marty's musings

Cross Over the Bridge

2011-08-23T19:13:00.000-07:00

One of the questions that you might share with me is this:

How can I get from where I am in consciousness, outlook, viewpoint, attitude etc.

to a better place, a place I want to be?

Today's reading is from the Chandogya Upanishad, one of the most loved and famous of them all.

It answers how we get from "here" to "there" in a wise and wonderful way, I think.

See what you think........

The Soul is the bridge by which people may pass from a state of worldly consciousness

to a state of heavenly consciousness.

Day and night cannot cross that bridge.

Old age, death, and grief cannot cross that bridge.

Nor can good AND evil deeds.

Those who are blind as they approach the bridge have their eyes opened as they cross it.

Those who are wounded as they approach the bridge have their wounds healed as they cross it.

Those who are sick as they approach the bridge are made well as they cross it.

Those who are sad as they approach the bridge become joyful as they cross it.

The bridge is the boundary between darkness and light,

between the darkness of the world, and the supreme Light of God, into which darkness cannot enter.

Those who are self controlled and pure can cross the bridge from the world into the City of God,

where they enjoy perfect freedom.

In the City of God the Soul is supreme.

The Soul desires only what is Real.

The Soul thinks only what is true.

This is my prayer of response:

God of Light and Bliss:

You Who are the Soul of all and the Soul of my soul,

Lead me across this Bridge from the worldly consciousness that confines me

and is dark, full of grief and fear, haunted by old age, sickness, evil, and death

into that realm of consciousness which is the cure of my blindness,

the healing of my wounds and illness,

and the experience of Joy which drives out all sadness.

I struggle to purify my mind and will by focusing on You, Soul of my Soul,

rather than the evils of the world my senses report.

When I do fix my mind and heart on You,

I find myself crossing the Bridge,

and thus entering that state of freedom and joy which is

Your Presence,

the City of God,

the Realm of Heaven.

alert

2011-07-06T16:07:00.001-07:00

Dear friends...if any of you are still checking this blog I am putting it to sleep for a bit while I focus on my other blog, which i hope you will visit, entitled

Flowers from Gardens of Faith.

The blog address is www.spiritualbouqets.blogspot.com

(I know, it is not spelled correctly, but bear with me and just go there!)

thanks

marchiene

Christmas Elsewhere

2010-12-25T08:04:00.000-08:00

Here it is, Christmas morning, and John and I are sitting in a motel room near the airport in Phoenix, awaiting the time when we check out here and check in there to go elsewhere, i.e. Grand Rapids Michigan, for a week of Christmas celebrations with family. We have never done this before, and we did it in part because we wanted to come home for Christmas and see loved ones, but we also wanted to avoid the rush and crowds and high airfares of the last time we did this. Flying on Christmas and New Year's days seemed a solution.

Sure enough, the ride into Phoenix from Sedona yesterday, Christmas Eve, was almost traffic free, and the motel is very quiet indeed. So quiet, the one restaurant is closed, and there is a skeleton crew on duty. In trips to the lobby for the coffee, bananas, and bars they are offering to guests, the only other people I have seen are airplane crews checking in after a flight from somewhere, before going off to another flight elsewhere.

Now I know we live in a very mobile, multicultural society. Lots and lots of people don't even celebrate Christmas, because that is not a part of their religion or culture. Others don't celebrate because they may think, like Scrooge, that it's all "humbug." Still others don't have family with whom they could or would even want to celebrate. And still others have to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, or choose to, for some extra money. Then there are the people who are sick, or in the military, or on duty in some other way.

Whatever the reasons, the point I want to make is that I am feeling out of place somehow, as if there was something a bit wrong or unfitting with being in a motel on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and after that, on an airplane. I wonder how many others are feeling that way, maybe even a little sad, because, whatever their reasons, they are not with loved ones on this special eve and day of the year, celebrating and gifting and maybe even giving some pondering time to the meaning of this holiday, aka holy day.

This Christmas morning I have decided I will somehow honor Christmas even here in the motel room. First, I am writing this Christmas blog, and after that I will write some Christmas cards I didn't get to yet, maybe in the lobby near the big Christmas tree there. And after that, maybe I will draw some little child-like sketches of the Christmas story, inspired by a wonderful You Tube wordless telling of the Christmas story with classical music in the background, sent to me by my brother Ron. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJfbqZ1qrQU&feature=player_embedded

However your are celebrating Christmas, if you are Elsewhere, like me, may your heart be filled with cheer anyway, because after all, Christmas is at heart a celebration of the heart, and can take place anywhere, when we welcome the Christ Child again to dwell in our hearts. And if you are at home with family and friends, may your celebrations be filled with the joy of knowing that absolutely nothing can ever separate you from the Presence and Joy of the Christ Child who was born in a manger but lives in human hearts everywhere and always.

Can you hear a leaf sing?

2010-12-16T17:50:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago, I took a long wonderful hike with a friend in Sycamore Canyon, an especially beautiful place south of here, where the head waters of the Verde River can be found. I took the pictures posted with this blog there. On that same night, I received this wonderful poem by a favorite poet of mine, Mary Oliver, from a friend who shares my love of poetry. The pictures and the poem seem to me to be uncannily suited to each other. But then, maybe not. Maybe you who read this blog have had the experience described by Mary Oliver in her poem, and you may even have pictures somewhere that match it, as mine do. My wish for you is that you will go out there wherever you live and listen to the leaves sing, touch the face of rocks, or let your mind reflect the beauty of your life, like the river.

Here is the poem by Mary Oliver.

What can I say that I have not said before?
So I'll say it again.
The leaf has a song in it
Stone is the face of patience.
Inside the river there is an unfinishable story
and you are somewhere in it
and it will never end until it ends.

Take your busy heart to the art museum and the
chamber of commerce
but take it also to the forest.
The song you heard singing in the leaf when you
were a child
is singing still.

The Inspiration of Rachel's road trip

2010-11-30T17:34:00.000-08:00

Our daughter Rachel just spent a week with us over the Thanksgiving holiday. Since she is a party waiting to happen, you can imagine it was a lively week! She brings much life, light, joy, and fun wherever she goes, and when she leaves after a visit, I always walk around with an ache in my heart for awhile, in an all-too-quiet house. Those of you who know me will hardly believe I could actually think anything was too quiet!

I took pictures as Rachel prepared to leave in her convertible with yes, the top down. It was 23 degrees above zero when I walked the dog this morning. Okay, it was around 41 by noon, when she was preparing to leave. And sunny. But still!!! She carefully prepared a place for her new dog, Oprah, in the back seat, amongst her fluffy soft comforter and pillow, with a bit of luggage around it. Howie, her faithful old dog, got to sit in the front seat next to her, with more luggage. Of course, the trunk was already stuffed. Finally, Rachel herself climbed into the driver's seat, and after a goodbye kiss, she was off. We heard the voice of Rick Springfield, one of her favorite singers, boom out as she rode away. John and I laughed and shook our heads and I said, "That girl knows how to travel."

Later today, I pondered the scene, and the pics I took, (posted with this blog) and I wrote this sort-of-poem about it:

As you travel the Road of Life

go with a sense of

direction,

Yet know there is more

than one route to your

destination.

Surround yourself with

story and song.

Let yourself be dogged with

unconditional love.

And for heaven's sake,

keep the top down,

your head open

to sun and wind,

connecting, feeling

Big Sky, Big Dreams, Big Ideas.

musing on music

2010-11-22T18:41:00.000-08:00

I have travelled in many countries, and heard the music of many languages. An Indian guru I visited once advised me to listen to the music of a strange language before I tried to work on learning its words. The heart of every language was in the music it made when it was spoken, he said. I have always remembered that advice, and when I was enormously frustrated, as I usually was, when I could not communicate with people in their language (whether Arabic, Hausa, German, or Navajo, for instance) I at least could tune in on the particular rhythms and tones of their language as they spoke it.

But much more gratifying was the discovery in my travels of the experience of sharing music with people, for it is a universal language, and a language of the heart. Nowadays there is even a genre called "world music," and indeed, thanks to technology, the music of the whole world is available to us. On my little ipod alone I have the spiritual music, in the form of instrumentals and chant, of all the world's great religions. And right here in the small town of Sedona,

I have attended "Kirtan" which is the chanting of sanskrit mantras; Sufi dances to the chants from that tradition; Taize chants led by a small ensemble from the local Catholic church and Korean chants led by the teacher of class in Dahn yoga. Last night I attended a full moon drumming circle and joined in Native American style drumming and chanting with people of at least three different nationalities and backgrounds. What a rich experience! For me, the spiritual music of a people is one of the most powerful ways to enter into their prayer and faith in a way that opens my heart to the treasures they are sharing through their worshipful music.

I have the good fortune of coming from a musical family on my mother's side, and in that way music has been woven into my life in important ways. My mom and sister and I would sing songs in harmony while doing dishes together. Our whole family would sing in the car on our long road trips. I still have old recordings of my mother's brothers singing on the radio long ago. And I was blessed to be born with an ear for music, so I can play familiar songs by ear on the piano or accordian or flute or whatever. In our family, we often sang grace at the table, and I always put my children and grandchildren to bed with lullabies.

One of the first things I pack to take with me to Sedona is my collections of CD's, my flute, my drum, and certain songbooks to play out of on my keyboard here. Like my mother, I also hum often as I go about whatever I am doing, and I love singing with other people in all kinds of ways and places. Lately, as I read more about music, I am realizing why it is so vital and wonderful a part of human life, so universal, so ancient, and so new. And more than that, music is an integral part of the Great Mystery of life and creation itself. A brilliant scientist I heard in New York a few years ago, Prof. Kaku, likened the universe to "a symphony of vibrating strings." Someone else said one could translate the word universe itself as "One Song."

I love the thought that you and I are a song, or a note in the song, which God is always singing.

What is music to you?

Dwelling in Beulah Land

2010-11-17T19:11:00.000-08:00

Sometime in my childhood, I heard an old gospel song called "Dwelling in Beulah Land."

I remember the chorus and first verse still, but have never been able to find the song in any hymnal I have ever come across. Well! I found it yesterday in a book called "Rise Up Singing" which is a collection of the words of all kinds of songs for group singing. I have it here and often play from it on my keyboard. I was delighted to come across this old favorite, and I want to write the words of the song for you, because they describe how I feel being out here in this gorgeous place. The song is also a metaphor, as so many gospel songs are, for a state of soul, or "consciousness" as we might say these days. I chose some choice pics from my collection which to me capture some of what the words of this Gospel song are saying.

DWELLLING IN BEULAH LAND

Far away the noise of strife upon my ear is falling,

Then I know the sins of man beset on every hand.

Doubt and fear and greed and lies in vain to me are calling,

None of these shall move me from Beulah Land.

Chorus:

I'm living on the mountain underneath a cloudless sky.

I'm drinking at the fountain that never shall run dry

O yes I'm feasting on the manna from a bountiful supply

For I am dwelling in Beulah land.

Verse

Let the story breezes blow, their blast cannot alarm me,

I am safely sheltered here, protected by God's hand.

Here the sun is always shining, here there's naught can harm me.

I am safe forever in Beulah land! (repeat chorus)

Verse

Viewing here the works of God, I sink in contemplation

Hearing now Her blessed voice, I see the way She planned.

Dwelling in the Spirit, here I learn of God's great Vision,

Gladly will I tarry in Beulah Land. (chorus)

okay. I did edit the words a tiny bit! But you get the picture!

Being out here for me does feel like Beulah land, literally.

And living in such a place of Beauty does help me dwell in "Beulah Land" consciousness.

Beauty is, for me, the Face of God, and here that Face shines in particular splendor.

However, even here, I am not always free from doubt or fear or other attitudes that make it hard to dwell in Beulah Land Consciousness. I can echo the words of this old hymn for hours, sometimes even days, but I am not yet always dwelling in Beulah Land, and I wonder if I ever will on this earth, given life's ups and downs and my state of spiritual evolvement.

But I am grateful for the glimpses, the moments, the hours of dwelling in Beulah Land, and I hope that all of you who read this blog also experience the bliss, at least at times, of dwelling in Beulah land, no matter where you live. And someday, I believe, we will all dwell always and forever in Beulah Land!

why I blog

2010-11-15T17:20:00.000-08:00

Today I was reading "Finding What You Didn't Lose," a book about expressing truth and creativity through poem making, and found this wonderful quote which captures for me why I blog, and why I sometimes like to share a poem or painting or drawing, and why I have loved preaching for so long, and leading retreats, and doing spiritual direction with people, and writing articles and books for publication, and giving speeches, and all the other ways there are to share some of the many many riches and blessings of my life with others.

Here is the quote from the author of the book, John Fox. Actually, he is quoting Thomas Berry.

"Our deepest desire is to share our riches, and this desire is rooted in the dynamics of the cosmos. What began as an outward expansion of the universe in the fireball ripens into your desire to flood all things with goodness. Whenever you are filled with a desire to fling your gifts into the world, you have become this cosmic dynamic of celebration, feelings its urgency to pour forth just as the stars felt the same urgency to pour themselves out."

That's it! do you ever feel that too? I love those two key phrases and invite you to ponder them as an expression of your life and purpose:

"the desire to flood all things with goodness" and to "fling your gifts into the world."

If this blog does either of these things even a little bit, and inspires others to do the same, what more could I ask?

And there are so many, many ways to fling one's gifts into the world, one lifetime is just not long enough.

Then there is the blessing of receiving the gifts others are flinging out into the world....gifts that surprise or delight or deeply move me. I just celebrated a birthday, and on that day alone, this was the case. A dear friend handwrote a card with words that profoundly touched my heart. Another couple of friends presented me with a huge gorgeous pot of bright yellow mums, which now grace the fireplace room in which I sit. Two neighbors surprised me with cards. I have no idea how they even knew it was my birthday. John got me a pair of fine, waterproof hiking boots, which he knows I will wear out, probably by my next birthday! And though he is not all that fond of the food, he took me to an Indian restaurant where I could enjoy the food I grew up on as a child in India. One daughter sent a cake made of flowers! and another gave me a silver charm of India on a chain to wear as a necklace. I am sure you, too, could list many, many gifts flung into your world by people you know and love, and strangers too.

As if that were not enough, it seems mother nature delights in offering her gifts to us too. Never a day goes by that is not filled with these gifts. Sometimes I am preoccupied and don't even notice. More's the pity. But as I grow older and enjoy the opportunity (and sometime necessity) of slowing down, I notice these gifts more and more, and "My cup runneth over," as the Psalmist sings.

Let me close today's blog with the gift of a quote from a well-known poem by Maya Angelou

called "On the Pulse of Morning" The pics I chose for today are meant to go with her words.

Across the wall of the world,

a River sings a beautiful song. It says,

Come, rest here by my side.

. . . . . . .

Lift up your eyes

Upon this day breaking for you.

Give birth again

To the dream.

What time is it?

2010-11-11T18:57:00.000-08:00

This week the rest of the country once again changed time. That is to say, people set their clocks back an hour on Nov. 7, if that is really changing Time?????????Not here. For reasons I have still to find out, Arizona just keeps the same time all year. Which, given the fact we no longer live in an agricultural society, makes sense to me. Sort of. If clocks make sense at all.

I mean, what is time anyway? Really? If you could ask any animal or bird what time it was, it would make no sense to them. Ancient people always connected time to stars and their movements, the moon's phases, the sun's position in the sky, etc.

Our use of clocks fits our industrial-age way of life, but it is artificial, isn't it? Whether the clock says it is 5:30 or 6:30, the sun still sets and rises at the same "time" and the natural life of the world continues in its usual way and pace.

Then there is the mystery of our own personal sense of time. How it flies when we are having fun, and drags when we are not, or when we are eager for something in the future to happen as soon as possible.

To further complicate things, our increasingly interconnected internet world, where conversations occur across "time zones" and life keeps getting faster and faster, is warping time in some really interesting ways. I notice in gift catalogs that come at this time of year an increase in items intended to help travelers and others cope with the country and world's various time zones. Stop. What time is right now in London? and isn't it passing strange that the little island country of England would be where "Greenwich mean time" is, or the time by which all other clock time is calculated. Weird.

I have a good mind, now that I am thinking about it, to quit wearing my watch, and look at the clock on our kitchen wall (see pics) as little as possible, just to get more in tune with any innate sense of the passing of "time' I may have left after 69 years in a world/society seemingly ruled by clocks and watches!

Isn't it time you some time took a time out from keeping time?

O dear. I see it's "time" to go!

Walking the Pathway of Gold

2010-11-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

A golden opportunity presented itself this morning at sunrise. Literally. Knowing the golden colors of fall would soon be fading, I took my camera, Leo, my flute, and an eager eye on an early walk out in a meadow nearby. From the time I set foot on the path towards the meadow, and all the way through it, everywhere I looked I was surrounded by gold---foliage of gold, flowers of gold, the gold light of the rising sun. I was walking a pathway of gold, though not the kind of gold men came out west for during the gold rush, which brought in its wake the sad consequences of greed and violence, ruined lives, and grievous damage to mother earth. The glorious glow of of gold that gladdened my heart this morning came from the heart and imagination of the Creator of all, bringing nothing but joy.

I saw what I considered a sign of this when I spied a great black desert raven sitting on the tippy top of a tall pine tree along the trail, facing the sun, and cawing in a soft and curiously beautiful way as the sun rose. I took out my flute and joined in the praise. It was a truly magical moment. When the sun had cleared the horizon, the raven flew off, and I kept walking through the world of gold about me, reflecting.

It struck me how full of joy and comfort the beauty of nature is, given so freely and grace-fully to us in so many ways. It is always there for us, whatever may be happening in our lives, and all we have to do is become aware of it and receive the gift--far more precious than metal

gold. And I also realized that the path of life I walk can also be a path of gold if it is the gold in all that I see, in all that happens, that I focus on with a grateful heart.

I could say more, but want instead to share a poem from a wonderful book of poems entitled "Why I Wake Early" by Mary Oliver, one of my favorite poets. She says so eloquently what I have stammered to say. Listen to her......

MINDFUL

Every day

I see or I hear

something

that more or less

kills me

with delight,

that leaves me

like a needle

in the haystack

of light.

It is what I was born for----

to look, to listen,

to lose myself

inside this soft world---

to instruct myself

over and over

in joy,

and acclamation.

Nor am I talking

about the exceptional,

the fearful, the dreadful,

the very extravagant---

but of the ordinary,

the common,

the daily presentations.

Oh, good scholar,

i say to myself,

how can you help

but grow wise

with such teachings

as these--

the untrimmable light

of the world,

the ocean's shine,

the prayers that are made

out of grass?

Watch for the Signs

2010-11-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

John and I arrived last night in our beloved Sedona, one of the most beautiful places in the world. Being here really is the result of "going confidently in the direction of a dream" I have had all my adult life of someday being able to live overlooking the sea and the mountains. I imagined that might be one and the same place, like the beautiful home of a friend I visited years ago in the Virgin Islands, which overlooked mountains and a beach. Instead, I was gifted by Amazing Grace with a home on the Inland sea we call Lake Michigan, and a home at the edge of the Red Rock mountains and wilderness of Sedona.

There is a Native American chant I learned some time ago which goes like this: "I walk in Beauty; beauty is above me, beauty is below me, before me and behind me. Beauty surrounds me."

That is really the essence of my dream: to live and walk in beauty all the days of my life.

For to me, beauty is the Face of God. And it is present, not only in beautiful places, but everwhere, if we just have the eyes to see it, for as the poet said, "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder." There is such beauty in human faces, like the Native American grandmothers pictured above. There is beauty in the sound of the wind, and laughter, and singing.

What makes something beautiful to you or me is a mystery still unravelled by philosophers, but celebrated by poets. One of my favorites is Gerard Manley Hopkins. I love his line "Give beauty, beauty, beauty back to God, Beauty's Self and Beauty's Giver." Well said!

Do you walk in beauty? What beauty did you see today, or yesterday? And what will you do to be more aware of beauty tomorrow? What difference does beauty make in your life?

