Haiku Ellipses...Invitation...Response...

SPIRALS  spiraling center 4 wings, 4 crosses, 4 points round & round we go the 4 purple petals at the center feel like they're in motion, spiraling...observing closer, they are encapsulated by many other 4 shaped figures, some crosses, some points...spiraling round and round the spiral cycle can be applied to most systems/processes in life...there is a beginning, a middle, and an end like a story, or a thesis, antithesis, and synthesis as in the platonic dialogue...sometimes we need to get off the spiral (get off the merry go-round) and rest, taking stock of where we are and where we want to go, then jump back on and have fun going round and round with others doing the same thing...learning and loving as we spiral together. practice: get off the merry go-round and rest for awhile in a beautiful place in nature with a journal by your side...after meditating, take stock of where you are and what you still would like to become/do in your life, pick one thing, identify a behavior (...

MOM  i still think of you even though you transitioned  your spirit is here  death comes to all of us...it seemed more real to me when my parents died, especially when my mom died with my brother holding her hand on one side of the recliner, and me holding her other hand on the other side of the recliner...the breaths came slower and shorter for her, then they would start strong again, over and over, eventually they slowed much more and there was an quiet exhale without a following inhale, soon her heart stopped and the body began turning color from lack of oxygen, she became cold, such a contrast to her normally warm skin...even though her body is gone, i believe her spirit is still alive, that she's still with me...i think of her often and try to embody the good qualities she lived.  has someone close to you died...if not a person, perhaps an ani mal companion...how might you honor their life in some small way today (e.g., reliving memories with the aid of photos, ...

60 the view from 60 over 1/2 way there, looking... for new beginnings if, given the advances in medicine and health, we make it into the centurian years, then 60 years of age is just over half way...Ever since turning 50, i seem to have entered a new era of growing older...when i was 50, i thought, it's not so bad, 50's not that old, now at 60, i'm thinking the same thing...i wonder, if it will be the same at 70? if i don't look in the mirror and focus on how i feel, i felt pretty darn good at 60 (and now at 66, at the time of this writing, i still feel pretty good)...with retirement looming next year, the "new beginnings" i foreshadowed on my 60th birthday seem much more intense/pressing...looking for new adventures, and ressurecting old ones that i "didn't have time for" when i was working full time...before i know it, 60 will turn upside down and i'll be 90! don't wait to do the things you really want to do in life...find ways to work ...

2 become 1 the yoni is here male enters, female receives the 2 become 1 there is a generalized nature principle (Bucky Fulller) at work in life on planet earth: yang male energy enters, yin female energy receives, nurtures, gives birth to something new... practice: what 2 forces in your life are coming together, wanting to be gestated and birthed...what small step can you take (5 mins or less) to move in that direction to encourage the 2 becoming 1  

PURPLE CENTER from purple center come many shapes and colors moving toward the light what is the purple center but the center of consciousness, our soul/spirit, from which all things flow in a myriad of shapes, colors, thoughts, actions...ideally, all moving toward the great light of the Spirit from whence we all came and will all return practice: intentionally create one small thing that you can do today to nudge yourself in the direction of the light of your soul, something good for you, something nourishing, something supportive of your well-being...this will differ for everyone...to tap into what that might be for you, put your hands over your heart and feel, take a slow sweet breath in and twice as long exhale, then ask: what do i most need right now...show yourself some compassion and go do it!  

FROM WHERE I SIT miracle of sight cannot adequately be drawn on paper from where i sit, things look right, but when i attempt to draw what i see, things look skewed...there are properties of sight that don't match what my hand is recording, and all relationships change as i try to capture three dimensions in two...our gift of sight is one of many senses that inform us about our world, and to communicate these perceptions on paper is a challange... practice: take one experience of sight, one frame, and sit with it, recreating it in a drawing and/or verbally out loud or in writing...what lessons can we learn from attempting to communicate what we see (and more broadly hear, feel, smell?), how can we add more fidelity to our communications?

DISEMBODIED the disembodied sensory organs are here together we live Bucky Fuller estimates that we can only perceive through the 5 senses less than 1% of the electromagnetic spectrum...99+% of all electromagnetic frequencies that surround and penetrate our bodies we cannot even sense, and of these, consider how many frequencies are information humans have created in the form of radio waves, television waves, cell phone waves, satellite waves...within this context, we still sense an amazing amount of information through the individual 5 senses...yet, how disembodied this sensory information often is, unintegrated...we focus on sound, touch, taste individually without a conscious integration...and yet, somehow, all the senses can subconsciouly intergrate into a "feeling," an "intution," and together, these integrations make up our moment to moment lived experience. practice, in the space of 2-3 minutes, tune in, feel into, each of the 5 senses, one at a time... consi...

