Friday, January 30, 2009

Dance!

Lately, I've been doing some trance dance yoga and am loving the feeling of losing myself to the music only to find myself in the process. I came across this quote recently (thank you Shiva Rea) and thought I would share it with all of you. I am awakening to the fact that I dance and dance often.


Since we live where everything is music, everything is dancing. Watch the dust grains moving in the light near the window. Their dance is our dance. We rarely hear the inward music, but we're all dancing to it nevertheless.
~ Rumi

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Curious as a...puppy?

"oh, i'm so happy to be home!"
she exclaimed as she breathed
in the pretty snow now blanketing her childhood home.

and she did a joyful little dance
around the house
with the family dog prancing beneath her feet.

"mum, would you say i'm a laid back soul?"she asked,
pausing to allow her mother to contemplate the question.

"sometimes," she answered thoughtfully,
"although you've always struck me as
having the energy of a little puppy,
curious about everything and anything."

"oh, you mean something like this?" she replied
pantomiming what that might look like.

"something like that," her mother answered through her laughter,
only to laugh harder when the family dog
got up to show them what that really would look like.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

And the Winner Is....

"i've just awarded you
the "most fun to e-mail *ever* award",
he wrote her.

"no WAY!" she giggled back.
"how did i ever snag such a coveted honor?"
she asked curiously.

"well," he said,
"it's because you never miss a
step, beat, or exclamation point!

surely you were a dancer in a previous life."

and the thought made her glow inside and out
and made her want to pirouette and bee-bop about
like a little happy sprite,
twinkling fairy dust wherever she felt
the desire to move and groove.

Monday, January 26, 2009

She-ro of Rabbits

"while i was home one summer
i discovered all these sweet little baby bunnies
newly born right outside my front door,"
she said, heavy with memory.

"they were so little
and fragile
and blind
that i felt it was my duty to protect them,"
she finished quietly.

"so, what did you do?" he asked.

"well, i put up signs warning
the maintenance men of their hidden warren
and i used to stand over their little shivering bodies
with an umbrella during storms."

"you did?" he asked incredulously.

"yep." she replied. "how could i not?"

"well, in that case, i shall dub you
"'she-ro of rabbits' and think of
you always as a protectress of all
that is small and weak," he concluded,
pulling her in for a bear hug.

and it warmed her to think that
such a small action could warm others so quickly
and it made her wonder what
would happen if the whole world was that way.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

More Wisdom from Abraham-Hicks

A friend of mine recently sent me this little nugget from Abraham-Hicks (Money & The Law Of Attraction). It's just another reminder strive towards alignment with your most precious self -- your soul core.

enjoy!

***

Love and Appreciation are identical vibrations:

Appreciation is the vibration of alignment with who-you-are. It is the absence of resistance. It is the absence of doubt and fear. IT is the absence of self-denial or hatred toward others. Appreciation is the absence of everything that feels bad and the presence of everything that feels good. When you focus upon what you want-when you tell the story of how you want your life to be-you will come closer and closer to the vicinity of appreciation, and when you reach it, it will pull you toward all things that you consider to be good in a very powerful way.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

There Are Messages Everywhere...

...the hard part, methinks, is simply paying attention to them.

When I was in Peru in November, I was able to watch an episode of the "Ellen DeGeneres" show and I was mesmerized by what I heard from her guest, Seann William Scott. He heard a message from a gorilla right before he got his big break in Hollywood and because he paid attention to it, his career took off in an amazingly synchronicitous way.

I think it just goes to show that if we can quiet and open our minds, we are able to receive important messages from some of the most unlikely messengers.

Enjoy!


Friday, January 23, 2009

Temple Bells

I often come across writings which move me and today was no exception. This afternoon, as I was cleaning out my closet, I came across "The Temple Bells" by Anthony de Mello, SJ -- a small story which can be found amongst others in de Mello's book called "The Song Of The Bird." I had forgotten about this particular story over the years, even though my friend John first introduced me to it back in October 1999. But, as often as is the case, things have a way of circling back to you exactly when you need them most. May you enjoy it!

***

The temple had stood on an island two miles out to sea. And it held a thousand bells. Big bells, small bells, bells fashioned by the best craftsmen in the world. When a wind blew or a storm raged, all the temple bells would peal out in unison, producing a symphony that sent the heart of the hearer into raptures.

But over the centuries the island sank into the sea and, with it, the temple and the bells. An ancient tradition said that the bells continued to peal out, ceaselessly, and could be heard by anyone who listened attentively. Inspired by this tradition, a young man traveled thousands of miles, determined to hear those bells. He sat for days on the shore, opposite the place where the temple had once stood, and listened--listened with all his heart. But all he could hear was the sound of the waves breaking on the shore. He made every effort to push away the sound of the waves so that he could hear the bells. But all to no avail; the sound of the sea seemed to flood the universe.

