Fresh and Alive

There are two things: to be and to do.

Don't think too much about to do - to be is first. 

To be peace. To be joy. 

And then to do joy, to do happiness - on the basis of being. 

Being fresh. Being peaceful. Being compassionate. 

This is the basic practice.

It's like a person sitting at the foot of a tree. 

The tree does not have to do anything, but the tree is fresh and alive. 

When you are like that tree, sending out waves of freshness, 

you help to calm down the suffering in the other person.

                                              ~ Thich Nhat Hahn  

Last night I was at a meditation with over 50 other people. It was a 

lovely experience. I think what impressed me most was this idea of 

"being." We sat sending out waves of just being. The calm peacefulness 

in that room was palpable. An amazing side effect for me was a deep, 

restful sleep; one the best I've had in years!

I like the image of being like a tree. They are strong and grounded. 

They can endure extremes in the weather and they move gracefully 

with the wind. They have the uncanny ability of bringing joy and 

equanimity to those who gaze upon them with gratitude. Buddha 

found enlightenment under a tree. Mary Oliver, Wendall Berry, Rainer 

Maria Rilke, and many others write beautiful poetry to trees.

Such grace to be like a tree...       

Forgive the Dream

All your images of winter

I see against your sky.

I understand the wounds

That have not healed in you.

They exist

Because God and Love

Have yet to become real enough

To allow you to forgive

The dream.

You still listen to an old alley song

That brings your body pain;

Now chain your ears

To His pacing drum and flute.

Fix your eyes upon

The magnificent arch of His brow

That supports

And allows this universe to expand.

Your hands, feet, and heart are wise

And want to know the warmth

Of a Perfect One's circle.

A true saint

Is an earth in eternal spring.

Inside the veins of a petal

On a blooming redbud tree

Are hidden worlds

Where Hafiz sometimes

Resides.

I will spread

A Persian carpet there

Woven with light.

We can drink wine

From a gourd I hollowed

And dried on the roof of my house.

I will bring bread I have kneaded

That contains my own

Divine genes

And cheese from a calf I raised.

My love for your Master is such

You can just lean back

And I will feed you

This truth:

Your wounds of love can only heal

When you can forgive

This dream.

~Hafiz~

My sister mentioned hearing someone talk about forgiveness. He said we have to forgive in order to find our place in the universe, to find inner peace, to be whole. Forgiveness is one of those words that is so emotionally charged it can be difficult to really see into the heart of it.

For me the important thing has been to forgive myself. Once that is accomplished, letting go of long-held grievances against others is easier somehow. I wonder how many of us hold something against ourselves. Something so deep inside we may have forgotten.

Hafiz, as always, has uncovered an enduring truth: when you forgive the "dream" whatever that may be, your wounds heal and you merge with divine love.

We Are All Connected...

Everything that is in the heavens,
on the earth and under the earth
is penetrated with connectedness,
is penetrated with relatedness."

                           ~Hildegard of Bingen


Along the jetties at Venice beach these birds gang out together. Very entertaining, they gracefully fly over the water, then meet on the wooden railing to dance and chat with each other. They seem to know that everything in their world is connected. They seem content, curious, happy. Perhaps they are just a reflection of my own thoughts.


A warm sunny spring day in Florida makes it easy to dissolve into the connectedness of the universe. Sand between my toes grounds me. Blue water reminds me to flow with each moment. The sun energizes and ignites my spirit and imagination. The gentle breeze whispers "all is well."


The ancient wisdom from all cultures reminds us everything is connected. We are all One.

My Passion...

My continuing passion is to part a curtain, that invisible veil of
indifference that falls between us and that blinds us to each other's
presence, each other's wonder, each other's human plight.

                                                                                     ~Eudora Welty

Yesterday morning as I walked with Payton, our Golden Retriever, the intensity of this invisible veil was almost palpable in the low lying fog that covered the fields of southwest Florida. How often do we truly see each other or ourselves?

Years ago as a young girl I longed to know the meaning of life. I spent endless hours contemplating, pondering, wondering why we are here and what is it we are "supposed" to do. Constantly nervous about not doing the right thing, my focus was on discovering some great mystery.

Occasionally revelations appear and disappear, but always a very gentle knowing and a sweet surrender to each moment brings joy and peace. With passion ever present, Grace shows me the way.

