Water...

John O'Donohue, author of "Beauty: the Invisible Embrace" distills some ideas of silence and sound that deeply resonant with me.  Chapter 3 of this book is titled: "The Music of Beauty".  For me this work is best absorbed a little at a time.  To re-read many more times will likely be a joy for me. Being physically absent from this world, the deep beauty of John's voice warms and illuminates, deep areas of my heart.  The journey of Being is one of the greatest intrigues. We are gifted a life-span to explore Being. Today being the 13th of May:  "I see myself".... I've expressed some of my thinking on silence ( Silence Listening to Silence ).  Silence is part of music.  All music begins and end with silence as Schubert puts it.  Music is a poetic form that means something personal to me. For me music is almost indescribable.  I can say things on the keyboard, depending on the instrument, that cannot be penned.  I still love the deep...

It's my birthday this month.  I'll  be 39 on 12 May.  I'm hopefull that these words will be a positive thing for my mind to work on throughout the whole month of May I like . . . has many things that could be placed after those starter words.   I'm curious about self-chatter.  Can I give new words, new phrases, new one liners to myself that are more supportive than the negative top-down, emotion packed self-judgements? I will finish this sentence:  I ______________ myself.  These may turn into mini mantra's love cherish enjoy sooth caress celebrate feel support validate hear  empathize  attune see hold permit re-create understand welcome embrace invite be-friend accept approve nurture encourage praise like acknowledge release renew respect I may be a puzzle but I'm worth figuring out.

" Wheel of Awareness " by Dan Siegel ( Click Here ) I see myself as a shore line. There is the me that is solid earth. There is another part which is the ocean of my emotions and thoughts. They meet at the shoreline. Along this shoreline I might find a reef or two that makes for a breaking up of the turbulence of the waves crashing against the rocks of other parts of this shoreline. I might find peaceful beauty along one part of the shoreline as well. Imagine a broader view--your flying over yourself. You see the calm deep blue of the gentler areas. (I'm always awed at the Caribbean around some of the cayes and islands. It's so beautiful, from 30,000 ft.) Maybe there is a hurricane out on the ocean over there. Maybe you can view a rocky coastline of yourself. Here the waves crash in and send up spray against the rocks. (West Coast, Oregon). Get in a space ship, what would this look like from even higher up? How about a blue globe of beauty from ...

I found this article to be very fascinating:

I close my eyes . . . what do I see?  At first it's blackness.  Then a moment of thoughtfulness.  Images emerge.  Some vivid images of peaceful spaces.  Imagination plays with settings that seem to be the perfect essence of joy and fulfillment. There is the edge of consciousness that seems hazy...peer there and something seems to emerge hazily.  A flitting image.  Observe.  Stand still.  I hear a robin to the left.  I smell the scent of some wild mountain flower.  A bee buzzes behind me.  Warm light over-head shines down on my perception of this personage I call: me.  The illusion is real, with breeze, gurgling brook faintly titillating in the background.  The words rise and fall in my mind. Grass sways, there are a million stimuli, and I sit . . . eyes closed, imagination creating, painting, creating. I think in the saner moments of life, there is a  whole lot of creativity emerging.  I'm curious...

November 13, 2014 or  November 12, 2014 When We Find The Courage To Remember by Jade M Wong A hazy dream, easily forgotten A shadow of a memory, pushed aside A misty thought, lost, never to be found When we do not wish to remember. Not really locked.  Look closely. A half-opened door with a secret A recollection whispering through The door is shut, the key thrown away When we fear of what we can remember. A tiny light in the midst of the dark A warm laugh in the falling of the tears A gentle voice among the shouts When we find the courage to remember. © Jade M. Wong 2014

Goodness without god is not only possible, but remarkably probable.  I'd like to think that my goodness is increasing with each day that I'm able to release my death-grip on the alternative idea that goodness is founded in a god or a specific ideology.  I think when I am able to be good without gods that I am more human, more forgiving, more understanding of my own short-comings and by extension more loving toward my fellow man.  Less-rigid feels much more healthy. Unraveling my story oh so very slowly, I'm coming to an awareness.  I had a massive, no over-statement, defense built up around this idea of no god.  I think that a very simple observation is appropriate: why such a defense? The short answer: 'Cause subconsciously I knew there was no god. The road was long and hard to come to this awareness.  I'll be unwinding over a life time all the tendrils of xenophobia, escapism, denial, and cognitive dissonance surrounding my self-blindness.  Evo...

This beautiful scenery is a reminder that individual identity blends to make a beautiful whole. We are much more than a snowflake.  We are no less intricate, subtle, and unique.  What does beauty look like?   Here's a sketch.

John 8:58  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am. John 8:59   They took up stones therefore to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.   I had the joy of reaching out about a year ago to my sister.  She finally left a difficult high demand situation.  I had left my guru, Ricky Neville almost 10 years ago.  My sister stayed, the only person in my family to stay.  She stayed for another 9 years.  She might be defined and labeled accurately as damaged.    Deeply damaged.  In attempting to reach out after years of not being able to do so.  I wrote her a letter.  In this letter I speak of I AM.  To those of us who have a context of what the Judeo-Christian teach regarding the Christ being the "I AM" this may hold some meaning. I wrote my sister: I'm saying something very deep and something very healing.  I AM.  YOU ARE....

Marlene Winell "Leaving the Fold" I ran across this expert in some notes today.  I thought the idea of Embracing Freedom and Responsibility is a good ideal to pursue in 2015.  Winell's Leaving the Fold is an excellent resource.  I think that many would be helped by this even if they don't agree with all of Winell's points. It really helps those of us raised with very hard and fast rules to explore "normalcy" in a more positive light than just black and white thinking.  I stayed so long in the confines of my prison, 'cause it was safer than figuring things out for myself.