Pre-dawn wonderings

Waking in darkness, waiting for light,

wondering what in the world day will bring:

What am I weary of? What am I wary of?

Where am I wounded, and where am I wise? 

What am I wishing for, what shall I watch for?

Where should I walk and what work should I do...

Pay attention to your breathing

As you work, or walk, today, pay attention to your breathing:

on which portion of it do you spend your time?

With inhalation, as you gather inspiration?

With the space between the inhale and the ex,

processing, preparing for the work that's yet to come?

With the exhale, breathing out your gifts into the world?

Or in the rest that follows, creating stillness

for gestations yet to come?

What calls you?

Take time today to explore what it is 

that calls you into the light...

At the center of being

Take a moment to stop and breathe.

Step away from your computer;

take a walk in the garden.

Set aside that driving need to accomplish, and rest.

Find the pearl that waits at the center of being.

A dream of survival

Last night the sky glowed red, white, and blue --

first time I'd ever seen this happen.

I'd like to believe it's a positive omen:

a promise that our country will survive

the ugliness of this election.

A girl can dream...

Limitless potential

As I lie here, tucked beneath the cover of the trees,

the fog begins to lift from my soul

and I awaken to the limitless potential of the day.

Look beyond the surface

The colors we see may not be what the camera sees,

just as the truth you see may not be what another sees.

Everything depends on illumination, 

which takes many different forms:

look beyond the surface to the love that lies beneath.

The work of the day

Whatever tasks I undertake today,

whatever storms or challenges I face,

may I do the work required of me

with focus and compassion,

always mindful of the inspiration that surrounds me

and the effect my choices have 

on all whose lives are linked with mine.

Rage, Rage against the dying of the light

Listen to the lesson of the trees:

Do not fade in the face of the dark days to come.

Bow not to the inevitable losses, but grow more vivid:

Reach deep into your roots and let your boldest colors 

flare into the light.

Alchemy of love

I will entrust today to my inner alchemist:

For the frustrations I breathe in, I'll breathe out patience.

For the sickness I breathe in, I'll breathe out health.

For the tears that I breathe in, I'll breathe out joy

For all the doubts and fears, I'll breathe out hope.

For the self-doubt I breathe in, I'll breathe out courage,

and for all the anger and the hate,

I'll breathe out love.

Find your wings

Clustered together on this rock

on a gray and drizzly day

we dream of sailing far away

but cannot find our wings.

Become the light

When that moment comes, 

when you're standing in the light,

GLOW! Become the light!

Glow as if the light will never leave you, 

storing up the light in your bones

for the winter yet to come.

Come, winter winds

Everywhere I look,

I see signs that summer's coming to an end:

The maple leaf, once green, once larger than my face,

now small and yellow, drifted from her branch;

the dragonfly, her iridescent flutter once so pleasing,

now lying stiff and sightless on my fading picnic table --

and still I think I hear the labored breathing of the dog

we laid to rest just a few weeks ago...

Come winter winds, and blow the memories away.

Welcoming the rain

Autumn, and the rain begins again.

From my kitchen window I watch the cedar trees

dancing in the wet,

their thin green paws sparkling with gratitude.

 

This new day

This new day, made more brilliant by its clouds,

offers yet another opportunity

to bring into the light that which is being born through you.

Sharing the light

Though you may be surrounded by darkness, remember this:

you were created not just to capture and contain,

but also to reflect and share what light there is.

Come into my garden

Come into my garden: bask in the balance

of dark and light, cool and warm.

If you cannot find a path, feel free to sit where you are

and breathe in the deep green scent of acceptance.

Nobility of a chicken

When did "chicken" become a synonym for weakness?

There's a certain nobility in looking before you leap;

a certain grace in choosing to nurture

that which needs your tenderness to be born.

The edge of being

Sailing back from the darklands,

I'm perilously close to the edge of being.

I'm grateful for the momentum

that keeps me moving forward into love.

Broken open

Some of the tenderest parts of us

live behind doors long rusted shut,

only to reveal themselves again

when some calamitous event breaks through the lock.

The painter's invitation

Sink into the deepest chambers of your soul,

and invite the colours hidden there

to sing their divine choruses of joy.

Caverns of the heart

Taste the golden sounds and scents

of the infinite space that surrounds you;

then let that stretch and fill the hungry caverns of your heart.

Fill your soul

Feast your eyes on this, and breathe

the cedar-scented mountain air. 

You are a vital part of a truly magnificent landscape:

let that knowledge fill your soul

with clarity, and hope.

Divine radiance

Just as a hand held before the face

can hide the mountain in the distance,

the constraints of the immediate 

can obscure the divine radiance that surrounds us...

The glow of presence

Evening, and the day takes on that golden glow

that recollections give the past.

When will we learn that Now glows brighter with potential

than past or future ever could?

A mindful presence has more to offer

than any memories or dreams.

Dare to imagine

The tasks that lie ahead may seem daunting, but surely -- 

what you dare to imagine must be possible; 

it's just that you'll need to share your vision, and ask for help.

With cooperation and collaboration

(and a bit of divine assistance)

great things can be brought to life.

Releasing the what-ifs

It's here again -- that time between,

when you're waiting for the fog to lift

and wondering what comes next.

Enjoy it: still your mind, and release all those what-ifs.

What will happen

will happen

when it happens...

Fighting chaos and disorder

 

We fight so desperately 

to maintain order in our lives.

Perhaps it's time to set down our weapons

And remember that with chaos and disorder 

New possibilities can sometimes arise... 

Find that stillness

That stillness, in the late afternoon,

when the leaves have begun to turn,

but haven't yet fallen;

when the fish are dozing quietly

on the bottom of the pond --

find that stillness, and let it echo through your soul.

Where you are now

Life has its textures -- its flatlands, and its high mountain ranges;

the easy times can be boring, but the mountainous ones...

well, that's another story. Just remember:

where you are now is where you are now;

enjoy it, even though the future looms.