dear ones…
once you have seen
the Divine
everywhere
there is no going back
every bush is burning
the vast sea opens for you
birds sing with the voice
of a thousand angels
their song of Heaven
flowers
they bloom under your every step
all of nature holds court
bearing witness
to the beauty of such Love
to Life
and every heart is then
recognized as home to
The Beloved
by jaysen matthew waller
©2012, Jaysen Matthew Waller
Our practice continues off the cushion, not just in our contemplation, but in every action that follows. It reminds me of when I went to church as a kid and they would remind us that it wasn’t just a “Sunday thing”…True practice lives in every moment and so does the possibility of awareness and enlightenment.
~ j
a letter to Aurora…
to all those who are suffering from this horrific tragedy in Aurora, our prayers are with you. to all those who are suffering from their own personal tragedies in this life, our prayers are with you. we are connected in our suffering, in our pain, in our confusion as to how such violence can occur. we are connected in these dark moments of life, where our hearts break and our minds spin with emotion, we are connected in our sense of loss as life seems to have lost all that is good.
it is important to feel these emotions, to sit with these emotions. to be where we are at, to grieve. so many of us, in our confusion, our pain, our anger are running from this horrible event. it isn’t easy to sit with tragedy, to be awake with suffering. it is far easier (and even feels good to have some brief relief) to blame. to blame the existence of guns, to blame a broken system, to blame a single individual who has forgotten what it means to be human, to be connected in life and love. and there too, we connect. we connect into groups with missions and we feel some brief relief as we find a place to place our anger, our pain, our suffering…forgetting our truer connection, that we are One.
but there is another way we are connected. we are connected in our Light, in our Love, in Life.
so as we sit in this darkness, in this night of tragedy and pain, let us look to Aurora itself. Aurora means “dawn”…the coming of day. that sacred, beautiful time when the night moves from twilight to day.
there is pain here. there is confusion and anger. but, my friends, there is also hope. the day will come again and with it the sun, shining bright the light of love and life. the Light that lives in all of us – both passed and still present, and the Love that connects us – whether we have passed or are present, whatever may come.
wishing peace and freedom from suffering for us all.
namaste ~ j
Friday, July 20th 2012
so many angry
faces scrunched on the tv
but the moon still shines!
by jaysen matthew waller
©2012, Jaysen Matthew Waller
a meditation ~
“Aware of your own breathing, connecting to each present moment. Breathing in, breathing out. These moments, each moment, is a reminder that we are alive. The person next to us is alive, the tree reaching for the sun is alive, the bird singing her song is alive, and we together with them are Life. Aware of that, we are also aware that we are never alone, but are always surrounded by Life.”
~ j
a bowl of mac ‘n cheese…
i do love mac ‘n cheese. it is a comfort food, for sure, and one reason why i still cannot consider myself vegan. i don’t eat it often and i am not a big fan of dairy, but it does find its way to my table every once in a while.
i have been trying to be more mindful when eating, taking notice and taking time, letting each bite reveal a little bit of life’s mystery as my body gains some nourishment. so, tonight with my mac ‘n cheese before me, i embarked to find awareness.
the first thought was, not surprisingly, “this is just a bowl of mac ‘n cheese.” followed by, “AND it looks delicious – i’m hungry!”
i set out anyway…looking deeply at the pasta i coould see that it is made of unleavened dough of wheat probably, mixed with some flour, water, and egg. looking deeper into those ingredients i could see that the wheat had to be grown, in a field where it received sunlight and water, without which it couldn’t survive. it grew out of soil that houses insects who burrow oxygenating and making it the perfect place for this wheat to grow. and then there is the farmer who owns the land and the workers of the land who assist in the farming. this doesn’t even address of course the eggs which came from chickens who also need sun and water and ranchers. chickens, mind you, that eat grain and feed that also need the right environment and nutrients to grow and be farmed – farmed using equipment that some genius developed, perhaps through trial and error and the help of other people. and then there is also the cow who produced the milk that with assistance and ingenuity has become cheese…oh, yes – the cow also requires sun and water and feed, etc. etc. etc.
looking deeply, i can also see that someone created this popular dish at some point and many others have contributed to the recipe that sat before me, before i ate it…out of a bowl made in China…you get the picture.
all of this and the staff at Sprouts where it was purchased by my sister with money that was given for jobs that i wouldn’t have or she wouldn’t have if it weren’t for people wanting our work.
so what i came to realize on a heart level, welling with gratitude, was what i have known on an intellectual level but hadn’t felt so deeply…this bowl didn’t hold just mac n’ cheese within it’s curved walls, it contained the sun, the rain, sacrifice, hard work, ingenuity and generosity…indeed, it contained the entire world.
~ j
sitting here
waiting
laying under this
black velvet canopy
falling deeper into
night
to wish upon a falling star?
all the while
unaware
of the Moon bathing us
in the fullness of Her love
as we sleep
i listened to this song today and it was like listening to it for the first time. the song is titled, “Pilgrim” and is written by Enya and Roma Ryan. her music can be so sweeping and beautiful, i wonder if listeners are aware of the mindfulness, the awareness, the mysticism within Roma Ryan’s lyrics. great poetry.
peace ~
j
Pilgrim
by Enya
Pilgrim, how you journey
on the road you chose
to find out why the winds die
and where the stories go.
All days come from one day
that much you must know,
you cannot change what’s over
but only where you go.
One way leads to diamonds,
one way leads to gold,
another leads you only
to everything you’re told.
In your heart you wonder
which of these is true;
the road that leads to nowhere,
the road that leads to you.
Will you find the answer
in all you say and do?
Will you find the answer
In you?
Each heart is a pilgrim,
each one wants to know
the reason why the winds die
and where the stories go.
Pilgrim, in your journey
you may travel far,
for pilgrim it’s a long way
to find out who you are…
Pilgrim, it’s a long way
to find out who you are…
Pilgrim, it’s a long way
to find out who you are…
The Metta Garden 