy your own such vision.
Blessings!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Breathing in and Breathing out
We wax and wane through our moments in this world.
I have to remember to breathe today, because I am again feeling almost overwhelmed by the intensity of my experiences in the moment.
Breathe deeply and feel an expansiveness within you. It allows for all things.
Breathe again and feel a love within you that is beyond words. It accepts all that you are and all that you are not. It is perfect in its acceptance of you - proclaims you to be perfect in its love for you.
Breathe again, very deeply, and feel the wisdom that lives deep within you. It is yours, belongs to no one else and is unique on this planet in this, or any other, age.
Breathe once more in deepest appreciation for all that you are in this moment.
Has there ever been a time such as this in all the history of our Earth?
I asked the question, "How can I experience the divine that is within me most fully? How can I most completely embody the divine?"
And then, as the day passed, I felt it. And it was clearly recognizable - unlike any other energy.
It was all accepting, all loving, always grateful, always blessing, completely without harmful intent of any kind, without judgement of any kind, without ego concerns or fear of any kind. It was suddenly so easy and joyful to embody that!
Breathe deeply and feel it. This is one possibility, very real, very much within our experience, in these times of which we are an integral part.
Who knows what is to come? And in all the uncertainty and unprecedented becoming of these times, I 'sing in' the day - I call to it with my song. No need for trepidation or self-doubt. You are in the right place. You are exactly where you are supposed to be. And you are loved. Above all else, remember that. You are loved.
Deep breath.
I have to remember to breathe today, because I am again feeling almost overwhelmed by the intensity of my experiences in the moment.
Breathe deeply and feel an expansiveness within you. It allows for all things.
Breathe again and feel a love within you that is beyond words. It accepts all that you are and all that you are not. It is perfect in its acceptance of you - proclaims you to be perfect in its love for you.
Breathe again, very deeply, and feel the wisdom that lives deep within you. It is yours, belongs to no one else and is unique on this planet in this, or any other, age.
Breathe once more in deepest appreciation for all that you are in this moment.
Has there ever been a time such as this in all the history of our Earth?
I asked the question, "How can I experience the divine that is within me most fully? How can I most completely embody the divine?"
And then, as the day passed, I felt it. And it was clearly recognizable - unlike any other energy.
It was all accepting, all loving, always grateful, always blessing, completely without harmful intent of any kind, without judgement of any kind, without ego concerns or fear of any kind. It was suddenly so easy and joyful to embody that!
Breathe deeply and feel it. This is one possibility, very real, very much within our experience, in these times of which we are an integral part.
Who knows what is to come? And in all the uncertainty and unprecedented becoming of these times, I 'sing in' the day - I call to it with my song. No need for trepidation or self-doubt. You are in the right place. You are exactly where you are supposed to be. And you are loved. Above all else, remember that. You are loved.
Deep breath.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Silence in the Moment
Words crowd us sometimes. We have so many of them surrounding us. We have that stream-of-conscious chatter going on in our own minds. Sometimes, it feels like heaven to experience silence. It is akin to the stillness that I spoke of in yesterday's post. Often the two find each other. In silence is stillness. In stillness we often find silence, at least for a moment.
Today, I offer you silence.
Breathe deeply.
Here is a poem to encourage silence within you. Again, read slowly, please. Very slowly. Take a deep breath before you begin reading and again afterward. Pause whenever you would like to experience the silence between words and phrases.
May silence be your companion whenever you look for it.
Today, I offer you silence.
Breathe deeply.
Here is a poem to encourage silence within you. Again, read slowly, please. Very slowly. Take a deep breath before you begin reading and again afterward. Pause whenever you would like to experience the silence between words and phrases.
Beyond Words
I am, by this poem and all others,
Going somewhere else,
To deeply feel between the words and phrases,
Between and within. Words are sacred, we know that.
Yet there is something even more sacred, even more
And so an invitation, solemn and serene,
To breathe deeply (and slowly) between each stanza,
Pause completely (and for long, for long) at the end of each line,
Feel around the back and sides of each word
I send you
Into a fullness of silence,
A place of perfect presence,
A knowing stillness,
A deeper sense,
Beyond words.
May silence be your companion whenever you look for it.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Stillness in the Moment
I feel the need for stillness today. Perhaps you feel it also.
These days, I've noticed that no two days are alike. Based on yesterday's experiences, I can't predict what today will be like even a little bit. That's okay. It helps us to remember to be in the moment and it means that we are never likely to be bored.
Yesterday, I was filled with energy and got a tremendous amount done over the course of the day. Today, I crave stillness, solitude and peace. So, I create it here, for myself and for you.
Here is a poem that I wrote earlier this year which might help us to experience stillness. Please take the time to read it slowly. Very slowly. Pause wherever you would like to feel the stillness. And take a deep breath before you read it and then another one afterward.
For me, this poem represents a moment taken out of time by my stillness. I stood without moving. I was at the far end of a walk, just pausing for a moment before turning back toward home. I love walking, but I think that I love even more those moments during a walk when I stop completely and just experience the world around me. They are magical to me. It is as if I cheat time, removing myself, if only ever so briefly, from its tyranny and am allowed to drink in the essence of all that surrounds me. My consciousness becomes filled by what is external to me, to the point where I almost stop being consciously me for just that moment, stop constantly moving and moving and being and doing. Eventually, due to the cold, or the heat, or the dampness, or demands being made on my time by life's imperatives, I turn to take the next step forward and then the next and then the next. It is no surprise that this poem makes reference to Robert Frost's famous 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.' That experience, having to turn back to the busy-ness of life despite my longing for stillness, reminds me strongly of the last lines in that poem. Do you remember it from school?
"Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
.... Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
... The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
(my favourite description of quietness out of everything I've ever read!)
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
It is miraculous to me that in this world we can find stillness and find it whenever we choose to do so. It lies not so much in the stillness that surrounds us, but in our own stillness.
We can stop.
We can pause.
We can take that deep and conscious breath, then another.
We can be still
for just a moment
before continuing.
Lu
These days, I've noticed that no two days are alike. Based on yesterday's experiences, I can't predict what today will be like even a little bit. That's okay. It helps us to remember to be in the moment and it means that we are never likely to be bored.
Yesterday, I was filled with energy and got a tremendous amount done over the course of the day. Today, I crave stillness, solitude and peace. So, I create it here, for myself and for you.
Here is a poem that I wrote earlier this year which might help us to experience stillness. Please take the time to read it slowly. Very slowly. Pause wherever you would like to feel the stillness. And take a deep breath before you read it and then another one afterward.
With a Nod of Deepest Appreciation to Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know
His house is right beside me though
I cannot bring myself to go
Within, though they entice me so.
Quiet brown strength of solid wood standing
On red-brown bed of autumn hued hilllside and
Grey and dark receding and dove grey distance and
Copper paper memories pretending colours and
Love-laced tracings of snow on branches
Above and within
All-reaching into white-greyness of air
And silence
And stillness
For me, this poem represents a moment taken out of time by my stillness. I stood without moving. I was at the far end of a walk, just pausing for a moment before turning back toward home. I love walking, but I think that I love even more those moments during a walk when I stop completely and just experience the world around me. They are magical to me. It is as if I cheat time, removing myself, if only ever so briefly, from its tyranny and am allowed to drink in the essence of all that surrounds me. My consciousness becomes filled by what is external to me, to the point where I almost stop being consciously me for just that moment, stop constantly moving and moving and being and doing. Eventually, due to the cold, or the heat, or the dampness, or demands being made on my time by life's imperatives, I turn to take the next step forward and then the next and then the next. It is no surprise that this poem makes reference to Robert Frost's famous 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.' That experience, having to turn back to the busy-ness of life despite my longing for stillness, reminds me strongly of the last lines in that poem. Do you remember it from school?
"Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
.... Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
... The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
(my favourite description of quietness out of everything I've ever read!)
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
It is miraculous to me that in this world we can find stillness and find it whenever we choose to do so. It lies not so much in the stillness that surrounds us, but in our own stillness.
We can stop.
We can pause.
We can take that deep and conscious breath, then another.
We can be still
for just a moment
before continuing.
Lu
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Creation in the Moment
I want to share with you an experience that I had yesterday evening.
I had been reading something online and had come across the phrase 'Earth in balance.' I was preparing the evening meal and being in the moment and I began to sing that phrase over and over again, with infinite and spontaneous variations in the syllables. "Earth in balance, la la la. Earth in balance." I held the notes, creating a sustained sound. I enjoyed creating an improvised song that held the energy of the Earth being in balance. I often start singing improvised "Pooh-Bear hums" as I call them. But this one was somehow special.
As I cleaned the kitchen and the dishes after supper, I kept on singing my little song and it kept changing. I was in pure joy as I sang those words, "Earth in balance."
Eventually, I was sitting by the light of a candle and looking out my window at the very last of the daylight, which lingered in the western sky. It was Pacific Ocean blue. It was the blue that I have seen when looking at photographs of planet Earth taken from beyond Earth's atmosphere. You know the ones I mean; we've all seen them. They fill me with love everytime I am privileged to see one of these images of our world. Suddenly, here, so close to the Equinox, I could see the Earth from beyond her atmosphere in my mind's eye. She was perfect! She was infinitely able and strong and healthy. As I held this image in my imagination and in my heart, I sang my song, "Earth in balance, la la la. Earth in balance...." And I felt the balance of our beautiful and beloved planet Earth, at this time of balance between light and dark, this time of the Equinox.
My song became strange. The notes that came out of me, quite spontaneously and without any conscious decision on my part, were in some minor key that I have never sung before. The music was haunting me in its strangeness, but I felt the power of it!
I was creating something incredible in the moment through my improvised composition. As I sang these strange, haunting notes and prolonged them with my breath, I knew that somehow I was giving a very special gift to Earth. Not to heal her. She doesn't need our healing. All is well in all of creation, even when it appears to be otherwise. Yet, she was receiving my offering of love and support with good grace. I could somehow feel that it was so. I was filled to overflowing with love for our Earth as I sang.
I will never regret the time that I spent doing this. It was so weirdly special and so momentous for me. And I enjoyed it! I am practicing joyfulness, and I think that I'm getting the hang of it.
Moments are the only place where true creation occurs. We create by being courageous enough to move and act in accordance with the moment, in resonance with it. We create by being true to ourselves in the moment. When we are being true, we can't help but to generate authentic and powerful creations of thought and feeling!
I didn't set out to create something yesterday evening; it just happened. I flowed with my inner self, my higher self, if you like. I allowed the creation to come through me. And it's okay that there's no permanent record of this. I didn't record it. Just as we don't constantly record the amazingly insightful thoughts and realizations that we enjoy.
We create ourselves and our world in the moment, in joy, in love, in our heartfelt being in the world. And the creation is love expressed - nothing less than this.