BALANCING SPHERES balancing the spheres of mind, body, and spirit activating love for optimal health and well being we need to activate, energize, and balance our energy "spheres" of mind, body, emotions, and spirit...this requires many daily practices, cultivating, nurturing, reinforcing, and growing our energy spheres to maximize our personal well being which, in turn, is paramount to activating our love energy in service of others. consider one of the energy spheres (perhaps one you feel depleted in, or one that you are drawn toward): body, mind, emotions, or spirit...what simple 5 minute (or less) practice can you engage in today to cultivate/grow your energy in that sphere? e.g.'s: body: 3 mindful breaths mind: repeat aloud and/or write a positive affirmation 3 times (see Louise Hay for affirmations) emotions: place your hand on your heart area and ask, what am i feeling, what message is being communicated, what am i being called to do (see Karla McLaren for understa...

DARK 2 LIGHT standing in the dark moving through the spectrum stumblin' towards the light there is probably an infinite gradation of colors from pure darkness to pure light...the progress, journey, and movement from dark to light is reflected in mystical traditions, faith, myths, e.g. the journey to illumination, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in some near death experiences...the phrase stublin' towards the light is borrowed from Bo Lozoff and is an apt metaphor for the journey...we walk, jog, or run and eventually stumble, we get up, hopefully learn something from our stumblin,' and continue, over and over, in the direction of the light. looking back over the last year, month, or week, where have you stumbled, what were the circumstances, what is within your control to change for next time...find something simple that you can do to nudge you in the direction of the light for next time, write it down and commit to this new behavior the next time the opportunity p...

ENERGY BEING one of the most basic and vital questions we can ponder/contemplate is: who am i? after giving this some thought, i created the following drawing and labeled it: multidimensional energy being...that we are multidimensional is readily apparent when we consider our mind, body, emotions, and spirit...that we are composed of energy also is readily apparent when we consider the ebb and flow of energy within a given day/night cycle, from low to high to low, and in the basic energy systems within the body, for example, each of the organs have their own energy system which is interconnected to the overall health and well being of our entire system. be considerate and kind to your energy systems that are working for you 24-7...one way you can support your organs is to sip on different types of herbal teas, e.g., dandelion root for the liver, mallow for the lungs, chamomile for the stomach...enjoy the taste and energy of the herbs that support your multidimensional energy body. ...

LIFE'S WORK  sun, moon, mountains, tree river, flowers, trinity monk, joseph, mother the sun and moon are contexts for life...mountains are backdrop and journey...tree of life rooted in living waters of spirit that brings life to all flowers and fruit...energies from the divine mother who sees all, feeds all, st. joseph works in the garden of eden, monk contemplates, reads, chants, and writes,...harvesting and sharing... what are the streams of your life...what symbols would you use to depict them...try a sketch/drawing/painting and see if it reveals anything for you to DO differently today.

INSIDE THE HEART from inside the heart  birthing ideas into work, play, and writing the heart is an amazing organ, beating from before we are born until our last breath, continuously pumping blood throughout our bodies with each drumbeat, regulating and interrelated to many body systems, with a "brain" of it's own, and from this inner place of wisdom comes "heart-felt" ideas for our life's work, play/fun, and for me, writing. practice: place both of your hands over your heart area, take a few slow breaths and feel into the heartbeat...slow, fast, goldilocks just right? listen for one minute to any message that the heart wants to convey to you...it could be a feeling, presence, word, image, sound, thought, person, idea, song...write it down as a way to honor your heart's wisdom and DO something within the next hour (something small, 1-5 mins) that moves you in the direction of your heart's wisdom.

E N V E L O P I N G auras surround us rainbows of colors and sounds enveloping us slowly move your palms (facing each other about 2 feet apart) closer together and see if you feel any energy between them (most people feel something as the palms get closer together)...the heart emits an energy field that can be measured up to 10 feet away...some kowledge systems call these energy fields that surround us auras practice...can you sense/feel your energy change color when experiencing different emotions...try to name these emotions and corresponding...how might you use this knowledge to surround yourself with positive colors in your living environments...start with something small...a vase, a photo, a figurine...

