what is
is

and i do not question it
i simply live it

or try to
to the best of my
capacity

what is it that matters most?

i.
that i was transparent like clear water
simply in the flow of the water
never resisting
the great rocks of what is before me
that i must simply navigate through
where i can't go through the rocks
though i may soften their edges
over time and with persistence
both fierce and gentle

ii.
my human moments
are like the stray shards
chipped and flying all ways
as the sculptor cuts away
at the stone
committed to revealing
the essence and form within
till i am but a pile of shards and dust

iii.
i am
somewhere in the nowhere
all and no-thing
i am not the shards and remnants
nor am i the stone the sculptor begins with
i look forward to the day
i am but a pile of dust and shards
add water
once again i am fresh clay

can you love this the rest of the days?

Excerpt from a Letter from Mira:

As we sow seeds of love this spring, let's embrace and love all that arises.

LOOK AT LOVE
how it tangles
with the one fallen in love

look at spirit
how it fuses with earth
giving it new life

why are you so busy
with this or that or good or bad
pay attention to how things blend

why talk about all
the known and the unknown
see how unknown merges into the known

why think separately
of this life and the next
when one is born from the last

look at your heart and tongue
one feels but deaf and dumb
the other speaks in words and signs

look at water and fire
earth and wind
enemies and friends all at once

the wolf and the lamb
the lion and the deer
far away yet together

look at the unity of this
spring and winter
manifested in the equinox

you too must mingle my friends
since the earth and the sky
are mingled just for you and me

be like sugarcane
sweet yet silent
don't get mixed up with bitter words

my beloved grows
right out of my own heart
how much more union can there be.-

RUMI

ghazal number 2381,
translated March 9, 1992
by Nader Khalili.

Note from the Universe

If you could live this life over, Deborah, would you still want there to be the same challenges?
Loaded question, huh?

Yeah, you cherry-picked each and every one. And you knew exactly what you were doing.
In awe of you -

The Universe

Without Why

Well, without why
the world becomes easier to navigate
doing what one does
for no other reason
than one chooses to

No Why.

Know Why?

When I don't need to know why then I know I am on to something!

Bliss my companion

meditation on a fait accompli

fait accompli \fay-tah-kom-PLEE; fet-ah-\, noun;plural faits accomplis \same or -PLEEZ\: An accomplished and presumably irreversible deed or fact.

Fait accompli comes from the French, literally meaning "accomplished fact": fait, from Latin factum, "a thing done," from factus, past participle of facere, "to make or do" + accompli, past participle of accomplir, from Latin ad- + complere, "to fill up, to complete," from com- + plere, "to fill."

Are there any really?

Namaste

So many souls
Today will pause
To reflect
On the 364 unbirthdays and the one birthday
That makes up their personal year

I see no point in being detailed
Simple is my focus
Anyday

to love, to love, to love

12.31.06

Dances of Universal Peace: Letter from Mira

Dear Ones,

Many warm blessings during the holy nights and the upcoming Epiphany, the emerging of the light from the core of the earth, spilling up and over upon the earth's surface and all her inhabitants.

May we all be enriched by the upcoming seeds we choose to plant individuallyand together.May we all be touched by Samuel Lewis' words below:

and Hu Haqq to all!

To the Life we plant and cultivate,

Mira

Now the way of the Sufis is to lull the devil to sleep rather than rouse himto wakefulness because of opposition. So there are just two modes of action:either opposition to unrighteousness or cultivation of righteousness.

Opposition to unrighteousness is like pulling weeds from a garden where oneis not so sure they may not grow again. Cultivating righteousness is theimplanting of flowers or trees which will choke out the weeds by themselves.

As opposition to unrighteousness sometimes leads to self righteousness, the cultivating of the heart qualities is often the superior way, and the path of the saint is generally preferable to that of the prophet or master.

Murshid Samuel L. Lewis
The Book of Peace


P.S Oh to dance is to pray is to love is to be the light that we are. Deborah

Rainer Maria Rilke

God speaks to each of us as he makes us,
then walks with us silently out of the night.

These are the words we dimly hear:
You, sent out beyond your recall,
go to the limits of your longing.
Embody me.

Flare up like flame and make big shadows I can move in.

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.
Just keep going.
No feeling is final.
Don't let yourself lose me.

Nearby is the country they call life.
You will know it by it's seriousness.
Give me your hand.

Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926)
The Book of a Monastic Life
Translated by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy

morning meditation to a beloved

Beloved,

from a dream
I can't remember
do I wake
pondering and knowing
I would drink in
the scent of your skin
were you near
were you here
before the day begins
before we set
about to tasks
we lovingly will begin or complete
tasks both sacred and mundane

for we have loved
one another
before all else
setting the tone
lighting the stage
for a dance
an adventure
without why and therefore
all things possible is our guide
and our deep minds speak well to each other
and our hearts practice silence
that god and goddess keep company with us
another day, another night