Blessings be yours of our Earth in balance!
Lu
I had been reading something online and had come across the phrase 'Earth in balance.' I was preparing the evening meal and being in the moment and I began to sing that phrase over and over again, with infinite and spontaneous variations in the syllables. "Earth in balance, la la la. Earth in balance." I held the notes, creating a sustained sound. I enjoyed creating an improvised song that held the energy of the Earth being in balance. I often start singing improvised "Pooh-Bear hums" as I call them. But this one was somehow special.
As I cleaned the kitchen and the dishes after supper, I kept on singing my little song and it kept changing. I was in pure joy as I sang those words, "Earth in balance."
Eventually, I was sitting by the light of a candle and looking out my window at the very last of the daylight, which lingered in the western sky. It was Pacific Ocean blue. It was the blue that I have seen when looking at photographs of planet Earth taken from beyond Earth's atmosphere. You know the ones I mean; we've all seen them. They fill me with love everytime I am privileged to see one of these images of our world. Suddenly, here, so close to the Equinox, I could see the Earth from beyond her atmosphere in my mind's eye. She was perfect! She was infinitely able and strong and healthy. As I held this image in my imagination and in my heart, I sang my song, "Earth in balance, la la la. Earth in balance...." And I felt the balance of our beautiful and beloved planet Earth, at this time of balance between light and dark, this time of the Equinox.
My song became strange. The notes that came out of me, quite spontaneously and without any conscious decision on my part, were in some minor key that I have never sung before. The music was haunting me in its strangeness, but I felt the power of it!
I was creating something incredible in the moment through my improvised composition. As I sang these strange, haunting notes and prolonged them with my breath, I knew that somehow I was giving a very special gift to Earth. Not to heal her. She doesn't need our healing. All is well in all of creation, even when it appears to be otherwise. Yet, she was receiving my offering of love and support with good grace. I could somehow feel that it was so. I was filled to overflowing with love for our Earth as I sang.
I will never regret the time that I spent doing this. It was so weirdly special and so momentous for me. And I enjoyed it! I am practicing joyfulness, and I think that I'm getting the hang of it.
Moments are the only place where true creation occurs. We create by being courageous enough to move and act in accordance with the moment, in resonance with it. We create by being true to ourselves in the moment. When we are being true, we can't help but to generate authentic and powerful creations of thought and feeling!
I didn't set out to create something yesterday evening; it just happened. I flowed with my inner self, my higher self, if you like. I allowed the creation to come through me. And it's okay that there's no permanent record of this. I didn't record it. Just as we don't constantly record the amazingly insightful thoughts and realizations that we enjoy.
We create ourselves and our world in the moment, in joy, in love, in our heartfelt being in the world. And the creation is love expressed - nothing less than this.
Blessings be yours of our Earth in balance!
Lu
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Becoming Divine in the World
There is a process underway. As we approach and begin to embody Divine love and compassion, we can enter into a conversation with the divinity which is within us.
In the moment, in sacred space that we create through our intention, our humanity becomes divine and our divinity becomes embodied in a human incarnation. We enter into a conversation, sown thickly with love so that it brings a great welling of emotion in us. We begin to feel that we are becoming One with the Divine. The clear distinction between our human self and our sense of the Divine within us blurs and actually begins to disappear.
This will not happen unless we choose it. We have free will and it is divinely honoured at all times. We are here in this incredible place called Planet Earth for just that reason - to choose freely over and over and over again. Our individuality is intact. If we choose to embody the Divine love and light of Creator, we will do it in a unique and individual way that will enrich and inform the Universe.
I made the choice to embody this Divine energy. I told the All-That-Is, which I sensed within me, "I choose to be you. To be more and more and more of you." And I asked the Divinity within me, "What are you made of? What comprises you?"
And the answer came immediately. The Divinity within me is everything that I have ever experienced, everything that I have ever been and done and not been and not done and not experienced - every potential, every thought, every instant of awareness in every lifetime and in every beingness between and around lifetimes - that sum total - vast and seemingly limitless. And then more - yes even more than that. Because the Divinity within me is also this vast and never-ending compassion and acceptance, honouring and love. Yes, a love so huge that there is nothing that it is not. And then more. Appreciation, blessing, gratitude and joy.
And if we choose to experience this, we can. This is now within our reach. It is not impossible, in fact, it's not even very difficult. It is a choice and a turning toward it and an opening to it. In the moment. In the NOW. Nowhere else. Just there.
Let beauty bring you to the present moment. Let your own heart be your guide in this. Let the choice be yours to make and your choosing be deeply honoured.
And don't forget to breathe.
In the moment, in sacred space that we create through our intention, our humanity becomes divine and our divinity becomes embodied in a human incarnation. We enter into a conversation, sown thickly with love so that it brings a great welling of emotion in us. We begin to feel that we are becoming One with the Divine. The clear distinction between our human self and our sense of the Divine within us blurs and actually begins to disappear.
This will not happen unless we choose it. We have free will and it is divinely honoured at all times. We are here in this incredible place called Planet Earth for just that reason - to choose freely over and over and over again. Our individuality is intact. If we choose to embody the Divine love and light of Creator, we will do it in a unique and individual way that will enrich and inform the Universe.
I made the choice to embody this Divine energy. I told the All-That-Is, which I sensed within me, "I choose to be you. To be more and more and more of you." And I asked the Divinity within me, "What are you made of? What comprises you?"
And the answer came immediately. The Divinity within me is everything that I have ever experienced, everything that I have ever been and done and not been and not done and not experienced - every potential, every thought, every instant of awareness in every lifetime and in every beingness between and around lifetimes - that sum total - vast and seemingly limitless. And then more - yes even more than that. Because the Divinity within me is also this vast and never-ending compassion and acceptance, honouring and love. Yes, a love so huge that there is nothing that it is not. And then more. Appreciation, blessing, gratitude and joy.
And if we choose to experience this, we can. This is now within our reach. It is not impossible, in fact, it's not even very difficult. It is a choice and a turning toward it and an opening to it. In the moment. In the NOW. Nowhere else. Just there.
Let beauty bring you to the present moment. Let your own heart be your guide in this. Let the choice be yours to make and your choosing be deeply honoured.
And don't forget to breathe.
Monday, September 20, 2010
How Does One Approach the Divine?
Everything that is real and true is in the moment. There is actually nothing except what is experienced in the moment. So, every relationship that we have, we have in the moment. And when we acknowledge this truth, our relationships become ever-changing and almost miraculously fresh. They are always unfolding, or becoming something new, because they are always presenting themselves to us in the moment. This includes our relationships to places and things, as well as our relationships to people. This includes our relationship to the world around us in its vast and mysterious entirety. It includes our relationship to the Divine, or to God, if you want to use that word. I find that when I talk about the Divine, words get in the way; yet words are all that we have to hold our energies, intentions and feelings.
You know that saying, "The devil is in the details?" Well, God is in the details too. And the broad sweep of sky. And the huge old oak. And the dragonfly. God is everywhere, so it is said. Why then, would we have to do anything to approach the Divine, to ease the pain of separation from God? The answer is that God is always ready for us, but we, on the other hand, are rarely ready for God. We are not ready because we believe ourselves to be unworthy, separate and less than. None of these are actually true, but until we deeply feel that, we are not ready.
So, how does one approach God? Through the self in the moment. That is how we experience everything. This means that we need to concern ourselves with the preparation of our self, the acceptance and integration by our self of all aspects of our self, in love and honour. No matter how long it takes, that work needs to be done if we choose to feel God's love enfold us. God's not in a rush. So there's plenty of time. When you love yourself and the world so completely that there is nothing that stands between you and the perfect love that is the All-That-Is, then you're there.
So, the approach is actually the work that I spoke of in earlier posts. It is the practice of total acceptance of all that is and has been, and all that the self is and has been. It is an embodiment of that incredible love that allows us to approach the Divine heart and Divine mind of God.
(Please don't let the words get in the way. Feel free to subsitute any other words for the ones I have used (Source / Creator / Goddess etc.). The energy behind the words is the true message here.)
When we are complete unto ourselves and at peace with ourselves in all that we are and have ever been, we are ready to feel that perfect love and acceptance that is Divine Love. The really really cool thing is that we give it to ourselves as much as we feel it coming into us from the All-That-Is that surrounds us. In order to achieve this prize which we tend to think is so far away and unattainable, we have to learn that it is within us and that we can give it to ourselves. That's so cool. In order to deeply experience the truth that we are NOT separate from All-That-Is, we have to feel it from inside, from our own hearts. It will not come from outside of us until we have done that.
I love the irony of it. The universe DOES have a sense of humour!
And all of this is done in the moment, always new, always unfolding, always becoming; if we try to hold onto it, it vanishes. (big smile here)
Our soul-self is Divine. So, when we do this work, we open up the possibility for a conscious and loving relationship with our souls as well. More on this another time.
Remember to breathe deeply to bring yourself into the present moment where it all happens. Remember too that Yeshua / Jesus and the All-That-Is are right beside you, as near as the love you have in your heart for your very own self.
Blessings!
You know that saying, "The devil is in the details?" Well, God is in the details too. And the broad sweep of sky. And the huge old oak. And the dragonfly. God is everywhere, so it is said. Why then, would we have to do anything to approach the Divine, to ease the pain of separation from God? The answer is that God is always ready for us, but we, on the other hand, are rarely ready for God. We are not ready because we believe ourselves to be unworthy, separate and less than. None of these are actually true, but until we deeply feel that, we are not ready.
So, how does one approach God? Through the self in the moment. That is how we experience everything. This means that we need to concern ourselves with the preparation of our self, the acceptance and integration by our self of all aspects of our self, in love and honour. No matter how long it takes, that work needs to be done if we choose to feel God's love enfold us. God's not in a rush. So there's plenty of time. When you love yourself and the world so completely that there is nothing that stands between you and the perfect love that is the All-That-Is, then you're there.
So, the approach is actually the work that I spoke of in earlier posts. It is the practice of total acceptance of all that is and has been, and all that the self is and has been. It is an embodiment of that incredible love that allows us to approach the Divine heart and Divine mind of God.
(Please don't let the words get in the way. Feel free to subsitute any other words for the ones I have used (Source / Creator / Goddess etc.). The energy behind the words is the true message here.)
When we are complete unto ourselves and at peace with ourselves in all that we are and have ever been, we are ready to feel that perfect love and acceptance that is Divine Love. The really really cool thing is that we give it to ourselves as much as we feel it coming into us from the All-That-Is that surrounds us. In order to achieve this prize which we tend to think is so far away and unattainable, we have to learn that it is within us and that we can give it to ourselves. That's so cool. In order to deeply experience the truth that we are NOT separate from All-That-Is, we have to feel it from inside, from our own hearts. It will not come from outside of us until we have done that.