Leaving again for the first time

2010-10-31T17:36:00.000-07:00

Hello my patient family and friends.

I am back to blogging again after a long recess, due to my mom's health crisis this season. A week or so ago, she was finally well enough to move into the assisted living room prepared for her.

I am so grateful!

Tomorrow we leave again for Sedona, and will be on the road for five days or so. I am going to begin blogging regularly again. So far, Sedona seems to be a better place to do it, with more free time available for writing and other things. So starting tonight, all Hallow's Eve, I hope to blog at least 3 x a week or more, and hope you who are still checking will notice and let me know.

The sunset picture today symbolizes the end of another season here, filled with beauty and surprises, some stress and much good. This will be the fourth time we will be setting out for Sedona for three months or more, and though we now are getting the hang of preparing to leave, putting the house to "sleep" etc. it still feels like something new as well as familiar.

We are not the same. The weather is not the same. The trip will not be the same. And neither will our time in Sedona. Even in familiar places, things change. That's life. And that is a good thing, most of the time.

One of the things that will be different is that I will be leading week long retreats in Sedona in January, February, March, and April. Many of you know already about this, having received a flier from me. If any of you do not and want more info. just let me know at my email address: marchiene@gmail.com.

I'll have my trusty camera at the ready as we travel the road, and you may be sure there will be interesting things to see, experience, and reflect on. So stay tuned.

Meanwhile, I invite you to reflect on how "the same old" can also be fresh and new in your life, and how Nature teaches us through a wonderful balance sameness and newness: we get the same four seasons, year in and year out, yet each year, each season is just a bit different from the one before, and not as predictable as one might think! That reminds me that life keeps us on our toes with it's surprises. Our choice is how or whether we will welcome them or resist them.

And that determines how good we feel about our lives.

Fading

2010-08-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

As I am getting older, I find I more often experience "fading." I will be alert, talking with someone, or doing some task, perhaps in the afternoon, or in the evening, and suddenly I become aware that I am fading. The energy is just seeping out of me. I feel done with whatever I am doing.

Watching a lovely peony fading away one afternoon this summer brought this home to me.

I sat sketching it while I was on retreat. I was struck by the fragile and poignant beauty of its drooping petals. Yet, the stem, the leaves, the plant from which the flower had bloomed was still vibrantly alive and greening with life.

Yesterday I sat in the hospital room again with my aged mother, and she reminded me of the fading peony. Her life, her beauty, her strength, her vitality were like petals wilting and falling away. Yet, yet......her spirit, her essence, deeper than her ageing body, was still greening with life, like the stems and leaves of the peony. And like the peony, I believe my Mom to be a perennial. She will bloom again in another Garden when another Spring comes.

And so, I choose to believe, will you and I.

aging

2010-07-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long since my last blog, and the reason is that Ihave been non stop with my Mom since late June, including being with her for three weeks in the hospital, along with my brother and his wife (Andy and Jane) and John supporting and coming in when he can. She had to have major surgery and is still recovering, which is not unusual for a 98 year old woman! She has had ups and downs, and I think of her as sometimes frail, and sometimes like a "steel magnolia" though she is not from the South.

If I ever go through anything like this, God forbid, I hope I do it with her grace and dignity and ability to roll with the punches. Needless to say, an experience like this has smacked me in the face with my own mortality and aging and though I believe to the marrow of my bones that death is a doorway into a better and greater life in communion with God, I can't say the aging thing is easy to deal with, in my mom or in me! Wouldn't we all love to keep our youthful vigor and strength? Who likes to tire more easily, and find oneself more limited, not seeing or hearing as keenly, etc. ?

On the other hand, there is the strength of soul and spirit that keeps on increasing even while our physical bodies are losing ground. But I don't think that happens automatically.

One needs to cultivate hope, and faith, and endurance, and flexibility, and love, and all the other spiritual virtues we might name. The time to do that is now! It is a lot harder when the rough times come, and pain or weakness are overwhelming. So once again, my mom is teaching me vital lessons in living well. I think I am just beginning to see what they are, and then learn them by heart.

I wrote a poem about dying I would like to share as a way of closing today's blog.

I make no promises, but I will be trying to write more regularly as possible and trust at least a few of you are still hanging in there and checking from time to time.

Here is the poem:

When my time has come

Let me walk over the water on the red path

of the setting sun,

Climb the purple cloud banks reflecting

the day's last rays,

Perch on their gilded summits and slide

like a gleeful child

down their airy slopes for the ride of my life

to the other side.

Spin Your Own Web

2010-06-03T16:53:00.000-07:00

I was climbing the stairs from our cottage up to the parking lots yesterday morning, when I caught sight of these gorgeous spider webs on our stairs. Such works of art!!!

They reminded me of what Native Americans would call the gift of a "power song" which was given to me years ago at Morningstar Retreat Center as I sat in a cabin watching a spider spin its web right near my chair. That song came, both words and music, during that watching-time, and it has often helped me make decisions, especially when I am being pressured by somebody to do something I am not sure is right for me.

Perhaps this power song will be of some help to you now and then when you find yourself in the same situation.

Here it is:

SPIN YOUR OWN WEB, SISTER/BROTHER DEAR,

SPIN YOUR OWN WEB, DO NOT FEAR.

NEVER LET YOURSELF BE CAUGHT

IN ANOTHER'S SHOULD OR OUGHT.

SPIN YOUR OWN WEB, SPIN IT NOW.

SPIN YOUR OWN WEB, YOU KNOW HOW.

OTHER PEOPLE'S WEBS WILL BE

PLACES WHERE YOU CAN'T BE FREE.

A spider's web comes right out of its very own body/self; and when we spin our own webs, the pattern, the threads of what is fitting for us to do comes from our authentic self. It takes time and patience and being in touch with one's own true self to spin one's own web, but it is well worth the effort, and what happens is also beautiful. A web we spin catches just what we need to nurture us and enable us to do what is right for us at a particular place and time in our lives.

It is so much better than struggling, like a bug, in some other "spider's" web, caught by old messages of "should" and burdened by someone else's (or some institution or group's) agenda.

And isn't it interesting that we now live in the time of the "World Wide Web?"

I watch some people I know getting all caught up in this web--so much so, they have no time or energy to spin their own. Is there a way to be a part of the worldwide web AND spin your own web? You tell me!

what to do with elephant poo

2010-05-31T12:34:00.001-07:00

Now I have never actually seen elephant poo. But I can imagine it.

And sometimes things have happened in my life that do look, feel, and smell like a big plop of elephant poo messing things up royally!

These roses, believe it or not, are made of paper made of elephant poo by very clever and enterprising people in southeast Asia. My daughter sent them to me for Mother's Day with the note "Forever roses for my forever Mom." Nice. Funny. Inspiring.

After all, if people can make something lovely in such a clever, resourceful way out of something else that seems like nothing but a big smelly mess to clean up, can't I do the same?

Instead of bewailing the mess sitting in the middle of my life, why not get creative and see if I can make something good and beautiful out of it. Not easy, I know. But possible. But how?

Ponder how the present form of the mess could be recreated into another form.

Ponder how to see the possibilities.

Ask other people for their ideas, and perhaps their help.

It takes time....but its worth it.

the still point of my turning world

2010-05-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

There is a very special place near Three Rivers Michigan where I have been going on retreat for 31 years.

I began in 1979, going there for a four day retreat to prepare myself for my ordination as a Presbyterian minister. I kept going all through the years to help me keep my sacred vow to stay Centered in God, and always make time for communion with God, no matter how fast my world was turning, even when it seemed I had not time. Every month, and later, after I discovered another retreat place (MorningStar) I loved, every season, I would go to St. Gregory's abbey on personal retreat. I also introduced many people to the place, and church groups as well. It was there my good friend Lillian Sigal and I were inspired to begin the Interfaith Dialogue Association in Grand Rapids many years ago. Over and over again, while there, I have been renewed, refreshed, and revived. My journals reveal wonderful Divine wisdom revealed to me in hours of solitude and prayer.

This is the only Episcopal Benedictine Abbey in the whole nation, and it is so near to me!

I bless the monks and all whose dedication has made its existence possible. I wonder if they know how much good they have done to how many people!

Today, it is a small community of a half dozen monks. But they have a wonderful library, guest houses, a beautiful chapel that feels like The Ark; and seven times a day the bells ring out calling the faithful to pray the Daily Office. You can join the monks in the chapel to chant the psalms as much or little as you like. When I do, I feel I am flowing in a river of prayer that has gone on and on for centuries, a River of Life bringing blessing to the world.

In the pictures above, there is a path (like others) that leads through peaceful woodlands and meadows, free for the walking when you are there. There is an old fashioned farm house named St. Denys, which I love to stay in best. One of the pictures is of the bedroom I always chose (one of five) for it overlooks the monastic quadrangle and the church. From there I can hear the bells most clearly. It reminds me of being back in my childhood home of Pakistan, and hearing the call to prayer five times a day from the minarets of the mosques which surrounded our compound. I wish there was something like that where I live now.

Come to think of it, the other day when I was walking on the beach, the wind was blowing from the East, and I could hear the chimes from nearby St. Peter's calling the faithful to Mass.

There is something about a rhythm of prayer and life activities that is deeply refreshing, and to hear bells or calls to prayer making the times to stop and remember God and why you are here and how to live is to me a great blessing and aid to the practice of the Presence of God, which is what people of all faith are called to do. For we are all forgetful of the Divine too often, and we need help with staying faithful to our calling.

St. Gregory's has helped me do that. It is, as T. S. Eliot says so eloquently, "The Still Point of the turning world." Yes.

living with books

2010-05-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine some time ago gave me a little sign that serves as a refrigerator magnet. It reads "A room without books is like a body without a soul."

For me, that is true.

There is no room where I live that does not have a fairly good supply of books in it---some on shelves, some on tables, some on the fireplace, some on the piano---well, see for yourself in the pictures that accompany this blog. I could have taken many more of books in various places in the house, but I thought these would suffice to make my point, which is this: books are really important in my life. Some, of course, like certain people, come and go. They have something to offer, but I outgrow them, and then I let them go to a church bazaar, or Goodwill, or some other place where I hope they will be read and appreciated.

Then there are other books which are more than a "good read." They are good friends.

Many of them I have read and re-read. They are underlined, have notes in the margin, and comments in the front or back. When I read a book like this, I feel I am in direct communication with the author's spirit. So when I stand, sit, or move through a room, I am always aware of the books that reside there---reminders of the spirits of so many people from so many times and places whose wisdom and work have blessed and inspired and challenged and guided me through my life.

But let me hasten to assure you that I love the actual physicality of books too. No kindle books, audio books, and the like, can please me like a well made book. Actual books have heft, and that certain smell a book can have, pages to turn, the possibility of flipping here and there in the book, enjoying any art it may contain---or just the visual lay out. I can notice what I underlined or noted when last I read the book. I can check the table of contents, or a footnote, or the bibliography. Each physical book has its own character and qualities, which sometimes fit with the content quite well. It is no wonder that I love spending time in bookstores (especially used book stores) and libraries! Just being in the presence of all those books, arranged to invite browsing and reading, can put me in an altered state---a good one!

At such times, I realize what a joy and privilege it is to have access to books, and be able to read them. I grew up in Pakistan at a time, and amongst people, the majority of whom were poor and illiterate, and had never owned or read a book, nor did they even dream of doing so. Sometimes I would see a group of little boys (never girls) under a tree chanting verses from the Koran in imitation of a teacher who sat with them teaching them to learn the words by heart.

This brings to mind a stunning picture I saw in the wonderful photography show of a few years ago that toured the country, entitled "Ashes and Snow." The picture depicts a young boy reading a book (it looks like some sacred scripture) to a kneeling elephant who is facing him, looking as if it is listening intently. Hmmmm perhaps I should read great books to my dog now and then! There is something magical about human wisdom and words being captured in writing in a book to be shared and passed on to---how many others? Even animals??!!

Some people have told me that books are going to become a thing of the past. I don't believe it. Maybe for some people--but never for me, and I believe never for a lot of other people either. Are you one of them? As long as I live, I hope I will be able any day, any hour, to pick one of my good books off one of my shelves, and go sit by the fire, or out in the hammock, or on the beach, or wherever---and read, communing with someone's spirit and wisdom, to my heart's content. That's living! with books!

Where have all the binkies gone?

2010-05-13T17:01:00.001-07:00

I was cleaning out my kitchen drawers today, and there amongst the rubber bands, dishcloths, glue, tape, bottle brush, birthday candles, and such, I found one bright red "binkie" aka baby pacifier. I know it has lain there, unused, unsucked, for a year or two at least. I kept it there "just in case" it was needed by our youngest grandchild, Sammy, when the family was here for a weekend. I must admit, a tear or two came to my eyes, for Sammy will be starting school this fall, and he is the youngest of our grandchildren. I will never again get to hold a grand-baby, or feed a beloved infant a bottle, or bounce a toddler on my knee. No more need for that pacifier.

But you know, I just could not throw it in the trash. So I put it with my favorite picture of Sammy as a baby, and took these snapshots, as a kind of bittersweet celebration of another milestone passed in his life, and mine. And I wondered what Sammy most seeks now when he needs the comfort the binkie used to give him.

And then I wondered what most comforts me when I am out of sorts these days. What takes the place of a "binkie" for me? for you? I venture to guess that for some men, a cigar does the trick! Maybe candy does it for lots of big and little people. Dark chocolate is certainly a good stand-in for a binkie for me! So is time out alone in nature---walking in the dunes, reading on the beach, watching a sunset. And a cup of really good coffee with a really good friend. Prayer and music are good "binkies" too. I am not sure I will ever outgrow these things, as Sammy outgrew his pacifier. But there are grown-up binkies we grownups should outgrow, don't you think? Like mindless TV watching, trash reading, shopping just to fill time, long gossip-filled conversations that go nowhere, alcohol, drugs, etc. You might add your own list.

Whatever your binkies were, are, or will be....the truth is, we humans do need comfort from time to time, for life can be stressful. As Sammy knows very well, our needs and wants are often not met, even by people who love us. Sometimes we have to settle for a great deal less! After all, what is a binkie compared with a breast? Still, a binkie is pretty harmless, and maybe that is about the best we can do sometimes--chose something for relief and comfort that is pretty harmless.

All the while, it is good to remember that "this too shall pass." Babies grow up, binkies do get thrown out, our needs and desires change, we do leave certain habits behind. And in some cases, it's about time! It is, after all, never too late to grow up!

Yet, yet---- I hope Sammy never loses that wonderful fresh, joyful, little child spirit that shines through in this picture. And I hope I never lose that part of me either. These days as I near the end of my 6th decade, I am deliberately cultivating that little child part of me. But that is the subject for another blog. For today....the little red binkie goes back in the drawer until I can bear to throw it away, or perhaps give it to Sammy's mom to keep with other treasures from his babyhood. And in my heart is a great big smile of gratitude for the joyful memories I can cherish of precious times with grandchildren when they were babies.

Pre-destination: or The Future is Bright

2010-05-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

Can it be that I have let so much time slip by since my last blog?

It could be because I am now in Michigan in our little old cottage on the Big Lake, and having travelled across the country dodging dust storms and tornadoes, am now safely ensconced in this little piece of paradise. More on that soon! I plan to be blogging at least 3x a week now that I am finally adjusted to Michigan. It is quite a change from Arizona!

For today though, I want to reflect on an old fashioned word which has special importance for the Christian/Calvinist tradition: PRE-DESTINATION. I was inspired to reflect on this word and its possible meanings by a piece of a Mother's Day Sermon in which the minister was quoting "The Weight of Glory" by C.S. Lewis. He reminded us that every one of us human beings is destined by God to reflect more and more of God's glory, forever and ever. No matter what our present flaws and failings, our destiny is to be the true Image/Representation of God. C.S.Lewis says that if we were to see someone as they will someday be when they have become all they were meant to be, we would be tempted to fall down and worship them!

Now the meanings more often associated in Calvinism with "Predestination" are something else. The doctrine functions to try and explain why some people seem to believe and live faithful, good lives, and others do not, even when they have ample opportunity to know and love God. The explanation is that God, in His inscrutable wisdom, chooses some people to be "saved" and others not, for reasons not available to our understanding. Underlying this view is the belief that humans really don't have free will....they are so conditioned and influenced by their inborn and flawed human nature that they really can't choose for God or good unless God grants them the grace to do so. And God, it seems according to this view, is picky.

Now I do not want to debate this perspective in this blog, but I do want to say that I have big problems with it. Instead, I find it is helpful, encouraging, and joyful to focus on predestination as the truth that each of us humans has a destiny so glorious as to be beyond our imaginations.

Here on this earth where we "see through a glass darkly" even the best of us manages to reflect but a smidgen of the incredible BEauty/Glory/Goodness/Love of God. But as we go through this life and life after this life, whatever that may be, we will all eventually come to BE, fully, the Image and likeness of God we were created to be, and that will be glorious beyond belief.

Now I cannot prove this, or disprove it, and neither can you. It is something I freely and gladly chose to believe, because it gives me hope, and helps me to see myself, and others, (especially when they are acting like anything but the Image of God!) with "future eyes." Rather than dwell on what is wrong with me or others, I can realize my and their potential, which is God given and God ordained. Because God is Love, God desires the very best for every one S/he has created, and the very best is a marvelous destiny indeed.

With this is mind, I can let God's Promises and destiny for me and others shape my present perspective. Then the question becomes "How can I live in such a way that I am constantly expanding and expressing the qualities of God/Good in my life, and how can I help others do the same?"

I love the pictures I posted as expressions of this truth. One is of my little grand daughter Daniella, who, to her grandmother's eyes, is already expressing a LOT of God in who she is. The other is of a painting of Mary Magdelene as apostle of the Risen Christ, and to me, this picture is another revelation of the glorified body/soul that is aready ours as a seed of Divine Potential within us, and will someday be full grown in us and as us. Sometimes, when I am not feeling good, I recall that I already have a "Glorified body and soul"----and when I focus on that truth I feel a lot better. Until I forget.

May you remember, often, your Divine destiny, and that of others too.

If you, or they, are "falling short of the Glory of God" --- its temporary. Its a stage, a learning curve, a piece of the past. A time will come when even the memory of "what's wrong" will be gone, a shadow swallowed up by the Light of the Divine Destiny that awaits us.

Flower wisdom

2010-04-14T14:27:00.001-07:00

Here in our back yard creeping myrtle is blooming beautifully as spring comes to blossom out here in Sedona. It is a colorful connection with our home on the Big Lake in Michigan, where the myrtle will also be blooming not too long after we arrive at the beginning of May.

I did not know until I did a little research after photographing, drawing, and spending time communing with Myrtle that is is also called periwinkle. Who knew? (not me)

This is a robust, sturdy, evergreen, tenacious, gracious plant that is often used as a ground cover. A Native American friend of mine suggested I spend some time communing with a flower, listening, and receiving its special wisdom. So I did. I have come to realize, after some experience, that communing with plants, trees, animals, stones, etc. is a good way to develop one's intuition, and hone one's ability to receive wisdom and insights from the soul or the right side of the brain--however you want to think of it.

In a respectful way, to observe carefully, sketch, and then commune(by listening) with any being in nature is to enter into a special kind of relationship with it. Actually, come to think of it, this would probably be a great way to have a special connection with a human too! Frederick Franck, the famous artist, in his classic book "The Zen of Seeing" elaborates on drawing as a special way of connecting. I highly recommend it if you have not yet read it.

The book is full of his evocative sketches as well, and is a delight to the eye as well as the mind and soul.

What, you may be asking, did I learn from my communion with Myrtle?

"Sometimes, you can cover more ground by keeping a low profile."

"Keep spreading out and offering your gifts and beauty wherever you are, however humbly."

"Even if you get stepped on, you can rebound and keep right on blooming."

"You can be greening with life whatever the season."

"If you are really rooted and grounded, you won't be easily uprooted by the storms of life."

Thank you, Myrtle!

Now, why don't you try listening to a flower sometime soon?

Talk to a Tree Today!

