It appears that it was all a misunderstanding.
What was only a trial run was taken seriously.
The rivers will return to their beginnings.
The wind will cease in its turning about.
Trees instead of budding will tend to their roots.
Old men will chase a ball, a glance in the mirror—
They are children again.
The dead will wake up, not comprehending.
Till everything that happened has unhappened.
What a relief! Breathe freely, you who suffered much.

~Czeslaw Milosz~
New and Collected Poems 1931-2001

I want simply to get inside the words within the words

the saint’s velvet garbs say nothing of the saints themselves

speak to me not of shelves or bindings where words lay

but read me that first line that caught you with your breath held right there, quivering in your throat

tell me how it knew you deeper than any man or woman could ever know

how with a few strokes it could leave you raw, naked and yet, so wholly understood

Tell me how you live for these moments

Where poem meets reader and melds into the warm inviting, buttery lips of that world

there, held timeless in a sea of remembering what we thought had been lost

and, we as humans, forever held between this world and that

©heartsdeesire

the sea of forgetfulness

plunge yourself into these warm waters

where all mistakes
yours and mine
are honored as the path of evolving souls

trembling hearts are forever soothed here
minds and bodies restored to its original perfection

drink from its ancient wisdom
let her sweep you into her tide
pulling you in deep, then deeper still

then rising and lifting you onto soft green fields
now, who you really are is deeply known here

drink, here, in these waters
they envelop and nourish Rumi’s field

“out beyond all ideas of right doing and wrong doing”*
where all else is surrendered and falls away.

in…the sea of forgetfulness

©heartsdeesire
*in quotation marks is a portion of Rumi’s poem.

“Never try to save a dying person.  Never try to save a poor person or enrich one. Never try to cure a diseased person.  Always instantly remember that you are dealing not with a person, not with a condition, not with a thing, but with an hypnotic suggestion, with an hypnotic influence, with an hypnotic picture which has no existence outside of the human mind, human belief, human appearance. Then you will find that you destroy the entire fabric of which all error is made.

Every condition of limitation, whether it is limited finances, limited health, limited morals, limited living conditions is but the expression of a universal hypnotism, a universal illusion, a series of universal beliefs. The beliefs, actually when you reduce them to individual experience is:

•    a belief of a selfhood apart from God,
•    a belief of a cause apart from God,
•    a belief of a law apart from God,
•    a belief of a being apart from God,
•    a belief of a life apart from God,
•    a belief of substance apart from God,
•    a belief of wisdom apart from God,
•    of knowledge apart from God.

This whole series of beliefs put together constitute a mesmeric influence making us see limited persons, places, things and conditions.” ~ The Secret of the Healing Principal by Joel S. Goldsmith

I do believe this and know it to be true in my heart.  I readily admit I can be quite seduced by outer appearances.  I’m smack dab in the middle of a doozy of a hypnotic suggestion right now, yet I found so much comfort in reading this today.

Shortly after reading it, my husband texted me that he was in a meeting from hell.  I texted back to him: God is in that room.  I knew in that moment that’s all I need to know in life.  God is present everywhere.  Inside me, you, my house, your house, that meeting.  God is in that person on the other end of your life who seemingly could drive you up one wall and down the next.

I can look beyond appearances and see no thing except God.  Oh yes, I can.  And that’s all I need to remember.  I threw the windows and doors wide open and fresh air swept itself into my heart.  God is in the house.

The sun is making it’s final appearance for the day.  You walk out to your mailbox to pick up the day’s mail and barely notice the long shadows reaching across the ground you walk on.  You are tired from the day’s events and ready to settle in for the evening.  Nothing today has been particularly unusual or out of the ordinary.  Nothing that would foretell the next moment that held the possibility of changing everything.  Reaching into the mailbox your fingers instantly touch upon an envelope that is hand addressed to you.  The envelope appears weathered as if it’s traveled some distance.  There’s no return address and the postmark is blurred and illegible.  You walk inside and sit down in your favorite chair.  You open the letter, it addresses you with the familiarity of your first name and this is what you read:

“You’re on the cusp of experiencing welcome relief on a subject that’s been bothering you for some time.  This concern that has been troubling you, is being healed behind the scenes in surprising ways, even as you read this.  God wants you to know that you have reason to smile, as the fairies of the Universe are working on a solution that is so creative, so ingenious that you never would have guessed it would come in this manner.” *

You stare wide eyed at the letter.  You breathe a deep breath of relief.  Muscles you didn’t even realize you held so tightly, soften now.  You smile an inner smile that just lights you up from the inside out.  And from this day forward you live at that end point, knowing the solutions are speeding their way to you.  You have no way of knowing what it will look like or when it will come.  You’re content not knowing when or how or even why.  You are happily willing to rest here in this knowing.  Now you know beyond a shadow of a doubt you are heard, you are answered, you are known, you are cherished.