I love the irony of it. The universe DOES have a sense of humour!
And all of this is done in the moment, always new, always unfolding, always becoming; if we try to hold onto it, it vanishes. (big smile here)
Our soul-self is Divine. So, when we do this work, we open up the possibility for a conscious and loving relationship with our souls as well. More on this another time.
Remember to breathe deeply to bring yourself into the present moment where it all happens. Remember too that Yeshua / Jesus and the All-That-Is are right beside you, as near as the love you have in your heart for your very own self.
Blessings!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Beauty Break
In the northern part of Chester County, Pennsylvania, this waterway winds through the landscape and defines a great deal of the open spaces of that region. It is called French Creek.Here is another view of it.
These photographs were taken in the spring of 2010.
Here is one taken in the summertime.
Take a lovely deep breath and look around you. You are sure to see some beauty within your line of sight. You are sure to feel the touch of divine grace when you take that next deep breath. I feel such a deep sense of honouring and respect for all who walk on this Earth at this time. We are indeed in a time of dramatic transition. As my mother says of growing old, "This is not for the faint of heart."
May all that you choose come to you in love and in light and may Earth's beauty touch you today and every day.
I bow to you because you are human.
Lu
Friday, September 17, 2010
Being Human
There is a process which we can choose to move through that will bring us to the heavenly experience of total self-love that I spoke of yesterday. It might seem self-indulgent to set out on this path, for it is so totally focused on the self, but please understand that we humans are wrapped around with feelings of guilt and fear, need and self-sacrifice and when one of us frees herself from these, she offers a doorway to freedom for many others. What you do as you move through this process, you do for more than just yourself. You do this for all who have dealings with you, all who love you and whom you love.
In all of us, feelings of guilt, perhaps of shame or victimization, feelings of being trapped or indebted in some way wrap themselves around us and permeate our sense of ourselves and the stories that we tell about how we live. Let us understand that these feelings are not permanent or fixed. They are fluid. They are moving. They rise up in us as if to say, "See me. Feel me. Acknowledge me. Above all, release me."
In all of us, feelings of guilt, perhaps of shame or victimization, feelings of being trapped or indebted in some way wrap themselves around us and permeate our sense of ourselves and the stories that we tell about how we live. Let us understand that these feelings are not permanent or fixed. They are fluid. They are moving. They rise up in us as if to say, "See me. Feel me. Acknowledge me. Above all, release me."
It is a process to move through, an allowance and an embrace of all that you are. Feelings of guilt, sorrow and shame are a good place to begin. It is not easy to release these feelings. That part of you, that aspect, that feels the guilt, sorrow, regret or the shame has to recognize you for the conscious and aware, loving and compassionate self that you are now, has to thoroughly feel your love and compassion. That part of you has to come to feel your total acceptance of it. Then and only then can it allow itself to release the feeling by which it has been defined and begin to recreate itself, as it longs to do. All that is delights in constantly becoming and by acknowledging fully what it has been and accepting it, you release it to continue to change and grow, to become and become again. This is the sacred dance of all that is.
I have done a lot of this work as I walked in nature. That works well for me, but do whatever works well for you. You'll find the feelings that need to be acknowledged by listening to yourself. You can ask that they make themselves known to you. Speak to whatever comes up in you to be acknowledged. Remember to honour it as you would honour the same kind of feeling in another person. Allow it to feel your complete acceptance and unconditional love. This might take some time, and it might challenge you to suspend judgement and allow love to come in. Knowing that everything that is in the world comes from Source and is in fact an expression of Source may help you to feel that love for it.
You can use muscle testing to help you to direct your work with these feelings if you wish. You might want to know where this feeling originated and how deeply it permeates your experience of being in the world. Just loop your thumbs and forefingers together, right hand to left hand, to form a figure eight. Pull the hands away from each other. If the circle breaks, it is a 'no' and if the circle holds firm, it is a 'yes'. In this way, you can ask questions of yourself that go beyond the rational mind and into the muscles. You can trust the answers totally, or not, as you choose. You might use the answers you receive from this kind of questioning as a rough guide if that feels more comfortable to you. Either way, ask questions that delve into your truth and honour the answers that come, even if they shock you or trouble you. It's good to have an expanse of free time to do this. An hour or so should be enough, at least for one session. It helps to have a journal to write in, or a trusted friend in whom you can confide.
Whenever I think I've found it all and cleared it adequately, I ask if there is anything else that my self would like to show me or tell me. Often there is. Often I feel like I am too tired, too weary of the work that I have already done to process any more at that time, yet I ask the question anyway. I do this because I choose to have all of the parts and pieces of me come to trust me, to know that I will be there for them. There is nothing that we are or have ever been that is not worthy of our regard, our acceptance and our love. You'll feel the truth of that statement if you apply it, not to yourself, but to someone you love - your child, your sibling, your spouse. Feel it. If it is true for that person, then it must also be true for you.
After you have done this processing work, you will feel differently than you have ever felt in your life before doing that work. You will have released feelings of guilt, shame, regret and sorrow. You cannot help but to feel differently. You'll find your responses to things that happen are different as well. You have changed your being human in the world when you have done this work of self acceptance. It may be quite subtle, but it will actually change everything.
As time passes, you can continue to do this whenever you have the time and the inclination. Especially when feelings come up in you through the catalyst of some outside event, give yourself the time, make the time. This is important work! Release and release and release again. Mostly, you are releasing any sense of limitation, any past definition of self. You are releasing all notion of what you should be, what your life should be, so that it can be whatever you choose to have it be - in the moment.
Breathing deeply and consciously becomes very important in this process. Breathing deeply moves the energy through you, enabling these feelings to rise up into your awareness and then to be released. Drinking plenty of water helps also.
This work of processing your feelings is self-focused, yes, but it is work that changes the world as it changes you. For you may not fully realize it right now, but you constantly and continuously make the world - we all do. By being who we are in the moment, interacting with the people, places and energies around us, we make this unending world.
I offer you my deepest esteem, and I bow to you.
Namaste.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Unconditional Love of Self
I'm just going to plunge right into this, because it's a very dense packet of energy and information.
Things happen to us and around us. Let's call this catalyst. When catalyst occurs, as it invariably does, we have a response to it. When our response is one that feels unpleasant to us, feels imbalanced or more intense than the situation seems to warrant, we are receiving a sign that there is something within us that we have not come to resolution and acceptance with. Our mission, if you will, is to come to complete knowledge of the self and acceptance and love of the self. We are helped in this mission by these signs that come up. Anger, fear, resentment, anxiety, jealousy, self-doubt, mistrust.... All of these are signs that there is something there that is not resolved into pure love.
So, when this happens, take the time to look at whatever it is within you that is not love in the moment. It will show itself to you, because in a way, it already has. It's not trying to hide. Usually it is we who are trying to hide from it. Take the time to be with it and to just feel it. You might be at your desk, driving a car, peeling potatoes or walking the dog. It doesn't really matter, as long as you have a few minutes of alone time to ask yourself some questions and hear the answers come.
Ask yourself what it is. Let the answer come and practice feeling absolutely no judgement about it when the answer does come. Imagine that a dear friend were telling you this about herself or himself. Would you feel compassion and love for your friend, or would you feel judgement? We tend to give much more readily to others what we deserve to have ourselves - unconditional love, non-judgement, compassion and understanding, even appreciation for the complex and perfectly imperfect human beings that we are!
This part of you, be it angry or fearful or hurt or jealous.... or playing a seemingly endless game of being a victim of events and people beyond its control.... This part of you is perfect and is integral to your totality of selfhood, your wholeness and your sacred experience of being in the world. You would not be as you are now were it not for this part of you that seems to be struggling - whatever it is.
Imagine a hurt child. Imagine that the child 'brought it on himself' - that is, he was riding his bike way too fast and was being reckless because he wanted to impress an older boy, and he took a bad tumble and hurt his leg, scraped the skin off quite badly from his knee - We all know how much that can hurt. How would you approach this child? If you are anything like me, and I suspect very much that you are, you would offer comfort and support and understanding and love. Be like that for this part of you that is hurt, needy or afraid. Offer that compassion, that love, that soothing comfort, as a mother or father will do for a child. The instant that you do this, everything changes. This part of you that has felt denied and rejected, suddenly feels allowed and accepted. This part of you, call it an aspect of you, if you will, then will share with you all of its experience. "I was hurt. I was rejected. I thought that I was wrong. I thought that I was guilty...." Whatever it is, it will come out and you will know of it. And the understanding will come. The knowledge of self will come. You will come to understand very deeply why this part of you is the way that it is. As you have learned to offer compassion and understanding to others, you can learn to offer compassion and understanding to yourself. And as you come to deeply understand the feelings that arose and that have been living within you ever since the initial catalyst which brought them forth, you will come to a deep and rich feeling of love for yourself, appreciation for yourself and compassion for all that you are and all that you have been. It is nothing short of glorious.
When aspects of ourselves show themselves to us and we recoil in disgust, we have extra work to do. This happened to me at least once that I can immediately recall. There was a part of me that was very resentful of other people's successes and accomplishments. I was jealous when other people seemed to have an easy time of it, because my life seemed to be so difficult. When this part of me became apparent, I was disgusted. I didn't want to accept it. It seemed so petty, selfish and pathetic. When this happens, we need to spend the time with this part of ourselves until we can fully accept it. We might not like it. We might not want to see it, but we need to come to an acceptance of it and to understand that it too is an essential part of our experience of being in the world.
We cannot experience our perfection until we have come into complete acceptance of every single part of ourselves, even the petty and pathetic parts. We cannot come into a full experience of unconditional love for others, and for the moment, until we have come into a full experience of unconditional love for ourselves, and that means everything. Everything about ourselves.
The good news is that this work gets easier and easier the more that we do it. We do get down to the last few layers of the onion skin, and we come into a greater knowledge of self and a love of self that feels like heaven on earth.
Things happen to us and around us. Let's call this catalyst. When catalyst occurs, as it invariably does, we have a response to it. When our response is one that feels unpleasant to us, feels imbalanced or more intense than the situation seems to warrant, we are receiving a sign that there is something within us that we have not come to resolution and acceptance with. Our mission, if you will, is to come to complete knowledge of the self and acceptance and love of the self. We are helped in this mission by these signs that come up. Anger, fear, resentment, anxiety, jealousy, self-doubt, mistrust.... All of these are signs that there is something there that is not resolved into pure love.
So, when this happens, take the time to look at whatever it is within you that is not love in the moment. It will show itself to you, because in a way, it already has. It's not trying to hide. Usually it is we who are trying to hide from it. Take the time to be with it and to just feel it. You might be at your desk, driving a car, peeling potatoes or walking the dog. It doesn't really matter, as long as you have a few minutes of alone time to ask yourself some questions and hear the answers come.