2010-04-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

On a sunrise walk a few days ago, I was inspired to "get close up and personal" with a gorgeous huge, ancient cedar tree that stands on the edge of Dry Creek in the wilderness near our home.

Trees are wonderful beings, are they not?

They breathe with and for us.....we breathe out carbon dioxide, they breathe it in. They breathe out oxygen, we breathe it in. Without them, we could not live or breathe. The earth would become a wasteland. And trees provide us with wood for our houses and fires and many other things we could hardly live without. They are home and food and living space to many other creatures that share our living space with us. They give so much!

As a child, I would swing from trees, climb trees as high as I could go, and sit on the broad limbs of banyan trees and read or just contemplate life around me. Certain trees became precious "secret hiding places" for me. Could not many of you say the same? We owe a lot of love, gratitude, and respect to our tree friends.

That is why, at sunrise on a spring morning last week, I stood before the tree you see in the pictures accompanying this blog, and played my flute in praise of her (I think of her as GrandMother Cedar), and then sat and leaned against her welcoming trunk, and felt her strong support behind and beneath me. I gazed up at her huge spreading limbs---so many of them, I could not count them all. I picked a little spring of cedar needles from a nearby branch, and sat sniffing its marvelous fragrance. My slightly stuffy nose cleared right up, and it seemed I could smell more acutely--the smell of the red earth beneath me, the sage growing nearby, and my dog Leo sitting patiently beside me. I decided to ask Grandmother Cedar if she had some wisdom to share with me. I put aside my own thoughts and became very quiet inside and just listened. This is what I heard:

"I offer you my gifts of strength, clarity, and calm. Receive them and live them, and through them you will bless many who come into the shade of your presence. Be rooted and grounded in Love, as I am. Do not let yourself be moved or disturbed by the passing storms of other's wrong-doing or efforts to use you for their own purposes. Keep growing deeper, growing higher, and branching out in all directions as you age."

Well! That was more than enough to keep me pondering, and challenged!

I invite you to ponder and let yourself be challenged by GrandMother Cedar's wisdom as well. And take time as soon as you can, to go sit by a tree and let it gift you with its qualities and wisdom. Then let your heart fill with gratitude for the gift of trees. And join me in the decision to plant one near where you live sometime soon.

Love live the Trees!

2010-04-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of many pictures I have on my computer taken during the last couple of winters out here in Sedona. And, like many of you, I have many, many photos of me from babyhood onwards in a stash in our cottage on Lake Michigan. Have you ever sat down and spent a fair amount of time going through a goodly number of photos of yourself, spanning perhaps a lifetime? (which by the time you get to be my age, is a pretty long time!) I have done this once in a while, and had the curious feeling that I was looking at someone else in a different lifetime when I studied some of the pictures. "That's me???" I would think as I looked at a snapshot of myself years ago. "I look so different now. I would hardly recognize myself." And then I remember how different I was inside then too....how differently I thought, and believed, and what different perspectives I had at various times in my life. So who is the real me? The person I now appear to be, with the particular perspective and ideas and attitudes I now have? But that can't be. I will be different, I am sure, even a few years from now, let alone a decade or two, if I live that long. Even if I am not on earth that long, I believe I will still be living in some dimension. And I imagine from the vantage point of the after-this-life experience, my viewpoint will be very different from any I had in my lifetime on earth! And my appearance may change a lot too!

So---who I am can't be, essentially, how I appear, or what my ideas or viewpoints are, at any point in my life. And certainly, it can't be what anyone else, even those who think they know me best, think I am. After all, their viewpoint filters everything they perceive about me. And their viewpoints and ideas also change.

Most positively, no pictures of me can begin to capture who I am (or anyone else, for that matter) except in the most fragmentary, momentary way. That is one reason why I have never been big on posting pictures of loved ones all over the place. The pictures are so much less than my memories of them, and I find that sometimes, an often regarded picture can almost replace a living memory, just because the picture gets a lot more attention.

Well then, who am I, really? I think I get to choose what to believe about that. No one else can prove what or who I am in any conclusive way. I choose to believe that I am God's image and God's beloved, and that there is a great mystery at the heart of who I am, and that only God really knows who and what I am, and that will be revealed more and more fully in time to come. I believe that I am a combination of human and divine(God's image) in a unique way. Or, to use a metaphor I love, that I am a song God is always singing. The song keeps changing, but somehow it is the same song, and its music comes straight from the heart of God and goes on forever.

Who do you believe you are?

Great Mystery

2010-03-26T21:34:00.001-07:00

What is your favorite name for God? (There are those who say "God" is just a title!)

One of the names used by some Native American tribes is best translated as "Great Mystery." I like that. For one thing, it keeps us humble. After all, how much do we really know about God? Or life, for that matter. I, for example, do not understand electricity at all, even though I use it every day. It is a great mystery to me. As am I to myself. And as are people, including my mother, who you would think I know pretty well. But still, when it comes right down to it, she is a great mystery. I know so little of what goes on in the secret depths of her heart, or who she really is to many other people. I could say the same thing about any one I know.

The Great Mystery that is God dwells, it seems to me, at the heart of every one and every thing, including the whole universe. Whenever you stop to really examine, or think about, or ponder anything very closely, you find mystery. Or at least, I do. There is the mystery of light on rocks. Of aisles of pine needles in a forest leading into the dim unknown. Of the way the sun colors the water when it sets, and does so differently every single night. There is the mystery of color, and how we perceive it, and how it affects us, even physically. I could go on and on.

When I am mindful of the mysterious depths of people, creatures, and things, my sense of wonder steps to the forefront, and my judgments and labels take a back seat. (whew!) It is easy to be humble when I realize, for instance, that I have never really met anyone, even those close to me. I have only met and relate to my impressions and interpretation and ideas about them, based on my experience of them, and perhaps some hearsay thrown in. But the whole person, however familiar, in all the depth and mystery of his/her being from the moment of conception until death--- is mostly a great mystery. And anything I think about them is at best only partly true.

Then how could it not be true that the Source and Creator and Sustainer of this marvelous, mysterious universe and everything in it is also not a Great Mystery? I find it wonderfully calming to just rest in Great Mystery, and let go of trying to figure it out or define it. I relax as I realize that Life is mysterious in a myriad ways. Many of my questions about it will never be answered. And that's okay. I can give my mind a vacation now and then and just BE in The Mystery.

turtle attraction?

2010-03-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

There's the Law of Attraction....which has been getting lots of attention in some circles lately.

And there are other attractions; beauty of all kinds; delicious foods; exciting shows; etc. etc.

But turtles???

You see, I have a turtle purse/backpack. I found it one time at Saugatuck Drug Store, just hanging around in there, and thought it would make a unique and fun purse. I was in one of my "second childhood" moods, and so I bought it and have been using it ever since.

On the first day I was carrying it around, I went with a friend to a restaurant nearby for lunch. A little girl was at a nearby table with her family, and couldn't take her eyes off that turtle. Finally, she plucked up the courage to come over to where I was sitting and say, "I really like that turtle! What is her name?"

"Well," I replied, "I just got it and haven't thought of one yet. What do you think would be a good name?"

Without missing a beat, the girl replied, "Shelley, of course."

I smiled. "Shelley it is! Thank you for finding such a good name for her," I replied as the little girl skipped off with a satisfied smile. I have since added the last name "Turtelle." It seemed fitting to me. Shelley Turtelle. The perfect backpack.

I take her with me everywhere I go. She makes a great purse. It is amazing how much stuff you can put in her. And she makes a good pillow on the plane, and a good backrest when I am out hiking, because she cushions my back when I lean against a big rock or tree to rest. She is also a good big city purse, because no self respecting purse snatcher would be seen running through the streets carrying a turtle backpack obviously meant for kids!

I notice that often when I am shopping, and put her on the counter to get out my money, the clerk or check out person will give me a big smile and say "Wow. A turtle! Where did you get that? My sister(or daughter or friend or whoever) LOVES TURTLES. " Fellow hikers also seem to enjoy remarking on my turtle back pack, especially the kids. I do admit that my good friend Sharon is usually embarrassed by this quirk of mine, but tolerates it with good humor.

My question is "What is the attraction to turtles?" I did not get Shelley Turtelle because I just love turtles. It was just a backpack/purse that seemed like a fun idea....but had there been some other suitable critter, like a big ladybug or something, I might have picked that.

Turtles crawl into their shells when they are afraid. They carry their homes with them. That has to get heavy sometimes. They are reptiles. They have been around for eons. They are really, really slow. They can get pretty snappy if you annoy them. They try to cross roads. Not too bright. They are not affectionate or fun to have around, in my opinion. And then there's the curious fact that North America is called Turtle Island in some Native American traditions. What's that about? Any ideas as to the attraction of turtles?

I'll be waiting for your comments!

Unmoved...Like a Rock

2010-03-11T19:17:00.001-08:00

Today I was paging through a wonderful book with parallel saying from four of the world's great religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity, and I found this thought-provoking verse from the Buddhist Scripture, the Dhammapada:

(The book's title is Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Lao Tzu: The Parallel Sayings by Richard Hooper)

"As a rock cannot be moved by the the wind, those who are wise cannot be moved by praise or blame."

Well! that eliminates me from the category of the wise. How about you? I am moved by praise.

I enjoy it, even though I sometimes feel embarrassed by an effusive compliment. And I enjoy praising others as a way of showing appreciation and support. Bring on the praise, as long as it is sincere! Why shouldn't I be moved by it?

As for blame....well, no, I don't like being blamed, even when I have done something to evoke another's blame. For one thing, I thing the whole blame game is pretty pointless and serves no positive purpose. It is also a tricky way for people to avoid taking responsibility for their own feelings and viewpoints. I think most of us fall into the blame game because we have learned to do it as we observe others around us, and it is easier than looking at ourselves to see what our own fault might be, or whether we are even seeing the situation accurately.

I know when other people blame me, especially if I feel it is done unfairly, I resent it and

tend to reject and resist the blame that is being laid on me.

Upon reflection, however, it is probably wiser if I say and do whatever I say and do, not in order to get praise or avoid blame, but because it's the right or best thing to do or say. In other words, if I allow praise and blame to sway me too much, I am living in reaction to the opinions of others rather than from within, from the core of my own integrity and convictions. If I let myself be influenced very much by others' praise or blame I become "outer directed" rather than "inner directed", as some psychologists say. Then I am like a wave of the sea, tossed about by what others say.

So, how does one become so wise, that one is unmoved as a rock, whether praised or blamed? That sounds like a hard thing to do. Maybe if I remembered the saying I heard awhile ago, "What other people think of me is none of my business" I could be more like a rock. Or, if I remembered that other people's view of me, whether positive or negative, comes from their own "bubble" or perspective, and says much more about them than about me (usually) I could be more like a rock. Or if I didn't take much of anything others said by way of praise or blame too seriously, or myself either--that might work. Then I could be a laughing rock!

I do think I would be more solid, at peace, and centered if I could be less affected by praise or blame. After all, really, in my belief system, the only one Whose opinion of me really matters or is really true is God's opinion. All others are like the wind....coming and going, blustery or gentle, but having little effect on the Image of God I know I AM.

Have you found ways to be unmoved as a rock in the face of praise or blame?

How to make Retirement the Way of Heaven

2010-03-10T18:17:00.001-08:00

You know, I used to feel just a bit guilty about retiring with John.

But now I am grateful we made the decision to retire.

The work ethic takes you only just so far.

Life is short. There are so many wonderful and good ways to enjoy it.

Work can often get in the way of what is most important: things like.....

Getting out into God's glorious world more often.

Spending more time with loved ones.

Trying new things.

Just BEING.

I believe it was the great Rabbi Abraham Heschel who reminded us:

Just to live is holy.

Just to BE is a blessing.

And the Tao Te Ching, one of the wisest books ever written has this to say:

"If you consider riches and honor to be important, you will only bring calamity upon yourselves.

The Way of Heaven is this: when you have done your work, retire."

And this:

Desire and discontent lead to misfortune. Seeking worldly things is folly. Those who are rich are those who are contented with what they have.

(Tao Te Ching)

With nothing to drive you, and having no compulsions, needing nothing...you have gained control and are free. (Chuang Tzu)

Can you tell we are enjoying our new freedom?

And for those of you who are not retired:

don't wait.....live this wisdom now the best you can.

Tents, Stars, and Truths

2010-03-09T19:08:00.000-08:00

I recently read a little book titled "A Tent In Which to Spend a Summer Night." It was the title that drew me to the book. I want to quote a few memorable lines from the book which really spoke to me.

Here they are:

"Our highest truths are but half-truths;

Think not to settle down forever in any truth.

Make use of it as a tent in which to pass a

summer's night.

But build not a house of it, or it will be your tomb.

When you first have an inkling of its insufficiency

and begin to descry a dim counter-truth looming beyond,

Then weep not, but give thanks.

It is the Lord's voice whispering,

"Take up thy bed and walk."

(Earl Balfour)

"Cragged and steep Truth stands, and he that will reach her

about must, and about must go." (John Donne)

I resonated with these lines, because recently I have been reflecting on how much I have changed in how I see life and what I understand to be true, compared with ten, twenty, thirty, or forty years ago. I am sure many of you could say the same. Life has a way of changing our minds and hearts through our experiences and revelations. Then we realize how truths we may have once thought to be as solid and eternal as the pyramids are much more like the tent in which to spend a summer night.

Surely, not one of us has a perspective much bigger than a tent. We are so enclosed by the canvas of our little individual life, we sometimes forget that Truth itself is like a great mountain towering over a town of artificial lights---little half-truths which give their limited light to people for a limited time. But alway far above shine the Stars of Truth, far beyond our reach, a shining reminder of Divine Mystery way beyond the grasp of the greatest minds.

It strikes me that if all us humans considered our current structure of beliefs and opinions and what we call "our truth" as simply a tent in which to spend a summer night, we would avoid a great deal of the hostility and conflict which people engage in because they take their current beliefs and opinions to be like the mountains, or stars. How ridiculous is that?

If I can humbly and simply regard my ideas, beliefs, and opinions as a tent, without identifying them as me, or as Universal Truth which everyone else should believe too.....I imagine I will enjoy a greater peace than what otherwise might be mine. Better yet, perhaps I will someday sleep out under the stars without a tent on a summer night, and in amazement gaze at those starry glimpses of Eternal Truth which shine in the sky of Eternity, and wonder how I could ever have thought I or anyone else, or any human institution or belief system, for that matter, really knew "The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But The Truth."

Masks and memories

2010-03-06T20:22:00.000-08:00

This picture is of a mask made by the ancient Calusa tribe which once governed South Florida before the coming of the "windships" of white people, in this case, the Spaniards.

Before their coming, the Calusa were a large and flourishing society which lived mostly on the seafood so readily available in their coastal environment. They were a sophisticated and sustainable culture, and developed cities, wonderful art, and a wealth of fascinating ceremonies and stories.

As I stood before this mask at a museum built on an area where the Calusa had lived on Pine Island near Sarasota, Florida, I felt a strong pang of grief at the tragedy of the destruction of so many ancient peoples and their rich cultures on this continent, including the Calusa. They were destroyed by the Spanish invasions, by white slave traders attaching from the north, and the diseases white folk brought with them to this continent. As far as anyone knows, there are no more Calusa alive on this earth. They have joined many other peoples who are also exctinct, thanks to the coming of the white man to "America."

What is it about the white race that has made it so arrogant and destructive in the many lands to which has gone in the past few centuries? The bitter legacy of the imperialism and colonialism of the white race still lives on, and the possibilities of what might have been if Europeans had been willing to make every effort to live peacefully and respectfully with the people of the countries to which they came remain alive only in wistful dreams.

I read recently in YES magazine that by 2050 the majority of people in this nation will not be white. Could it be that the dominance of the white race is finally coming to an end in this world? what will this mean for the future?

I don't think it is helpful for me or anyone who might be part of the white/Caucasian race to go around feeling guilty for this fact. But it might behove us to learn from the mistakes of many people of our race in the past, and realizing we are in the minority, cultivate those virtues which will make us a pleasure to live with, and reduce the possibility that someday, we may suffer the same deadly racism that we have collectively inflicted on people of other races for centuries. This was the message of the mask to me as I gazed sadly on it in the museum.

If this mask could talk to us, I wonder what it would say?

Beautiful Shadows

2010-02-28T19:51:00.001-08:00

On a recent hike with a dear friend, I took these pictures on the very top of Brins Mesa, a high point in the area around Sedona. On reviewing the pictures, I noticed two kinds of shadows: one cast by a tree, and the other one might call "shadows of light" or maybe angels?

If you believe in angels, and believe they might even occasionally show up in some sort of visible fashion, you might see those shapes of light in the picture on the left that way. If you tend to have a skeptical mind, and don't believe it is possible to see angels, even if they do exist (ha!) then of course, other explanations suggest themselves. Its all a matter of perception.

I am reminded of Plato's idea that all we see in nature around us is the "shadow" of a Beauty, of Divine Ideas far more Real in a realm far more Real than ours. C.S. Lewis plays with this idea in his classic "The Great Divorce," in case you care to check it out.

I tried to imagine, as I pondered all this, what nature would look like without shadows, and the play of shadows and light. In my mind's eye, the lack of shadows would result in a far more flat, bleached-out look. I wouldn't care for that at all. So it seems shadows have a part to play in the beauty of the world around us.

Maybe the shadows of sorrow, of pain, of frustration, and the like, also have a part to play in the landscape of our lives, and their inter-play with the ever present Light of the Divine Presence of Beauty and Love add a certain quality to our experience which is to be treasured.

It is true that sometimes the shadows in our lives are dark indeed, and seem to dominate the landscape. Yet, simultaneously, if we but have the eyes to see, there are those angel-shadows of the One Light that surrounds us wherever we go, another dimension which is always there.

As long as we do not lose sight of the Light of that sacred dimension, the darkest shadows will not overwhelm us. We will come to see them as part of the Beauty of the life with which we are blessed, always.

are you moving?

2010-01-28T18:53:00.001-08:00

Last week when I was in Michigan for a few days visiting family, I had the experience of helping my son Ron and his family pack their possessions for a move to a new house.

This was not the first time, but I suspect it may be the last. I don't think they will be moving again anytime soon.

Moving can be such a pain. In fact, I felt like a hundred years old the next day! All that lifting and bending and pushing and pulling, etc. took its toll on my elder's body! I enjoyed the time with my family however.

It took many hours just to put all the stuff in the kitchen in boxes. And I know lots of people who have much more in their kitchens than they do. How do we manage to accumulate so much stuff? Why do we burden ourselves with so much more than we need, and complicate our lives with things are supposed to make them easier? Well, maybe some of them do, sort of. (Like blenders? toaster ovens?) But we could do very well without an awful lot of it.

I shudder to think of what moving my kitchen, much less all the rest of the stuff in the house, would be like after we have lived there over twenty years. We have accumulated a lot! One nice thing about moving is the opportunity to go through everything and get rid of a lot of it. And we have not done that for way too long. I think I will put that high on my list of things I want to get done in Michigan this spring and summer.

Actually, upon reflection, I think moving is less of a pain and has more profit in it than I had thought. For one thing, moving, I have found, makes me stretch and grow and push my comfort zone. I have to break old habits, create new ones, adjust to new surroundings, new people, and a different way of life in many ways. This gives me a wonderful chance to create new possibilities for my life.

The same is true internally. Its a good thing to move in terms of my mind, my soul, my spirit, as well as my body and external life. It is all too easy to get stuck in ruts and become all too comfortable when things stay too much the same over time. Sameness can lead to stagnation. In the retirement community in which we live in Arizona, I see that in the lives of some of our neighbors. Or at least, it looks that way from the outside. Maybe a lot of moving is going on in their inner lives. Who knows? I just know that I want to keep moving, even though I don't want to do that externally and literally right now. But I want to keep moving

in my inner life. I want to review some of the stuff sitting around in my mind and soul and ask if it really is something I still want, or whether it might not be a good thing to get rid of. I want to simplify some more, and get down to basics, and not burden myself with all kinds of memories, ideas, attitudes, and patterns that do not serve me and just weigh me down at this stage in my life.