I wake overflowing
with a desire to love, to love, to love
to love all that crosses my path
to cherish those that meet my gaze

let me pour myself like honey
into your open mouth
and i will caress you
from the inside out


a good theme for any day

When someone else says it well

Dawn creeps in
crystal clear
intrepid
yet
calm

endings
become
beginnings

savor this juncture
for the road ahead
is long
and arduous

but in this moment
all things
are possible

'97 Judy Anne

Solstice

deep in the forest
the liqueur in trees slows
the ground blanketed with pine needles gently throbs
birds though still declaring joy
their last choruses buoy my heart
darkness need not chill me
winter light insulates me on grey mornings
the slice of light seeks always the soul
a soul in contemplation
a soul in silence
a soul in chaos
a soul in love
a soul open

committed to being lived through

Full Moon Meditation

My deepest place of center is resisting sleep
Pushing away the very notion of rest
I howl at she who would have me for her lover this night
And cast aside anything that comes between the light of she and my skin
And through the veil of fog
Still she glows the white of fresh fallen snow
With watery edges that caress a soul into song
Eclipsing my concerns
That the timbre of my voice not please her
That the curve of my breast bone not invite her
To plunge into my heart space
Consume all that I am
Leaving me as whole as I have ever felt
Since last she was full before me

oh what inspires me this instant?

INTENTION
Live with intention.
Walk to the edge.
Continue to learn.
Play with abandon.
Choose with no regret.
LAUGH.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.

m.a. hershey

The Work of Byron Katie

Four Questions
1. Is it true?
2. Can you absolutely know that it's true?
3. How do you react when you believe that thought?
4. Who would you be without the thought?

And remember to turn it around.

For it always comes back to...

I seek the gap again
between edges of memories
where no words suffice
And what to say to Beloveds
who also feel you breathe

To say naught is best
then all remains understood
for Winter gifts us Spring

Tanka

the moon light betwixt
weave of branches bare
half an orb away
she who would come to his bed
only to leave by morning

featured poet of the day

Calibrating affection
is like flying turtles.
It just doesn’t happen
What did you say?Maybe.
What if they
were sucked into the
sky, tornado force five?
Impossible things
happen I see – no
arbitrary measures
can set standards for
the weight of myaffection though.
I want to say it’s
best described inNewtons; something
heavy. Concrete babe.
My heart clings to
my upper rib cage but
can’t hold on and falls
into my stomach.
Butterflies fill my
head and all is right
in the world, because
we’re respecting the
weight of all this
affection.
))){ fast matty

"When we seek for connection,
we restore the world to wholeness.
Our seemingly separate lives become meaningful
as we discover how truly necessary
we are to each other."
Margaret Wheatley

Mi Casa es Su Casa

Dear Rain,

Thank you for coming with such passion.

You are welcome anytime.

And I await your return.

Love,

Love

My table is set
for the friends
I have not met yet

Yes that would be you
With whom I would gladly bear my soul
Over a cup of tea

I wait like a lover two moon-filled nights
Feeling you so near
And put the kettle on to boil

That will momentarily sing your praises
While I harmonize

Letter to a friend

Dear You,

What you did was BRAVE. To put your fate for a time in the hands and hearts of others who don't know you is incredibly BRAVE. And I hope someday you understand that it was. It was BRAVE. And if I held you too long, too tight, too fiercely before I left then please understand it is because I love you so very much and want the portfolio of memories we have as friends to be rich with color, crunch and texture. And for that you must be present in spirit, mind and body.

For we can't take to the sky, till we like it on the ground. Thank you KT Tunstall for the original metaphor.

How many times have I sought an exit for good and not taken that route. I have to wonder why I thought it and then also why did I not take it? Or do I need to bother wondering why and just be glad for the moment I am in.

Whatever is going on between us as "drops in God's ocean" is precious to me.

The contract with myself

How shall I be with me?

Passionate
Compassionate
Authentic
Loving
Creative
Tender
Open
Conscious
Reverent
Respectful
Generous
Gentle
Accepting

How shall I be with you?

We, who are one and the same.

Full Moon Haikus April 14, 2006

The experience
of fresh air and grey light, soft
the gloaming begins

I pour the contents
of my mind over brown-red soil
tomorrow's mushrooms

I walk the forest
feet kissing earth many times
not wanting to leave

Bird twitters softly
just go home now lady love
your work this day done

Robin what say you?
How is it you are still here?
Your nest grows cold

One last worm is pulled
from beneath green grass
bird hops-laughs- flees

The full moon blooming
will tease and brightly spotlight
that I miss that kiss

Will I sleep at all?
Can I tire myself in time?
Will I sing till dawn?

Haiku series : Lunchtime enlightenment

Tell yourself yes, you
Have faith in the divine
for the sun rises daily

Practicing patience
Best make it a game to play
Wait, life's but this too

As I watch her play
And a smile forms, so slightly
I join in her dance

She tells me that she
is my daughter who prefers
water over juice!

I amble this morning
collecting rocks from that beach
mind full of wish rocks

Milky clear agate
My little moon keeps company
And that makes you near

Poet to poet
we begin to explore
and what is sacredI ask my own self
How much do I want to know

Not that much, no way!
And god then shines light
interrogating me, eh?
No, just warming a heart

How bright the green grass
After a cold night and snow
What next? Crocus surely!

Never send roses
more than one at a time
delivered in person

2.14.06