The Wind

The wind is moving through the trees,
Pushing against each leaf and branch,
Meeting no resistance.

Mother Nature teaches us,
To bend,
No grass, flower or stem,
Holds itself rigid.

When we let go,
We understand,
Whatever comes our way,
Is a blessing.

SILENCE

Underlying,
All sound in the world,
Is sweet, velvet silence,
Profound and compelling,
Roaring,
"Dive in!
An Ocean of Light,
Is what you are."

Can you believe it?
Will you put down,
The burden of me and mine,
Just for a moment,
And
Let
Go?

ALL THE LOVE YOU COULD EVER NEED

Through the night,
The drumming of heavy rain,
Falls outside,
Filling the air,
With silence.

At times,
Dreams are flooded with the sound,
And now on waking,
Birds glide over soaked earth,
Crying.

What gifts you offer,
In rain and salty tears,
Opening hearts,
Enough to know,

"I Am Here.
As Presence,
And all the Love you could ever need."

THERE IS ONLY LOVE

You once asked,
"Are you strong enough to contain the suffering of the world?"
Back then, what did I know of suffering?
And what did I know of love?

I see now,
That both intertwine,
Like a thick length of rope,
You have thrown to me,
And I have clung to,
As you pulled me so close,
I became lost in you.

Now I see,
In your radiant and compassionate heart,
How you take on the suffering of others,
And burn it away,
In the Fire of Your Love.

ASHES AT YOUR FEET

You entered my dreaming world,
Humming and mixing herbs with fragrant oil.

Then, your lovely hands,
Took my feet,
And on the upturned soles,
You placed the scented paste....

I trust you so,
Giving everything so freely.
Knowing, in my heart,
That even as you lit the fire,
And brought it close, until feet were aflame,

I would not resist,
I would simply watch,
Little desires burn away,

Leaving the taste of ash,
And You,
Only You.

THERE IS THUNDER

There is thunder in the air.
Moving in across this wide, clear day, it calls from afar,
Signaling change.

I hear the rumbling,
Outside, above the trees,
And inside my heart,
Banging against each hollow rib,

Reminding me,
The outer reflects the inner.
What do I need to let go of,
In this world of mine?

And what do I need to enfold,
In limitless sky-arms?

Any minute, the rains will fall,
Blessing what I most need to love.

HOW CAN I?

How can I turn from you, when you hold me so close,

Your breath is my own.

We dance together you and I,

Laughing at the lie, that we were once were apart.

Dawn reveals there is no coming and going,

There is only,

Love.

AN INVITATION

Wherever I am in the world, I can't help but look at the sky and think of you.

Vast and limitless, you stretch out over my small world as a reminder,

That you are here and here.

Shimmering and sparkling, you reflect the light of my soul,

And invite the small self to fall into the depths of That,

Which is right here,

Where I am standing as I gaze upon you.

NO TEARING APART

Don't others see I Am always locked in your embrace?

Though we laugh and talk about this and that, my heart is always with you.

Filling every thought and movement, you have coloured the cloth of my life and woven yourself into each delicate thread.

Sometimes, I try to pull apart, yet I can not.

My arm and soft shoulder is now yours.

We have leaned into eachother so deeply,

There's no telling us apart.

YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE

Wherever I turn, I see You.

In heavy, rolling clouds You are present.

And as the wind, whipping and tearing through the day, it is only You.

I feel You too.

Shining through the faces of those I know and those I am meeting for the first time.

We recognize one another, You and I.

We know in an instant who has boldly taken a sip.

Imbibed the wine of the Self,

And become drunkenly lost in the embrace of You.

IN THE LIGHT

You call to me in the light, sparkling and shimmering, as dew on the soft grass.

Here too, as wide leaves opening to receive, I see you.

In thorny branches twisting and turning to find their way, I feel your longing.

We believe we are seeking.

In Truth, you wait patiently. All you desire is to draw us into your great heart, to hold us close and to whisper,

''I Am Here Always.''

RADIANT YOU

The joy of your fragrant, soft touch is beckoning me once more, whispering to turn and gaze into your heart, so wide and deep, I feel it beating as my own.

Petals arched back, reaching to the soft, pale blue sky, you give everything.

Sharing your beauty and light, you are a lovely gift, reminding us all to be still for just a moment and to let go, falling into the vast radiance that we are.

THE BEAUTIFUL WARNING

You did warn me, many lifetimes ago, how I had to be strong and wide enough to contain everything.

Now joy spills out, so vast, it tears at the skin and bursts through this little form, wrapping itself in and around the wide world.

And pain too. I know every sorrow as my own.

Each crevice and fold of it, presses into tissue and bone.

When I believed myself separate from you many, many moons ago, you whispered:

''Are you strong enough to contain everything?''