How about you? Boxes, anyone?

Monks do it, dogs do it, maybe even you and I can do it

2010-01-25T19:06:00.000-08:00

Meditation.....ah, yes. A word used far more often these days than a few decades ago.

Some people pray and meditate. Some people pray, but don't meditate, maybe because its too "New Age" or they tried it once and it "didn't work." Some people meditate but don't pray because prayer has not "worked" for them, or somehow meditating has more appeal.

But what is meditation? There are a lot of ways of defining it and doing it. And why might meditation (whatever it is) be a good idea for you or me or anyone?

Answers to these questions abound in books readily available online or in bookstores.

People who know much more than I do about it have written these books. There is a lot to be said about meditation, and they say it. A couple of books I have most enjoyed recently on the subject are:

Meditation Secrets for Women (by Camille Maureen) and Passage Meditation (by Eknath Easwaran)

But for my money, Maizey the dog is a presently my favorite teacher of meditation.

In the picture of her face looking at me(and the camera) she is doing what any form of meditation demands: focusing her attention. Nowadays, we far too often let our attention be divided, and so lose our focus, and life becomes more and more fragmented and hectic. Not good. Meditation is a good cure for this condition.

Notice that as Maizey sits in front of the fireplace, she gazes steadily into the flames as she relaxes her body. I have never before seen a dog do this for a significant length of time, as this dog does. She is quiet, calm, peaceful, and seems to be enjoying herself. That seems like a good example of how to meditate, doesn't it? Do it because you want to, because you enjoy it, in a relaxed, peaceful way that is perfectly suited to who/what/where/when you are. No rules here, no effort, no striving for a mystical breakthrough (enlightenment, or whatever) or anything else. Just sheer being and enjoying.

Watching her made me want to meditate in her way, at least as closely as I could, having the disadvantage of being a human with a busy mind.

Maizey is meditating in my brother and sister-in-law's peaceful, pleasant home, and she is gazing into flames. A peaceful atmosphere and a choice of focus as attractive as flickering fire do tend to help quiet the mind and relax the body, both of which are essential for meditation.

After I took this picture, I spent some moments meditating in front of the fire with Maizey, and her wonderful dog energy helped me enjoy the experience even more. When our meditation ended, I went out renewed and refreshed into the cold Michigan air for an afternoon walk.

Now I am back in Sedona, sitting in front of our fireplace here. Leo is sleeping on the rug, so its up to me to meditate by myself this evening. Remembering Maizey's example will help.

And I will keep up the daily practice of meditating because it always brings me back to basics

and centers me in the Fire of Divine Love and the Presence of Peace. And what's more, it is enjoyable, however I do it. Would you care to join me?

In a different light

2010-01-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

Not long ago, John and I visited friends in Mesa, AZ, who took us on a tour of the beautiful Superstition mountains not far from where they live. It was a glorious sunny winter day, and the drive through the mountains was magnificent. At one point, we got out at an overlook, and took a little trail that wound to the edge of a bluff from which I took the pictures that I posted with this blog. What struck me as I reviewed them when I got home was that they were all taken from the same place, and during the same small time frame. Yet each picture was bathed in light of a different color. How did that happen?

This provoked me to ponder on the way we humans can see the very same thing in a different light than someone else. We can even see the same thing in a different light ourselves, if we adopt a different perspective or attitude towards what we are seeing. For example, a situation which may seem very troublesome and difficult, when seen in a different light, reveals itself as a marvelous revelation of important truths, or as an opportunity for growing in strength and wisdom. A person who seems to be a Big Problem, when seen in a different light, can be viewed as our best teacher. You get the picture!

These pictures also reminded me to be an observer of myself---of how I am looking at something, and in what light I am seeing it, and why. If someone else sees what I see in a very different light---that does not mean I am right and they are wrong. We just don't see something the same way. Should that bother me much?

A good spiritual exercise for me in this new year, I think, would be to see if I can see certain situations--especially rugged ones, like these mountains--in several ways, and become aware of what is coloring my viewpoints. That might be a challenge, but a worthy one.

What's your view about this?

changing things inside

2010-01-05T21:01:00.000-08:00

Its a new year, and this year, rather than making new resolutions (infamously unsuccessful for most people, including me!) I have decided to do some rearranging inside my soul, as symbolized by some new things hanging on the wall in our little den in our Sedona house. (see pics)

First, there is the beautiful handmade quilted turtle hanging, given to me by my friend Eileen.

She has learned how to quilt in the last couple years, and this piece is truly a work of art.

Sometimes she has chosen to call me "Turtle Woman" and this hanging honors that name.

In some Native American traditions, the turtle figures as a main character in the creation story, our continent is called "Turtle Island" and turtles are symbols of fertility, and ancient motherly wisdom. In my mind, turtles bring back the story of the race the turtle won by being "slow and steady." I find that fits my aging body nicely! The pace of the turtle also reminds me of the spiritual benefits of deliberately slowing down so as to "smell the roses" and be more mindful of the wonder of the ordinary things in every day life, like how the light slants through the window to light up a room, or what a miracle running water is, or the faint fragrance of toast just popping out of the toaster. The turtle also is an example of the wisdom of withdrawing into one's own inner self and resources, and having very strong boundaries when attacked or under stress. And there is a time to emerge again, with a smile, and swim in the waters of beauty and trust, as the turtle seems to be doing in the hanging on the wall.

The "scroll" type hanging is a picture of Mary Magdalene from a friend who has a special love for her. This picture speaks to me of the beauty and radiance of the Divine Feminine now finally emerging into human consciousness more and more fully. I intend to enshrine this image and all it stands for in my soul, and let myself be guided more by the Spirit of Sophia in my soul and less by the received teachings of the mostly male religious traditions of the past.

It is time, I believe, for women (and men) to step more boldly out of the boxes of old dogmatic and confining thinking, and step onto the path of fresh Truth that is still being revealed by the Spirit of God, which is Universal and always stretches us beyond what we think we know. Too many of us have given far too much power and authority to the self-proclaimed "authorities" of the past, and not nearly enough to the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit within our hearts here and now.

A larger dreamcatcher also hangs on the wall now, close to the Dream Catcher tree, which some might think is a Christmas tree, based on old thinking! But it isn't and never was. It is a tree that stands in the corner by the fireplace all year, its branches hung with small dream catchers, and it is a symbol of the Tree of Life, which holds Godde's dreams for the human race and for the world and for each of us. It also holds the dreams I/we carry in our hearts, placed there by Godde to keep us stretching, growing, exploring, wondering.

So, in my soul, as well as in my house, there is change. I am swimming in the waters of beauty and trust, knowing my creative fertility; I am honoring and being guided by the Divine Feminine in my soul more fully; and I am dreaming bigger dreams, and paying more attention to them as well as to Godde's dreams for a new heaven and earth.

It promises to be a good year!

A Bright New Idea

2009-12-28T20:37:00.000-08:00

Our daughter Rachel has been with us over the Christmas holidays, and has hatched a bright new idea for the new year which I want to share with you. She is starting a blog about trying something new every day for a year! She is going to do just that, and blog about her experiences. Her blog will include lots of pics and short film clips, and those of you who know her know that it will be very entertaining and lots of fun to check out. You might even want to join her (I do) in trying something new each day, and now and then letting her know your experiences and ideas. She would welcome that.

Just go to www.letsdosomethingnew.com and see for yourself what she is up to. I can vouch for the fact that she has been working really hard (okay, obsessively!) to get her blog up and running. We have been having fun brainstorming ideas of new things for her to try.

Another great idea Rachel gave me is based on the book (a Christmas present from her) titled "TWENTY NINE GIFTS: HOW A MONTH OF GIVING CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE" by Cami Walker. The author lives in Rachel's condo complex near the Hollywood Bowl in LA and Rachel met her pool-side one day and found out about her book.

It is a most inspiring story, written by someone who was suffering a bad case of MS, and found, to her amazement, that the simple act of intentionally giving in some way to someone every day was incredibly healing as well as rewarding. (See more about this at www.29gifts.org) I am thinking maybe I could combine the two ideas by giving in some way that would also be trying something new each day for a month. Even the effort of "29 gifts" would be a new thing to try for me, and maybe for you too. It sounds like a lot more fun than the usual list of New Years resolutions which seldom get carried out anyway.

I think we all do a lot of giving and trying of new things anyway, but we are not aware and intentional about it, and this just gives us the reward of greater consciousness. The secret of success in this effort is probably to keep it simple and realistically something we can and will do, in harmony with our self-knowledge. And if giving and trying something new expands our appreciation for ourselves, our lives, and others, that is great gain, and practically guarantees a Happy New Year.

Dreams come true

2009-12-23T21:31:00.000-08:00

Is it just my imagination, or is the song "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" played out here more often than in Michigan? People here get a wistful look in their eyes when the subject of a white Christmas is brought up---a wistful look I seldom remember seeing in the eyes of a Michigander!

But, maybe the dreaming of a white Christmas paid off for the people in Sedona, Arizona.

At least for a little while, early this morning, the landscape looked like a classic Christmas card.

Snow on pine trees and roofs and streets! Even on big cactus plants and red rock mountains.

As I walked with Leo, the snow crunched beneath my feet, and the air had that fresh, cold, almost-fragrance of new-fallen snow. Even though Christmas is still a couple days away, it certainly made it seem present. When I got home, I put on my favorite Christmas music and sat gazing out the window at the snow-powdered scene as I listened, sipping a good cup of hot coffee, and feeling quite content.

The snow, of course, is surface stuff when it comes to Christmas. And sometimes its okay to just be on the surface of things, as long as I remember that surface snow/stuff melts away, like the snow did today. If there is something beautiful beneath it, that will be there. If there is something ugly, that will be there too. All the snow does is cover up, for awhile. And it leaves me with the question I invite you to ponder too. Is there something in my life, or yours, that is being covered up by the surface stuff, the "snow," which might be good to take a longer, deeper look at? Feelings that are coverups for unmet needs? Good resolutions buried under a surface layer of busyness? Surface religious practices hiding a big void? Surface smiles hiding a deeply buried sadness? Christmas sometimes has a way of "surfacing" such things, snow or no snow. And that can be a blessing. So-----white Christmas or no, merry or not, may it be a Blessed Christmas that goes a lot deeper in our souls than a dusting of snow.

Shadow of the Past

2009-12-18T19:15:00.000-08:00

Have you ever thought much about your distant past? Your ancestors? Their lives? What they have passed on to you? I know that is not part of what I was taught growing up. I saw a few faded photos of great-grandparents, heard a tidbit or two from an uncle who had done some research into the family tree, and that was about all.

Since then, I have learned that in many cultures, down to the present, ancestors are a very important part of people's religion and spirituality.

A well known Buddhist monk writes that the first thing he does when he comes home after a trip is to go to his home altar, where there are pictures and symbols of his ancestors, and greet them. In China, in Africa, and many other places, ancestors are considered to be alive and important to relate to properly on a regular basis. They are simply in "another dimension" (whatever it might be called) but certainly not absent from the lives of their descendants.

I have gotten a better personal feel for "the ancestors" in my time out here in the Sedona area. This is an ancient land, and there are many places where the remnants of the ancient peoples who once lived here can be seen. There are scholars who agree that this is a place the ancestors of the Hopi people once lived. They left behind them ruins of their dwellings, rock art picturing what was important to them, shards of pottery, arrow heads, and such. They also left behind them the imprint of their spirits. It it is possible to feel their presence in certain places, like the one I visited yesterday, called Palatki.

I am not the only one who is deeply moved by the spirit I feel in the places they once lived in this area. The forest ranger who welcomed me to Palatki clearly felt what I felt as we shared our experience of the place. There is a very deep peace, a stillness that speaks to the soul, and a sense of mystery that defies words. As I was approaching one of the ruins of a house built against a cliff (pictured above) I felt an inexplicable sense of grief, and tears came to my eyes. Then I got a vivid picture in my mind of an old Hopi woman sitting in the door of the house-ruins at which I was looking. She was weeping, watching her people leaving to migrate northwards because of a prolonged drought in the area. She knew she would never see her loved ones again. And she also knew it was her sacred duty to stay behind and care for the land as she had all her life, doing what she could to tend and gather medicine plants, do sacred ceremony to honor the spirits of the land, and pray for rain and people to return.

I do not know how or why this vivid "memory" came to me, but it had a strong impact.

Maybe I have been in Sedona too long. Stuff like this happens around here. But no. I love being here, and I am willing to live with whatever mystery I encounter without having to figure it out or explain it away. Suffice it to say that I feel a new kind of connection with the ancestors who lived in this area.

I remember reading that Chief Crazy Horse, of the Lakota people in South Dakota, who fought a losing battle against the white man's encroachments, once was scornfully asked by a white soldier, "Where is your land now?" He stretched out his arm and pointed to the horizon in all directions and said "Wherever my people are buried." Yes.

My experience (and that of many others) is that certain places carry the memory of the Ancient Ones very strongly. Sedona is one of those places.

Listen to the Grand Mothers!

2009-12-16T20:09:00.000-08:00

I have been told by reliable sources that in the days when the first white settlers came to this country, there were Native American tribes which had a Council of GrandMothers. Their wisdom was sought by the people in all important matters. They wielded considerable power in the governing of the tribes. In fact, if the Council of GrandMothers felt that the current chief(s) were doing thing detrimental to the well being of the tribe, they could depose the chief.

In our European and American cultures in the past couple of centuries, grandmothers have not had much status. Older women were and are often derided, ignored, trivialized, and disrespected in many ways. Their wisdom and strength are seldom valued as they should be.

If one looks at the world as it is, one could hardly say those running it are doing a good job! How many of today's leaders might not be deposed by a wise Council of GrandMothers for doing things detrimental to their people and to GrandMother Earth?

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a meeting at which thirteen indigenous Grand mothers from Alaska, Mexico, the Grand Canyon area, Brazil, El Salvador, South Dakota, Tibet, Nepal, and other places all offered their blessings, their wisdom, and their prayers to a large standing room only audience at the Creative Life Center in Sedona. These women have been traveling all over the world, and their message is what one might expect from truly wise people: the importance of caring for the earth and living with future generations in mind; the necessity of settling differences peacefully; the need for sharing resources generously so that all might have a decent life; and the truth that the human race is one, and an integral part of all that lives. These truths were all told and sung and prayed in different ways, with great impact. These women have met with the Dalai Lama, and other world leaders, for they are determined to call people back to the wisdom they hold in their hearts from many generations and cultures.

I, for one, can easily imagine a world headed in a much better direction if grandmothers made up at least half of all the leadership of government, business, education, health, etc. etc.

Most of them have the years of life experience and hardship, the love, the faith, the good common sense, and the "no nonsense" approach necessary. They are not invested in warfare, weapons sales, drug sales, political conflicts, and the preservation of the status quo. They want only what is best for everyone. I can't imagine one of them authorizing the development of chemical warfare, or an economic system that allows the few to get rich and the rest to struggle to survive. And I am sure they would make big changes in our health system!

Its time grandmothers were given the authority they deserve to set things right! They can do a lot more than they have been allowed to do. Maybe the human race will have a better chance of a bright future if grandmothers are once again listened to---really, really listened to.

In praise of walking

2009-12-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

I have been walking now for almost my whole life. I have always loved walking, and still do.

My sister Judy lost her ability to walk in mid life, due to the affliction of Multiple Sclerosis.

Since then, I have often dedicated walks to her, often with tears, and gratitude----walking when and where she could not.

While I am out here in Sedona, I do even more walking than I normally do. A couple hours a day(or more) is normal for me here. Sometimes it is one longer walk, sometimes two shorter ones. I find it a fine way to pray, to reflect, to get my creative juices flowing, to heal, to strengthen, to enjoy incredible natural beauty---and more.

The pictures I posted with this blog are all about the benefits of walking. One is of a shadow of me walking at the end of a day in a big field near a campground we stayed at on the way out here. Another is of a favorite path of mine through pine woods at MorningStar Retreat center near LeRoy, Michigan. It is like the aisle of a cathedral. The floor is clear of everything but fragrant pine needles and some patches of soft, emerald green moss. On both sides stretch straight rows of towering pine trees, like the pillars of a cathedral. When I walk this path, I feel I am walking deeper inside my soul as well as deeper into the woods. The third picture is recent. It is of husband John, daughter Rachel, her dog Howie, and our dog Leo on the path ahead of me on the beautiful Brins Mesa Trail. The late afternoon light was golden, and the path reminded me of the "Good Red Road" of Native American tradition. The silence was very deep and complete---no traffic noises, no people noises, only those of nature: whisper of wind in the pines, a few soft chirps of birds nearby. Nothing else but the sound of our own breathing and footsteps. Silence like that restores my soul like little else. I could sit and listen to it for hours, and will, the very next chance I get! I recommend it to you if you can find such silence anywhere near where you live.

The dogs, of course, love walks too. And Leo keeps John and I walking more often and further than we otherwise might.

I am currently working with the book "The Vein of Gold" by Julia Cameron. Here are a few quotes about walking from that book which I found particularly fine.

"Solvitur ambulando...It is solved by walking... (St. Augustine) !

"Walking is the the most powerful creative tool that I know. Although it has fallen into disuse in our hurried times, it may be the most powerful spiritual practice known to humankind." (Julia Cameron)

"I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." (John Muir, explorer, conservationist, nature mystic)

"Walking with our souls is really walking with our souls. Our internal horizons stretch with our external ones. We walk into expanded possibility. If you can bear it, the soles of our feet lead us to the feats of our souls." (Julia Cameron)

Have you taken a walk lately? Try a gratitude walk, a moaning groaning walk if you are sad, a reflective, pondering walk, a sensing walk in which you deliberately become aware of what you are sensing, one sense at a time. Its a most sensible thing to do!

An old Irish blessing begins with these words I offer to you in blessing as you walk...

"May the road rise to meet you...."

Saint Leo

2009-12-07T14:54:00.000-08:00

No, I am not going to blog about a saint on the Roman Catholic or any other roster.

The saint I do want to write a bit about is our dog Leo.

I know that in the Catholic church, there are certain requirements for the title of "saint."

Among them are the working of miracles, and the ability to communicate the goodness and presence of God in a remarkable way.

Leo certainly meets these requirements, as well as other criteria not found on any official list.

He has the virtues of the saints: patience, unconditional love, nobility of character, spiritual intelligence, kindness, super-awareness and alertness, and the ability to bring out the best in people and give joy wherever he goes. How many of us humans have these virtues in a constant, readily observable manner?

I said once in a sermon that my dog was a great spiritual director, and at this time of year, I am especially grateful for the gift of Leo's presence in our lives. As John often says, he has brought us a lot of joy.

Here are a few things I am currently grateful he is teaching me as my spiritual director:

1. Relax and take a break often enough to keep yourself calm and focused. Just being is at least as good, if not better, than doing, doing, doing.

2. Befriend children and spend time with them. They are also superior spiritual directors and teachers, like my grandson Philip, who is pictured here with Leo on the beach on Lake Michigan. Both Leo and Philip teach me to take great pleasure in the simple experiences of life rather than in things that can be purchased: a walk on the beach (or anywhere in nature);

the warmth of sun on one's skin/fur; the smells of water and trees; the enjoyment of one's body and good health; the treasure of friendship.....and so much more. You can continue the list for yourself.

3. Take time to ponder the depth of meaning in your everyday experiences. Don't skate heedlessly over the surface of life.

4. Its not so bad being leashed to people you love. There are coyotes out there you don't want to tangle with.

5. And of course, LIVE IN THE PRESENT. IT IS A GREAT GIFT TO BE SAVORED.

Call to Prayer

2009-11-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

I spent many years of my childhood in Pakistan, and one of my most lasting memories is that of hearing the Muslim Call to Prayer from neighboring minarets echoing through the cities in which we lived, calling the faithful to stop whatever they were doing, and take time to turn their minds and hearts to God. This happened five times a day. To me, this is an inspiring challenge.