Ask yourself what it is. Let the answer come and practice feeling absolutely no judgement about it when the answer does come. Imagine that a dear friend were telling you this about herself or himself. Would you feel compassion and love for your friend, or would you feel judgement? We tend to give much more readily to others what we deserve to have ourselves - unconditional love, non-judgement, compassion and understanding, even appreciation for the complex and perfectly imperfect human beings that we are!
This part of you, be it angry or fearful or hurt or jealous.... or playing a seemingly endless game of being a victim of events and people beyond its control.... This part of you is perfect and is integral to your totality of selfhood, your wholeness and your sacred experience of being in the world. You would not be as you are now were it not for this part of you that seems to be struggling - whatever it is.
Imagine a hurt child. Imagine that the child 'brought it on himself' - that is, he was riding his bike way too fast and was being reckless because he wanted to impress an older boy, and he took a bad tumble and hurt his leg, scraped the skin off quite badly from his knee - We all know how much that can hurt. How would you approach this child? If you are anything like me, and I suspect very much that you are, you would offer comfort and support and understanding and love. Be like that for this part of you that is hurt, needy or afraid. Offer that compassion, that love, that soothing comfort, as a mother or father will do for a child. The instant that you do this, everything changes. This part of you that has felt denied and rejected, suddenly feels allowed and accepted. This part of you, call it an aspect of you, if you will, then will share with you all of its experience. "I was hurt. I was rejected. I thought that I was wrong. I thought that I was guilty...." Whatever it is, it will come out and you will know of it. And the understanding will come. The knowledge of self will come. You will come to understand very deeply why this part of you is the way that it is. As you have learned to offer compassion and understanding to others, you can learn to offer compassion and understanding to yourself. And as you come to deeply understand the feelings that arose and that have been living within you ever since the initial catalyst which brought them forth, you will come to a deep and rich feeling of love for yourself, appreciation for yourself and compassion for all that you are and all that you have been. It is nothing short of glorious.
When aspects of ourselves show themselves to us and we recoil in disgust, we have extra work to do. This happened to me at least once that I can immediately recall. There was a part of me that was very resentful of other people's successes and accomplishments. I was jealous when other people seemed to have an easy time of it, because my life seemed to be so difficult. When this part of me became apparent, I was disgusted. I didn't want to accept it. It seemed so petty, selfish and pathetic. When this happens, we need to spend the time with this part of ourselves until we can fully accept it. We might not like it. We might not want to see it, but we need to come to an acceptance of it and to understand that it too is an essential part of our experience of being in the world.
We cannot experience our perfection until we have come into complete acceptance of every single part of ourselves, even the petty and pathetic parts. We cannot come into a full experience of unconditional love for others, and for the moment, until we have come into a full experience of unconditional love for ourselves, and that means everything. Everything about ourselves.
The good news is that this work gets easier and easier the more that we do it. We do get down to the last few layers of the onion skin, and we come into a greater knowledge of self and a love of self that feels like heaven on earth.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Being All That We Are in the Moment
Lovely, isn't it. It's poison ivy.
We're not that different than the lovely poison ivy. We are beautiful in our essence, and absolutely perfect at being what we are, which is human. Yet we hold all things within us. We are the full 360 degrees of selfhood - the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. Like the poison ivy, we hide some pretty poisonous aspects within us. It is not just that the moment is not always so easy; it is that we ourselves are both benign and hurtful, dark and light, holding all aspects of being within our selfhood. All polarity is present within us.
The truth of the matter is that to be fully present in the moment, we have to be fully and completely ourselves in the moment. That means that we can't leave any part of us behind, hidden, denied, unloved, unwanted. It means that we have to come into full appreciation for each and every part of ourselves, all that we are, all that we have been, everything that we have ever done, said, or thought, and all the things that we failed to do, to say or to realize.
It is easy to love the good that is in us. It is a very different endeavour to come to appreciate the difficult and the diseased, the dark and the petty that we also embody. But it is absolutely essential that we do so. That's the hard part. In order to be fully present in the moment, we have to be fully ourselves, and that means coming to a full acceptance of ALL that we are and have ever been. It's pretty hard work. I've done my share of it and I have some experiences and insights to share with you that might help you as you move through the process. The end result is a love of self so complete that it is the way that God loves us. And it feels wonderful. So there is a reward at the end of the journey to self-knowledge and self-love.
Tomorrow, I will share some of my experiences with this process and this will hopefully help you to negotiate through it all.
Until then,
I AM Lu in all of her aspects.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Difficult Moments
We tend to think of the moment as being something beautiful, peaceful and lovely. As I wrote in an earlier post, it is beauty and the contemplation of beauty that most easily brings me into the moment.
What about being fully present in the moment when it is difficult and challenging?
I have decided to write about this today, because I am being challenged today by pain in my lower back. It seems to have come through a shock to my system that I had today when I discovered that my telephone was not working properly. I was shocked because it happened last week also and I had time-sensitive calls to make and couldn't make them. I was suddenly frightened that I wouldn't be able to handle living in such a remote location, wouldn't be able to have the amenities that I have come to depend on. The fear rose up in me and I became very upset. My back became filled with pain and I became chilled and felt 'frozen' in my muscles and in my responses to events as they unfolded. It is always amazing to me how quickly we can succumb to fear! Even when we know better. Fear is still very strong in us, on the physical level.
So, I'm sitting here in considerable pain, although I dealt with the chill and feeling of being frozen by taking a nice hot bath. Pain-killers will eventually do the trick, I imagine.
I was angry about all of this until a few minutes ago. I had hoped to have a pleasant day, as I have been very busy lately and wanted to enjoy a relatively quiet few hours. I was in complete resistance to the difficulties of having my telephone suddenly stop giving me a dial tone and the complications that arose from that. I was about as far from acceptance as I have ever been! I struggled to regain my balance. It didn't really work very well and I felt like I was spinning my wheels in a useless endeavour as well as being imbalanced.
.... I have stopped struggling. I am out of balance. I am accepting that right now. Remembering my own advice to a friend just the other day, "We need to begin where we are." Right now, I am out of balance, feeling the effects of the upset which occurred earlier that sent adrenalin rushing through me. I'm in the 'crash' phase now, my body feeling weak and unable to cope with much of anything at all. Breathe and accept where you are in the moment. You can only go on from where you are. Eventually, my situation will change, but for the moment, this is what I am experiencing. Acceptance is key.
The other day, I was contemplating an upcoming event where I would be addressing strangers. Public speaking. In my second language. Not English, but French. I felt fear and uncertainty. I felt self-doubt. It had been quite some time since I had felt those. At first, I was doing what I've always done in such times, trying to get away from the difficult feelings. I tried to distract myself with a television program and had absolutely no luck with that. I tried pretending that I wasn't feeling afraid. That worked for about 30 seconds. I was getting ready to try another approach that I've used in the past - pour yourself a big glass of wine and become numb. (It doesn't really work; the numbness is not very deep or long-lasting and of course, it doesn't address the root cause of the discomfort.) I decided to try something else instead. I decided to accept it.
I decided to be in the moment with the fear, the self-doubt and the uncertainty. I sat down on my front step and said, "Here I am, Fear. I'm sitting right here with you and I'm looking right at you and I'm not going away. I'm not asking you to go away either. Let's sit together. How bad can it be?"
Right away, I felt better. I wasn't in opposition or resistance. I was being with what was there in the moment. It actually wasn't very intense at all, although I had thought that it would be. I said, "Look, I see you and I acknowledge you. And there you are, making my body perspire and my heart beat faster and filling my mind with images of personal failure. So what? I'm still going to go out there and talk to those people. Why? Because that is what I choose to do. If you are still there when I do it, I'll just do it scared."
It reminded me very strongly of something I had experienced before. I used to suffer terrible bouts of depression. I was extremely afraid of them, as my brother had been diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder and eventually died as a result of his terrible suffering from that imbalance. I feared the power that depression seemed to have over me. It could seemingly stop me in my tracks and bring me very low, very very low. After going through many bouts of depression, I eventually came to realize that I would survive them and that they couldn't really hurt me. Finally, I came to understand that I could meet them head on instead of trying to pretend that they weren't happening, or to 'make them go away.'
One day, feeling the tell-tale signs of incipient depression haunting me, I sat down with it and said, "Let's just do this together. Let's just BE together, you and I. I am depressed. That is what I am." And when I did that, everything changed. It was a moment of total acceptance of my life, my every experience up until that moment. It was an acceptance of my limits and my strengths and my living, breathing being. In effect I said, "This is what I am. I am not something else. I am this." And as it was then, so, it is right now. I am experiencing pain. This is what I am. This too is being in the world. And as I choose to be in the world, I choose to experience all that that entails.
With the fear coursing through me the other day, I sat and accepted it in its totality, in all its permutations of self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy. And it lost all its potency, all its ability to stop me. By acknowledging it and tellling it that I accepted it, but would proceed regardless, I both honoured the fear and proclaimed myself to be the master of my own response to it. I accepted the fear completely, but I also accepted my desire to engage in this public speaking event. This strange combination of acceptance and defiance brought me to the point where I was able to speak very well to the people I didn't know, in French. I actually had a really good time doing it!
The French have a saying, "Bon courage!" It translates to, "Be of good courage." Sit with whatever experience presents itself to you in the moment - disabled telephones and aching backs, and anything else that comes along. This is life! And we chose it, and choose it again and again each time we get up to face a new day, but more of that some other time.
Bon courage!
What about being fully present in the moment when it is difficult and challenging?
I have decided to write about this today, because I am being challenged today by pain in my lower back. It seems to have come through a shock to my system that I had today when I discovered that my telephone was not working properly. I was shocked because it happened last week also and I had time-sensitive calls to make and couldn't make them. I was suddenly frightened that I wouldn't be able to handle living in such a remote location, wouldn't be able to have the amenities that I have come to depend on. The fear rose up in me and I became very upset. My back became filled with pain and I became chilled and felt 'frozen' in my muscles and in my responses to events as they unfolded. It is always amazing to me how quickly we can succumb to fear! Even when we know better. Fear is still very strong in us, on the physical level.
So, I'm sitting here in considerable pain, although I dealt with the chill and feeling of being frozen by taking a nice hot bath. Pain-killers will eventually do the trick, I imagine.
I was angry about all of this until a few minutes ago. I had hoped to have a pleasant day, as I have been very busy lately and wanted to enjoy a relatively quiet few hours. I was in complete resistance to the difficulties of having my telephone suddenly stop giving me a dial tone and the complications that arose from that. I was about as far from acceptance as I have ever been! I struggled to regain my balance. It didn't really work very well and I felt like I was spinning my wheels in a useless endeavour as well as being imbalanced.