He kept at his task for many weeks. When he got disheartened he would listen to the words of the village pundits who spoke with unction of the legend of the temple bells and of those who had heard them and proved the legend to be true. And his heart would be aflame as he heard their words . . . only to become discouraged again when weeks of further effort yielded no results.

Finally he decided to give up the attempt. Perhaps he was not destined to be one of those fortunate ones who heard the bells. Perhaps the legend was not true. He would return home and admit failure. It was his final day, and he went to his favorite spot on the shore to say goodbye to the sea and the sky and the wind and the coconut trees. He lay on the sands, gazing up at the sky, listening to the sound of the sea. He did not resist that sound that day. Instead, he gave himself over to it, and found it was a pleasant, soothing sound, this roar of the waves. Soon he became so lost in the sound that he was barely conscious of himself, so deep was the silence that the sound produced in his heart.

In the depth of that silence, he heard it! The tinkle of a tiny bell followed by another, and another and another . . . and soon every one of the thousand temple bells was pealing out in glorious unison, and his heart was transported with wonder and joy.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Time Capsule

she recently discovered this little message
from one of her dearest childhood friends:

"time is a strange blanket to be wrapped in,
but isn't it great that we're still snugglin'?"

and, even though they've gone their separate ways in life,
she knew that blanket would always link them,
wherever they were.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Gumby

"oh, dahling," her masseuse tutted,
"your muscles are so tight!
you must stretch much, much more, sweetheart.
promise me, okay?" she finished with a powerful nod.

"come," she said in her charming accent,
"i show you how."

and she opened up the room
and proceeded to show her how
to stretch her body and release its tension.

"dahling," she continued,
"do the stretching to music
so that your spirit can play and stretch, too!
okay?"

"okay," she replied with a grin
and giggled out loud when she saw her inner goddess groove
in anticipation of having new freedom
to stretch outside the confines of her own physical body,
doing away with lines and contours and into that which knows no boundaries.


Saturday, January 17, 2009

Upside Down Traveler

"oh, my goodness!" she giggled with glee.
"what are you doing up there?"

and the little starfish on her ceiling replied,
"aloha! well, me and the other asteroidea
were thinking that you might be missing
the halcyon days of hawai'i.

"so, i am here to dangle on your ceiling
and help you dream your way
back to our pretty isles,"
it finished with a wry wink.

"oh, that's so exciting!" she breathed with excitement.

"oh, and it gets better," the little starfish replied,
"because i have brought entertainment!"

and with one arm it produced a pretty
mother of pearl ukulele and began
to belt out some tunes.

"any requests?"

she giggled and snuggled back into her pillows
as the little crooner led her into dreams
full of soft breezes
and azure waters
and sheer bliss.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Surfing Cloud Nine

she looked up into the clear night sky
and decided to pay her wishing star a small visit.

"oh, you're here in the nick of time, dear"
the star cooed with delight,
"we have just enough time to make it
to the cloud swells before the action begins!

"so, the moon is slated to participate
in the surfing event of the galaxy
and i'd like to see him hose all those
snooty intergalactic contenders
who complain our waves aren't as "momboosa"
as theirs!

"as if!" she finished, shaking some
stardust on the exclamation for effect.

*
so there they sat at the edge of the inky cosmos,
sharing an order of tasty chocolate "comet tail" mix
and watched the moon artfully shralp
one righteous wave after another without getting snaked.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Life's Little Hokey-Pokey Dance

I've decided that whomever or whatever created the universe has a delicious sense of humor. Life often strikes me as a bit of a dance and, lately, it seems ever more like the Hokey-Pokey. All this twisting and turning about -- putting your whole self in and out. It can be a tad confusing even though there is a rhythmic organization to it. Perhaps this is "just what it's all about!"

I bring this up because life is about choices and some can directly define your life. I was reminded of this when I opened up my most recent edition of Heron Dance's Latest Pause For Beauty. The creator, Rod MacIver, mused this week:
When I started Heron Dance fourteen years ago I had a message. My answers are not so clear now. The road has a lot of twists and turns. Many setbacks were associated with my own foibles. Many of my twists and turns have to do with my attraction to complexity and poor people skills. My answers are now more in my art than my words, which is why art now plays a larger role in Heron Dance than it did in the early years.

Life is mysterious. Those who would offer to explain it to us on radio, TV, or in a book need to be considered with caution. If there is a spiritual force in the universe, and I certainly believe there is, it could well be that we are not meant to know its true nature. Perhaps we are meant to struggle with the uncertainty, the mystery that surrounds us, and embark upon a journey in search of our own answers. We grow through the setbacks on that journey. We experience life in a deep way.

September Sandhill Sunrise IIWhen I think of words that are true—the constellation of stars I use to set my bearings—they are words of a few quiet, reflective people I’ve met over the years. Their words would not make sense shouted from the roof tops. They are words that arise out of living simply and close to the land. Or they are the words of living close to music, or art, or of serving others. The only common denominator that I can think of is that they are the words of people who have a definition of beauty and have built a life around living in close connection with that definition. Yes, they are intelligent, well-read and well-traveled, but out of those diverse experiences have evolved lives that are simple and built around a few carefully considered elements—elements that are to some extent preverbal.