How can we help but be more conscious of the presence of God, and all the good God is, when we stop that often to spend at least ten minutes in prayer?

For me, there are times of the day that, in tune with the movement of the sun, are most natural as times to pray. Sunrise and sunset offer the invitation to stop whatever I am doing, and just absorb the beauty of the beginning or ending of another precious day. It is a perfect time to praise God, to dedicate the day to God, or to reflect on the challenges and blessings of the day that is ending. It is a way to sanctify time, and it helps me keep from getting lost in my own agenda and distractions.

This past week, I found a beautiful hymn, dating all the way back to the fourth century, by St. Ambrose of Milan. It offers in beautiful words a prayer of the heart, which I offer in turn to you for your inspiration.

O splendor of God's glory bright, from light eternal bringing light;

Thou Light of life, light's living spring, true Day, all days illumining.

Come, Holy Sun of heavenly love, shoer down Thy radiance from above,

and to our inward hearts convey the Holy Spirit's cloudless ray.

And we the Mother's help will claim, and sing the Spirit's glorious name;

Her powerful aid we will implore, that we may stand to fall no more.

Be hallowed this and every day, let trust now be our morning ray,

and faithful love our noonday light, and hope our sunset, calm and bright.

O God, with each returning morn Thy image to our hearts is borne,

O may we every clearly see our Savior and our Friend in Thee.

The Womb of Creation

2009-11-21T17:56:00.000-08:00

Who knew that the place where this world emerged into being was a few miles away at the site of what the Spaniards named "Montezuma's Well." ???????

That is the place I visited with a couple of friends yesterday. It was a lovely sunny fall afternoon in Red Rock country. We drove up Oak Creek canyon and then down Interstate 17 to the exit south of Sedona that let us off onto the country road that led to Montezuma's Well.

There, we visited ancient ruins of long gone Native American people. We saw the remains of pit houses, pueblos, and cave dwellings built into the side of stone cliffs that surround a small lake fed by springs and formed by a sink hole in the limestone that makes up much of the land.

The lake is very deep, and a constant 75 degrees throughout the year. The land around it is beautiful high desert country, and it is far enough away from the highway and any towns that one can bask in a profound and beautiful silence. It is not difficult to imagine why the creation stories of the Hopi and Yavapai people would imagine this place as one of the emergence of this world.

Near the lake, down a steep slope, runs Beaver Creek, and an ancient irrigation ditch next to it, still running with clear water from the same underground source as Montezuma's well. It is easy to feel and imagine the presence of the ancient people who once lived here. I can see them, in my mind's eye, sitting around the fire at night, telling their creation story. The creation story of the Garden of Eden may have started the same way, and so would many other creation stories of many other spiritual traditions the world over. It seems to be a universal human need to tell the story of their beginnings ages ago, and to draw certain lessons from those stories to guide the life of each generation. The Hopi creation story tells us that the Creator gave certain instructions to the people (which they did not always follow) that included the instruction to migrate from here to as far north, south, east, and west, as they could possibly go, and not to settle anywhere until this was done. This command, it is said, was to train the people through the generations this great migration would last, to depend on one another and the Creator in a spirit of trust and faithfulness. It would also train the people to live simply and lightly on the earth.

This ancient pattern of migration certainly seems to be continuing, especially in American culture, in which it is said that the average American moves every three to five years.

Of course, our mobility is a lot easier now, although we are burdened with many more possessions than the Original Peoples could carry with them as they walked the length and breadth of this continent. We could use a good dose of their simplicity.

All this made me ponder many things, including the stories in my mind of my own beginnings, the pattern of the places I have lived, the migrations of my life, and what they might mean. One pattern that seems significant is that I have lived in four continents, and my migrations have spanned the globe. I am not unusual anymore in that regard. The world today is filled with global nomads like me. We are more and more a global society in which the old boundaries between tribes, religions, and cultures are increasingly blurred. And we are more and more interdependent. Perhaps we are still learning the ancient lesson of the Creator: to gratefully and faithfully depend on others and on God, and in turn to be faithful and dependable people, as part of the Divine Design of world wide unity and peace.

I chose the above pictures because they depict ancient waters and reflections; an ancient tree; and an ancient instrument being played. I am sure when the ancient creation stories were told by the Original Peoples, that they were often set to music and played, sung, and drummed so that they would thus make their way into the souls of the listeners, and shape their lives, as creation stories most surely do.

Booking along

2009-11-17T18:28:00.001-08:00

I invite you to settle in with me in the cozy den in our Sedona house. It is evening, and the glorious sunset having faded from the sky, there is a fire dancing in the little fireplace.

It is a perfect time to read---a favorite occupation of mine since early childhood.

One of the joys of being here is time to read and reflect. When I read, I make the books my own by underlining, putting marks and comments of various sorts in the margins, and sometimes even writing some of my thoughts out on an empty space at the end of a chapter or at the end of the book. I love the books that have a few blank pages at the end for just this sort of thing.

The three books I am currently spending the most time with are pictured above. The one about creating an altar in the world is a birthday gift from my brother and his wife. The author is one of my favorite: she writes so beautifully it is a pleasure to read her. This is one of those books that providentially came into my life at a perfect time. She has good suggestions I am following about how to go about building altars in the world--something I have believed in doing for many years, but she has a fresh "take" on it and is giving me lots to ponder. I recommend it to you if you like the idea of intentionally living out the sacred dimension of life in a practical, every day kind of way.

The book on Rumi is also a fresh approach. I have several books of his poetry and accounts of his life, etc. But this is the first one I have found that explores his spiritual practices, and in particular, the practice of gazing into another person's eyes with the full realization that eyes are the windows of the soul, and that is so gazing, one is gazing into the Divine Life that inhabits us all, whether or not we know or believe or experience it. I remember being at a retreat once in which our group divided into pairs and we were asked to gaze into each other's eyes in silence for a full ten minutes. It was an enormously moving experience for us, and I remember feeling so intensely the truth expressed in the greeting I learned in India as a child:

"Namaste." The Divine in me greets the Divine in you." It is interesting to me to notice how often in normal interactions, we humans avoid eye contact, or offer only the briefest such contact. Why? What are we avoiding? What are we afraid of? Especially if the other person is someone we know and trust, or at least have no reason to fear.

This book, which I am still reading, has inspired me to intentionally look a little longer than usual into people's eyes as I meet them--at the grocery store, the gas station, on the street walking the dog, or wherever. Its a way of acknowledging them as sacred persons, carriers of the divine image. Its a little way for me to practice realizing what we really are, or as we say in our Unity church, "The Truth of Being." Maybe it is something you would like to try!

The third book I picked up on our way here at a most wonderful used book store in Las Cruses, New Mexico. It is by far the largest used book store I have ever been--with used books in every category one can imagine. Not surprisingly for those who know me, I walked out with a large box of books. This one, on poetry as a spiritual practice, appealed to me because while I love most poetry, read it on and off, and even write a little on and off, I had not yet explored how it could function as a spiritual practice in my life on a frequent basis. So far, the book has not disappointed me. In fact, it has inspired me to write a couple poems already, and it may be that this blog will now and then contain a poem. Wouldn't that be a refreshing change?

As I reflect on how reading has enriched, guided, and supported my life, my heart is full of gratitude for people who do the hard work of writing good books, and I am back in touch with a feeling of "call" about doing this myself.

So settle in whenever you can, pick up a good book, and let yourself be gifted by its treasures--again, and again, and again.

Flute-Prayer

2009-11-14T16:06:00.000-08:00

There are as many ways to pray, I suppose, as there are people in this world.
One of them, for me, and my friends Joey and Laurel, pictured in the photos on today's blog, is to play the Native American Flute.
There is something about its gentle and haunting sounds, and blowing the breath gently through the flute,
and fingering the holes spontaneously to allow a melody or just different kinds of sounds to emerge,
which stills the mind, gives solace to the soul, and engages the heart.
When I flute, I feel connected to the breath of all things, the Universe, the Life that is God in and through all.
I can't play the flute without being conscious of my breathing, and that is a wonderful sort of Breath Prayer.
I am aware that every breath is a gift of Life in this body, and that this Godly Life is breathing me every moment, or I would not be alive on this earth.
I am aware that there is music in every breath too, and the flute lets that usually un-noticed breath become music!
Now that's at least a minor miracle, for me at least!

In one of the pictures you see, Joey and Laurel are playing their flutes on a beautiful trail named Marg's Draw, in the back country of Sedona, on a sunny fall afternoon. I always take my flute with me when I hike, as a way of honoring the spirit of whatever place I happen to be, and celebrating the beauty and life around me.
In the other picture, Joey and Laurel are playing their flutes on the sofa in our living room in the Sedona house. The night they did that, we spent quite some time playing our flutes by turn in a kind of call-and-response manner, and then one of the three of us would lay down the flute and take up a drum or rattle. Playing our flutes to this ancient rhythmic sound was particularly enjoyable,
This experience reminded me of our ancient inheritance as humans of making simple music together.
In our world today, it seems most of our musical experience is that of listening to others (often professional) make music.
We buy CD's and watch TV and listen to I-poeds and yet, how often do we make music ourselves, with our voices, with drums, with flutes, or any other simple instrument---for the pure pleasure of it, not as a performance or assignment or project.
My experience is that creating music myself is a wonderful way to expand and express my Soul.
I invite you to try it for yourself a bit more often, and see if that is not your experience too.
Remember, the magic is in the process, and the intent, not the "product."
I love that in English, we use the word "play" with music. "Do you "play" the piano (or guitar, or whatever)?
So---play along with me!

Finally!

2009-11-11T20:41:00.001-08:00

After many weeks of silence, due to a "hot and heavy" summer and early fall, I am finally back to blogging. I hope you have not all given up. Please send me a comment or email if you are still with me, to encourage me to continue regularly, and give me a sense of who is still looking. To all of you who are-----thank you!

Now that I am back in Sedona (for less than a week) I once more have the time and the motivation to return to reflecting on life and what I am experiencing.

The pictures that accompany this blog are of the entry into our Sedona home, and the place on the deck where I most often sit to contemplate the beauty of the red rock mountains and high desert valley that delights the eye and the soul. The curtains that hang at the entry to our house create inviting archways, openings into the time that lies ahead, and the surprises and opportunities that will be coming into my life. I wonder what they will be? I have a strong sense of anticipation and curiosity, for I feel I am entering a time of deep discovery. The figures on the entry deck in one of the pictures are accompanied by these words; "fruitful silence; delicious wisdom." These are what I know I will experience here, once again, as I take more time for silence and solitude, and "return to the land of my soul." The picture of the empty chair on the deck reminds me of the need to just "sit and BE." I have spent months doing too much, and BEing too little of the time. I believe that this stage of my life (I turn 68 tomorrow!) calls for more BEing and less doing. This is the perfect time and place for that.

The mountain I call "El Shaddai" towers behind the deck, reminding me constantly of the Divine Presence, and inviting me to keep the "high watch" of prayer and communion with that Presence as constantly and consistently as possible. Nothing could be more important.

I will begin the celebration of my next year at sunrise tomorrow, walking with Leo up a mountain trail to a gorgeous high plateau I call "Beulah Land", from which I can see the surrounding scenery 360 degrees. I will play "Thank You for this day/Life" on my native american flute, and maybe even dance a little! Later in the day, I hope to acquire a new set of hiking boots for all the future hikes I hope to take, and spend time with dear friends, along with John, my dearest.

You will be in my prayers of thanksgiving for a life full of blessings.

friendships and faith

2009-08-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

One of the great joys and blessings of my life has been that every since I was a child, I have had friends from different faith traditions; Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Jewish, Sikh, Native American, African traditional, etc. etc. From these wonderful people, at different stages in my life, I have learned a whole variety of ways to see things. From their beliefs I have enlarged my understanding of the crucial role faith and values play in people's relationships, actions, and life-styles. If I had not had these friendships, I might have seen the various faiths they represented as simply subjects to be studied, or beliefs to be ignored or even criticized. I certainly would not have grown, as I have, in understanding and appreciation of the benefits of many different forms of faith and its expression. My life would be much the poorer for not having had the direct, personal access I have had to the inner life of faith I found in my friends.

To this day, one of the things I most enjoy is getting together with such friends with the express person of sharing our faith perspectives, our devotional practices, and our hopes for the future contributions of our faith communities to the welfare of the whole world.

Now I wonder.....do you have friends from other cultures and/or faiths? Do you talk about your faith in an open, curious, friendly way? Do you rule out other people's faith as irrelevant or even threatening to your own? Or ( I hope) do you deliberately cultivate friendships with people different from you in faith, culture, and background? As more and more of us do this in a deliberate way, the more we are contributing in an important way to world peace and the expansion of human consciousness. For the first time in recorded history, people from all over the world and many faiths live in our neighborhoods and are also easily accessible on the internet. Opportunities abound for a life blessed by faith-ful friendships that embrace a wide spectrum of the world's faith traditions. How will you take advantage of this exciting new opportunity?

the sunset of life

2009-07-17T16:36:00.001-07:00

Too much time has passed since my last blog. Life has been too busy. I have been playing too little, writing too little, and its time to stop getting sucked into all the "stuff" and practice what i preach about playing and praying and enjoying some holy leisure and taking time to connect with people you love. That would include those of you who are reading this blog, having waited patiently for me to get back.

My mother turned 97 years old two days ago! She is thirty years older than I am, so now you know my age, in case you didn't. I was her firstborn, and my birth story is a huge adventure in itself. But this is about Mom, and her adventurous,unusual life as a nurse married to a doctor who spent many years living abroad in India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, helping people who had very little access to medical care. She also mothered two sons and two daughters, and is grandmother to 12 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren at last count. She was and is a grand mother, loved, admired, and respected by her family and many others.

Her serenity, beauty, humor, enormous strength, love for God, dedication to the welfare of others, and healing gifts are only some of what she has blessed us with as her family. We are very grateful indeed that at her age she is still healthy, able to interact well with friends and family, and involved in living life with real verve and appreciation.

The beautiful Lake michigan sunsets pictured above are symbolic, to me, of the sunset of her life--the kind of sunset I hope to enjoy too as I age. The sunset of Mom's life radiates with the glory of God and the beauty of a life well lived, a source of joy and blessing to countless others here and in other countries.

I couldn't end this blog without expressing my appreciation to the artist who drew her portrait on Mom's 97th birthday....Dana Ziebart. She captured my Mom's sweetness, dignity, and spiritual strength beautifully. How blessed we are to have such artists in our midst.

playing

2009-06-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

We just spent a week playing. Playing with our grandchildren, to be exact. And their dog. And our dog. One of the most wonderful things about spending time with them is that they get us out of work habits and into play. I can't remember a week when I played so much in the last year! We played chess. We played board games. We played beach-ball. We played golf. We watched them play on the computer, play with their "wii" games, and always, times of play with the dogs. In turn, our dog (Leo) and theirs (Maizy) played constantly with each other, romping and wrestling until they collapsed in a heap on the floor. It was great fun watching them play too.

All this playing reminded me of the importance of play for our lives as adults as well as children. Our culture tends to be workaholic in many quarters, and its all too easy to substitute mindless TV watching or lounging for good active play. Its an important way not to take ourselves and our work TOO seriously, and to get some perspective on our lives as a game.

One of the things that distinguishes play is that it is fun. And fun, I have discovered, is as much an attitude towards life as it is a particular thing one is doing "for fun." Last week, for example, I went to a local nursery to get some plants for our deck, and was sold a plant they had never stocked before, called "dragon wing." It was, said the lady who sold it to me, "really fun to have around." Now I had never thought of fun in connection with having a certain plant around, and it gave me a whole new perspective on what fun might be!

So what are some things you find fun to do? Or might, if you just thought to look at it that way?

Actually, this blog is fun! For me, anyway. Now you go have some fun!

retreat at MorningStar

2009-06-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

I have been way too occupied with "stuff" lately, which explains the days and days without a blog. When I get too busy (do you ever do that?) I find it good medicine for the soul to go away for a day or two or three to a place like Morningstar, a beautiful rustic retreat center not far from Cadillac, Michigan. I have been retreating there periodically for many years, and I always come back home deeply refreshed and renewed by being in a place so close to nature, in which I once again live very simply, and take time to focus on listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit within.

As the old hymn says, "All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres," and "In the rustling grass I hear God pass. S/he speaks to me everywhere." At least, that is my experience when I am still enough to listen, and not so filled with my own habitual thoughts that I can't hear the Divine Whisper or the quiet Melody of Love that is always singing within and around me.

The Morningstar sign in the picture is next to a "burning bush"----a tree branch painted red.

I love it! It speaks of the truth that all ground is holy, especially when we pause to realize it.

The little cabin in the woods is called the "Poustinia" which is a Russian word meaning "wilderness." In ancient Russian Orthodox tradition, there were people who, usually when the age of grandparents, were called to leave their regular homes and lives for awhile and retire to the wilderness to live very simply in a little hut to pray and listen to God. MorningStar offers this opportunity in a safe and beautiful place in little cabins like this one.

There is a stretch of pine woods I love to walk in at Morningstar which feels like the aisle in a magnificent cathedral. The sun streams in golden rays through the pine needles, and a bed of emerald green moss lies underfoot. It is very easy to feel the Divine Presence in such a place.

There is also a medicine wheel, crafted along the lines of the Native American tradition. It is a place to pray, to sing, to ponder and pray, incorporating the wisdom and spirit of the four directions and the Center which reminds us of the importance of centering in The Great Mystery. I find that taking regular time for retreats is a way to keep from being overwhelmed by the demands of life in the world, and risking losing touch with your own soul and God.

It is a vital part of a spiritual practice that keeps us refreshed and renewed on our journey through life. In whatever form or way, may you too enjoy this wonderful treat of re-treat!

If you are interested in a retreat, you can contact Julie, the director, at : morningstar@netonecom.net.......They have a website too. (Morningstaradventures.org)

ritual moments

2009-05-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

When some people hear the word "ritual," what they often think of is some sort of religious ceremony, performed in a sanctuary. But rituals can also be an everyday thing, which can be intentionally created as moments of being intentionally mindful of the sacredness and wonder of life. Little rituals, created with sacred intent, can make the difference between mindlessly going through the motions of a day, and living a day with heart open to the Divine Presence that is always there.

One of John's and my favorite rituals while we are here in Michigan, is to have a little bowl of ice cream as we sit on the deck swing watching the sunset over Lake Michigan. Above us in the wild cherry tree that shades the swing, birds are singing. Very soon, our summer lilacs which line the back of the lower deck will be perfuming the air with their heady fragrance. Below us on the beach, people wander down the public beach stairs to watch the evening show of the sun going down into the water. Dogs and children run and play on the beach and in the water.

Often we sit in silence, just watching, listening, smelling, feeling the evening breeze, and feeling very glad to be together and to be alive in a beautiful place like this. Our hearts fill with peace and gratitude. We tune in to the countless people who have sensed the sacredness of sunset, and always taken time to pray, to watch, to rejoice at the end of another day.

Another little ritual I love is to go out in the late afternoon into what I call my secret garden in a little nook outside behind the kitchen. I have hung a string of prayer flags there, and as I sit in my chair sipping tea, and looking through the leafy branches of the trees that shade the garden on to the shimmering Lake, my prayer flags waft my prayers into the Heart of God, and I feel my unity with Buddhists all over the world who hang prayer flags, and believe that they are carrying their prayers to heaven even when they are busy with the labor of their lives and perhaps not remembering to pray. I like that idea. Its another way of practising what St. Paul calls "Prayer without ceasing."

You perhaps already have little rituals too, some of which you are aware of, some of which you may not be. I invite you to consider how intentionally doing little rituals like these can expand your awareness of The Presence of God in your everyday life.

dogs as spiritual directors

2009-05-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite authors, Matthew Fox, once wrote that his dog was his best spiritual director.

I chuckled at that, and thought he was just being his usual gadfly self. But my experience has shown that he was right on.

