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

SQUARED CIRCLE begin with the square add circles and some bubbles immersed in the mix the inside of the image below looks mechanical while the outer edges seem more flower like...maybe that's what happens when you try to square a circle... imposing the four sided structure of the square  onto the smooth flow of a circle creates tension which is released in the outer bubbles. what natural things in your life ( circles ) might you be trying to manipulate/control/force into a particular structure ( square )? could you loosen the grip of some of these squares to allow the energy/forces of the natural circles to bubble forth? or better yet resist the urge to control in the first place and allow the natural flow of the circle to unfold over time.  

BOUNDLESS AWARENESS inside the spiral moving outward toward the edge boundless awareness the easiest way i find to get "inside the spiral" is meditation with eyes closed, slow breaths, letting thoughts pass like wind escorting clouds across the blue sky for at least 30-40 mins in a quiet comfortable place where you won't be interrupted... allowing the mind and body to quiet and rest/be...then, at this still point, almost ironically, consciousness expands to include "boundless awareness", the sense of interconnection with everything--but it's not like i am everything, it's more like my being expands to include everything in a feeling kind of way, my experience of this is at the level of the eyes, both right and left expands horizontally, and i feel like everything is included--language falls so short of the actual experience as with describing most mystical states. take time to be and feel the boundless awareness that moves from inside the spiral of your ...

CENTER STAR looking from center of the multi-pointed star infinite circles can we consciously stand at the center of our lives...do we see the multi-pointed star that lives there...pointing to infinite circles of life and energy around and beyond us... imagine all of creation, all of LIFE...imagine your BEING at the center of this life...connect the two great forces/energies of "life and being" with your intentional PRESENCE...draw lines of energy from your being to all of life...you are connected to everything in the universe with these lines and circles of light, energy, forces...WOW! 

  ROUND AND ROUND round and round we go where we stop nobody knows on the wheel of life feeling of roundness, rounding, roundishness in visually following the squiggly lines that take one inward and/or outward...as with the wheel of life, sometimes we don't know which direction we are going, spinning inward or outward (probably both at the same time!), and often the journey feels squiggly, not linear/straight but still moving in a direction. how do you feel your life moving inward...? outward...? both...? neither, that is, stopped or resting...? does the experience feel roundish , squiggly, or more squarish and linear? do these patterns match your relationships, work life, home life, spiritual life?  invitation to chant the mantra, " round and round we go" and see if your responses change.

MID STAR right in the middle there is a star that flows out to infinite stars the pattern of stars that emanate from the mid (central) star remind me of the fractal idea coined by Benoit Mandelbrot...fractals are one of the ways we can tell if something is natural or human as typically natural things like plants and rocks show fractal patterns (the larger parts have the same pattern/shape as the smaller ones down to the microscopic level) whereas many things created by humans like microwaves and can openers are not fractal in their appearance. in what ways are the things we create fractal, beginning small and building to something bigger where the whole is the sum of the parts, and yet, there is something more in the whole than merely the sum of the parts...fractals don't account for this greater synergistic idea, this greater life of the whole...as one example, surely our consciousness (our self-reflective awareness of life and the interconnectedness of all things) is more tha...

  Natural Rhythm the natural rhythm between sunrise and sunset the gift of a day! Between the rising and setting of the sun is a natural rhythm.  At the dawning of the sun, all nature awakens, grows in activity, and mellows into a dusky twilight sun, falling silent at night (except of course for nocturnal insects and animals and humans who use artificial light to continue their activities into the evening and often into the night!).  The gift of a new day comes to us again and again.  If we want to change our lives, we need to change the way we live our day. Considering the long stretch of life in the microcosm of one day focuses our attention...what is the most important things i need to do today? how will i live out my values for just this day? what essentials need i do to take proper care of myself so that i can serve others and make life more wonderful for all? after we contemplate our responses, let us take action, begining with one small change in our day... ...

  WILD FACES Same triangle shapes Coloring differently Make 3 wild faces Look at the images at the bottom to see the triangular shaped wild faces ...they all began as triangles and evolved into different faces, the first a "too cool giraffe stares," the second a "sly devil mischievously grins," and the third a "friendly dufus cow like creature beams mellowness." I'm amazed at how the same triangular shapes, with creative coloring, results in such unique faces and emotions. The shape of every day begins with a circular sun that births the smaller shapes of our life that we color with our thoughts, words, and deeds...these combine sometimes intentionally, sometimes mysterious, sometime wildly into shape shifting faces and emotions...let us color our world with love, peace, and a healthy dose of mirth.    

LITTLE CIRCLES little circles swirl around in patterned circle one circle holds all little swirling circles spread into patterns and shapes...finding their way around the rim of a larger circle that contains everything and deep inside they find their way into a core of swirling atomic energy...like the doiley mandala, small movements produce a final shape unexpected by any single swirl. every day we are making tiny swirling circles of energy and light, renewing the pattern of our being and in some sense co-creating the greater world of our reality...the  tiny swirling circles  are conscious in creating patterns of shapes that we observe and name...how much of this process is our consciousness shaping reality...how much is interaction with "other" consciousnesses...and how much is the unique destiny of an energy being taking form information riding on the waves of light...such mystery and wonder. practically, be mindful of the little swirling circular motions we dance into e...

  GRANDMA'S DOILIE rings of colored yarn criss crossing in a pattern grandma's handiwork the little doilie about 5 inches across, brightly colored rings that form a pleasing pattern to contemplate...at the center of this i place a heart shaped stone about 2 inches from top to bottom, reminding me that the heart is at the center of all things--i'm not sure Grandma Baesler who created this doilie was aware of the meanings i would engender to her handiwork, but i am appreciative of her efforts (i haven't developed the skill) to create something beautiful from scraps of material.  the practice: i place my forehead on the heart over the doilie every morning, bowing deep to my ancestors and to the Spirit of all life, offering the day and asking for grace and mercy...i feel connected to all, especially to grandma. what kinds of things have your grandparents (or other relatives, ancestors, or kin) bestowed to you? what meaning might they have for your life? can you create a r...

KINDS OF LOVE the top of the figure represents divine love, the two figures in the middle are human love , the green branches and brown roots are nature love , and either figure in the middle are self love --hearts of varying sizes for different kinds of love , the sparkles and glow radiate out into the world/universe. the love s.o.n.g is an acronym for the different types of love:  s = self, o = others, n = nature, and g = god/goddess or more broadly, divine love ...the practice is one of self-reflection, are we, and how well are we, engaging in all the kinds of love that are possible in this human form?