Life is...

Life is like arriving late for a movie, having to figure out what was
going on without bothering everybody with a lot of questions, and
then being unexpectedly called away before you find out how it
ends.

                                                                 ~Joseph Campbell

Do you ever feel like this? I am notorious for wanting to ask questions during a movie and my husband has threatened more than once to go alone rather than endure my endless inquisitiveness. But lately I've been content to watch life unfold with curiosity and childlike wonder. There is no explanation for this change in attitude. Life truly is a great mystery. Will I be called away before discovering the ending? I know not, but maybe it's OK to just enjoy the moment. I think that is the only place to find joy, love, and peace.

Out of the Stars

Out of the stars in their flight, out of the dust of eternity,
here have we come,
Stardust and sunlight,
mingling through time and through space.

Out of the stars have we come,
up from time.
Out of the stars have we come.

Time out of time before time
in the vastness of space,
earth spun to orbit the sun,
Earth with the thunder of mountains newborn,
the boiling of seas.

Earth warmed by sun, lit by sunlight;
This is our home;
Out of the stars have we come.

Mystery hidden in mystery,
back through all time;
Mystery rising from rocks
in the storm and the sea.

Out of the stars, rising from rocks
and the sea,
kindled by sunlight on earth,
arose life.

Ponder this thing in your heart,
ponder with awe;
Out of the sea to the land,
out of the shallows came ferns.

Out of the sea to the land,
up from darkness to light.
Rising to walk and to fly,
out of the sea trembled life.

Ponder this thing in your heart,
life up from sea:
Eyes to behold, throats to sing,
mates to love.

Life from the sea, warmed by sun,
washed by rain,
life from within, giving birth,
rose to love.

This is the wonder of time;
this is the marvel of space;
out of the stars swung the earth;
life upon earth rose to love.

This is the marvel of life,
rising to see and to know;
Out of your heart, cry wonder:
sing that we live.
                                 ~ Robert Weston

The night sky has been magnificent these last few evenings with extraordinarily bright stars sharing the deep blue velvet of the night with the moon. It is easy to believe we are beings of lights, born of the stars as I feel the light breeze wash through me. I feel somehow connected to those little bright shining lights. Gratitude and the vastness of the universe fills me with peace.

It is said that the Buddha's last words were "Make of yourself a light." In the Christian tradition, there is a verse in Luke 11, that says in part, "If you are filled with light... then your whole life will be radiant..."

Hmm, I wonder...

Don't Complain...

Don't complain of affliction,
for it's a smooth-paced horse
carrying you towards non-existence.
                               ~ Rumi



Often life brings unwanted afflictions: sickness, personal problems, career issues, family disagreements, chronic conditions, whatever. It can be so overwhelming to feel that all is lost or the pain will never leave. But the reality is that everything in life changes. Nothing lasts forever. 


Recognizing that who you are is so much more than all of the things that happen to you brings a deep sense of peace. Understand that, beyond all doubt, you are the changeless awareness within which all happens. Dissolve into who you are and let "a smooth-paced horse" carry "you towards non-existence."

Mysterious Power

Tao Te Ching

Chapter 10

Can you keep your soul in its body,

hold fast to the one,

and so learn to be whole?

Can you center your energy,

be soft, tender,

and so learn to be a baby?

Can you keep the deep water still and clear,

so it reflects without blurring?

Can you love people and run things,

and do so by not doing?

Opening, closing the Gate of Heaven,

can you be like a bird with her nestlings?

Piercing bright through the cosmos,

can you know by not knowing?

To give birth, to nourish,

to bear and not to own,

to act and not lay claim,

to lead and not to rule:

this is mysterious power.

There is something about the Tao Te Ching that not only captures my attention, but also brings a deep sense of peace. When I first read it over forty years ago, I was such a neophyte in all things spiritual. This ancient, sacred text was so exotic and incomprehensible. But I was drawn to it again and again. Each time I opened it, a new way of seeing came to me. 

It still happens that way. Maybe that is just one more reason staying in the present moment is so important. The present moment just is ~ pure and simple ~ joy, peace, compassion, kindness for self and all others. "Can you love people and run things, and do so by not doing?"

Text from: 'Tao Te Ching - A book about the way and the power of the way'

Ursula K. Le Guin
Photo from: The Wisdom of the Sacred Feminine