The picture of our dog Leo sitting on the hot tub illustrates that a good spiritual director watches over you if you get into hot water, and makes sure you don't stay there too long!

The picture of Leo keeping watch from his perch on the closed hot tub illustrates that a good spiritual director is always observing the scene, getting the context, the bigger picture, and by his/her alertness helping you be alert to what is going on around you which you might otherwise miss.

The picture of Leo taking a break on the living room sofa is also instructive. The dog next to him is Maizy, our son's family dog, who is still a puppy. When they come and visit, Maizy wants to constantly play with Leo. They tumble over each other and play at nipping and holding each other down, etc. until one or the other or both collapse on the floor panting. Leo is still young, but doesn't have that inexhaustible puppy energy Maizy has. Leo needs a break from the constant activity, and he is taking one here. Maizy is waiting for him to be done so they can go back to puppy play. Leo illustrates the wisdom of taking breaks when we feel that what has been going on is just too much. To keep driving ourselves to do more when our body and/or soul is crying for rest is foolish and counterproductive in the long run. Dogs show us the importance of listening to our bodies, and treating them as a good friend would.

The picture of Leo on the trail with me at West Fork in the Sedona area symbolizes the importance of having someone as a spiritual guide on the trail of life. You will notice Leo has a doggie back pack which enables him to lighten my load. He also goes ahead of me on the trail, tugging me up a steep part of it, and sniffing out the best way to go when I am uncertain.

A good spiritual guide will do all that for you. Leo also helps me watch my step so I don't step on a snake or walk too close to a cactus, or stumble on loose shale. A good spiritual guide will help you avoid pitfalls and dangers on the trail of life as well.

So whether you have a dog or a person as a spiritual friend/guide/director, I hope you look to someone to help you in these and other ways.

waves

2009-05-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

Although a few days have lapsed due to family visits etc. here is the next batch of Big Lake pictures, featuring Big Waves. They are beautiful to look at, but I wouldn't want to be out on the water in a boat when they are like this. I remember a day long ago when I was invited to join a family who were friends of our family for a boat ride when the waves were big. It was not fun. The smallish speedboat bounced around on the water in a jarring way, and by the time we finally reached port, I was tense and aching. Never again!

When it comes to hitting rough water in our lives, when the winds of trouble start to blow, it feels a little like the boat ride I disliked. We get bounced around, and often find ourselves off course and too far from the calm waters of peaceful harbor. We find ourselves in for a rough ride, and out there in the middle of the big waves, there is nothing much to be done except endure and head for harbor.

For me that harbor is meditation and prayer during time alone when I can focus on God and the gift of Christ's peace which passes understanding even while riding the rough waves.

I can recall the story when Jesus fell asleep in a boat with his disciples during a big storm.

When he was finally wakened by his alarmed disciples, he calmly rebuked the wind and waves and stilled the storm. He can still do that in my heart and mind and life, if I ask and trust as the disciples did. And He has---many times.

Therefore, when I hit stormy weather and big waves, I don't have to be alarmed about perishing. As the old hymn my Mom sang puts it, "The wind and the waves shall obey His will: Peace! Be Still." The wind and the waves of my turbulent thoughts and feelings can be calmed when I let Him be in charge.

And I love the fact that the Lake teaches me that the roughest weather passes, the waves calm down, the waters once again flows in quiet currents and gentle waves----just as in life.

Everything is temporary. And one can always realize that the wind and waves of one's emotions and thoughts are not what one is. They are simply disturbances on the surface of the water of life. Deep down, where it is always calm, we are always dwelling in the Peace of the Presence of God, if we but realize it.

reflections

2009-05-12T17:28:00.000-07:00

Last fall, when our son Ron was staying at our cottage on Lake Michigan, working on his PhD,

he took a picture of the Lake each day. He suggested later to me that when we came back to Michigan this spring, I might want to try this. One of the fascinating things about Lake Michigan is that its vast expanse is always changing, right before one's eyes. It can have many moods in just one day. Just like us! Our thoughts and moods and experiences are always changing too, but often we are so absorbed in them, we lose touch with that part of ourselves which is behind those thoughts, moods, and experiences, and can be consciously observing them. Actually, it turns out that this is one of the most basic and universally recommended spiritual practices of the world's Wisdom traditions, as well as of contemporary spiritualities.

The Tao Te Ching, for example, reminds us that it is when a lake is calm and still, it most clearly reflects the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds, and so on. Similarly, when our minds our still, they reflect Divine Presence and Beauty, Cosmic patterns, and passing cloud-thoughts and feelings.

I would like to share pictures of the Big Lake each day with you, and accompany them with my reflections, hoping thus to also evoke yours.

The lovely sunset pictures above show the calm waters of the Big Lake reflecting the glory of the sun. This moved me to ponder how I would want my mind to be like the Big Lake--vast, spacious, calm, reflecting the Glory of God.

These pictures also reminded me of how important beauty is to me. It is one of the greatest joys of my life that I am blessed to live in such beautiful places. My soul is deeply nurtured and delighted by the Divine Beauty all around me. I am reminded of the lovely Navaho chant:

"I walk in beauty. Beauty is above me. Beauty is below me, before me and behind me.

Beauty surrounds me." I often chant that chant as I walk at sunrise or sunset on the beach,

immersed in the Glory of God. (The Hebrew word for glory in the Bible can also be translated as beauty. I love that!)

May you walk in Beauty too, wherever you live. And may that Beauty radiate from your soul, your face, your life, to bless others.

these are a few of my favorite things

2009-05-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

Raindrops on rocks

And trillium blooming

fragrance of hyacinths

and purple of myrtle;

pelican perching

and prayer flags in breeze,

some of my favorite things are these!

When the clouds stay,

when the back aches,

when I'm feeling sad,

I simply remember my favorite things

and then I don't feel so bad.

sunlight on water

and glimmer of sunshine;

new buds and black squirrels

and sitting in hot tub;

feeling of beach sand between my toes

smell of fresh rain on grass in my nose.....(refrain above)

And what are a few of your favorite things?

Especially when you come home after you have been gone quite awhile?

To quote a favorite of mine, John Denver: "gee its good to be back home again"

Re-Entry

2009-05-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

Its a strange thing, re-entry. We come home to a place we have lived over twenty years, and it feels and looks familiar, yet somehow a little alien. We have been in such a different place for so many months. There, its sunny, usually warm, dry, and prickly. Here, its cloudy, cool, damp, and softly lush. There, its high up---5,000 feet up. Here, its low down, Lake level. Interestingly, there is lots of sand in both places, and many kinds of rocks strewn about in the sand. Some of the rocks are very similar to each other in both places. Others are not. I see the familiar place I have lived so long with new eyes because I have been gone for months. I notice that Leo is not nearly as excited to be here as he was last fall when we approached Sedona territory. He is a desert dog, born and bred out there, and his body feels it. John and I talk about our reactions too. John spent most of his childhood and life in the Midwest. This climate, vegetation, topography, and altitude feel like home to him. Sedona and the mountainous west resemble where I grew up in Pakistan and India---dry, sunny, the high altitudes of the Himalayas. Not surprisingly, my body feels more at home out west. We realize how much our bodies are connected to and influenced by the land in which we live even though Americans are a nation of movers. One study says the average American moves every three years. And we are a nation of immigrants, still. We come here from all over the world. Many of us and our ancestors chose places to live here most like the "Old Country" because of this felt fit between our bodies and our environment.

Though we are insulated in so many ways from the natural setting in which we live, we cannot escape how it conditions and shapes us. And when we consciously cultivate a more intimate relationship with the land on which we live, we come home to our selves in a deeper, more profound way. We realize that Mother Earth supports us in countless ways every day. Some say she is a vast Being or consciousness embracing us all. While I am here in Michigan, I intend to put into practice what I learned in Sedona this winter: many ways in which to appreciate, embrace, and consciously and gratefully relate to this beautiful place on earth in which I am blessed to live.

More about that in subsequent blogs!

the home stretch

2009-05-05T17:38:00.000-07:00

Now where were we? Ah--yes. Being blown about by the winds of the Wild West. And the next morning, they got even wilder as we left New Mexico and journeyed on into Oklahoma. As John hung on to the wheel for dear life, we turned to the weather channel, and discovered that we were headed right into an area in which tornadoes were happening! However, it was no good going back. They were behind us, before us, and to both sides of us. No escape. So we looked for a campground near where we were, and found one at Elk City. Yes, it was another KOA. Sigh. But hey, as before, any port in a storm.

You can see by the worried look on John's face in the pic that he was glad to be somewhere other than on the road. Or maybe he is pondering the fact that, when we checked in, the TV screen behind the desk was portraying weather people pointing to pictures of tornadoes nearby. The woman behind the desk assured us cheerfully that this was just how it was in Oklahoma, and b esides, they had an underground tornado shelter which was just outside the door and ready for use, just in case. But, she assured us, Elk City is in a valley, and usually the tornadoes skip right over it to do their damage in the surrounding higher countryside. Whew. That was a relief?!

What could we do but settle in, watch the T.V. listen for sirens, and take looks at the sky with the clouds roiling above us in classic "tornado weather" fashion. (see pic) But the lady was right. The tornadoes skipped over our area, and the next morning, when we drove on towards Illinois, the weather was harmless--overcast, light wind, good driving. So good that we decided to keep driving, and driving, and driving......all the way back to an early arrival back in Michigan, where we were finally out of range of the storms ranging across the midwest.

As we drove off on to Lakeshore Drive, the sight of the Big Lake gladdened our eyes.

Spring was already in bloom. Daffodils danced in the breeze, robins hopped over green, soft grass (unlike any grass in desert country) and the beach looked inviting and serene.

We hoped we would find our home faring well after months of absence, with the water, gas, and electricity turned off. More on that tomorrow!

so--who's driving?

2009-04-30T15:51:00.001-07:00

Remember the weather forecaster's high wind warning I referred to yesterday in my blog?

They were right. There were high winds in spades. They swept our very roadworthy vehicle from one side of the road to the other. Poor John had all he could do to keep it on the road sometimes. His hands had to grip the wheel so tightly they got numb. All around us in the desert of New Mexico between Gallup and Santa Rosa, dust devils whirled wickedly in the air, dancing along the dusty ground picking up speed, debris, and more dust as they went along.

The air was filled with dust, but at least we could see. After hours of this, we were ready to quit. It was just four o'clock, and we thought we would be in good time to pick up a spot at the State Park outside Santa Rosa. Nope. No such luck. We pulled in right after a truck pulling a big 5th wheel took the last spot. O well. Back to the drawing board. The next nearest campground was on Route 66 just outside Santa Rosa. (Route 66, in our humble opinion, is vastly over-rated these days as a tourist attraction.) We found, you guessed it, another KOA campground. This one had plenty of room and was a bit ramshackle, but hey, any port in a storm. And a storm of wind it was. It howled around our rig and when we tried to have supper outside in the sun, the wind ripped the plates and food right out of our hands and all over the ground, to Leo's great delight. So we just sat in our camp chairs overlooking the rather barren landscape, and rested. Well, John rested. I took Leo for a long walk in the evening sunlight through a field of dusty gold grass.

You may have noticed in the pics posted above that while John is driving in one picture, he definitely is not in another (he's napping) and it seems Leo is driving in still another. Every time John leaves the Road Treck to get gas or whatever, Leo hops into his seat and when John returns, he has to be driven out. But actually, the Driver of the Day was neither John nor Leo, but that doggone Wind. Whew! The folks we chatted with in the campground agreed it was the worst they had driven through. We were so exhausted, we went to bed around 8 pm and slept at least ten hours before heading off again, this time for someplace in Oklahoma. Had we known what we were getting into.........but that's for tomorrow's blog!

One short philosophical reflection: just in case we suffer the illusion that we are in the driver's seat of our life and can nicely control how the drive goes----an experience like this reminds us that the Wind of the Spirit blows where It wills, as Jesus once said, and that isn't always in the way we had planned! And the smartest thing may not be to just drive ourselves on, wrestling with the wheel of attempted control, and buffeted by forces beyond our control.

Maybe stopping to rest, reconsider, and refresh is the best thing. This is sometimes called a "retreat"--not quite the right word for what I am trying to say, but I am sure you get the drift.

So, if we are willing to wind down, we are not as likely to wind up being blown about to the point of exhaustion on the road of life.

on the road again

2009-04-29T18:26:00.000-07:00

After three days of packing, cleaning, and making arrangements for closing one place down and opening up the other, we finally pulled out of Sedona to start the long drive back to Michigan, but way too tired to go very far. So we drove just a few hours, and stopped at the campground pictured below. It was in Gallup, New Mexico.

The scenery around Gallup contains a lot of big red rock buttes, and reminds me of Sedona a little bit. We had hoped to reach a state camp ground, but decided instead to pull into the first decent campground we could find. It was already dark, and all we wanted to do was plug in and go to sleep. Fortunately, our nice little Road Treck provided us with a heap more comfort than the wagon pictured above! I just don't know how those hardy pioneers did it, bumping over endless miles of desert in wagons like these, or covered wagons if they were lucky. They endured hardship we can hardly imagine. What a hardy bunch! We are all a bunch of softies by comparison. If we were the ones who had to go settle the West, it might still be in the hands of the Native Americans. Which would probably be a good thing!

As it is, we were saddened, as we drove in the fading light, by piles of rubble, rusting cars, tumbling down shacks, and assorted "stuff" lying around cluttering up what would otherwise have been a stark, yet beautiful landscape. The little towns we went through were ugly too.

How sad that with no more money, but a little more love of beauty and imagination and effort, they could have been nestled into the landscape in a way that provided shelter and took advantage of the environment in a respectful way. Poverty and ugliness are not necessary partners. I have been in very poor villages in Africa and India where people had very little indeed, but their dwellings and villages were pleasing to the eye, and fitting in their environment. Maybe someday people will remake those ugly towns, if they don't abandon them first. Of course, campgrounds like the KOA we stayed at don't exactly contribute to the beauty of a place. But they do provide a safe place with nice things like hot showers to make travel more pleasant. And they sometimes even do a bit of decorating!

The two statues are of the omnipresent Kokopelli, the legendary Native American trader and flute player who has become a tourist icon, but was once a symbol of the Hopi flute clan, I am told. They did add a certain kitsch like charm to the campground, along with the wagon, and the little statue of Liberty. It was certainly an "Americana" experience!

After a good night's sleep, we headed out the next morning, intending to cover more miles and end up at a nice state campground near the town of Santa Rosa (love that name!) on the other side of New Mexico. The forecast was not too good---dangerous cross winds, dust storms.

More about that tomorrow!

Farewell Sedona Sunrise walk

2009-04-27T18:24:00.000-07:00

My last morning in Sedona for at least six months. I get up extra early so I have more time to watch the light dawn, and the sun slowly slip up behind the distant mountains. I slip on Leo's leash, take up my bear staff, and begin our walk. So many memories of the many sunrise walks we have taken fill my mind, I have to make a special effort to focus on here and now---to take in the changing light, the shadows, my shadow. I am choosing to believe that the imprint of my presence in the beautiful places I have walked so often with my heart singing and full of gratitude will be more lasting than my shadow! Yet, the truth is that our lives are like shadows in the landscape, constantly changing with the terrain and the light, and as swiftly fleeting. Nevertheless, they are part of a larger Mystery and Divine Pattern and Beauty which we can only glimpse as we live the moments of our lives.

On this morning, I take pictures of my shadow and the shadows of the trees, rocks, and plants, and then sit under a great Grand Mother Cedar tree that stands on the banks of Dry Creek. Once more, I play my flute as the sun comes up. Once more, I lean back against the great tree and feel its energy blending with mine, and its strength and support--physical expressions of God's strength and support every day of my life.

I will carry the memory of this sacred land and these special hours out in it with me, and will look forward to the time when I can once again take a Sedona Sunrise walk.

Until then, there will be beautiful walks on the beach of Lake Michigan, and many times of sunset prayer, balancing the sunrise prayer: Beauty at the beginning and the end of each day and of life. Gerard Manley Hopkins' lines come to mind: "Give Beauty, beauty, beauty back to God, Beauty's Self and Beauty's Giver."

the mystery of time and home

2009-04-22T21:57:00.000-07:00

Its hard for us to believe, but we are now on the eve of departure from Sedona. The months we have been here have been captured in many pictures, some of which I have shared on this blog.

Yet, the pictures are just little glimpses of the treasure house of memories of our time here.

We will carry those memories with us, and they will continue to do their alchemy in our souls.

The little place perched high on a hill we call home here will continue to house many of those memories, and it will be good to imagine this special heart space waiting for us when we return next winter.

But now our hearts are turning towards our home in Michigan. How blessed we are to be able to live in two such beautiful places, and to be able to enjoy the company of friends and family in them both. Sedona and Saugatuck/Douglas are so very different. Yet beauty and love tie them together in our hearts.

As we pack up, clean up, and make all the necessary arrangements for closing down one place and opening up the other, we remind ourselves, when it all seems a bit much, that this is what goes with the privilege of having two places we call home.

I look around me at this place, and it is so vivid and real. Michigan seems so far away and in some ways unreal. Yet I know that in a a little more than a week, it will be just the opposite. I will be back into life in Michigan, and looking out at the Great Lake instead of the valley and red rock mountains. And our life here will seem almost like a dream, or another world.

Many sages remind us that life really is much like a dream. Places and events and patterns of daily life slip through us and merge into the river of life now behind us in a past we can only touch through memory. Every moment quickly passes. Life cannot be grasped and held, it can only be lived as fully as we can, one moment at a time. Many people our age (that would be the senior stage of life!) agree that as we draw closer to the end of our years on this planet, that river of life seems to flow more and more swiftly towards that great waterfall at the end that plunges into Life Eternal. Yet, that Life Eternal is mysteriously present in each "Now" as well. It is the Divine Presence which is our true home, wherever we live. And for me, that Presence is experienced most intensely in Beauty and Love.

sunday afternoon

2009-04-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you have any thing you often do on Sunday afternoons.

One thing I have never done on a Sunday afternoon is to visit a beautiful Buddhist stupa in a stunning natural setting. That is just what I did yesterday (Sunday afternoon) with family and friends.

Although I grew up in India, and visited Buddhist stupas there, I didn't know their meaning and significance then. I learned, from a brochure and sign at the site, that stupas are rare here in the West, and it is considered great good fortune to be able to actually visit and see one. Every stupa is filled to the brim (and this, as you see in the picture, is a big one!) with scrolls on which mantras and prayers are written, sacred relics and objects, blessings from lamas (Buddhist holy men) etc. Once the stupa is filled with all of this, it is sealed up, but the energy of the prayers and sacred objects radiates out from the stupa into the world, and is especially beneficent to those who come to the stupa in a spirit of prayer and reverence. Of course, as at all sacred sites, some people come with no sacred intention, and simply as tourists or out of curiosity. As with most things in life, your intent and focus shapes what you experience, and you get out of it what you put into it. I don't believe there is anything is any building or object in and of itself, which has sacred power. It is the faith, the belief, the intent of the human heart which imbues it with whatever power and blessing is experienced. I don't believe that there are only certain places or buildings or objects that are sacred. Rather, those considered sacred point to the larger truth that everything created by God is sacred. But most of us humans need to be reminded of this by learning to cultivate a spirit of reverence and prayer with respect to specific days, places, or objects so that we can grow into the larger spirit of seeing the sacred in all of life.

I must confess that walking around the stupa and the grounds, hearing the hundreds of colorful prayerflags fluttering in the breeze, and seeing the beauty of the architecture and the lovely statue of the Buddha overlooking the stupa helped me see the surrounding red rock landscape with a fresh perspective. Whoever chose the site for this Buddhist stupa knew what they were doing!

I suggest that you consider an occasional visit to a sacred site revered by people of one of the world's wisdom traditions some time, and see how it might expand and feed your soul.

angels

2009-04-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here I am again, after more than a week away from my blog. I have been to Los Angeles and back since my last blog, visiting my daughter Rachel and my brother Ron and his wife Gail.