*concept adapted from Doreen Virtue’s oracle cards

No duties.  I don’t have to be profound.
I don’t have to be artistically perfect.
Or sublime.  Or edifying.
I just wander.  I say: “You were running,
That’s fine.  It was the thing to do.”
And now the music of the worlds transforms me.
My planet enters a different house.
Trees and lawns become more distinct.
Philosophies one after another go out.
Everything is lighter yet not less odd.
Sauces, wine vintages, dishes of meat.
We talk a little of district fairs,
Of travels in a covered wagon with a cloud of dust behind,
Of how rivers once were, what the scent of calamus is.
That’s better than examining one’s private dreams.
And meanwhile it has arrived.  It’s here, invisible.
Who can guess how it got here, everywhere.
Let others take care of it.  Time for me to play hooky.
Buena notte. Ciao. Farewell

~Czeslaw Milosz~
New and Collected Poems 1931-2001

* * * * *

I found this a very intriguing poem.  It drew me into it bit by bit.  Then I had to read it again a second and third time.

My favorite lines: “And meanwhile it has arrived.  It’s here, invisible.  Who can guess how it got here, everywhere”.  I would love to hear your take on what you think he meant by this.  I think he might be referencing the night, itself, but I don’t know. What do you think?

Image Locale

almost entirely hidden
we carry this
a little pocket of pain

the one that time didn’t heal

tucked where it can’t easily be seen
something trivial and you bump into it
unexpected, it’s still tender

sometimes pieces tumble out
“it’s been ten years since …”
“I haven’t forgetten the moment when …”

the lyrics of our wounds differ
but that we are inevitably moved upon
by them is what we share

for what breaks us, shapes us
into something more

and sensing this in each other
we silently walk together on the street
where there are no strangers

©heartsdeesire

First Sabbath

Tell me: did you really rest?
You who made day and night
and sky that separated
waters above and below,
you who told the waters
below the sky
to stay in one place
and out of them
asked dry land,
who told the earth
to send out growing things
and then made sun
and moon and stars,
who made birds that fly
and everything that swims,
and cattle and all creeping things
and every animal untamed
and then made man and woman
and finally, supposedly, rested:
tell me: how —
in the midst of all that buzzing
and flapping
and slithering and stepping,
all that bursting forth of leaf
and fruit and stem
that never had known themselves
before — tell me:
how could you possibly have rested,
after seeing what no one
ever had seen before:
beak, hoof, pebble,
after losing yourself
in a thousand versions of blue:
water in sun,
sky against sky,
the horizon where
sky and water meet:
how did you shut your eyes,
how not keep
turning and looking?
Didn’t you long to caress
each small thing — notice
how toes work, and
stamens, and fingers?
Weren’t you hollering out in amazement?
Weren’t you so filled up glad*
you couldn’t sleep?

~Nancy Shaffer~
Instructions in Joy: Meditations

*not an error, the author did not use “with glad”, though to be sure, I wanted to add “with” … with every fiber of my body, I wanted to add it.  :)

I was flipping through my well being cards the other day.  For those of you familiar with Abraham Hicks, you know what I am referring to here.  These, however, are homemade well being cards.  I use colored index cards and then I put quotes on them that inspire me.  I have decks of them all over the house and in my purse, as I’ve been doing this for a good number of years now.  I go through each deck a couple of times a week and put one out, front and center, that I want to focus on that day or that week.  I’ll read it and take a few conscious deep breaths and really sink into the deep well of wisdom I find in them.

It’s been awhile since I posted any of the quotes on my well being cards.  I have a bunch more now and as I read them to myself today, I was blown away by the sage wisdom in these cards.  This collection is quoting some of my friends, mentors, spiritual teachers, authors and then there are a few of my own words.

As I type them out now for you, I fancy myself the Inspiration Fairy.  Ummm, because … I can!  And I am waving my wand about the air, while sparkles of brilliant wisdom fly out from the tip of my wand.  Slowly they float down to you, leaving your world ablaze in a million fireflies, illuminating all your paths forevermore.  And so it is.