Now I Am looking through your eyes and you are looking through mine.

I know your secrets.

I know you soothe pain, and you whip joy into wild, ecstatic delight, making it so complete there is no room for anything else.

AN ABUNDANT OFFERING

My lovely, royal poinciana friend is doing it again.

Letting go of her full, vibrant blooms, they are spiraling down, taking rest on the surface of the pool.

They are lovely, these offerings.

Small, golden-orange flames, they reflect the radiant light of the heart.

Fire surrendered to water, they are whispering:

"Give what is most beautiful of yourself to the vastness of Spirit."

Those blooms were never mine to begin with.

They were always meant to be shared.

GRATITUDE

Almost three years ago, when my inner guidance, framed in the fragrant silk of one of my Spiritual Teacher's asked, "When are you writing the book?" I had no clue that my world would expand in the way it has. Since then, I have been taken down roads I would never have dared imagine and I am grateful beyond words.

Writing on this blog is a way of expressing gratitude for the way grace has entered and filled my life, like a vast, limitless ocean.

I bow to That and in my bowing, I bow to you for visiting these words which arise and subside from the Pure Self.

I would love to hear your voice too.

I would love to hear how one of these postings has touched your heart or how aspects of your own world have opened to reveal the unifying nature of all things.

How would you describe the formless nature of the I AM?

Please don't be shy.

The world is waiting to hear from the magnificence of your own great heart.

MONSOON

Rain is falling once again. It begins softly, so softly and builds until it fills the senses, drumming and pushing against the ribs and my soft, open heart.

It does this to me, the rain, carrying me silently to India, a place I once thought I had left.

Yet, here I am again, adoring the purple-blue clouds which fill the sky, like an upside down ocean.

What an amazing life this is, that I am here and here.

Beloved, you were right when you told me,

"I Am everywhere always."

I know it now. You grappled away the idea of me and mine.

What is left, is vast, empty silence and a heart overflowing with the rain and a wide, limitless ocean.

DREAMING OF INDIA

Early one morning, I dream I am in India. The fragrance of pungent incense is suspended in the heavy, moist air, mixed with the unforgettable smell of rich earth. I am walking through a small village, between simple dwellings, held together with clay baked walls and dry grass roofs. Heat presses in, holding me still, centered in every movement.

Looking down, I see bare, brown feet, stepping out from under my long, orange robe. Villagers passing by, bring their hands together in silent greeting and bow. I greet them with the same pranam, bowing to the light.

It used to be, in these dreams of mine, I would be looking for one of my Teachers. Now, there's no need. We are looking through the same eyes.

Early one morning, in my dream in India, I am Father Bede Griffiths. I make a promise to read a little about his life and discover what He wants to tell me.

He who is dreaming new insights into my world and I into His.

The same One.

WHEREVER I AM

Wherever I Am, I see you. There's no hiding from me now.

I see you in the undergrowth as I cycle by. You show yourself in the sky reflected in the rain's pool as it lies across my path. Birds speak of you as they arc and circle above my head. And the wide sky bellows your name.

How is it I ask myself, that I could not discover you before this? Is it that you were so plainly in sight, you were hidden from view?

When staring at the bright sun, we can not grasp what is right in front of our eyes.

I see you now.

And in that seeing, I promise I will never let you go.

SEEING MYSELF

A beautiful blue-gray heron is a daily visitor. Standing on sticky legs by the side of the pool, she draws her attention inward and holds her pose for several long minutes, like a yogi balanced in standing posture. Sometimes she gazes at her reflection, tap-tapping her beak in the water.

Her stillness soothes me, drawing me to the same silent space. I become lost in her. Watching, I am unable to say where she ends and I begin. I can feel her long, soft feathers, wide eyes and large claw feet, wrapping around the pool's edge, holding steady.

She and I are the same, lost in the silence as one.

REFLECTING LIGHT

This morning, pedaling toward the cycle path as the sun was pushing through heavy, lilac clouds, my heart opened at the sight of pink and white poi trees. Planted and grassed in concrete dividers cutting through the middle of the road, I was touched by their gentle, oriental-looking beauty and their soft fragrance, filling my senses as I rode by.

The elegant trees were heavily laden and the same number of blossoms had fallen, skirting the roots, like wide, arcing petticoats. Lying in the short grass, the petals reminded me of mirrors reflecting back to the trees, the radiance of their own beauty.

Writing An Awakened Life, has been just like that. I was told to write about my spiritual awakening in order that I could understand my own journey and then reflect it back to others. Our paths and descriptions of our experiences may differ, however at heart, we are the same.

If like me you are a little shy, have the courage to share something of your unfolding consciousness through the light and beauty of your magnificent heart. If you do, I promise, it will be reflected back to you, more radiant than you could ever dare imagine.