outside circumstances will always change, because they are made of various conditions that are of the nature to change. we can receive pleasure from these, but they are temporary and will be lost to us eventually and we may suffer, because of this loss.
joy, however, can be an underlying constant in our lives as we open our hearts, settle our minds and allow awareness of our interconnection with all life to arise from within. we are carried in the union and flow of something vast and beautiful.
i recently completed a couple of commissioned art pieces. one was a calligraphy and enso, which i cannot show, because it is a gift for someone. the other was a commissioned recreation of an Inktober piece i did back in 2018. that year, i did an illustration series that featured a young novice monk, a Zen master cat, and a tag along rat friend. one of the illustrations was the three of them sitting with the night sky filled with stars, with their backs to us. i called it “Sitting With Stars.”
pictured here is the commissioned recreation. i made some changes, placing the young novice monk in the center and having the sky encased/outlined by an enso. i also included the character for “thousand” or “numerous” as a reflection of the vastness of the starry night.
there’s something stabilizing for me, sitting beneath stars. i feel in awe and incredibly small in this vast universe, yet filled with wonder and gratitude for getting to be part of it, an expression of it, this mystery, Life. may you find, on your journey, that you too are an expression of Life, a beautiful particular expression indelibly part of something vast and luminous as the stars in the night sky 💫✨
~j ⭕️❤️🙏🏻
*if interested in commissioned art pieces like this one, reach out, via my website (www.jaysenwaller.com) or DM.
Because forgiveness is like this: a room can be dank because you have closed the windows, you’ve closed the curtains. But the sun is shining outside, and the air is fresh outside. In order to get that fresh air, you have to get up and open the window and draw the curtains apart. ~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu
when we open the window, when we open our heart, we have the opportunity to no longer be burdened, to breathe free, to be free. ~j ⭕️❤️🙏🏻
truth speaker.embodiment of light, laughter, and love.
Nobel Peace Prize winning anti-Apartheid and human rights activist and good friend to the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
a voice born into a time that needed his voice. a seeker of justice and reconciliation, he was a true healer and bodhisattva.
we still need his voice, maybe even more. may his voice, his understanding of truth, his light shine brightly in all who hear the same call, and may we be those who hear.
may it not be lost on us, that this great messenger and bodhisattva of Love came to us as a poor, refugee, child.
the message i receive from Christmas is that hope comes from unexpected places and that Love calls our hearts to reach out beyond our comfort zones and privilege to HAVE room at the inn to receive those in need.
may we embody the message of love that is found in Jesus and the Christmas story, for a world still needing to hear it.
Merry Christmas to you and yours! May it be filled with love, light, and joy! ~j
There is only one question: how to love this world. ~ Mary Oliver
embodied. ~j ⭕️❤️🙏🏻
*if you like this art, you can have it as a print or on various products found at JMWart, my online Redbubble store. you can visit directly at JMWart.redbubble.com or via my website (www.jaysenwaller.com) 👍🏻🙏🏻
“Our hearts can grow strong at the broken places.”~ Jack Kornfield
a muscle in our chest the size of our fist, is more resilient and capable than we realize. it is a special grace in this life – that which breaks can heal and become stronger. love is the source and the way.
~j
⭕️❤️🙏🏻
*if you like this photography, you can have it as a print or on various products found at JMWart, my online Redbubble store. you can visit directly at JMWart.redbubble.com or via my website (www.jaysenwaller.com) 👍🏻🙏🏻
there is a balance in nature, in life, that occurs. an ebb and flow, where even the darkest and longest of nights, holds within it the promise of ever-growing light in the days ahead.
happy Winter Solstice friends!
~j
⭕️❤️🙏🏻
*if you like this art, you can have it as a print or on various products found at JMWart, my online Redbubble store. you can visit directly at JMWart.redbubble.com or via my website (www.jaysenwaller.com) 👍🏻🙏🏻
“Like a flash of lightning in a summer cloud…” this is one of the ways our life is described in the Diamond Sutra. bright, electrified with power, stunning even…but brief. i reflected on this thought a couple of days ago on my 47th birthday. as i enter my 48th year on this spinning life-giving and accommodating rock, our home, the previous 47 years seem like a dream.
we put off so much, thinking we have so much time.
in my heart i feel this urgent need to love more fully, more openly, more skillfully. there is so much need in this world. need for healing, need for empathy, need for compassion, kindness, community. we are called to ensure full equality, social justice, and peace. our planet, our home, is crying out for healing action.
what a sacred gift this life is! to be cherished and enjoyed for sure, but also to give, serve, and heal. we have an opportunity to be aware, to practice an open heart, to embody love and harmony. my birthday wish is that we each find a practice that supports our growth in this way, that supports our embodying of love and healing, that supports us being of benefit to a world in need.
if not now, when?
~j
⭕️❤️🙏🏻
*if you like this art, you can have it as a print or on various products found at JMWart, my online Redbubble store. you can visit directly at JMWart.redbubble.com or via my website (www.jaysenwaller.com) 👍🏻🙏🏻
thank you friends for all the birthday love! 🤗 i had a beautiful day with my family, away from social media and my phone. looking forward to reading through all of the messages. much love to you ❤️🙏🏻
The Metta Garden 