.... I have stopped struggling. I am out of balance. I am accepting that right now. Remembering my own advice to a friend just the other day, "We need to begin where we are." Right now, I am out of balance, feeling the effects of the upset which occurred earlier that sent adrenalin rushing through me. I'm in the 'crash' phase now, my body feeling weak and unable to cope with much of anything at all. Breathe and accept where you are in the moment. You can only go on from where you are. Eventually, my situation will change, but for the moment, this is what I am experiencing. Acceptance is key.
The other day, I was contemplating an upcoming event where I would be addressing strangers. Public speaking. In my second language. Not English, but French. I felt fear and uncertainty. I felt self-doubt. It had been quite some time since I had felt those. At first, I was doing what I've always done in such times, trying to get away from the difficult feelings. I tried to distract myself with a television program and had absolutely no luck with that. I tried pretending that I wasn't feeling afraid. That worked for about 30 seconds. I was getting ready to try another approach that I've used in the past - pour yourself a big glass of wine and become numb. (It doesn't really work; the numbness is not very deep or long-lasting and of course, it doesn't address the root cause of the discomfort.) I decided to try something else instead. I decided to accept it.
I decided to be in the moment with the fear, the self-doubt and the uncertainty. I sat down on my front step and said, "Here I am, Fear. I'm sitting right here with you and I'm looking right at you and I'm not going away. I'm not asking you to go away either. Let's sit together. How bad can it be?"
Right away, I felt better. I wasn't in opposition or resistance. I was being with what was there in the moment. It actually wasn't very intense at all, although I had thought that it would be. I said, "Look, I see you and I acknowledge you. And there you are, making my body perspire and my heart beat faster and filling my mind with images of personal failure. So what? I'm still going to go out there and talk to those people. Why? Because that is what I choose to do. If you are still there when I do it, I'll just do it scared."
It reminded me very strongly of something I had experienced before. I used to suffer terrible bouts of depression. I was extremely afraid of them, as my brother had been diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder and eventually died as a result of his terrible suffering from that imbalance. I feared the power that depression seemed to have over me. It could seemingly stop me in my tracks and bring me very low, very very low. After going through many bouts of depression, I eventually came to realize that I would survive them and that they couldn't really hurt me. Finally, I came to understand that I could meet them head on instead of trying to pretend that they weren't happening, or to 'make them go away.'
One day, feeling the tell-tale signs of incipient depression haunting me, I sat down with it and said, "Let's just do this together. Let's just BE together, you and I. I am depressed. That is what I am." And when I did that, everything changed. It was a moment of total acceptance of my life, my every experience up until that moment. It was an acceptance of my limits and my strengths and my living, breathing being. In effect I said, "This is what I am. I am not something else. I am this." And as it was then, so, it is right now. I am experiencing pain. This is what I am. This too is being in the world. And as I choose to be in the world, I choose to experience all that that entails.
With the fear coursing through me the other day, I sat and accepted it in its totality, in all its permutations of self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy. And it lost all its potency, all its ability to stop me. By acknowledging it and tellling it that I accepted it, but would proceed regardless, I both honoured the fear and proclaimed myself to be the master of my own response to it. I accepted the fear completely, but I also accepted my desire to engage in this public speaking event. This strange combination of acceptance and defiance brought me to the point where I was able to speak very well to the people I didn't know, in French. I actually had a really good time doing it!
The French have a saying, "Bon courage!" It translates to, "Be of good courage." Sit with whatever experience presents itself to you in the moment - disabled telephones and aching backs, and anything else that comes along. This is life! And we chose it, and choose it again and again each time we get up to face a new day, but more of that some other time.
Bon courage!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Jeshua Ben Joseph
I am practicing leaving behind all of the ‘what if's?’ You see, I have a tendency to project into the future and then worry about how it will be. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not there yet; I'm right here, right now. So, I am practicing turning away from everything that is NOT this moment and turning toward a total appreciation for this moment. Words limit it. It's a feeling of complete acceptance. I’m moving a bit away from words as well, from the mind's constant stream-of-consciousness chatter. I love to move with the changes. I love to be in moments of intensity because they stop the flow of chatter from the mind. Meditation does this. Exercise and breathing do this too.
I come into deeper and more direct contact with my soul-self. It began when I remembered the contact that we had, my soul-self and I, when I was very young – sitting in the back seat of the car and singing an improvised hum to the world – and when I remembered that, my soul-self was there, very strongly. And that is what I build my relationship with my soul-self on. There was a strong memory of what I used to call the fairy-trees, the hawthornes, and I asked Her why this came to me so strongly, and She told me, ‘That was where it began – we together.’ And I knew it to be so and I cried with the strength of my feeling. I told Her how much I love Her presence in my consciousness. We commune together. I never want it to stop and if I am too busy to spend long moments of peace in the divine moment, I lose that sense of my soul-self, of the divinity within me.
Look for it where you find it. Breathe and feel it and then sidle over to it and breathe again and just get closer and closer until you're right beside that part of you that is of the Divine.
One morning, at 3:00 am, trying to fight the depression that then filled me and to understand what had happened to me and where I should now move myself, I called upon the one known as Jesus, the Messiah. He came. His energy was so incredibly strong in me and around me. His divinity was so strongly apparent to me! Such a comfort and a guide was He. Oh, yes. Capital letters. I suddenly was able to feel my own divinity more clearly than I ever had. It was still very young and fragile and small compared to the divine energy of He, who was also called Yeshua Ben Joseph, but it was there! And by feeling His divinity, I was able to recognize that energy in myself.
It’s all about energy. These things of the body, of the three dimensional world, are not at all the issue. It’s all about energy. I pick up the energy of the people around me and I probably will continue to do so, but I also generate my own energy. I know too, so gratefully, that there have been times when I have given my energy to others; a child, a friend…. Oh, yes, I have, and I am so grateful to have been of service. My intention is to be of service to at least one other person every single day, just by giving them some of my energy which is, hopefully, clear, accepting, loving and compassionate.
You and I are no different than Yeshua Ben Joseph, aka Jesus the Christ, the one so many people have turned to. When we generate the energy of complete acceptance, of unconditional love and of total and complete compassion, we actually embody the divine energy of the Christ. We can do this. We do this when we love. You know what I mean. We've all had those moments when we just gave from the heart to another human being because we had it in us to give. Maybe it was our child, or our best friend or our mother, father or sister.... We've all known the vast limitless feeling of that energy of giving to another. Your divinity in you is as real and as perfect as His divinity in Him. It's just that we don't necessarily see it that way. We see ourselves as little humans struggling along.
Breathing really really helps. Being in the Now helps. Spending time in nature helps. Having time to just BE for nice long stretches of time helps. I feel my divinity deepening within me – or I’m becoming more aware of something that was already there – I’m not entirely sure, nor do I think it really matters. My humanity and my divinity are becoming integrated within me. And yes, this is entirely new. But that's okay, right? We can go somewhere new .....
I come into deeper and more direct contact with my soul-self. It began when I remembered the contact that we had, my soul-self and I, when I was very young – sitting in the back seat of the car and singing an improvised hum to the world – and when I remembered that, my soul-self was there, very strongly. And that is what I build my relationship with my soul-self on. There was a strong memory of what I used to call the fairy-trees, the hawthornes, and I asked Her why this came to me so strongly, and She told me, ‘That was where it began – we together.’ And I knew it to be so and I cried with the strength of my feeling. I told Her how much I love Her presence in my consciousness. We commune together. I never want it to stop and if I am too busy to spend long moments of peace in the divine moment, I lose that sense of my soul-self, of the divinity within me.
Look for it where you find it. Breathe and feel it and then sidle over to it and breathe again and just get closer and closer until you're right beside that part of you that is of the Divine.
One morning, at 3:00 am, trying to fight the depression that then filled me and to understand what had happened to me and where I should now move myself, I called upon the one known as Jesus, the Messiah. He came. His energy was so incredibly strong in me and around me. His divinity was so strongly apparent to me! Such a comfort and a guide was He. Oh, yes. Capital letters. I suddenly was able to feel my own divinity more clearly than I ever had. It was still very young and fragile and small compared to the divine energy of He, who was also called Yeshua Ben Joseph, but it was there! And by feeling His divinity, I was able to recognize that energy in myself.
It’s all about energy. These things of the body, of the three dimensional world, are not at all the issue. It’s all about energy. I pick up the energy of the people around me and I probably will continue to do so, but I also generate my own energy. I know too, so gratefully, that there have been times when I have given my energy to others; a child, a friend…. Oh, yes, I have, and I am so grateful to have been of service. My intention is to be of service to at least one other person every single day, just by giving them some of my energy which is, hopefully, clear, accepting, loving and compassionate.
You and I are no different than Yeshua Ben Joseph, aka Jesus the Christ, the one so many people have turned to. When we generate the energy of complete acceptance, of unconditional love and of total and complete compassion, we actually embody the divine energy of the Christ. We can do this. We do this when we love. You know what I mean. We've all had those moments when we just gave from the heart to another human being because we had it in us to give. Maybe it was our child, or our best friend or our mother, father or sister.... We've all known the vast limitless feeling of that energy of giving to another. Your divinity in you is as real and as perfect as His divinity in Him. It's just that we don't necessarily see it that way. We see ourselves as little humans struggling along.
Breathing really really helps. Being in the Now helps. Spending time in nature helps. Having time to just BE for nice long stretches of time helps. I feel my divinity deepening within me – or I’m becoming more aware of something that was already there – I’m not entirely sure, nor do I think it really matters. My humanity and my divinity are becoming integrated within me. And yes, this is entirely new. But that's okay, right? We can go somewhere new .....
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Experiencing the ALL
When I am in the moment fully, I feel connected to World, to All and to Spirit even while mundane things are happening. Today, I experienced a peaceful moment walking on the land as the clouds dropped even lower and the trees dripped with moisture. I feel the land changing as the seasons flow from summer to autumn and I feel the world around me changing on a more etheric level. I choose to experience it fully. I feel frustrated when I perceive my experience to be limited by a lack of time or connectivity…. At such moments, I don't feel very divine, or holy, or wise. Just frustrated.
Yet, no matter where we are in time and space, no matter how limited the time we have inbetween all the things that we have to do, we can turn our consciousness to the ALL and experience that. That will take us deeply into the present moment, into the Now, for the duration of the time that we spend contemplating the ALL. Feel it. It is beyond words.
Breathing helps a lot with this. Just take a deep breath and turn once again toward the ALL.
It is the All That Is. Feel it wherever it happens to BE.
I did this and I felt it within me. I felt the ALL and I felt the divinity within me – the God within me. I realized that the ALL and God are one and the same. I realized that the essence of All That Is has been in me all along.