And, I think he's exactly right. We may not know where we are going but the trick is to find a joyful path AND to build a community around it that buffers you during life's more uncertain moments.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Little Dinosaur's Growing Pains

"i don't know why i've been
so emotional lately," she sniffled.

"i mean, zed, my little reptilian naysayer
is usually placated with a quick belly rub
and a lemon gumdrop."

she paused for a few minutes through the tears
and, then, burst out in giggles.

"oh, i get it!" she laughed out loud.
"he's so funny!"

"jurassic park was filmed here
so my little lizard just must want to grow BIG!"

"silly zed," she finished. "it's hard to
keep him in check sometimes but
you gotta admire his great desire
to roam BIG in the world."

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Sunny Delight

"wow!" she exclaimed to him,
"my body really has been craving all this sunshine.
i can't seem to get enough of the stuff."

he chuckled.

"i mean, i feel like one of those lizards
that just sits motionless in the sun
before it can move about."

"so, you're saying you're like the geico gecko?"
he mused with a grin.

"no!" she replied with a "humph".
"i'm much cuter than that! still,
i wouldn't mind getting his secret
for avoiding sunburn, baby."

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Speed Racer

"what a beautiful rainbow,"
she breathed admiringly.

"oh, i know," she sighed with delight.
"it's just so big and bright and so entirely lovely."

but what delighted her more
was that the rainbow decided to jog
alongside her moving car.

at the next red light,
it sidled up next to them
and with a wink called out,
"wanna race?"

"you're on!" she shouted mischievously over the rain.

and when the light turned "green",
she hit the pedal to the metal
and raced the rainbow on down the road,
never quite seeing its end and
knowing intuitively that while the
rainbow would probably win,
she'd give it its spectrum worth!

Friday, January 9, 2009

Night Light

she sat and looked out
at a city decorated with
thousands of twinkling lights,
acting as small beacons in the surrounding darkness.

the city was restless below her,
buzzing about like summer insects
intent on keeping appointments
despite heavy traffic in the dusky skies.

she gazed up at the heavens
and saw a small planet
blazing alone in the caelum.

it smiled down at her
and winked as if to remind her that one
could know peace in the midst
of great external noise.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Pictures from Hawai'i

Colors of a Hawai'ian sunset, 2009.

Hawai'i was so lovely that I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. In the coming days, I'll post the poems which came to me during my stay there. What a lovely state with even lovelier people! Enjoy.


Sunset.

Shades of blue.

Views of Waikiki, Oahu, 2009. Taken from the top of Diamond Head.



Near Diamond Head, Oahu, 2009.


Capturing my mood on a wall.

Watching the sunset from my hotel balcony, 2009.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Reflections on 2008



2008.

2008 seemed to have a funny way of progressing.

First, it seemed to clip along at a fast pace for the first few months, then it downshifted into a slower than slow pace for the late spring and summer only to speed up again through the fall and winter.

However, whatever the pace and speed, 2008 found me in an introspective mood.
It was a year of both tough storms and cool, bright weather. And, throughout its many months, I somehow found myself -- my real Kelly, twinkly-eyed, giggling, bright soul self -- again. Best part? I rediscovered her myself with a familiar zeal which just got a little lost the past year or so.

Like any year, there are lessons embedded in every day and month. 2008 was no exception! So, in the spirit of last year, I've compiled a small list of some of the most powerful lessons and reminders from this past year:

1. Your body always knows what is right for you, even if your mind thinks otherwise. The trick is not to allow yourself to be duped by your mind.

2. Sometimes growth is painful. However, it is only painful when you cling to the past.

3. You must put yourself first always, otherwise you cannot expect to be there fully for others.

4. It is important to accept responsibility for your actions, thoughts and deeds. You cannot blame anyone else for anything. You must accept responsibility for your part in everything.

5. When you clean up your energy ("tap in, tune in, turn on" according to Abraham-Hicks), amazing things will find you. For example, by setting my intention to travel, I was able (all expenses paid) to go to Azerbaijan, Italy, Alaska, Peru, the Deep South, Hawaii and Chicago all within 4 months! I saw some incredible things and learned much more.

6. During life's tougher moments, you see clearly who your true friends are.

7. Deep love will find you when you're not looking for it and, often, presenting itself in the strangest of locations.

8. Dear friends are as necessary as breathing and 2008 brought into my life some of the dearest.

9. One's world and one's worldview are only as limited as your own limited thinking. Dare to see beyond what you believe can even exist and be. My hunch is that you will surprise yourself.

10. Times of silence and reflection are essential. Foster your internal life and help it grow.

11. Follow the synchronicities which appear in your life. Be adventurous like Alice!

12. Find reasons to giggle and do it a lot!


Again, one lesson for every month of the year.
I look forward to the lessons and surprises of 2009
and ask for blessings upon each day.

May your own year find you bright, happy and healthy.