Transformation

Life, it seems, is about Changes.

There is something of Nature in this; we all know that Change is about – constantly, irrevocably.  The elements, the seasons, the weather, the ants underfoot and the galaxies above – all seem involved in a chaotic, relentless, syncopated, orchestrated construction and de-construction of “Reality”.

And we humans strive to stay the same.

Our houses, our jobs, our relationships, our day-to-day routines offer the coziness of a Comfort Zone that we can bed down in, that we can count on, that we can … uh …. lose ourselves in, become unconscious in, fall asleep in.

Is  there anything wrong with that?

The Sky begs the bird to fly.  Is there anything wrong with that?

The nest begs the bird to stay.  Is there anything wrong with that?

Of course, once the nest is empty, the bird goes.  Is there anything wrong with that?

split seams

it seems

that through all the day-drops
and dreams

nothing is quite the way it seems

but through the brocolli and rolled oats it steams

nutrition of life, vitamins of beans

the footprints of kings

the carriages of queens

roll on by

on this road-way of dreams

nothing at all

is quite like it seems

Remembrance in the Naked Kingdom

This is Remembrance Day.

Sometimes called Armistice, this day commemorates the War Dead.

Through my progression of life, it has meant different things. As a child, it was simply a holiday from school; perhaps a day imbued with ritual dour parades and gatherings in the auditorium – something we all fidgeted and complained through, waiting impatiently for that half-day of freedom that followed.

Later in my adult life, it was a creative photo-op, a chance to watch human expression, a chance to take in the curious and fantastic actors in the Human Movie.

Now I watch it with different eyes. Now, that means – in a literal sense – that my body cells have been largely replaced over the past year, and indeed, these eyes are different eyes. But this also means that my perceptions, values, realities, neuronal network, has all transformed, evolved, shifted. I see and feel, not only the pulse, the longing, the full and empty cups inside of me, but the same in all the humans around me.

The Science of Silence

It’s a Noisy World.

As one ages, one gets grumpier. Ear-plugs become a mandatory accessory. Shopping malls are to be avoided, and quiet walks in the forest become more and more digestible. In the Circus of Humanity, there are few acts that fill the house, that water the heart, that nourish the tender and frail Inner Plant of You.

I watch a coffee-shop client thru the steamy rainy November window. Cigarette smoke issues thoughtfully out of her mouth, between savored gulps of that bitter-sweet Americano. In the background, city buses and cars plough through the watery streets. I remember my years as a smoker, how cigarettes were my meditation, medication, relaxation. The Smoke of the Sacred Breath: what a pleasure to let go to the reassuring promise of nicotine and tar.

The Moon In Cancer

I am in Caregiver Mode.

Someone close to me was recently diagnosed with cancer.

This has stirred up a lot of things. The life that we live is largely routine. Even the ways we try to get deeper, more ‘inside’, more ‘connected’, becomes a routine. Then suddenly something knocks on our door. A wake-up call. These things happen.