Gratitude Fest

humbly, i bow
giving deep thanks
for obvious blessings
and not so obvious blessings
that equate to guide me

Gratitude for
Days dedicated to gratitude
Rays of sun, Light of stars
Root of earth, Winds of change
Ever expanding awareness & awe
Continuing opportunities to do good work
My human families
family friendly lovely souls who assist
ancestors who sacrificed for my gain
those that walk with me
My spiritual families
gurus & teachers that guide protect illuminate
those that walked before me

Gratitude
this day & ever forward
om amen
c.

dream it, do it

"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be. This need we call self-actualization... It refers to man's desire for self-fulfillment, namely to the tendency for him to become actually in what he is potentially: to become everything one is capable of becoming." - Abraham Maslow

splatters on the windshield

people who don't take responsibility or maximize on opportunities bug me today.
im seemingly surrounded!
oblivious? ignorant? unable or refusing to acknowledge the ripples that this creates & how it affects multitudes of other people? so apparent to me!
oh, what a fine time to practice compassion.
here's to interconnectedness,
c.

janis wisdom

i first heard this when i was 18
and it plays on my mental tape with something akin to regularity
and like an old shirt
it fits once again...

















I don't understand why half the world is still cryin', man,
when the other half of the world is still cryin' too, man,
I can't get it together
I mean, if you got a cat for one day, man
I mean, if you, say, say, if you want a cat for 365 days, right
You ain't got him for 365 days,
you got him for one day, man.
Well I tell you that one day, man,
better be your life.
Because, you know, you can say, oh man,
you can cry about the other 364, man,
but you're gonna lose that one day, man,
and that's all you've got.
You gotta call that love, man.
That's what it is, man.
If you got it today you don't want it tomorrow, man,
'cause you don't need it,
'cause as a matter of fact,
as we discovered on the train,
tomorrow never happens, man.
It's all the same fucking day, man.
- Janis Joplin, Ball & Chain (Live)

all those things you fear
they HAVEN'T HAPPENED
to the end of fear
to the now, man.
c.

flying crow(s)

the last few mornings, i've awoken to the sound of crows. lots of crows. giant crows.
i sigh at the prodding and crawl from bed to stand at the window
yesterday gray clouds in a pink pre-sunrise sky
today snow softly falling
hundreds of black silhouettes in the trees surrounding my bedroom... more flying in, seemingly an endless cloud, hovering, bouncing in the wind, seeking a branch hold.
why so many in one place? why now? why does their number & noise unsettle me so much?

a bit of research on the native american angle...
Crow: Keeper of the Sacred Law
crow is the omen of change
& offers protection
personal integrity is your guide in life
be mindful of your opinion & actions
you must be willing to walk your talk
put aside fear of your voice &
speak your truth
know your life's mission

"something is wrong if the crows are especially noisy"
c.

it's all just a blink

toronto

i walked the labyrinth pictured above in downtown toronto last week, after stumbling upon it with a dear friend. never walked one before. instructions at the beginning say to pose your question or intention & you will have an answer by the center.

really...?

it was an interesting experience. she knew of it b/c one of the teachers in our lineage had found it, walked it, and told her about it... knowing that elders had walked the same path before us was a very tangible feeling. i felt gurus there with me (and according to the psychic i recently encountered, apparently i have a group of old men yogis surrounding me. i love it. and yes, folks, she also said i should write a book...) the mental reaction of enjoying straight-aways and suddenly coming to a corner was interesting. practicing trust - letting the path unfold and trying not to give in to the desire to raise your gaze & check your progress. existence of other meditative souls surrounding you, walking on the same path. people that joined as we walked, almost like we encouraged them to try it in public. the lady (pictured above) who when realizing i was going the other direction, got frazzled & said she must be going the wrong way. i considered, then had to break my silence to encourage her and tell her that i was on my way out - thus our passing. the girl who jumped up and down and squealed "i did one of these in prison..."

and yes, i got my answer. i made my decision. maybe i knew it all along & finally acknowledged it. or as a friend said - i'd already made my decision & was seeking permission. this phrase "giving myself permission" has been running through my head a lot lately. seems im the last one to allow myself.

finally giving myself permission,
c.

thought for the day

paraphrased thought from Turning the Mind Into An Ally:

sometimes we get 'stingy' (good word) with our thoughts & intentions. we don't even want to give that away to other people and discredit it with a "how can that possibly help?" mentality. yet when we hear that someone is thinking about us in that positive way, my how the tables turn & those thoughts, for which we are grateful, suddenly have power...

shine it out,
c.