And today you seek refuge
In the vastness of this time and space
The longing for enlightenment
The end of a samsaric existence
To be a champion for those
Lost in the darkness of the matrix of life
An endless cycle
Refuge in the jewels
Refuge in the way
The middle ground
Today you seek
Not for an answer but an awakening
To open the heart mind to a deep feeling
To release the bondage
Of the monkey mind
The closed off heart
To become selfless and kind
Today you seek
Tag: spirit
Fragility
I walk upon the desert floor
Red sands of ancient seashores and reefs
White sands blend into grey
Walls of stone and sand
Carved over millions of years.
Thrust up and sculpted by the wind and rain
Back on the ground
The fragile Indian rice
Mother nature’s doilie
Delicate as it shimmers in the afternoon sun
The columbine show their salmon colors on a ridged green stalk
The cactus protect their lacy blooms with great thorns
The sages of all kind sway in their early soft grey and green fronds
The smell of sage heavy in the hot air rising from the red path beneath my feet
A delicate balance
A fragility of life in a harsh yet beautiful environment
What does it feel like to be alone?
In the wilderness, it’s being the only two humans around. Nothing but the sound of your heart beat in the silence. Your breath. Then the wind far off as it rushes through the willows and the trees that line the river in a wave until it reaches me. The green turns to silver as it brushes over the tops of the willows and grasses. The smooth surface of the water becomes disturbed and shivers as the wind touches it. A fish jumps. A shrill chirp of a bird. The sound of the air cut by the wing of a passing bird. The sound of the hollow rattle of the wood pecker. To be able hear your thoughts and watch them pass as they find no ground in your quiet still mind. Chris stands still out among the elusive trout in the river. Her line shimmers in the early morning sun light. Gandaulf sits…barely tall enough to be seen waiting for her to catch a fish.
To be alone is not to be lonely but to become one with all that lives and breathes around you without having to say a word. You, inside your own self yet cognitively aware of all that’s around you. To be separate from the thoughts of others…not influenced, you, yourself. Lack of stress. Living in the moment. Allowing a silent tear when you think of the others you love and how they suffer. Alone with the vibration of all that’s around you.
Alone at 9400 ft. Amazing, peaceful, alarming, silent yet very loud, small, powerful, beauty beyond words only felt. Clear air, clean water, bright sunshine, starry skies, incredible moon! Timeless, unstructured, fun, meditative, no cell phone, internet, Pandora, XM, only the song that rattles around in your head all day – the mantra. FULL! JA
An Awakening…
The Tribe has Gathered
The stirring ceases
The mind clears
The thoughts drift away
We sit as one tribe
The moment we all sit silent
I can hear my heart beat
The tiny birds in the canyon
Crows talking above
The wind in the rocks
The incense burningQ
We meet as one
Each in their power
The silence brings tears to my unfocused eyes
I drift off…
I am Alex the protector
The strong warrior
The wild child
I seek instant gratification
I would fight to the end for the Tribe
I am LJ the broken hearted
I feel the tribes pain as my own
My tears are your tears
This world is beautiful
And I am home here
This world speaks to me
It listens to me
The animals are my friends
I am Aubrey the lost one
I am scared
This world is big
I miss my new friends
I only want a hug
I am Otter the Empath and Healer
I am bodhichitta
I am shaman
I have a heart of love and compassion
This is my world
I walk with the tribe
Into the unknown
And comfort the fear
The universe is my father
The earth my mother
I am most powerful
I am Butch the two spirited
I have the energy of love
Misdirected at times
I am the jester
I bring overwhelming love to my new tribe
I need direction
I am Zak the Poet
I hear the thoughts
I am the scribe
The record keeper
The story teller
I am powerful yet equal to the tribe
I hold wisdom and knowledge of the ancients
Together we live in this vessel
This mind, heart and soul
Together we are one united
A balanced driving force
Individual we loose the focus
I return to my soft stare
The wind cools my body from the heat of the sun
My mind calm
My body relaxed
Good day world
ja 2020
Emptiness
The sound of the river rushing by in constant flow
The towering cliffs stand tall and hard against the deep blue sky
Carved by this liquid snake over eons of time
The trees stand and watch the the endless motion of this fluid architect
Gently the bubbles make their way down the current
Rocks hold to their purchase of land against the rivers flow
Others roll along without putting up a fight
My mind is sucked into the current… empty… constantly fluid… clinging to nothing
Awakening of the Heart
My heart has been chained
Whipped and beaten
Broken and bruised
Someone always feels
I don’t get to choose who
I can feel deeply
“But it’s not allowed”
They scream
I try not to listen
A touch
Not physical
But energy flowing
One to another
A mingling of souls
A melting of hearts
From a distance
But mingling in spirit
Wordless pause
The ache
The release
Tears
Heartbreak
Feeling strong
Yet vulnerable
And the love
Overwhelming
An awakening
Of the heart
Now You Will Listen
And the hand of the creator fell upon the earth
With a calm loving voice
I have asked you to care for what I’ve given you
I have warned you about exploiting the Mother Earth
I have sent warnings and yet you continue to rape her
I have asked you in a gentle way
To protect the waters
And yet you continue to poison them with your waste
I have requested you
To comfort the animals of my planet
And yet you still kill and plunder for sport
I have implored you to protect the skies…the very air you breathe
And yet you continue to pump tons of pollutants into your own life force
I am tired of asking…
Now you will listen
As I blanket the earth and all human occupants with this plague
Now you will listen
But not not by choice
Now I will bring you to your knees
I will rob you of the precious life I have given you
I will take away your freedoms you hold so dear
I will throw you into silence and isolation that your fear will force you to Up hold
Now it is your lives I pollute
I pillage and I steal from you
Now you will listen
The Life of a Leaf
“Birr…it’s cold”, said the small bud on the tree
“It’s as cold as cold as can be.”
