Coastal dunes slide and slip into the sea
As the storm rolls on to the north.
Gulls scurry to grab unfortunate crabs washed ashore by the crashing waves.
Seaweed floats and ripples with the waves like grass in the wind and
Salty sea spray coats the disinterested windows of empty houses on the shore.
The tourists have all left for the season
Leaving the ocean and beach to carry on with their lover’s dance
Un-witnessed and unashamed, with freedom and reckless abandon.
A play of light and shadow.
Bodies move and sweep emotions into being.
The interplay of physical and emotional strength portrays a
Man and woman connected in dance as in life and love.
Two bodies move as one in response to
The primordial rhythm of existence.
The two become one in spirit and flesh as
The opposites of each other.
Their hands and hearts glide together
Joining the masculine and feminine in an endless dance of love and power.
He shares his with her and she hers with him and
The dance becomes a battle of love, a flow of exquisite pain and destroying joy.
For to love for loves sake,
To flow together in the dance of eternity,
To believe in the union of man, woman and music
Is to become one with the ballet of life.
Be extraordinary in your ordinariness and
Marvel in the beauty of everyday blessings.
Notice how snow piles up in leeward corners of windows during a storm
And the rings raindrops make in puddles.
Admire the spirit of sunflower seeds sprouting in
October under the bird feeders.
Let the sparkling morning spider webs on
Summer grass fill your eyes with the freshness of love.
Feel the sweetness of warm, wet, baby kisses and
Hear the snap of clean linens on a spring morning clothesline.
Watch and listen for the ordinary ways God speaks to us
A million times a day and see …
Bees dancing on pebbles in the bird bath and
Crisp autumn leaves ringed with October morning frost.
Hear a Wood Thrush’s echoing, haunting song at dusk and
Watch clear glass jars and white porcelain bowls dry on the kitchen counter.
Notice frost fingers splaying across winter windows and
Soak in steaming soup on a cold December day.
Marvel at sun sparkles on freshly fallen snow and
Baby sighs in the night.
Drink in the light in your lover’s eyes and
Savor his sweet kisses at midnight.
Smile at the tea balls ringing like temple bells in the silverware drawer and
A ring of stateless steal measuring spoons in a baby’s fist.
All just ordinary things but extraordinary in their beauty and simplicity,
Just like you and me.
A field of brown grass,
A drop of chilly dew,
A morning kissed ripe apple, and
A bursting milkweed pod…
Signs of the change of seasons and an
Elevation of my consciousness.
Summer has ended.
It has shed its past and faded into isness
But it’s an isness that is charged with the now.
At the change of seasons, there is a new definition of me.
One that shifts with the sun angles and holds my spirit in kindness.
It is a newness in me that ebbs and flows with the tides and moon cycles.
That builds on the new life essence that captures my attention
That fills my heart and soul.
An essence of change, of new life, of new beginnings from old endings.
It is a change that envelopes my being and carries me along with it.
A flood of truth and trust, a deluge of emotions and warmth.
My heart misses the summer season but my soul is alive with the contentment of the coming winter.
A sheltered silence in seasonal separateness
But all together just the same…
In shared seclusion.
September’s muted sunshine and billowing clouds
Speak of a change to come, a change already begun.
In soft subtle shifts of afternoon shadows and heavy morning dew laden grass,
Autumn makes its arrival known.
Summer slides sleepily away, the heat having worn her out
As the freshness of fall takes her place.
Meadow grasses turn brown
And Goldenrod losses its shine.
Milkweed pods bust open, trusting their future generations to the wind and
Flocks of geese gather together to finalize their flight plan.
In the subtle softness of September the world is poised for transition.
There is no harshness to September…
The cold biting winds and freezing temperatures
Are saved for November and the first dusting of frost for October.
September exists to give us a gentle push towards winter,
While reminding us from week to week and sometimes day to day of what we will miss
Until spring arrives again and the earth warms, the geese return and
The faith of the milkweeds is fulfilled.
Garden statues in the dark are
Emotions frozen in time.
They are profiles of love in stone
Whose souls touch in the night while
Shadows hide their truth.
Earth turns the statues away from the night and towards the sun,
Always chasing its light and warmth
In an endless journey from light to dark
And back again while
Heart statues stand, emotions frozen in time as
Profiles of love frozen in faith.