We seek God outside of ourselves and God is not there and has never been there, although all of the world is sacred and resonates with divine vibrations. Still God / All That Is can be found within us. It is a tiny seed of divinity deep within us. You can feel it and love it and invite it to grow within you, if you choose this for yourself.
If you are drawn toward moments, you are drawn toward this discernible presence of God / All That Is. This I know to be true, for it is in the moment that this presence can be found, and only in the moment. That is why I sometimes call it the Sacred Moment.
This work to live fully present in the moment is about coming to a direct experience of ALL, of God. It is about finding this presence within yourself. It is about integrating the divinity that is within you into your present moment consciousness.
I sat in the light of the silvery sun shining through autumn sky clouds and was utterly complete. In this way, the dance of sacred moments continues.
I love. I love. I love.
Yet, no matter where we are in time and space, no matter how limited the time we have inbetween all the things that we have to do, we can turn our consciousness to the ALL and experience that. That will take us deeply into the present moment, into the Now, for the duration of the time that we spend contemplating the ALL. Feel it. It is beyond words.
Breathing helps a lot with this. Just take a deep breath and turn once again toward the ALL.
It is the All That Is. Feel it wherever it happens to BE.
I did this and I felt it within me. I felt the ALL and I felt the divinity within me – the God within me. I realized that the ALL and God are one and the same. I realized that the essence of All That Is has been in me all along.
We seek God outside of ourselves and God is not there and has never been there, although all of the world is sacred and resonates with divine vibrations. Still God / All That Is can be found within us. It is a tiny seed of divinity deep within us. You can feel it and love it and invite it to grow within you, if you choose this for yourself.
If you are drawn toward moments, you are drawn toward this discernible presence of God / All That Is. This I know to be true, for it is in the moment that this presence can be found, and only in the moment. That is why I sometimes call it the Sacred Moment.
This work to live fully present in the moment is about coming to a direct experience of ALL, of God. It is about finding this presence within yourself. It is about integrating the divinity that is within you into your present moment consciousness.
I sat in the light of the silvery sun shining through autumn sky clouds and was utterly complete. In this way, the dance of sacred moments continues.
I love. I love. I love.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Seeking Moments
Are you like me? Do you set out to experience moments of intensity? Do you seek moments?
When I was younger, I used to do this more often than I do now. I would rise before dawn to go and watch the sunrise from a hilltop or the lakeside beach. I would walk slowly under an umbrella through a rainstorm, or head out to the woods on a windy day when the treetops were groaning and bending wildly under the wind's strength. Sometimes I got myself out of bed and dressed in the middle of the night to go for a walk in the moonlight. One winter night, under a full moon, I put on my cross-country skis and set out into the forest. I have never had another experience like that. The moonlight was silver and white on the snow. The silence was total. I was alone, my partner having declined the invitation to accompany me on the adventure of a lifetime right in our backyard. The forest shadows were black. It was darker than I thought it would be; the moonlight had seemed so bright on the snow-covered lawn of the house, but under the trees, the shadows were everywhere. I sensed movement in the darkness under the big trees and it spooked me. I gathered my courage around me like a magical cape, and continued until I had made my way through the whole loop, which in daylight took about an hour. In the moonlight it seemed much longer. Those moments were amazing to me. I will never forget that experience!
Here is a journal entry from December of 2008.
Today, a Sunday, I walked at Saint Peter’s Village woods. It was an awesome experience. I felt myself to be totally immersed in the woodland, the hillside, the wind bending the trees and causing a roaring noise as it passed through their branches. I loved everything around me so very very much. I was in the divine moment for a long time, an hour or more. I find it easier now to be in the moment for longer and longer periods of time – especially when I am in the woods. I also watched the sunset from the red circle rug in front of the sliding glass door. I sat there for a half hour simply being and enjoying the view. Again, I felt myself to be in total peace in the moment. I am doing a lot of deep breathing, and I think this is helping me to connect to the divine Now.
It seems so easy, doesn't it... So clear. It is moments that make up our lives. Only that. Moments.
Do you actively seek to experience all those amazing moments that your being in the world allows you to experience? Do you celebrate your eyes, and your ears, and your sense of taste, the feel of the muscles in your legs as you walk uphill? Thrill to the taste of the peaches when they are at their peak of ripeness, sweetness and juiciness?
Sometimes, I get up in the morning thinking about what I will do and experience and this phrase comes to me: "Sing in the day!"
Sometimes, I get up in the morning and sing a little Pooh-Bear hum. It goes like this:
"I get to be in the world.
I get to be in the world today.
I get to be in the world.
I get to sing and play."
I'm going to go do some yoga - another wonderful experience in the moment. I'm going to try doing the yoga with no music in the background. I usually have music; today I'll have the soft sound of the rain falling outside my window.
Seeking moments.
One by one.
Seeking them and then thoroughly immersing myself in them.
Bye for now, friends.
When I was younger, I used to do this more often than I do now. I would rise before dawn to go and watch the sunrise from a hilltop or the lakeside beach. I would walk slowly under an umbrella through a rainstorm, or head out to the woods on a windy day when the treetops were groaning and bending wildly under the wind's strength. Sometimes I got myself out of bed and dressed in the middle of the night to go for a walk in the moonlight. One winter night, under a full moon, I put on my cross-country skis and set out into the forest. I have never had another experience like that. The moonlight was silver and white on the snow. The silence was total. I was alone, my partner having declined the invitation to accompany me on the adventure of a lifetime right in our backyard. The forest shadows were black. It was darker than I thought it would be; the moonlight had seemed so bright on the snow-covered lawn of the house, but under the trees, the shadows were everywhere. I sensed movement in the darkness under the big trees and it spooked me. I gathered my courage around me like a magical cape, and continued until I had made my way through the whole loop, which in daylight took about an hour. In the moonlight it seemed much longer. Those moments were amazing to me. I will never forget that experience!
Here is a journal entry from December of 2008.
Today, a Sunday, I walked at Saint Peter’s Village woods. It was an awesome experience. I felt myself to be totally immersed in the woodland, the hillside, the wind bending the trees and causing a roaring noise as it passed through their branches. I loved everything around me so very very much. I was in the divine moment for a long time, an hour or more. I find it easier now to be in the moment for longer and longer periods of time – especially when I am in the woods. I also watched the sunset from the red circle rug in front of the sliding glass door. I sat there for a half hour simply being and enjoying the view. Again, I felt myself to be in total peace in the moment. I am doing a lot of deep breathing, and I think this is helping me to connect to the divine Now.
It seems so easy, doesn't it... So clear. It is moments that make up our lives. Only that. Moments.
Do you actively seek to experience all those amazing moments that your being in the world allows you to experience? Do you celebrate your eyes, and your ears, and your sense of taste, the feel of the muscles in your legs as you walk uphill? Thrill to the taste of the peaches when they are at their peak of ripeness, sweetness and juiciness?
Sometimes, I get up in the morning thinking about what I will do and experience and this phrase comes to me: "Sing in the day!"
Sometimes, I get up in the morning and sing a little Pooh-Bear hum. It goes like this:
"I get to be in the world.
I get to be in the world today.
I get to be in the world.
I get to sing and play."
I'm going to go do some yoga - another wonderful experience in the moment. I'm going to try doing the yoga with no music in the background. I usually have music; today I'll have the soft sound of the rain falling outside my window.
Seeking moments.
One by one.
Seeking them and then thoroughly immersing myself in them.
Bye for now, friends.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Intensity of Experience
Perhaps it’s part of the ongoing energies of the time, but I am filled with strange knowing and it is sort of tearing at me, bringing tears close, bringing a need for a hug, for a hug from someone else who also knows and feels as I do.
Knowing – just knowing that it will be as it will be and it will be intense and it will be WholeBeing and it will be experienced by me, by others, and it will be okay. I will experience and I will feel and I will love and lose and mourn and sing and so on and so on and that is okay. There is nothing that can be any more intense or strange than what I’ve already lived through, already experienced. In the moment, in the rise and fall of a day’s light, a morning’s doings, an evening’s slow swing into night, I will experience so much that will fill me and change me and move me. There is no avoiding it. There is only feeling, breathing. Living in this way is not for the faint of heart, yet we all experience so much and with such intensity anyway. We run from it in a great variety of ways, notably novels, television, companionship and its diversions, food, alcohol and addictions, problems that aren’t really problems, drama and disease. We run from it, yet we inevitably experience it anyway. Just screened by these things, so that it will be bearable.
I choose not to screen it so much. It is abrasively present in me today, wearing at me. What will be, will be. I will lose more loved ones. I will experience fear and uncertainty, love and confusion, loneliness and loss, along with all the happiness, creative fulfillment and joy. Living in the moment is not always easy or pleasant. Today, I am somehow being confronted by this in a very stark manner. I am challenged, but undaunted. Tears are close, yet I will continue on the path that I have chosen.
Something else, I give all of my being and doing to my divine self. I choose the divine will that leads me into experiences that will change me and my situation in ways unforeseen by my conscious self. And I feel how big it is in me, that I do this. This is transformative.
Knowing – just knowing that it will be as it will be and it will be intense and it will be WholeBeing and it will be experienced by me, by others, and it will be okay. I will experience and I will feel and I will love and lose and mourn and sing and so on and so on and that is okay. There is nothing that can be any more intense or strange than what I’ve already lived through, already experienced. In the moment, in the rise and fall of a day’s light, a morning’s doings, an evening’s slow swing into night, I will experience so much that will fill me and change me and move me. There is no avoiding it. There is only feeling, breathing. Living in this way is not for the faint of heart, yet we all experience so much and with such intensity anyway. We run from it in a great variety of ways, notably novels, television, companionship and its diversions, food, alcohol and addictions, problems that aren’t really problems, drama and disease. We run from it, yet we inevitably experience it anyway. Just screened by these things, so that it will be bearable.
I choose not to screen it so much. It is abrasively present in me today, wearing at me. What will be, will be. I will lose more loved ones. I will experience fear and uncertainty, love and confusion, loneliness and loss, along with all the happiness, creative fulfillment and joy. Living in the moment is not always easy or pleasant. Today, I am somehow being confronted by this in a very stark manner. I am challenged, but undaunted. Tears are close, yet I will continue on the path that I have chosen.
Something else, I give all of my being and doing to my divine self. I choose the divine will that leads me into experiences that will change me and my situation in ways unforeseen by my conscious self. And I feel how big it is in me, that I do this. This is transformative.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Haiku Two
Here are a few more haiku style poems that you might enjoy.
I was looking at a flower with a blood-red center - some kind of poppy that grows in very dry and difficult conditions.
The images of these book pages are a little difficult to make out and the words are not big enough to read easily. I wish I could just send a copy of the book to each of you who read this, but I've only got one copy left. I keep it as a record of what was done.
Here's another one from the book.
