Women at Rest

What if you acted as if this was true?

From the book Transformation Soup by SARK

Entrance

Whoever you are: step out of doors tonight,
Out of the room that lets you feel secure.
Infinity is open to your sight.
Whoever you are.
With eyes that have forgotten how to see
From viewing things already too well-known,
Lift up into the dark a huge, black tree
And put it in the heavens: tall, alone.
And you have made the world and all you see.
It ripens like the words still in your mouth.
And when at last you comprehend its truth,
Then close your eyes and gently set it free.
~Dana Gioia

Beannacht ("Blessing") by John O'Donohue

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.

And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.

~John O'Donohue

(Photo by amma_maw.)

Let It Be You...!

And yet, though we strain
against the deadening grip
of daily necessity,
I sense there is this mystery:

All life is being lived.

Who is living it then?
Is it the things themselves,
or something waiting inside them,
like an unplayed melody in a flute?

Is it the winds blowing over the waters?
Is it the branches that signal to each other?Is it flowers
interweaving their fragrances
or streets, as they wind through time?

~Rainer Maria Rilke

(Photo by robw1882.)

New Year Blessings

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm not big on resolutions, and in many ways this is just another wonderfully normal day that I woke up, said my prayers and did my best. And yet, and yet . . . it's so different as well. The air quietly shimmies with fresh new beginnings, hopes and dreams. A special breakfast. My annual ritual of taking down old calendars and putting up new. Closing out zena moon's books.

If one year ago today you had told me what I'd go through in 2007, I would have shot back You wanna bet? No way would I have knowingly faced much less lived through Elliott passing, getting divorced (very amicable, no lawyers, but still hard emotionally) and moving to Spokane. But I showed up for every single minute of it and survived with my sanity and sobriety intact through Grace, beaucoup AA, family & friends, living in the present moment sometimes one second at a time, doing only the next right indicated thing, choosing love more often than fear, and trusting Spirit.

Today I'm 100% grateful for my life in Spokane. I cherish being single again (truly my natural state of being!). I wouldn't move back to beautiful, soggy, crowded, hectic Seattle for anything. My heart both aches and smiles as I miss Elliott every day. I don't know what this year holds. To be honest I'm a little gun-shy. After 2007's great emotional earthquakes, my foundation is still shaky, and I'm afraid of any more losses. I've forbidden my dogs and parents from dying or getting sick for a really long time.

In my bones I know 2008 is about resting, healing and settling into my new life. Asking what I need to better care for myself -- spiritually, emotionally, physically and financially. The two words that keep swimming to the surface are ease and enjoyment. Keeping it very, very simple!

What is the difference
Between your experience of Existence
And that of a saint?
The saint knows
That the spiritual path
Is a sublime chess game with God
And that the Beloved
Has just made such a Fantastic Move
That the saint is now continually
Tripping over Joy
And bursting out in Laughter
And saying "I Surrender!"
Whereas, my dear,
I am afraid you still think
You have a thousand serious moves.

~Hafiz

Saint means holy person, and I believe we are ALL holy. Here's to fewer serious moves and more love, Spirit, compassion, togetherness, acceptance, simplicity and PEACE in 2008!

(The beautiful angel in the photo sits on my living room altar and was made by Sister Kathryn and gifted to me by Sister Cathy.)

My Sanity Prayer

God, grant me the Serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the Courage to change the things I can,
and the Wisdom to know the difference.
~Reinhold Niebuhr

(Photo by Michael.)

Autumn Meditation

There is tremendous relief when we stop trying to fight the seasons of our lives. It's a futile battle. How crazy would it be if I ran around gluing fallen leaves back onto bare branches? I rest when I honor the natural ebbs and flows of my life. Darkness as well as light. Warmth and cool. Flowering and withering. Below is something my Mom wrote for a recent Spirituality group she leads at the Women's Hearth. It helped me accept the fact that my sap has withdrawn into my roots. It's not something I wanted or needed -- it's simply the fact of what is true for me right now.

Autumn
by Joyce Blazek

Just as nature goes through different seasons, so do we, for although we are spiritual, we are also part of nature. Although we may not go through the seasons at the same time as nature, it’s good to take time and note what is going on.

The Fall Equinox is a time when the darkness and light are in balance. The days are warm, the nights are cool. It’s a time of balance, but with the knowledge that more darkness is coming. The leaves turn color and fall. The sap withdraws from the trees and goes downward into the roots. There are two aspects of autumn that are very strong in our lives also, that of balance and of letting go.

Balance in our lives can be very hard to obtain. Balance of...

• Work and play
• Quiet time and busyness
• Love for ourselves and love of others
• The kinds of foods our bodies need
• Balance of our physical, emotional and spiritual needs

Letting go. Surrendering. What needs to be left behind? What have you outgrown? Remember that to make room for something new in our lives, we have to let go of something else. Letting go of...

• Trying to control someone else
• Being judgmental
• An emotion, maybe fear or envy
• An illusion
• An unhealthy relationship
• A resentment
• A belief you’ve outgrown
• An addiction
• Being a victim
• Blaming other people
• Gossiping
• A bad habit
• Possessions
• Whatever no longer serves you

What is no longer working for you that you want to let go of?

(Photo by Greatestdancer.)

Can You Hear It Calling You?

"Our culture is so filled with bombast, quiet is intensified." ~Unknown

(Photo by amma_maw.)

What Time of Day Are You?

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary. You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward. Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts. All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

What Time Of Day Are You?

Dear Universe: S.O.S.

There are days that can only be saved by three things:

1. Praying for relief (even though I'm irritated with God today)
2. Looking at pretty pictures
3. Writing a gratitude list

When your mood is the pits, what are your Top 3 day savers?

(Photo by yosshii.)