The universe has conspired
Conspired for your existence
Not against you but for you
The coming together of time
The alignment of elements
Molecules, atoms,
Wind, air, dirt
Yes it has all conspired
That you may be here
That you may feel, see, think, love
Do you feel your existence
The rhythm in which you sway
Can you connect to your source
Can you find the wavelength
Where the eternal sits within you
Be still, be quiet
And the space will find you, hold you
Ironically coined is ‘mind-ful-ness’
As we know only too well
How to continuously over think
And invariably this leads to confusion
Doubt
And ultimately is limiting, crippling
Perhaps we need to be
More of ‘heart-ful-ness’
And less of mind
Heartfulness brings
Fruition to feelings
Of empathy, friendship, trust
Naturally bringing forth
Kindness, love, compassion
Unity and oneness
Which then allows a joyful contentment
A happy gratefulness
An ultimate peacefulness
Such a short distance
From heart to mind
Yet at times they seem as if a million miles apart
Sometimes we even confuse
One for the other
Do you know the difference in their voices?
One will say you must do this or that
The other will say nothing
Letting you feel your way there
Perhaps there are no right or wrongs
But be assured
When you listen to your heart
The answers will be waiting
And your peace and sanity
Have the chance to be restored
Witness the softness
Celebrate the gentleness
Feel the gratefulness
Rave of the age
Is to have ‘self care’
Put yourself first
Take care of you
And all can be well!
How?
Carve out time for you
Take a walk
Take a bath
Read a book
Do what speaks to you!
Yes notes of sarcasm
From the queen of self care
As all we are doing is running
Running from the negatives
Awkward situations
Stresses of life
The inescapables
And so the so called problems
Accompany you everywhere!
It’s the noise between the ears
The constant chatter
Clatter of thoughts
Fueling the emotions
Of anger, fear, jealousy and doubt
These you carry
Never abandon
To these thieves
We open the doors of our mind and heart
They counsel you
Convince you
Tell you your worth
Then they raid and rob you
Leaving you soulless
In despair, with frustration and anxiety
But there’s a larger vault
Deep, much deeper within
Which when opened
Releases a power
Gentle and expansive
Second to none
No matter where you stand
You can smile with understanding
Laugh with joy
And feel vibrantly alive
To recognize this gift
Lifts a veil
And the thieves then must scamper
From the generosity of the Giver
Comes these teachings of a lifetime
What a fortune to listen
To absorb
To feel, to understand
Just a little each and every day
Thank you Diane, holding this ornament has given me a beautiful moment in time to feel the lost physical contact with Dipak, my precious brother.
From a simple ritual
To the practicing yogi,
The one hundred and eight beads
Constitutes a time for intentional focus.
Initiated in the 8th century BC,
These spiritual beads in Hinduism
Now are used through Islam, Christianity
Buddhism, 2/3rds of the world’s population.
Whether wood, seed or stone
They shall deliver
Properties of healing, protection
And most commonly, spiritual practice.
I gift this to you,
So you can intentionally
Breathe 108 times
With vitality, feeling vibrancy.
Speak a mantra
Drawing you inwards.
Feel the earthly element
Connecting you to Mother Earth.
Simply put, I wish you
108 blessings,
108 guardians,
108 freed moments
Each and every day.
May you hold this mala
With the clarity it was made,
With the love it is sent,
And wisdom with which you shall use.
The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering ..
~ Ben Okri ~
To rise past all
That’s dares to smoother
The layers on layers
Commitments and constraints
To float above
The threat that tugs
The ties and chains
Of bonds and relations
To fly over
The snares invisible
The smoke and mirrors
The lies and illusions
Ah what relief
When the truth be known
To free my wings
To uncage my heart
What a virtue, what a trait
Independence!
Encouraged, applauded
Even envied
To stand on your own feet
To make and pave your own way
To rely on not a single soul
What an accomplishment!
But wait a minute!
Do you even open your eyes
Unless the sun
Comes peeking at your window
Bringing you a new day
How would you even get to bathe
Had the clouds not emptied
Or the snow not melted
So the streams could run and reservoirs rise
How would you smell your morning coffee
Had the sub-equatorial lands
Not grown and reaped the beans
Ground and brewed in your Keurig
What clothing would you don
Had the cotton not been picked
The yarns not been spun
Garments not been stitched
So in true essence
Are we really ‘independent’?
Or are we ‘interdependent’!
And if so, what have we understood?
Do we accept and realize
Our co-existence
Our co-dependency
Our inherent need for allegiance
With the natural world
The countries we have created
To our neighbors
To our own selves!
Taken for a ride
By the good old ego
We pride ourselves
With a claim to independence
Yet looking deeper
Within and around
We are part of a whole
Where even a breath
Is not under our control
The gift of all gifts
Sent magically into your being
Silently with no fanfare
It’s time to question
Time to ponder and reflect
What an incredible existence
Where everything is so magnanimous postured
That blinded we have become
To the interconnections
That’s serve to sustain
Our universal existence
Time to wake up
Not to just smell the roses
But care for the roses
And all else on this blue planet
rhythmandthedancer 