Blessings be yours to experience and enjoy.
The blood-red center
Is the loving response to
All adversity
I was looking at a flower with a blood-red center - some kind of poppy that grows in very dry and difficult conditions.
Fences encircle,
Keep safe, give meaning to all
Our reckless yearning
Here's another one from the book.
Langorous winter
Morning; snow's lazy fall
Over crow's raucous call
You know those winter mornings, when it's snowing outside and you're comfortable in your home and you don't have to go anywhere... And you just lie there in the pure bliss of doing absolutely nothing.... Now a crow calls and the sound is muted by the snow, although you can still hear it. And the crow sounds again and perhaps another one answers, and you laze about in deliciously decadent comfort until the idea of breakfast becomes too enticing to be put off any longer.... Or perhaps you're outside in the snow, feeling the pure fresh air and smelling that particular smell of falling snow.... And there's that crow again. I don't know why, but I love the sound of crows calling. It meets something within me that loves All-That-Is.
When I am oh-so-wisely moving through moments, in acceptance, in love with all that IS, the days just seem to flow by. I do and I refrain from doing, and somehow everything gets done that needs to get done and nothing terrible occurs to disturb the flow. I'm not worrying about things, not planning and then fretting because the plan isn't being followed. I'm just being in the moments as they come and go. It takes a certain level of trust in one's self, trust in the world around, trust in the All. It's easier than fretting and planning and forcing things to conform to one's expectations, one's needs. Why do we need it to be this way and not that way? Because it comforts us and makes us feel secure. That's an illusion of security. Effortless living is living in total trust in the moment. I am not always so wise, so trusting, that I live in accordance with my own deep knowing of this truth. I am, however, practicing. It's joyful to live that way. I'm practicing to be joyful.
Things come to us; we
Are deep in the rhythm of
The world-whole breathing.
Blessings be yours to experience and enjoy.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Haiku Poems
I went through a period of time in the 1990's and early in the new millenium when I composed quite a few poems in the style of Japanese haiku poetry.
My understanding of haiku poetry is that it is deceptively simple. It is composed of three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line and five syllables in the third line. Haiku poems traditionally have no title. Each haiku stands completely on its own and describes a single moment. You can see the attraction that this style of poetry has for me.
I started combining haiku style poems that I had composed with photographs that I had taken. I love to take photographs that capture a moment of stillness. It seemed like a good match to me - the poems and the photographs. I didn't keep any of the originals. "Do not hold on to things you treasure, every moment has its worth." So, here are some examples of what I created then, as photographs of the books and calendars that I made to display my work.
I offer them here as examples of moments of stillness, of consciousness of one's being in the moment. I even titled one book of haiku style poems and photographs 'In the Moment'. I created that book as a limited run of handmade books on handmade paper in 2003. I'll show you some pages from that book in a later post. These are from a calendar that I created in 1999. Each month offered a poem and an image.
Wild garlic in a nature preserve near Montreal - the theme is very simple, almost a cliche, yet this little poem meant a great deal to me after the death of my brother, John. A simple theme is not necessarily one that holds no resonance or meaning for us. What amazes me is how three little lines can mean so much.
Here is another one.
I like this one because it comments on what is perceived and makes its comment in a humourous way. Just because we are in the sacred moment doesn't mean we can't respond in any way we choose to! These fields were a tangle of corn stalks and ridges of hardened earth where the plow had been. They were very difficult to walk across. Here, they are as smooth and clean as a tablecloth before the meal. Winter might be cold and difficult at times, but it has its moments of exquisite beauty. I also like this one because I am drawn to strong horizontal lines. I always have been, since I grew up on the shore of a lake and was offered these strong and somehow calming lines every time I looked outside.
I'll offer you one more today. This poem and the image that accompanies it are very dear to me. The poem expresses the perfection of being in the Now and the inevitable and very human pull away from that perfection.
I'll leave you with this until tomorrow's post.
My understanding of haiku poetry is that it is deceptively simple. It is composed of three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line and five syllables in the third line. Haiku poems traditionally have no title. Each haiku stands completely on its own and describes a single moment. You can see the attraction that this style of poetry has for me.
I started combining haiku style poems that I had composed with photographs that I had taken. I love to take photographs that capture a moment of stillness. It seemed like a good match to me - the poems and the photographs. I didn't keep any of the originals. "Do not hold on to things you treasure, every moment has its worth." So, here are some examples of what I created then, as photographs of the books and calendars that I made to display my work.
I offer them here as examples of moments of stillness, of consciousness of one's being in the moment. I even titled one book of haiku style poems and photographs 'In the Moment'. I created that book as a limited run of handmade books on handmade paper in 2003. I'll show you some pages from that book in a later post. These are from a calendar that I created in 1999. Each month offered a poem and an image.
Wild garlic in a nature preserve near Montreal - the theme is very simple, almost a cliche, yet this little poem meant a great deal to me after the death of my brother, John. A simple theme is not necessarily one that holds no resonance or meaning for us. What amazes me is how three little lines can mean so much.
Here is another one.
I like this one because it comments on what is perceived and makes its comment in a humourous way. Just because we are in the sacred moment doesn't mean we can't respond in any way we choose to! These fields were a tangle of corn stalks and ridges of hardened earth where the plow had been. They were very difficult to walk across. Here, they are as smooth and clean as a tablecloth before the meal. Winter might be cold and difficult at times, but it has its moments of exquisite beauty. I also like this one because I am drawn to strong horizontal lines. I always have been, since I grew up on the shore of a lake and was offered these strong and somehow calming lines every time I looked outside.
I'll offer you one more today. This poem and the image that accompanies it are very dear to me. The poem expresses the perfection of being in the Now and the inevitable and very human pull away from that perfection.
I'll leave you with this until tomorrow's post.
Seen from here, the great
Stillness of the world; I lack
Nothing now, and yet....
Friday, September 3, 2010
In the Moment Brochure
I mentioned that I would try to bring the brochure for the In the Moment Program of Activities into this blog, so that you can see it for yourself and share it with others.
So I'm going to attempt to do that right now!
Introducing a program of activities that invite an experience of the Now moment in joyful expression of one’s Self and one’s Truth.
Offered at the Sunshine Centre in Sutton village on Sunday mornings from 10 to 11:30, every activity begins with breathing and stretching exercises which bring us into the moment, into our bodies and into a state of calm anticipation and ‘quiet mind.’ Then four activities are offered over the course of four weeks, then repeated, for a total of eight weeks of practice being in the Now. (to be repeated as desired!)
Special guest facilitators will bring their expertise and experience to these activities, inviting playfulness, laughter, resonant self-expression, and the movement of energy through the body.
These activities are safe and enjoyable for people of all levels of physical fitness and all ages (children aged 12 and older are welcome).
Group Sounding – This is a circle of toning (singing without words). The tones weave through each other while harmonies emerge and slide away. Sounding is healing as it moves energies through the body, offering a release so deeply felt that it is beyond words. It brings a presence in the Now that stretches out deliciously. Combined with the deep breathing that sounding requires of us, this activity takes us into an experience of total calm, mindless peace and well-being out of time and in the moment.
Drumming Circle – This is a circle of percussive and deeply felt rthythmic sound that inspires the body’s natural movement in response and invites the mind’s stillness and natural sliding into a calm and trancelike state. This activity can be felt even in one’s bones. People may bring percussive instruments and add to the beat, or move their bodies to the rhythms.
Improvisational Role-playing – This activity stretches our sense of ourselves as fluidly responsive and responsible creators of our personalities and experiences with others. We take on roles of our choosing in improvisational interaction with others and explore our aspects and shadow selves. This brings us fully into the moment in play, expression and laughter. Oh, yes! A sense of humour is very welcome here.
Improvisational Dance / Movement – This activity is graceful and focused on the experience of the body in the moment. We move our bodies not to impress each other, but to express ourselves and our ever-changing, yet constant joy at being alive. Music invites participation from all, regardless of physical fitness, who wish to experience the joyful and free movement of the body in the Now.
Cost is $110 for the whole eight week program. Call Lu Emanuel at 450-538-5689 to register or for more information.
So I'm going to attempt to do that right now!
In joy, in expression, in truth, in movement….
In the Moment
Introducing a program of activities that invite an experience of the Now moment in joyful expression of one’s Self and one’s Truth.
Offered at the Sunshine Centre in Sutton village on Sunday mornings from 10 to 11:30, every activity begins with breathing and stretching exercises which bring us into the moment, into our bodies and into a state of calm anticipation and ‘quiet mind.’ Then four activities are offered over the course of four weeks, then repeated, for a total of eight weeks of practice being in the Now. (to be repeated as desired!)
Special guest facilitators will bring their expertise and experience to these activities, inviting playfulness, laughter, resonant self-expression, and the movement of energy through the body.
These activities are safe and enjoyable for people of all levels of physical fitness and all ages (children aged 12 and older are welcome).
Group Sounding – This is a circle of toning (singing without words). The tones weave through each other while harmonies emerge and slide away. Sounding is healing as it moves energies through the body, offering a release so deeply felt that it is beyond words. It brings a presence in the Now that stretches out deliciously. Combined with the deep breathing that sounding requires of us, this activity takes us into an experience of total calm, mindless peace and well-being out of time and in the moment.
Drumming Circle – This is a circle of percussive and deeply felt rthythmic sound that inspires the body’s natural movement in response and invites the mind’s stillness and natural sliding into a calm and trancelike state. This activity can be felt even in one’s bones. People may bring percussive instruments and add to the beat, or move their bodies to the rhythms.
Improvisational Role-playing – This activity stretches our sense of ourselves as fluidly responsive and responsible creators of our personalities and experiences with others. We take on roles of our choosing in improvisational interaction with others and explore our aspects and shadow selves. This brings us fully into the moment in play, expression and laughter. Oh, yes! A sense of humour is very welcome here.
Improvisational Dance / Movement – This activity is graceful and focused on the experience of the body in the moment. We move our bodies not to impress each other, but to express ourselves and our ever-changing, yet constant joy at being alive. Music invites participation from all, regardless of physical fitness, who wish to experience the joyful and free movement of the body in the Now.
Cost is $110 for the whole eight week program. Call Lu Emanuel at 450-538-5689 to register or for more information.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Moments
Wow.
I just read one of my old poems, written in the 1980's. It is one of my favourites, and sometimes I recite what I can remember of it, most of it, as I am sitting in the forest or walking. Here it is.
Moments
All that comes, then surely goes.
The wind of change forever blows.
See all things clearly. Choose your way.
Experience moments day by day.
Know that the past is past and gone.
Good or bad times, don’t hold on.
Surrender always to the flow
While life’s sweet moments come and go.
Memories become our visions
Of the past and future both.
Do not hold on to things you treasure;
Every moment has its worth.
Walk so lightly. Love each season.