In Aryaloka’s sacred forest space,
The presence of the Stupa and Shrine
Change the energy of the landscape.
Trees and stones become softer and energized,
They feel our reverence and respond in kind.
River Blessing, June 20, 2016
The continuance of life
The renewal of its essence.
From sea to sky
From sky to mountain
From mountain to river
And from river back to the sea,
A continuous loop in the process of eternity.
Water is the giver and sustainer of life, it is the softness of gentle drops on sweet summer leaves,
and the raging fury and unstoppable force of a flood.
It represents a manifestation of life, a confluence of the forces of nature; a mystery with its truth below the surface. It flows where the land allows it to and always returns to its source, as do we.
As the bearer of water and life, we honor its place in the circle of truth, and pay tribute to its never ending gifts.
We gather here together to give thanks for its beauty and the peace it brings to our souls and hearts with our gifts of the earth and samples of the bounty its sweet water brings.
(My ladies and I ended our annual blessing ceremony by dropping flowers and herbs into the Saco River. It was a lovey way to spend a summer late afternoon in the company of the setting sun and full solstice moon).
Longest day and shortest time of darkness. Magic in the moon light and peace in the secret of its knowing.
A secret to share with everyone but for now, only known by those among us of like mind, of those awake enough to behold the truth because it is a truth without words, a knowing in the soul, a connection to all there is but with no attachments.
A trust in the cycles of life, the rhythm of nature, the dependability of the cycles that Divine Mother brings. She has laid in waiting, has been patient with our neglect but now it is her time, a time of new awareness, a time of a rebirth of the mother knowledge, a time to rejoice in her beauty and truth.
In this day of less darkness, let us see the meaning in the seasons, let us feel the vibration of Mother’s truth, let us believe in her promise in the light of the moon that she will never leave us in darkness and let us honor her in our hearts and share her love and truth with one another to become for all time sisters/brothers and lovers of the beauty of her truth and of the right of all beings to exist in the bliss of the conscious life.
Let us make a vow, a promise to her this evening of shortened darkness, to be her children and partners in the process of waking the unconscious to an appreciation of Mother and of each other and to make this world the place she has always dreamed of.
Join me in drying her tears with our hearts in honor of all she unselfishly and joyfully gives of herself. The blessing of day light and moon shine, of love, death and rebirth, a never ending cycle, dependable in its truth and continuance, a chain never broken, a perpetual loop of manifestation of the unmanifested through and because of our consciousness.
With Mother to guide us and hold us in her heart of compassion, we cannot fail and can assist her in bringing forth a new earth, one of compassion, truth, beauty and peace for all beings and all time. This is the promises in the moonlight and star shine of this magical evening.
Please Join me in silent meditation and feel the message of the bells and gong as we offer our gifts of the sweetness of life to our sister the river and our mother the earth, a taste of the fruits river’s gift of water brings us and a tribute and thanks to our Divine Mother for the beauty and flavor she adds to our lives.
The heat of a summer day softens and slips silently
Into evening twilight.
The shifting shadows and cooling breezes of evening chill my being and
Bring an acute awareness of sorrow and emptiness to my state of mind.
This subtle, soft twilight is lonely and empty now
But was beautiful at other times and under other circumstances in my life.
Twilight holds tenderness and acceptance of love in times of loving but
When love is missing or withheld, twilight is punishing in its loneliness.
A solitary stroll through the garden is a waste;
There is no joy in relaxing in the rocking hammock alone.
Light sadly leaves the landscape and drains the world of color
Just as this lost love drains my soul and heart of color.
The trees along the edge of the clearing blend into a fortress wall,
Locking me out in my loneliness.
Fireflies blink on and off but evade my eyes behind the fortress of trees
and the stark cold moon light accentuates my solitude by throwing only one shadow behind me.
In better times, when I was not alone, the deepiening twilight was a magical time,
Full of love and acceptance.
We walked the garden paths together, basking in the glow of the moon
And soaking in the softness of star-shine.
Our shadows moved willingly behind us, hand in hand,
And fireflies lit our way home.
I want to go back to that time, back to being a valuable part of two,
Back to the times of softened days that faded into loving nights of passion and acceptance.
I need you take me back there, please…
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