Friends are here visiting us this week. I have discovered that when I am immersed in spending time with people, writing takes a back seat. However, now that I am back home here in Sedona, if any of you are still checking my blog, I will once again write it more regularly. Don't give up on me!

Yesterday I took our friends Joey and Laurel to a lovely nearby retreat center called Angel Valley. It is located in a valley surrounded by mountains---four, to be exact. There is one mountain in each of the four major directions, and they are named for four major archangels of Christian tradition; Michael (east), Raphael(south) Uriel(west) and Gabriel(north). I see a parallel in the Native American tradition of the Spirits of the Four Directions, which are often symbolized by animals or birds: for example, Eagle for the East, Coyote for the South, Bear for the West, and Buffalo for the north. Different tribes, of course, have different creatures as their symbols for the directions. But what all these traditions have in common is the universal human experience of feeling certain power, or qualities, in each of the four directions. Think of it for yourself. What comes to mind, and what do you feel, when you face or ponder "north?"

east? west? south? Up above? down below? within? Its also kind of fun to associate flowers, trees, animals, birds, and certain virtues with the directions. Its a good way to integrate qualities and virtues you would like to have in your life with things from nature you naturally resonate with. For instance, the eagle represents, for me, keen sight and insight, vision, seeing the big picture, and flying high. It naturally symbolizes the east, the direction of dawn, new light, illumination, wisdom, and the like.

Speaking of light, back to angels! It is fascinating to realize how universal the belief in angels is in various religions and cultures. They may have other names: devas, spirits, jinn, etc. but they seem to be a regular feature of human imagination and experience. Angel Valley focuses on them, and offers suggestions for exploring their presence in one's life. There is, for instance, a beautiful very large Angel Wheel, divided into twelve equal sections, one for each of twelve angels. Each of their names ends in "el" or "shining one." So, am I seeing angels when I see light? H-m-m-m-m

After spending a day in Angel Valley, I am much more aware of angelic presences, which for me mediate the One Presence and Power of The Holy Spirit, The Light of God, in my life and all life. And I am pondering again the traditional Christian teaching that each of us has a guardian guiding angel with us throughout our lives. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, there are beautiful prayers to this angel. Is this angel another way of symbolizing our soul or spirit, our divine essence?

Or does it have its own separate personality and being? Why do angels play such a large part in the Bible? in other traditions? Who or what are they, really? I have a lot more questions than answers.

What are angels to you?

temple making

2009-04-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

I recently attended a workshop here in Sedona with the theme of "temple making." The leader made an intense study of ancient sacred sites and temples all over the world, and what elements they have in common, which helps understand the effect they have on people who go to them, especially for spiritual purposes, like pilgrimages.

I found his discoveries very interesting. I now understand more clearly why, as we have travelled to many places all over the world, I am always drawn to spend as much time as I can in local cathedrals, mosques, shrines, temples, etc. Silva's explanation (he was the leader of the workshop) of how such places are constructed to take advantage of locations that have a special energy, or, as the Irish might say, "where the veil between worlds is thin," was quite compelling. One of the elements of such places is what is called "Sacred Geometry," which goes back many many centuries. Now geometry is not my forte. I didn't do so well in geometry in highs chool, and avoided it in college. I wish now I hadn't. Education is often wasted on the young! Be that as it may, I now find it fascinating. It turns out that geometric shapes, like the tetrahedon, spiral, and sphere are the very "stuff" of the created universe, essential building blocks, as it were. And it also turns out that I/we resonate very differently with different shapes. F. Silva knows this, because he spent years in the advertising world working with design, etc. and how it affects the human psyche. We feel quite different in a round room than in a square room than in a pyramid, for example. Why? That's the intriguing question. No, I don't have THE answer. But we did get some clues in the workshop. And we also got some pointers for intentionally creating sacred space in the places we live, indoor or outdoor, by using a basic knowledge of the elements of ancient sacred space.

This brings me back to my early childhood. One of my earliest memories (my mother remembers this quite well) is of my sitting on the floor of a room in our house in Lahore, Pakistan, making a copy of the tabernacle in the wilderness, using a diagram in a Bible story book we had, and some small wooden blocks that fit together to make whatever shapes one desired. How interesting that all these years later, that childhood activity is taking place again in my life, on an adult level. It does, I find, feel like "Holy Play," and it expresses the fascination with the sacred, the numinous, and the idea of a dwelling place for God on earth that is quite universal in the worlds religious traditions.

Today, I was reflecting on how the house we live in here, and the one in Michigan, are really temples too, if that is how I see them, and intend for them to be. That has a host of implications which I may explore on a later blog, and which you are free to explore any time.

Of course, the most important truth is that each of us is, as the Good Book says, "a temple of the Holy Spirit." Or, as the popular praise song puts it, "Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and precious, tried and true. With thanksgiving, I'll be a living sanctuary for You."

So, in case you had forgotten who/what you are, remember you are "A Living Sanctuary," a "walking talking temple of the Living God." Awesome! AMEN

what's blooming in your life?

2009-04-05T21:10:00.001-07:00

In the high desert country out here in the Sedona area of Arizona, the flowers of spring are beginning to bloom. The little white ones you see in this picture are anemones, I am told. Look at the rocky place they are growing. As I walk outside in the desert these days, there are many beautiful flowers blooming---more of them every day. It still startles me a bit to see them in what looks like such unlikely if not impossible places for flowers to bloom.

This experience has me reflecting on what has bloomed and is blooming in my life in unexpected and unlikely ways. You might want to reflect on that with respect to your life too. In my life, as in the desert out here, there are "wildflowers"--- I have no idea how they got started, or how they manage to flourish in this environment, but there they are. I think of my playing the Native American flute as an example.

Where did that desire come from? How and why is it flourishing in my life at this time and place? My only musical training has been on the piano, and that was a long, long time ago!

It certainly gives me the same thrill of joy as seeing the beauty of wildflowers blooming among rocks. Maybe that's all I need to understand.

And then there's my recently blooming fascination with crop circles. Where did that come from? What seeds and soil brought this fascination into flower? I did not do well in geometry in highschool, and avoided all math in college. And crop circles are very much about "sacred geometry." Again, the only thing that makes sense to me is that they are radiantly beautiful, and beauty attracts me. Especially if there is an element of mystery in it.

Maybe the important thing is not to figure out why, but to just be grateful for, and enjoy, what is flowering in my life right now. I have the feeling that the more attention I pay to what is flowering, the more "flowers" I will realize are blooming in my life. That seems a particularly fitting thing to become aware of in the spring.

A mermaid in my shower?

2009-04-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

I have the pleasure of enjoying the beauty of this mermaid watching over me as I take my bath or shower. It was a gift from a friend. I smile and think of her whenever I see it. I am reminded that one of the delights of life can be the unexpected and quirky. Deliver me from the routine and conventional, except in small doses!

I have always been a lover of myths and fairytales, from early childhood on. The idea that a mermaid might visit me in my shower keeps me connected to that child like sense of wonder and openness to possibilities that the grown up world of our culture usually dismisses as nonsense.

That's why I also have pictures of crop circles on my kitchen cupboards here in Sedona.

(If you haven't heard of crop circles, google 'em")

And in Michigan, my kitchen cupboards have painted on them figures from my imagination, which enliven the atmosphere considerably!

When I go hiking, I sometimes feel that there are invisible spirits along the way, and sometimes my camera catches them! (see picture above)

When I was in Egypt, I took a picture on the night of my birthday from the balcony of our hotel, from which I could see the pyramids, which were faintly lit and visible in the distance.

I got a lot more than pyramids on the picture!" Light beings," is what a friend of mine calls them. What do you think?

There are those who believe that a thin "veil" separates the physical dimension in which we live from other dimensions which are all around us, but usually not visible to our untrained senses. The perspective of Native Americans and other Original Peoples world wide, is that physical "things" like animals, mountains, rocks, trees, insects, etc. etc. have a spirit within them, as do humans, and that one can learn how to see and interact with them. Left brain western scholars sometimes dismiss this as "animism." I like the way poets and story tellers look at it. One of my favorites isJ.R.R. Tolkien, who wrote a little book called "Everything is Alive." I think he is right!

Little children, of course, live in this magical world of imagination, until it gets educated out of them in our society. As I age, I am enjoying becoming a child again, and living in that magical world! I like visual reminders that this world is a mysterious place with many more dimensions than are normally recognized in our culture. It is fascinating experiencing it that way, and I like it when my camera catches glimpses of the mystery!

Speaking of other dimensions, my heart resonates with the lullaby I still sing to my grandchildren: "All day, all night, angels watching over you, my love."

Have you seen an angel lately?

watch for the signs

2009-04-01T21:17:00.000-07:00

The other day, a friend and I were going to go hiking on the Broken Arrow Trail. She had never been there, and I had last been there several years ago. I remembered how magnificent it was, and I remembered there was a big sink hole there which locals had called "The Devil's Dining Room." We both thought this was a negative and strange name for it, so we renamed it "Komwida's Kitchen." Komwida pukwia, meaning Grandmother White Stone-with-great-stone-medicine-power, is the First Woman of Yavapai creation myth, which I have talked of in a former blog. We thought honoring her by renaming the place we were eager to check out was a good idea. We started out early in the morning, and decided that before we did our hike, we should have a good breakfast, because it promised to be a long one. As we drove into the shopping mall where the breakfast place was we wanted to go to, lo and behold! there was a big sign, as you see in the picture above. "Kitchen Konnection." We both laughed and took a picture, seeing it as an interesting synchronicity telling us we were going on the right track with our plans. ( Our hike proved to be a wonderful one, and I am including a couple pictures of it, one of them being "Komwida's Kitchen.")

If you stop and reflect, you can probably remember similar "co-incidences" in your life, maybe considerably more major than this one. Maybe not. The point is that its a useful spiritual practice to be alert for synchronicities in our lives. If this is a meaningful and essentially benevolent universe (God is so good!) which I choose to believe, then it makes sense that we would be receiving lots of help and guidance if we want it, ask for it, and then look for the signs of it. It's interesting. Since I have been out here, I have found myself becoming far more alert to the signs. I can tell you, it makes life more fun, more exciting, more interesting, and more rewarding. It gives me a feeling of being "in the flow," and it makes me much more aware of the Guiding Presence of a loving God who cares about my life and my choices, even the small ones.

I think of the wonderful old story of the Exodus, which tells us that the people of Israel were led through the desert by a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. For forty years, they were guided through trackless wilderness in this way. A hymn I love celebrates this in the following words. "God's banner is o'er us, God's love goes before us, a pillar of fire shining forth in the night, 'till shadows have vanished and darkness is banished, as forward we travel from light into light. " YES! And even little "signs and wonders" can be that guiding pillar for us, if just have the eyes to see it.

something new to explore

2009-03-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

I went for an evening hike, a short one, yesterday. The path was familiar that led from a hilltop west of our house at the boundary of the Coconino national forest. I followed the path upwards and then over to the edge of a bluff. From there, I could look down and see a wide wash, dry at this time of year. I noticed for the first time that a slope of red earth ran upwards from it towards a highway bridge. I couldn't figure out how one could access this slope and follow it under the bridge to whatever land lay on the other side of the highway. It looked fairly close and easy to do, but I had often been down in the wash, walking and exploring, and never seen that slope that led under the bridge.

I continued walking along the bluff and down to the wash as I have so many times. Once in the wash, I followed it to a place where a great white sycamore tree stands, and a huge, long smooth log that lays along the ground like a giant serpent, with its one-horned head raised. It looks for all the world like the water serpent named Bololokong(I love that name!) of Yavapai legend. At this junction, the wash bends eastwards, away from the highway, and curves, like a snake, through the land for a longer way than I have ever followed it.

As I stood next to Bololokong, I glanced towards the setting sun. It lit up the tangle of dead wood, leaves, and branches nearby in a magical way, and I quickly snapped a picture, stepping away a bit to get a good angle. A moment later, the sun went behind the bluff overlooking the wash. I glanced to my right, stepped a few steps further in that direction for some reason, and lo and behold! I saw that the wash also curved and went south towards the highway. Aha! That was the way to that red slope I had seen from high up on the bluff. I took a picture of the highway bridge to which the wash led, barely visible through the trees.

It was too late to explore this new direction of the wash, but now I knew where to go. I'll let you know what happens when I go exploring.

As I reflect on this experience, I think of the many times in my life when I have wondered how to get somewhere, and have thought I had explored all my options, only to discover there was another one I hadn't even seen before. Often enough, this new option appears unexpectedly, at a moment when I am in the moment, more than usually awake and aware. Have you ever had that experience? It makes me realize that we usually have more untried paths and options than we imagine we do, and if we are aware, they will present themselves to us. I like to think that's one of the jobs of our "guardian/guiding angel"--to help us see new possibilities in unlikely ways and places.

The Dance of Love

2009-03-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today John and I celebrated our 47th anniversary! Yes, we were very young when we got married. And I like to think we are both still young at heart, willing to try new things, explore, and most certainly enjoy the harvest years of "the Golden Age," which is what a card we got recently is called. It lets us in , free!, to national parks all over the country, and gives us half off lots of state parks as well. We have already made good use of it. Age does have its perks!

The round picture is a painting by a friend, Kuwica, which she did for us, depicting her intuition of us, after she stayed with us a few days. I think its a beautiful and sensitive rendering of the dance of love between us, and, as an archetype, of the balance and inter-relationship of the masculine and feminine which is so important in our earthly life. In this ideal dance and balance, both masculine and feminine lead and follow, weaving in and out of each other's lives, living in a way that combines oneness and difference.

When a couple has danced together as long as we have, there have been times when toes have been stepped on, and the dance has gotten difficult. But there are many more times when the dance takes on its own life, and we are caught up in a Music and Love far greater than our own.

The dance becomes sheer joy, and "the dance goes on..."

The other picture is of us sitting together in the sun during a walk at Cathedral Rock. I think it captures the warmth and closeness of many shared experiences, and the relaxing into a life of more togetherness as we enjoy many glorious days and nights in this magical place called Sedona where we have been blessed to live as we enter our "retirement" years. This is the time when we can enjoy the harvest of all the earlier years of hard work, raising a family, and the inevitable stresses of two demanding careers. We are grateful we have the health and good spirits to be able to enjoy this stage of life together. I think of it as "holy leisure!"

In Hindu wisdom, life has stages which it is wise to honor. The first stage is that of student.

The second is that of householder, when one takes one's place in society, and through work and family makes a contribution. The third is when one retires from these responsibilities , and becomes a "forest dweller," preparing for the Great Transition to the life beyond this one, focusing one's attention on spiritual living, and being available to offer hospitality, wisdom, and love to those who are in the earlier stages of life. I like to think of us now as "forest dwellers."

It just so happens that both here and in our cottage on Lake Michigan, we dwell in a forest. They are very different kinds of forest, but in both places, the presence of large trees surrounding us remind us of long lives, well lived, in good company. That's about as good as it gets!

Camel of Love: Judaism

2009-03-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

Today is the Sabbath again....a day to rest, to be refreshed by allowing thoughts of God to flow through the mind, through the day, through all of life.

Today's short saying from the devotional Hasidic tradition of Eastern Europe gave me another perspective on what happens when I go walking out on the land. Of course, the same is true for you.

When I was little, our family, which lived in Pakistan at the time, had a tradition of always going for a walk together along the canals of Lahore on Sunday afternoon. When we were vacationing up in the mountains, we would walk a lovely mountain path in a leisurely way, stopping to use all our sense to see the beauty, smell the fragrance of the flowers and pines, hear the singing of birds, and always, enjoy a picnic as far from any sign of civilization as possible. I am grateful for the gift of this family tradition, and want to keep it alive.

May you enjoy the kind of walk described in this Hasidic saying sometime soon as a way of Keeping Sabbath in your own life.

"When you walk across the fields with your mind pure and holy,

then from all the stones

and all growing things

and all animals

come the sparks of their souls, which come and cling to you,

and then they become a holy fire in you."

(from Earth Prayers)

P.S.

Starting this coming week, beginning tomorrow, March 29, I will be doing "Camel of Love" blogs just once a week, focusing on one of the great religious traditions each week. Doing two blogs almost daily has become a bit intense! (probably for you who read my blogs too!)

So, The Camel of Love will come bearing treasures, probably on Mondays, (if the caravan does well) and we will enjoy an oasis of contemplation of wisdom from the world's Wisdom Traditions weekly. I hope you continue to join me. I will be continuing my daily blogs with musings on various things that inspire me, as usual. Its good to be sharing all this with you.

Thank you for "listening." with much love and many blessings to all of you.......

Camel of Love: Islam

2009-03-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

Today is Friday, the day when Muslims the world over go to their local mosque to pray together, as Christians go to church on Sundays.

The readings today are poem-prayers by Rumi, the Sufi Muslim poet who has for centuries delighted and opened the hearts of people all over the world, of all faiths. Savor these words with me:

"Rise up nimbly and go on your strange journey

to the ocean of meanings.

The stream knows it can't stay on the mountain.

Leave and don't look away from the sun as you go,

in whose light you're sometimes crescent, sometimes full."

Some nights, stay up till dawn, as the moon sometimes does for the sun.

Be a full bucket pulled up the dark way of a well, then lifted into the light.

Stars burn clear all night.

Do that yourself, and a spring will rise in the dark

with water your deepest thirst is for.

somebody has to do it!

2009-03-26T21:30:00.001-07:00

I am so blessed! I have this splendid place to live, good health, and wonderful trails to hike. Hey, its a tough life, but somebody has to do it! Kidding aside, I have decided that since I have the joy of being able to go on numerous fabulous hikes, I will henceforth dedicate every hike to someone I love, who can't be here to do it with me.

So, to you who read this blog---if you would like to have a hike dedicated to you, email me (marchiene@gmail.com) and let me know! What does it mean to have a hike dedicated to you?

It means that I let you know before I go on the hike that I am doing one for you. And while I hike, I will think of and pray for you, and take a few pictures just for you, which I will send to you attached to an email, if I have your email address. If you are not sure I do, just send it to me. And if I don't write anything about a certain hike in my blog, I will surely tell you about it, when it is dedicated to you. I always take my flute along, so if there is a song you would like me to pray for you while I am out hiking, I'd be happy to do that too.

The pictures of our hike yesterday in the West Fork Lost Canyon area was truly magical, as if we were in an enchanted forest. Huge stone cliffs flanked the path, looking like songs in stone. There were many budding deciduous trees as well as huge old growth red pines and Arizona cypress as well as other evergreens. Wildflowers bloomed everywhere. Faces appeared in rainbow colored rocks. Tall rock formations looked like ancient guardians of the forest. Oak Creek flowed over countless little waterfalls as it tumbled through the rocky terrain. Big smooth ledges of red rock afforded perfect places to stop and soak in the amazing beauty around us, soak in some sun, and listen to the symphony of birdsong.

This hike was dedicated to dear friends who make up what we call our Dream Group.

So now there is a new meaning to the term "dedicated hiker!" That is my intention.

Camel of Love: Buddhism

2009-03-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

This photo is from a place called "Buddha Beach", so it seems fitting to accompany today's wonderful classic "Discourse on Good Will", The Sutra Nipata, from Buddhist Scriptures. This is another one of those Scriptures, which, if actually lived by most people, would create a wonderful, peaceful world.

It is worth committing to memory and practicing every day.

May all beings be filled with joy and peace.

May all beings everywhere,

The strong and the weak, the great and the small,

The weak and the powerful, the short and the long, the subtle and the gross:

May all beings everywhere,

The seen and unseen, dwelling far off or nearby,

Being or waiting to become:

May all be filled with lasting joy.

Let no one deceive another,

Let no one anywhere despise another,

Let no one out of anger or resentment

Wish suffering on anyone at all.

Just as a mother with her own life

protects her child, her only child, from harm,

So within yourself let grow a boundless love for all creatures.

Let your love fow outward through the universe,

to its height, its depth, its broad extent,

A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.

Then as you stand or walk, sit or lie down, as long as you are awake,

Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;

Your life will bring heaven to earth.

Camel of Love: Taoism

2009-03-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

Today I honor the wisdom of Taoism.