Learn each lesson. Feel each reason.
Make your magic. Court your dreams.
Never mind how hard it seems.
Through allowance of all chance,
We allow ourselves to dance
To a rhythm, old as Earth;
Life to Death, and Death to Birth.
In some ways, this poem says it all. Every word was carefully chosen and every line has something important to say about living in the Now and allowing the divine flow of our lives to move us where it will. Oh, yes. I dare to speak of Divine Will! But we'll get to that at another moment.
This poem was written before I had experienced much of what now provides me with a foundation for speaking confidently to you about living in the Now. Yet, everything is there - the challenge of living in the moment, the need for allowance and acceptance, the need to make a choice to live in the moment.... For it does require a conscious turning away from the temporal concerns of the mind - all those "what if..." thoughts....
There is even an explanation for our tendency to get stuck in repetitive patterns. Our sense of how the world is and what we will experience comes from our memories of how it has been and what we have experienced. When we allow our past to inform our present we tend to experience the same sort of thing over and over again. Our expectations help to create our experiences. Our beliefs about the world and about ourselves in the world also help to create our experiences. Our beliefs come from our past experiences and what we have been taught and told. Even good memories can entrap us in what was. We need to release all that has been if we choose to live in the Now. We need to realize that we are constantly being given to. There is no real lack. We do not need to hold on to things, even things that we treasure, for every moment has its beauty and its worth.
There is a rhythmically repetitive list of imperatives in this poem "Walk so lightly. Love each season. Learn each lesson. Feel each reason." These imperatives tell us what we must do if we are to bring ourselves fully into a life lived in the present moment.
We are told to walk lightly because when we move through our lives with honour and respect, care and compassion for others we will inevitably 'walk so lightly'.
We are told to love each season because it is through such love and total acceptance of what is around us, not just of weather and seasons, but of all things, that we will come to a full experience of living in the Now.
We are told to learn each lesson because we need to come to a condition of full resolution of all of our hurts, resentments, anger, and struggle before we can fully immerse ourselves in the sacred Now. But more of that later.
We are told to feel each reason because it is not with the intelligence of the mind that we will come to full acceptance of all of our experience; it is with the intelligence of the heart that this will be accomplished, and the heart's knowing is felt. It is through feeling that we will reach the state of peace and the wisdom that we have sought.
Then the rhythm of the poem speeds up a little bit, because when we have done these things that are asked of us, we will feel a quickening. We will "make our magic" and "court our dreams." And this is a wonderful state in which to find ourselves, so please, do not despair. Do not "mind how hard it seems."
Allow yourself to dance through time in trust, in joy and in profound appreciation for all that is before you in the moment. By doing this, you allow yourself to dance through time in the Now and in that state of grace, every ending is a beginning and every beginning celebrates the perfection of ending in an endless cycle of BEing in the Now.
I just read one of my old poems, written in the 1980's. It is one of my favourites, and sometimes I recite what I can remember of it, most of it, as I am sitting in the forest or walking. Here it is.
Moments
All that comes, then surely goes.
The wind of change forever blows.
See all things clearly. Choose your way.
Experience moments day by day.
Know that the past is past and gone.
Good or bad times, don’t hold on.
Surrender always to the flow
While life’s sweet moments come and go.
Memories become our visions
Of the past and future both.
Do not hold on to things you treasure;
Every moment has its worth.
Walk so lightly. Love each season.
Learn each lesson. Feel each reason.
Make your magic. Court your dreams.
Never mind how hard it seems.
Through allowance of all chance,
We allow ourselves to dance
To a rhythm, old as Earth;
Life to Death, and Death to Birth.
In some ways, this poem says it all. Every word was carefully chosen and every line has something important to say about living in the Now and allowing the divine flow of our lives to move us where it will. Oh, yes. I dare to speak of Divine Will! But we'll get to that at another moment.
This poem was written before I had experienced much of what now provides me with a foundation for speaking confidently to you about living in the Now. Yet, everything is there - the challenge of living in the moment, the need for allowance and acceptance, the need to make a choice to live in the moment.... For it does require a conscious turning away from the temporal concerns of the mind - all those "what if..." thoughts....
There is even an explanation for our tendency to get stuck in repetitive patterns. Our sense of how the world is and what we will experience comes from our memories of how it has been and what we have experienced. When we allow our past to inform our present we tend to experience the same sort of thing over and over again. Our expectations help to create our experiences. Our beliefs about the world and about ourselves in the world also help to create our experiences. Our beliefs come from our past experiences and what we have been taught and told. Even good memories can entrap us in what was. We need to release all that has been if we choose to live in the Now. We need to realize that we are constantly being given to. There is no real lack. We do not need to hold on to things, even things that we treasure, for every moment has its beauty and its worth.
There is a rhythmically repetitive list of imperatives in this poem "Walk so lightly. Love each season. Learn each lesson. Feel each reason." These imperatives tell us what we must do if we are to bring ourselves fully into a life lived in the present moment.
We are told to walk lightly because when we move through our lives with honour and respect, care and compassion for others we will inevitably 'walk so lightly'.
We are told to love each season because it is through such love and total acceptance of what is around us, not just of weather and seasons, but of all things, that we will come to a full experience of living in the Now.
We are told to learn each lesson because we need to come to a condition of full resolution of all of our hurts, resentments, anger, and struggle before we can fully immerse ourselves in the sacred Now. But more of that later.
We are told to feel each reason because it is not with the intelligence of the mind that we will come to full acceptance of all of our experience; it is with the intelligence of the heart that this will be accomplished, and the heart's knowing is felt. It is through feeling that we will reach the state of peace and the wisdom that we have sought.
Then the rhythm of the poem speeds up a little bit, because when we have done these things that are asked of us, we will feel a quickening. We will "make our magic" and "court our dreams." And this is a wonderful state in which to find ourselves, so please, do not despair. Do not "mind how hard it seems."
Allow yourself to dance through time in trust, in joy and in profound appreciation for all that is before you in the moment. By doing this, you allow yourself to dance through time in the Now and in that state of grace, every ending is a beginning and every beginning celebrates the perfection of ending in an endless cycle of BEing in the Now.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Being in the Moment
I have been in love with the Now since grade 10, when I read Henry David Thoreau's Walden. He famously wrote: "In any weather, at any hour of the day or night, I have been anxious to improve the nick of time, and notch it on my stick too; to stand on the meeting of two eternities, the past and future, which is precisely the present moment; to toe that line."
Whew! That was it for me. I began at that moment to seek a direct experience of living in the moment, living in the Now. I was 16 years old. I am now 51 years old. I have still not accomplished that feat of living always in the Now.
When I was somewhere in my twenties, I wrote a poem which I titled Live There
Here it is.
Only the immediate line of vision,
Only an off-beat pulse;
I want to hang, precisely balanced,
On the brink of time,
Go out on that flimsy wind-swaying branch
And live there.
That expresses some of the tendency toward experiencing only the Now moment which has been a companion to me through these years. It's good to have a goal. (smiling here!)
Here is another poem, written when I was in my early thirties, which expresses an experience of being fully present in the Now.
March 7th, 1992
Now I am dried rose petals
Of deepest salmon
Glowing in a clean white dish
I titled it by the date on which I wrote it because I had nothing else to call it. It represented, literally, a moment in time. If I could have felt comfortable with putting the time on there, as part of the title as well, I would have. I tried it and it just looked silly. 3:42 pm, March 7th, 1992 or something similar. I remember the moment very well. The light pouring in through my west facing windows made the colours come alive.
And therein lies a clue to the resolution of my quest, perhaps; for it is beauty that brings me into a full consciousness and appreciation for what surrounds me in any given moment. It is when I am out of doors, in the world which I love so much, and I am taken into a full awareness of the instant by something that catches my aesthetic eye - colours, a silhouette, a joyfully moving child or dog..... It is love and appreciation for what IS that brings me into the Now. And, not surprisingly, the poems that I, or others, have written which seem to me to be most truly representative of what I try to accomplish by the writing of poetry, bring me into the Now. My hope as I write poetry, is that it will bring those who read it into the Now as well.
Try this one....
Eastern Townships Evening
White and silver and black
Shadows and clear, cold silence
Just me and the moon and the wind
For company.
I remember composing that as I walked, restless, sleepless, feeling the pressing passion of my love for the world, in the frigid solitude of the Schweizer's Farm in Sutton at one o'clock on a January morning. I love moments! Well, some of them.
I'm called away now by two things - one is an errand to be run in the village below my mountainside home. The other is the heat, which pulls at me, whispering of afternoon naps and lazy thoughts.
I'll write more soon!
Whew! That was it for me. I began at that moment to seek a direct experience of living in the moment, living in the Now. I was 16 years old. I am now 51 years old. I have still not accomplished that feat of living always in the Now.
When I was somewhere in my twenties, I wrote a poem which I titled Live There
Here it is.
Only the immediate line of vision,
Only an off-beat pulse;
I want to hang, precisely balanced,
On the brink of time,
Go out on that flimsy wind-swaying branch
And live there.
That expresses some of the tendency toward experiencing only the Now moment which has been a companion to me through these years. It's good to have a goal. (smiling here!)
Here is another poem, written when I was in my early thirties, which expresses an experience of being fully present in the Now.
March 7th, 1992
Now I am dried rose petals
Of deepest salmon
Glowing in a clean white dish
I titled it by the date on which I wrote it because I had nothing else to call it. It represented, literally, a moment in time. If I could have felt comfortable with putting the time on there, as part of the title as well, I would have. I tried it and it just looked silly. 3:42 pm, March 7th, 1992 or something similar. I remember the moment very well. The light pouring in through my west facing windows made the colours come alive.
And therein lies a clue to the resolution of my quest, perhaps; for it is beauty that brings me into a full consciousness and appreciation for what surrounds me in any given moment. It is when I am out of doors, in the world which I love so much, and I am taken into a full awareness of the instant by something that catches my aesthetic eye - colours, a silhouette, a joyfully moving child or dog..... It is love and appreciation for what IS that brings me into the Now. And, not surprisingly, the poems that I, or others, have written which seem to me to be most truly representative of what I try to accomplish by the writing of poetry, bring me into the Now. My hope as I write poetry, is that it will bring those who read it into the Now as well.
Try this one....
Eastern Townships Evening
White and silver and black
Shadows and clear, cold silence
Just me and the moon and the wind
For company.
I remember composing that as I walked, restless, sleepless, feeling the pressing passion of my love for the world, in the frigid solitude of the Schweizer's Farm in Sutton at one o'clock on a January morning. I love moments! Well, some of them.
I'm called away now by two things - one is an errand to be run in the village below my mountainside home. The other is the heat, which pulls at me, whispering of afternoon naps and lazy thoughts.
I'll write more soon!
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