Soon the warmth of the Spring sun touched the bud and it began to stretch and stretch and stretch
This warmth is lovely, thought the small bud, beginning to unfurl itself.
A warm breeze blew and the small bud felt the movement and began to giggle
As it giggled something strange happened.
The small bud, from all it’s stretching and giggling began to blossom.
First as a lovely flower…
The loveliest flower ever imagined.
Soon the flower faded and a brilliant green leaf appeared.
The leaf thought to itself…
I will grow and grow till I am so big, that everyone can see how beautiful I am.
The Summer wore on and the leaf drank in all the sun and warmth it’s beautiful little body could hold.
Through thunder storms and soft rain, it continued to exude it’s beauty to any that would look and see.
Soon the days began to grow shorter
The nights colder
The winds bitting cold
The small leaf shivered in the cold…
What is this?, it thought to itself, as it began to change into the most beautiful shade of red, along with all the other leaves on the tree
The sun no longer rose as high in the sky,
The air had the feeling of a chill settling on the land
The leaf, not aware of the closing in of winter
Dangled carelessly admiring its new transformation
One morning a cold frost fell upon the tree
The small leaf was confused by this chilly dew, unlike that of the warm Summer mornings
The sun soon burned through the mist and turned the frost crystals back to warm droplets and the leaf settled back in
The next few days the sun rose, the winds blew and the leaf swayed silently
A week later, the small leaf wondered about the sun, as it was hidden by dark heavy clouds
Small flakes of delicate design began to fall from the sky
A soft blanket of snow covered the tiny red leaf
It shivered and eventually could no longer hold onto the branch it had called home for so long
It drifted silently to the ground
It looked up at the beautiful tree it had called home
The beautiful reds laced with the falling snow was incredible
The tiny red leaf felt a sense of pride as it slowly closed its eyes and ceased to exist.
Continue
In a dream, the most intense dream I’ve had in some time, I saw Happiness and Serenity waiting at the crossroads. I walked up and questioned each.
I first questioned Happiness. How can one experience all you have to offer?
Happiness smiled and replied… First one must relinquish their clinging to the past… second one must surrender their negativity… third, one must listen to the joy that exists within, that which no one can take from you.
I pondered the advice and turned to Serenity and asked the same. How can one find serenity?
Serenity replied in a soft assuring voice… one must learn to let go of that which doesn’t serve them… to become vulnerable… one must sit with oneself and dig deep to find forgiveness.
Again, I pondered the words spoken.
I sat at the crossroad… quietly contemplating the meaning of each response to my longing for both.
Tears of anger became tears of forgiveness
Thoughts of self-destruction… became thoughts of peace and love
Feelings of helplessness and deep sadness, became feelings of joy and faith.
My mind reeled
My heart wept silently as it slowly melted
I retreated deeply
I spoke gently to the tribe
As much as I am grateful to each of you
Each of you allowed me to survive
Each of you have your place
Each of you is loved
Each of you has lived through unspeakable horrors
I am not giving up on you, I am grateful for each of you… but it is time for us all to heal
Life is too short and too precious
Today I must make a choice for all of us
Today I must begin to give up behavior that is not conducive to our health… to turn away from that which has become comfortable and take a chance
Today I must dig deep and allow myself, all of us, to become vulnerable and become brave.
To forgive those which I despise with conviction
To live in the warm glow of love and compassion
To shed the tears of cleansing.
Today I stand at the crossroad of life… my life. A choice needs to be made.
J
The Breaking Point
I woke up this morning
Tears in my eyes
The dream was so real
But was it a dream?
We are living in a time
Where close physical contact
Can be deadly
A hug… a handshake…
A kiss… could seal your fate.
In my dream
I went away
Traveled to distant lands
But all the while…
my heart ached
Never again was there to be human contact
Never again could I lay my head on shoulders and weep
Never again could I connect in a hug
Never again could I gather with friends and laugh
In my dream
Fear runs the world
Man afraid of man
No matter where I went
It was all the same
How can such a world exist?
How can people continue to exist?
People cry heavy tears
A woman holds her dead child
Children hold their dead parents
Hundreds burned like logs
The apocalypse?
A sinister unseen death hangs over the land
It randomly chooses its next victims
It is uncaring and doesn’t discriminate
Old, young, teens and anyone in between
It has robbed us of our freedoms
How can we live without touch?
How can new love begin?
Babies born that lie in plastic boxes
Not able to feel human touch
Mankind cries silently in their protected spaces
Fear gripping their very souls
I fear we are near the breaking point.
Two Travelin' Chicas... 