WELCOME HOME passing through the door where am i? what time is it? you are here and now how many doors do we pass through during the day...bedroom door, bathroom door, kitchen door, out the front and/or back doors, car/bus door, office or school door, store door, doctor/dentist door...then there are the mental, emotional, and spiritual doorways...consider each thought a doorway entered! in the image below, i imagine passing through and into the doorway of "here and now", the present moment, our real home (see Ekhart Tolle's, Power of Now , and Richard Lang's Celebration of Who We Are ). practice: ask yourself several times during the day: where am i? what time is it? (one way to respond to cultivate a sense of being at home is: i am "here" and the time is "now")

PINE GARDEN roots of the pine tree like arms reaching out around her flower children this image popped while at a park and now i'm bringing it to life....time will complete the process, bringing it to fruition with the help of the Spirit...adding to the garden of Eden at Trinity Pines...feels so good to be a part of it...notice circular patterns, centers (see Christopher Alexander's books), and colors...beautiful and all edible! practice--consider some soil near/in your home (a balcony of pots, a window sill of pots or glass jars filled with water, a 3 x 3 foot piece of earth outside the back or front door, or a larger yard)... imagine what edible plants you could grow there ...for the window sill, it can be as simple as the last bit of a scallion you cut for a salad placed into a glass of water, or an herb like basil (seed packet is a few dollars, or you can collect seeds for free from wild weeds in the garden like wild lettuce--see Katrina Blair's book, The Wild Wisdom of...

SAP RISES come oh sun...come rain sap ascends, buds, flowers, fruits resurrection...see! nature shows a cyclical pattern...with the sun and rain, the tree responds with sap rising from the roots which lay dormant in the soil...as the sap ascends, leaves bud and unfold, other buds and flowers blossom, eventually fruit forms, carrying the seeds of the next generation...there seems to be a similar process in the human life cycle, when the conditions are "right," the man and woman bring their generative parts together to create new life that grows in the womb of the mother, the new life growing, unfolding, eventually blossoming into the baby, child, teen, and adult who will in turn continue the cycle of life. practice: get out into the sunshine if you're able, stand in the rain, feel the bark of a tree, smell flowers in bloom, mindfully eat a piece of fruit, plant a seed (even something simple like a bean seed in a cup of soil)...alternatively, as a meditation, consider where...

SHEHEART we offer our hand she accepts and our hearts move closer together when we stay open and vulnerable, symbolized by offering our hand(s) (not knowing what will happen next), and she (metaphorically the divine feminine) accepts our hand, taking it in hers...we can feel our hearts respond, a heart connection...we know intuitively that we have moved closer, that we have reached a deeper level of being/awareness. practice: right now, extend one or both or your hands, palms up, outstrecthed...imagine the divine mother before you, meeting your hand(s) with hers, enclosing your palm and fingers around hers...what does it feel like...rest in the feeling a moment, savor the connection, let the heart connection flow out to your relationships with heart-felt love...then, do something with this energy, something kind/caring for the next person you meet  

BE OWL let the past come here let the future come here too here and now WE BE the owl is an archetype of wisdom...the past and present are the yellow and black eyes, in the shape of the infinity sign...these converge in the 3rd blue eye to create the "here and now" WE BE presence. practice: list 3 issues you are dealing with today...put your hand over your heart and ask, which issue most needs my attention right now...whichever issue that is, consider past information/knowledge/experiences related to the issue...imagine how this issue might be resolved at some future date (limit each process to one minute or less)...meditate on how the past and future orientations converge into this present moment...act on the knowledge by doing one small thing movomg in the direction of resolving the issue.  

HEREANDNOWEBE let the past come here let the future come here too HERE we are made whole the past can be clearly seen...yellow for clarity, the dashes lean back in time...the future is dark and unseen...black for what is hidden, the dashes lean forward in time...the present takes from past and future AND is aware of what is manifesting/emerging/growing in this every changing moment by moment by moment...infinitely, the blue is for the light of consciousness infinite wisdom in integrating past and future with what IS arising in the present moment practice...feel into the present moment...what learnings from the past does this moment carry...what hopes for the future does this moment embody...what other qualities are arising and integrating with past and present in this moment?

WE what happened to me? i is creating with you me transformed to WE! none of us are alone as an individual "i" except in the existential sense that we have our unique individual subjective experiences, YET we often see ourselves as separate from "you" (other individuals)...the circle of life shows interconnections that increase the plausability of becoming aware of a WE (i + you)...how comforting it is to consider that WE are not alone, that we are connected...perhaps, in the quauntum realm of non local consciousness, to everyone and everything practice...put yourself in the center circle of a page...using spokes to extend out from the center, connect yourself to other circles (other people in your life), see how many we connections you can make...choose one person, and do something to enhance your connection with them today...something small that takes less than 5 minutes to do, e.g. hug, smile, kind word, text, email, card, phone call...