In every moment, there are two choices — to feel a little better or to feel a little worse.  ~Abraham Hicks

I always find the way out.  ~Martha G.
The way out is the way in.  ~Bethie

The Field is in charge and that’s the best possible arrangement. ~Philip Golabuk

Recognize the opportunity in the setback, in the loss.  That’s what makes us more in the setbacks. ~Unknown

A person is not old, until regrets take the place of dreams.  ~John Barrymore

Resist nothing, allow everything.  (This includes choosing to play it small today.) ~ Bethie

I stand for all that is good in you and all that is yet unloved.  I stand for all that is good in me and all that is yet unloved. ~Laundry Line Divine blog (oh, you will love the sweetness of this beautiful soul who created LLD)

A great pool of silence.  One word arises from its sublime depths: Thank you.  Amen ~Pelkyong

Nothing opposes me.  (It’s just me doing the opposing) ~ Luana

Just the facts and nothing but the facts. (see my Just the Facts blog entry)

How easy can I let this be? ~Holly S.

It’s amazing how much stuff really doesn’t matter.  ~Terri C.

How am I saying YES to me today?  ~Bethie

There are no guarantees — from the viewpoint of fear, none are strong enough — from the viewpoint of love, none are necessary.  ~Emmanuel

Anything unwanted that you let yourself have, you can let yourself release.  ~Holly S.

Surrender even in the little things.  ~Bethie

What would innocence bring to this thought, to this person, to this situation?  ~Bethie

Everything always works out for me.  ~Louise Hay

Are you ready right now to embrace your destiny?  ~from the TV show Make It or Break It, created and written by my friend Holly S.

Change rooms in your mind for a day.  ~Unknown

There is what happens and then there is who we are within it.  Oh look, the Field turned left to go right.  Wow, I wonder what the Field is up to.  ~Philip Golabuk

Will it matter in a year from now?  ~Bethie

No fact has the power to compel you to enter a state of contradiction.  ~Philip Golabuk

Absolutely everything unfolds for my good.  ~Louise Hay

Sometimes what happens in the world makes us forget.  It’s all up to us, we have choices.  You choose what’s next and you’ll wind up right where you’re supposed to be.  ~Flash Forward TV show … and … There are no wrong choices.  ~Bethie

You are allowed to be scared shitless.  … I’m a fan of the knot in my stomach from time to time, because it means I’m putting everything on the line.  ~Sarah C.

The things you want come chasing you, when you sit still, when you are not trying to make something happen, not trying to *get* something.  This is spiritual independence.  ~Philip Golabuk

Before you choose a path, ask yourself if the path has heart.  If it does, it will go well.  If it doesn’t, you’ll destroy it, to start again.  ~Carlos Castaneda

My precious desires are not made more precious by struggle.  They are, as always, precious in and of themselves, just as we are.  ~Bethie

And that, my fine furry spiritual friends is …. the end … or … the beginning … you choose.

Stumbled on this in my archives.  I wrote this several months ago and I think it’s sage wisdom any time of the year …

What if we believed all things were unfolding for our good — not just some of our experiences but ALL of them?  Well, what if we did?  That would eliminate all anxiety, fear and worry.  It would essentially rid us of all suffering.  But it would require something of us, we’d have to suspend all conclusions that are set against our desires.  We’d cease inserting a period into any experience, as my friend Wenda would say.  We’d remember that life is in perpetual expansion and because of this the nature of all things is continually unfolding.  We know this to be true, now couple that with believing that everything that happens – happens for our highest good.  Imagine for just a moment what that would feel like.  Do you feel the peace, the ease and the profound relief wash over you as you rest in that knowing?

in a world where we can choose to adopt any belief we want to, why not choose the ones that work for us and with us.  Everything about this vast Universe moves with grace and benevolence.  The whole of nature moves towards balance and well being.  This is proof that all that does unfold is for the well being of everything.  Knowing this, there are no longer any reasons to suffer over anything.  Next time, should you find yourself beginning down the trail of suffering, take pause to remind yourself, everything unfolds for your greater good.  You may not see the bigger picture in this red hot moment but you can trust the truth of this knowing — everything unfolds for my good — and rest there.   No longer will you walk through darkness.  The belief that everything unfolds for your good will illuminate all your paths and prove itself true for you again and again, if you just let it.

Should we suffer needlessly again, it is because we’ve reached a conclusion that counts against everything unfolding for the good.  We’ve inserted a period into that experience —- forgetting momentarily how life is in constant flow.  We can re-join that flow right now.  Close your eyes and take a deep breath and sink into knowing that all things are unfolding for your good.  Stay there long enough to feel how it feels in your body and before you open your eyes remember you can take this feeling with you wherever you go.  Know that you need not suffer a moment longer as long as you choose to know with every fiber of your being that everything, absolutely everything is unfolding for your good.  Let that be the gift you give yourself this season.   It truly will demonstrate itself to be the gift that keeps on giving.