Born from the sea
I returned there for
my being’s next iteration
Water flowing around
and through me
in tune with my being
feeling currents of peace
as my inner tide subsides
The womb calls me back
and I am reborn
the next time as fire…..
— G A Rosenberg
“You have passed through the two hardest tests on the spiritual road: the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what you encounter.”
― Paulo Coelho
If you enjoy the path you travel (and why be on a path you don’t or can’t enjoy?) then disappointment becomes about as unlikely as boredom. I still get surprised by the number of interesting thoughtful even whimsical people who speak of being bored. Why do I see them as being more interesting than they see themselves? Of course others might not enjoy punning contests with themselves as much as I do or thinking of the most bizarre thing I may encounter next. Patience tho becomes a bit trickier. I still find myself tempted at times to make things happen when patience is a better course. Still that’s getting better as well…
Blessings, G
“Always ask yourself, why does this story matter? Ask and keep asking. And be as frank in your answer as all your courage will allow. When it comes to storytelling, life’s too short to waste it on stories that don’t matter.”
– Billy Marshall Stoneking.
I read the above and I feel a bit humbled. In my writing, I try to make what I say to people relevant. When I write of my past, I choose not only the stories I need to tell but the ones that I hope are meaningful, that matter. I know that a story that matters has life beyond the storyteller and in truth matters more than a storyteller ever can. Do I succeed? I don’t know. I’d rather stay unsure as overconfidence much like in parenting too often means failure.
Blessings, G
“Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things.”
― Miyamoto Musashi
We tend to overlook those things closest to us. Often we take for granted the things and people that help us the most in life because knowing we can count on them, we accept them as being there never quite realizing the gifts they give us every day. Likewise sometimes we miss taking steps towards our goals because they seem so far away. Yep if we hold them in sight they get closer every day. A lot of wisdom can be found in Miyamoto Musashi’s “The Book of the Five Rings”. There are after all many ways to be a warrior.
Blessings, G
instrumental instruction
letting the notes flow thru
distorting as little as possible
becoming the tune
seeking the rune
the song the sound
pure tone
resonance
essence
seeking the highest vibration
and sending it out
so others can feel it too
what symphonies may play
ascension melodies
lines to inspire
igniting the fire
the flame grows brighter
my spirit lighter
heading for the home
unseen
no longer alone
heartfelt presence
“Everything changes once we identify with being the witness to the story, instead of the actor in it.”
― Ram Dass
There is part of our awareness that is called in Eastern philosophy Turiya, that Ken Wilber refers to as the witness. It is the part of ourselves that watches everything unfold in our consciousness without judgement, not acting but watching emotions, thoughts and actions that flow by. Whenever I get caught up in the day to day, forgetting in the words of Richard Bach, that what is going on around me “is not reality” I try hard to imagine how this witness sees what is going on and it tends to calm me down pretty quickly. It definitely tends to help with the raising of a fourteen year old and helps even more in dealings with others in general I find. Oh I still find myself prone to irritation and frustration but relating to the witness it just becomes part of the ever present flow of being.
Blessings, G
“There’s never an easy route to the things that matter.”
― Charles de Lint
In the long run, what is it that matters? As cliche as it sounds, we’re all on a journey. Some might think it is to have the life we want to have while for others its a quest to simply survive. We like our challenges also, don’t we. Any time it feels like things are coasting without a challenge we encounter some person or something or some situation that will throw a wrench into our coziness and show us we’re not quite there yet We throw ourselves at these challenges, occasionally feel beaten or battered by them or sometimes we score an easy win. Those easy wins are great for building confidence but they’re not where our greatest lessons come from. It’s those things and people that have the greatest potential for getting under our skin that hold the greatest lessons for us. It might take time to see the lessons, weeks or months but if we keep looking its there. Feeling gratitude towards these difficult teachers can be the greatest challenge.
Blessings, G
“A path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you . . . Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself alone, one question . . . Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t it is of no use.”
― Carlos Castaneda
Choose the day’s new sign
it’s colour and its sigil
walk out on its path
and discover its truth
Is it true for you?
The signs will show the way
and if its truth doesn’t sound
the heart’s agreement
know that there are other ways
and feel free to take them.
Love guides and sometimes protects
compassion provides the lessons
either there or absent
along the way
Follow your heart your bliss and your wyrd
the council of the wise and that of the foolish too
for sometimes we need to explore the false
in order to know the real
How do we know whether or not our path is a path with heart? Listen. Chances are if you’re asking, it’s not. Never doubt your story.
Blessings, G
Click on images to see full-size
Eyecentric by G A Rosenberg
Images Seen in a Multi-Hued Flame by G A Rosenberg
“Face your life, its pain, its pleasure, leave no path untaken.”
― Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book
Why do we resist our pain? Well besides the obvious that it hurts. Can we learn from our pain? Almost definitely. Tho, so often instead of learning from it, seeing pain as our guru (“dispeller of darkness”) , we push it under the rug and let it build up pressure until we explode either in illness or in some kind of rage that takes other people with it. It amazes me how afraid we can be of showing our feelings. The media encourages us to find someone to pin it on and play victim. That’s not to say that sometimes we don’t get hurt by the actions of another but it seems that more and more we are taught that anytime we hurt from that point onward, we can blame it on that initial pain.
Sometimes pain comes from our own actions. We have unreasonable expectations of ourselves or another person or even a situation. We act rashly and it falls down on us. A healthy reaction to this is to look at what has caused the pain and either not do it again or see what we were trying to express. A child touches a hot stove and gets burned. Is he to blame or his parent or the stove? None of the above. Curiosity is normal and trying new things is awesome. Some of the new things may hurt. The more we learn to ask, what is the lesson rather than who to blame the more we live healthier lives.
Blessings, G