I prepare to write this blog as I sit on my meditation sofa overlooking the valley and red rock mountains and listen to music from China. Music is, for me, the best entry into the soul of another culture and religion.

Having soaked in the music awhile, I turn to two collections of interfaith prayers and passages:

Earth Prayers, edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon, and God Makes the Rivers to Flow by Eknath Easwaren.

The first selection today is by Li Po:

You ask why I perch

on a jade green mountain?

I laugh, but say nothing

my heart free

like a peace blossom

in the flowing stream going by,

in the depths in another world

not among men.

The second selection is by Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism, author of the Tao Te Ching, according to tradition.

The best, like water, benefit all, and do not compete.

They dwell in lowly spots that everyone else may scorn.

Putting others before themselves,

They find themselves in the foremost place,

And come very near to the Tao.

In their dwelling, they love the earth.

In their heart, they love what is deep.

In personal relationships, they love kindness.

In their words they love truth.

In the world, they love peace.

In personal affairs, they love what is right.

In action, they love choosing the right time.

It is because they do not compete with others

That they are beyond the reproach of the world.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"In action, they love choosing the right time."

That phrase is one that resonates deeply with me.

One can do the right thing, but if the time is not right, or better, ripe, it can turn out not to have been a wise thing to do, at least at that time. Timing is so important in making choices,

responding to situations, starting something new, letting go of something old, etc. etc.

Taoist teachers tell us that ease and flow are marks that the time is right for something.

If there is a sense of force, of having to "make it happen," it could be the timing is off.

If a decision needs to be made, and there is still a lot of doubt, confusion, or lack of peace,

it could be one simply needs to wait until things ripen more, and become clear.

Waiting is hard for many of us, given our culture of instant gratification, but there is much to recommend it. And at least in our imaginations, we can sit with Li Po on that jade green mountain and watch peach blossoms float by on the river while we are waiting.

hiking heaven

2009-03-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my good friend, Sharon Miller, went hiking with me in Long Canyon with Leo, the dog. We made a day of it, starting out around ten thirty am and finishing around 4 pm.

Sharon and I grew up in India , and we both love hiking and mountains. Sharon is visiting for a week and lives in Manhattan, so this is a rare treat for her. There are many, many wonderful hiking trails here, and people come from all over the world to hike them in the exalting red rock country around here. A lot of them were on the trail with us. It was a bit busier than I like it.

But everyone was obviously hugely enjoying the beauty of the trail, as we were.

As we hiked, I felt reconnected to my childhood in India, when I was in boarding school at Woodstock school up in the Himalaya mountains. On weekends, we were allowed to sign out all day Saturday with a buddy, and go hiking in the mountains. There was a song we sang about that with a couple lines that go like this: "With a pack on my back, there is nothing I lack, with a friend who's true. Let me hit the winding trail and go hiking along with you."

That song still resonates for me. There is something about hiking, being out in nature, moving along a trail that winds and has another vista around every curve that is entrancing to me. I find that having my little camera along also keeps me more alert and aware of the beauty of the things along the trail....the bark of a tree, a butterfly on the path, the twisting beauty of manzanita bushes. I fill my lungs with the clean, fresh, pine scented air, and stop here and there to play my flute. Sharing the beauty of the trail with a friend doubles the pleasure as we see things from different viewpoints. Some famous person once said "There is nothing that is as good a cure for what ails you as a good long walk." It truly is great medicine for soul and body. May you know the joy of a long walk in a beautiful place before too long.

Camel of Love: Hinduism

2009-03-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today's reading is a poem by Kabir, a fifteenth century mystical poet and saint honored by both Hindus and Muslims. He spent his life in a tiny shop on one of the winding alleyways of Varanasi, north India, as a weaver. Legends say that at Kabir's death, Hindus came to carry his body to the cremation ground and Muslims came to bury him. Yet, when the cloth covering the body was lifted, all that could be seen was a heap of flowers, a fitting fulfillment of his poetry.

Here is one of his poems. Its is worth learning by heart!

THE RIVER OF LIFE

I am a citizen of that realm where God reigns in fullness of Glory.

There, neither pain nor pleasure cast their shadows, for the sun of joy never sets.

I am a citizen of that realm where every day is a day of celebration.

The river of Love overflows its banks, and the lotus blooms in the devotee's heart.

I am a citizen of that realm where God shines as the Source of Light,

and lights the lamp of wisdom in my soul to burn without oil, without wick.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kabir's realm sounds like what Jesus calls The Kingdom of Heaven, which he says is within and among us. I want to not only be a citizen of that heavenly realm, or state of consciousness, but dwell there daily. Maybe you do to.

Camel of Love: Native American Wisdom

2009-03-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

Today's beautiful words from the Native American tradition are taken from the book "Earth Prayers" which I highly recommend.

The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air,

the fragrance of the grasses , they speak to me.

The summit of the mountain, the thunder of the sky,

the rhythm of the sea, they speak to me.

The faintness of the stars, the freshness of the morning,

the dewdrop on the flower, they speak to me.

The strength of fire, the taste of salmon,

the trail of the sun, and the life that never goes away,

they speak to me.

And my heart soars.

Will you join me today in listening to the Beauty of the earth speak to you?

The Book of Nature is the primary Revelation of God.

What is it revealing to you today? Take a few moments and ponder the question.

Let yourself feel your deep connection to this creation in which we live and move and have our being.

Camel of Love:JudeoChristian and Yavapai Creation Stories

2009-03-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today's blog will combine my daily "musings" and my daily Camel of Love Interfaith blog.

Those of you familiar with the earliest stories in the Bible will remember the story of creation and the flood. (If not,you might want to review them in the early chapters of Genesis so you will "get" what I am talking about in this blog.)

The Bible tells us that early on in human history, there was a great flood, in which everyone perished except a man named Noah and his family, who were saved in a wooden boat/Ark which finally landed on a mountain top. Noah set out a raven, then a dove, and when the dove returned with a leaf in its mouth, he knew he and his family and the animals he had saved in the Ark could get out and begin creating a new life in the new world emerging from the old one.

The Yavapai, a tribe of Native Americans who have lived in this area for centuries, have a story with interesting parallels as well as differences. They tell of three world previous to this one, which were destroyed by ice, by fire, and lastly by flood. One woman was spared from the flood. Her people put her in a big log(which they sealed with pitch) along with some food, seeds, and a dove, and told her to stay in it until she felt it stop floating and come to rest. Then she could get out.

A great flood drowned all people, but the woman, named Komidapukwia (GrandMother White Stone) survived. When the log she was in finally grounded on the top of the tallest peak in this area of Sedona (some say it was Thunder Mountain, which I can see from our house to the east) she sent out the dove. When it returned with a bit of greenery in its mouth , she knew she could get out and live. She planted the seeds and created a new world. Since she was the only person alive, she couldn't conceive in the usual way. So she went up on Mingus mountain (not far from here) and allowed the sun's first rays at dawn to enter into her. Then she went to a cave and allowed water to also drip into her birth canal. Thus, she became pregnant (an interesting version of a virgin birth!) and had a daughter. When her daughter came of age, she did the same thing and had a son. Unfortunately, when the son was just a baby, its mother was killed by a huge eagle. So GrandMother White Stone had to raise her grandson alone. She taught him all about medicine plants and the laws of life. They created by singing songs around the land, rather like Aslan in C.S. Lewis's book "The Magician's Nephew" in the Chronicles of Narnia.

Now here's an interesting thing. I have been studying these Yavapai stories as part of my getting to know and understand where I live better. This story was certainly in my mind when I went out for my sunrise walk a few days ago, and as I descended into a wash not far from here (a dry riverbed) I looked up at the stone wall opposite me and saw the images in the rock which are portrayed in the pictures above. Now I know the story was affecting my imagination, but I do think the figure of an old woman's head and outstretched arms are discernible, don't you? And the dove in her hand on the right side of the picture is pretty clear, wouldn't you say?

I also found I could perch in a ledge below her head as if it were her lap. So I did. I sat in First Woman's lap (Great Grandmother White Stone) and played my flute and wondered what it would be like to be the first and only person in a new world.

Then I pondered the poetic/metaphoric meaning of the story, and realized that every morning at sunrise, I am given a new world, a new day, and the Dove of the Spirit to help me, and I get to create my day, and my life, with thoughts and songs of gratitude and gladness. I can imagine what would make a wonderful day, and life, and with the Creator Spirit working through me, create, as Mother Theresa said, "something beautiful for God." And so can you!

The Unexpected

2009-03-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

When we took some visiting friends to Red Rock Crossing, near Cathedral Rock, we walked a trail to a place called Buddha Beach, which has lot of little stone pillars which I call "Prayer Pillars." I have included some pictures of them in former blogs. This picture is a closeup of a little stone pillar right in the "V" of a tree---something unexpected which our friend photographer Gary Jones captured on film. Most people would have just walked right by it and never even seen it.

Since being out here, I have gone out hiking a lot, and occasionally gone back to a place I had already been. I could not believe how much I missed the first time! It made me realize how much every one of us filters out of what we sense each day. There are so many sights and sounds and smells we just miss, especially if we are in a hurry. It takes a special kind of alertness and mindfulness to fully experience life each day.

Of course, there is such a thing as sensory overload too. And our society does that number on us a lot! It is wearing on the psyche, and is another reason why our souls need times of silence and limited sensory input. Although the overload of sirens, traffic, horns, blaring music, loud talking, airplanes, lawnmowers, motorbikes, etc. are obvious sources of overload, even nature can sometimes be too much. Some people I know of have moved away from living on Lake Michigan because the sound of the waves got to be too much for them. Just now, my friend Sharon, who is visiting us for a week, came in from lounging on the deck chair outside because, she said, it was "a bit much." The wind is blowing hard through the pines, sounding like ocean waves roaring. The birds in the trees and at the feeders are all chirping at once. The quails are running here and there, calling out in a way that almost sounds like a cat meowing.

There is a lot going on out there!

So once again, its about balance--a balance of sensory input, and silence; of making haste and slowing down; of screening stuff out, and being really alert to take in what we might otherwise miss. Would you say you're in balance? Like those little rocks balanced just-so in the V of the tree?

Camel of Love: Judaism

2009-03-21T11:10:00.001-07:00

Today is the Sabbath. From the Jews, we get this great gift of a day in seven to rest, and to focus on God and soul and the spiritual dimension of life. Sabbath time is what anchors us in Reality, so that we are not overcome and swept away by the "reality" of this world and its echoes in our thoughts which disturb and distress us. When we regularly choose to accept this gift of Sabbath, we are relieved from work and worry. We build a temple in time. We focus on all that is good and true and beautiful, and we find a peace that passes understanding.

Here are words to help us do this by Solomon Ibn Gabirol, a Jewish philosopher, poet, and mystic of the 11th century who lived in Spain. He wrote hundreds of poems in Biblical Hebrew, which have become an important part of the Jewish tradition.

(I have taken the liberty to make his language inclusive in English)

THE LIVING GOD

Bow down before God, my precious thinking soul,

and make haste to worship God with reverence.

Night and day think only of the everlasting world.

Why should you chase after vanity and emptiness?

As long as you live, you are akin to the living God, Who is invisible, just as you are.

Since your Creator is pure and flawless,

know that you too are pure and perfect.

The Mighty One upholds the heavens

as you uphold the mute body.

My soul, let your songs come before your Rock

who does not lay your form in the dust.

My innermost heart, bless your Rock always,

Whose Name is praised by everything that has breath.

The Flow of Time

2009-03-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

I chose these pictures because to me they depict my experience of that mysterious thing we call Time. Sometimes it seems like a rushing stream carrying us along willy-nilly with the flotsam and jetsam of our lives. The days rush by and we say at the end of a day, a week, a month, a year--"Where did the Time go?" And then there are those quiet times, when time seems to stop, and there is just--well, being. I find that when I am out in nature, whether walking or just sitting quietly by a stream or under a tree, time stands still. Or when I am painting or writing or creating in some other way, I lose track of time. I have no sense of it carrying me. Rather, I feel that I am still, and it is just there, like a calm pond reflecting sunlight.

I read that based on Einstein's theory of relativity, one can say that time is relative too.

I find that to be true for me. When I am enjoying whatever is going on, how quickly a much enjoyed and anticipated experience becomes just a memory. When I am in pain of some kind, or can't sleep at night, or in a situation I dislike, time just drags.

How obsessed with time we often are. Most of us wear watches and keep track of time all day long. Our lives are governed by time chopped up into fragments of minutes and hours.

Why have we humans invented this kind of time? If I were to ask Leo the dog "What time is it?" or "What day is it?" he would just look at me with those big golden brown eyes, mystified. How easily we forget that clock and calendar time is a human construct! Sometimes I yearn for a life in which time flows according to the seasons, and the simple rhythm of day and night. To do that, I would have to give up making dates and appointments and scheduling things I want to do, fairly often based on when other folks decided they were happening. I guess I am not quite ready to do that yet, but occasionally, especially when I read the stories of how ancient peoples lived, I think I'd like to try it out for awhile. Maybe!

I might be able to get a taste of it by meditating as if I were a rock in the stream or pond, and thinking of Time as the water flowing around and past me. But I am rooted in the Eternal Now. No past. No present. Just this moment. I think I'll go try it right now for--well--I have no idea how long, because I won't be paying any attention to what time it is!

Camel of Love: Islam

2009-03-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

A GARDEN BEYOND PARADISE

Everything you see has its roots in the Unseen world.

The forms may change, yet the essence remains the same.

Every wondrous sight will vanish, every sweet word will fade.

But do not be disheartened.

The Source they come from is eternal---

Growing, branching out, giving new life and new joy.

Why do you weep?--

That Source is within you,

And this whole world is springing up from it.

The Source is full,

Its waters are ever-flowing;

Do not grieve, drink your fill!

Don't think it will ever run dry.

This is the endless ocean!

(Poem by Rumi, from "Timeless Wisdom" by Eknath Easwaran)

What more can I say.

The wonder of this Truth is simply beyond words.

The Power of Singing

2009-03-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

This morning I took a sunrise walk out in the Coconino wilderness, as usual. I was excited to discover a way to get close to a beautiful red rock formation about a 45 minutes walk from our house. I call it "The Singers" because I can see the profile of a face on each side of the rock, and they look like they are singing. I like to think of them as singing the sun up at dawn, which is when I took these pictures. Maybe, like me, they sing the Zuni sunrise song. I know many Native American tribes believed that it was vital to be out in nature at sunrise to pray and praise, and that such spiritual action contributed to the flourishing of creation. I tend to agree with them.

The Yavapai people (the name means "people of the sun") have a creation legend which tells of how the First Woman, Grandmother White Stone, and First Man, her grandson, sang songs to the beautiful sky to bring down the rainbows and rain, and help create a new world. They instructed their descendents to sing songs as they walked the land, and they would truly live.

This reminds me of C.S. Lewis's Narnia books. In "The Magician's Nephew", Aslan, the Christ figure, is pictured as singing all creation into existence. I loved this idea and how it is described. Scientists tell us that the universe is "a symphony of vibrating strings." A writer whose name I don't remember called the Universe "One Song." And I love to think of each of us as a song of God, which goes on and on forever, inseparable from the Singer.

Singing is an absolutely essential spiritual practice in all the world religions and traditions I know of. People who study such things say that when we hum and sing, the vibration greatly increases our well being in subtle but real ways. And it matters not at all if we have a nice voice or can carry a tune. The thing is to sing. (think of it as sort of like a cat purring!)

In the past, I have tended to stick pretty much to singing and humming familiar songs, made up by others. But lately, out here, I have been inspired by the example of Native Americans to just make up my own as I go along, and its great fun. I like to think you will be inspired by these pictures and words to make up your own songs/chants too, or at least whistle or hum something that makes your heart sing.

Let's all just hum along with the One Song and Singer!

Camel of Love: Buddhism

2009-03-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today's Wisdom comes from the Dhammapadda, in a section called "Twin Verses."

The Dhammapada is probably the premier scripture for most Buddhists.

The Buddha himself is reputed to be its author.

TWIN VERSES

All that we are is the result of what we have thought.

We are formed and molded by our thoughts.

Those whose minds are shaped by selfish thoughts cause misery when they speak or act.

Sorrows follow them as the wheels of a cart follow the bullock that draws it.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought.

We are formed and molded by our thoughts.

Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act.

Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.

(from "God Makes the Rivers to Flow" by Eknath Easwaran

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This is the most practical wisdom imaginable! It is not easy to practice, however.

The first step is to become far more conscious of what we are thinking day and night than we usually are. And to do that, we have to have a strong sense of being much more than our thoughts. If we think we ARE our thoughts, we are in deep trouble! They come and go, like the birds in the sky. And when they are negative thoughts, they can foul us up. Martin Luther told his barber, who was concerned about his lack of control over his thoughts, especially negative ones: "You can't stop birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair!"

Of course, if our thoughts are good thoughts, uplifting thoughts, inspiring thoughts, "feed the birds!" Keep them around. Nourish them. They will bring delight and beauty to our lives. Or, as Buddha says, "Joy follows like a shadow that never leaves you." I would like to be shadowed by Joy, wouldn't you?

Big Sky

2009-03-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about the West is "Big Sky." When we drive out here, we no longer find the flat land and vast spaces of the West (and even some of the Midwest) boring. We love how the vista opens up, and how the sky dominates the view as we drive along. In this Big Sky, the stars are more brilliant, and even the light of the sun and moon seem brighter. The "Cloud Nation," as the Native Americans put it, has a special glory and intrigue of its own. Cloud gazing has become a favorite meditation of mine, as well as star and moon gazing. I reserve sun gazing for sunrise and sunset!

The wonderful thing about the sky and clouds and heavenly bodies is that they are serene, always present, yet far away, far above and beyond the turmoil and trouble of life on earth. They remind us that there is a Holy Beauty and Presence which sustains and watches over us and all of life. They help us "lift up our hearts and give thanks to God." No wonder in Hebrew the word for sky and the word for heaven is the same.

Heaven doesn't mean somewhere far off but not here. Just like the sky, heaven is all around us, and it is also transcends this earthly realm. The little round of your life and mine, like the round earth, is completely surrounded and sustained by Heaven/Sky. BIG SKY!

Have you ever tried lying on your back during the day or at night and spending at least half an hour doing nothing but gazing at the sky when it is full of stars or fabulous formations of cloud?

Its a wonderful way to quiet the mind, lift the heart, and calm the spirit. In short, its an effective way to meditate and pray. Its a little bit like going to heaven while living on earth!

You just might want to try it.

The Camel of Love: Hinduism

2009-03-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

In the Hindu tradition, unlike the religious traditions of the West (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) God is imaged and worshipped as feminine as well as masculine. Here is a beautiful prayer which expresses devotion to the Divine Feminine.

Hymn to the Divine Mother

O Thou, the giver of all blessings,

O Thou, the doer of all good,

O Thou, the fulfiller of all desires,

O Thou the giver of refuge,

Our salutations to Thee, O Mother Divine.

O Thou Eternal Mother,

Thou has the power to create to preserve, and to dissolve.

Thou art the dwelling place and embodiment of the three gunas, (law, virtue, and energy.)

Our salutations to Thee, O Mother Divine.

O Thou, the savior of all who take refuge in thee,

The lowly and the distressed--

O Mother Divine, we salute Thee,

Who takest away the sufferings of all.

(From God Makes the Rivers to Flow by Eknath Easwaran)

(This prayer is taken from the Chandi, a Sanskrit scripture which glorifies the Divine Mother as protector and vanquisher of all negative forces in consciousness)

Prayers and devotion to God as Mother, it seems to me, provide a necessary balance to the focus on God as Father or King which have been predominant in world religions in the West.

While it is true that God is beyond gender, it is also true that we humans experience life through a filter of gender, and to view God through the lens of both masculine and feminine qualities makes for a fuller, truer concept of God. Reflect for yourself on how this might be true for you and how everything in faith and life is profoundly influenced by whatever concepts of God are primary for each of us.