Author: Jean

 

 

 

 

 

 

  there is a path being

  set out before me

  twisting and turning

  through space and time

 

  i sometimes stop and wonder

  how i arrived here,

  dizzy with the dancing of

  mysterious synchronicity,

  what yes’s and no’s brought me this far 

 

  i believe in miracles

  i have held them in my own hands,

  and yet so often

  i am afraid 

 

  my faith sometimes falters

  my feet frozen beneath me

  wanting to stay here,

  relieved of risk and

  not knowing the way,

  but there is a brave heart

  a jewel given to me,

  that has guided me onward, 

  through night and through day

 

  i follow my path, 

  from the depths of my feeling

  toward what lies ahead,

  great joy or deep sorrow,
  elation or heartbreak, 

  all roads lead to

  freedom and ultimate truth

 

  life needs bravery,

  faith and surrender

  the path is before us,

  we forge a destiny,

  all this experience

  calling us home

  

 

 

 

 

   

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

    the will of the earth is strong

    to bring life to itself

    even through the roughest rock

    see it root and rise,

    and such is the manner of love

    in the human heart

    even the hardest terrain

    seeming barren and void

    has a seed deeply planted

 

    the heart is always

    looking for the space,

    for the moment,

    to let love root and rise

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

       when two worlds collide

       where will you set up camp

       in the storefront of illusion

       or in the temple of your soul?

 

 

 

 

    This question figures so prominently in my life. Where do I want to focus my energy, and what I am I living into? It is easy to get swept up by all the external data that tends to pull me away from myself. I feel like there are all these messages telling me to look outside, to fixate on the external trappings and an image, but that always ends up being hollow. If there is any happiness or contentment in that, it is always fleeting, that is my experience anyway. I do my best to keep my camp in the temple of my soul, that is in my spiritual practice, in contemplation and creativity, and in relationship with those who I love and who love me.

 

I took this photo here in Shanghai. The Jing’an Temple is the most well known temple in Shanghai and has been in this location since about 1200, but has recently been surrounded by high rise luxury shopping as Shanghai becomes more modern and focused on material abundance. As you stand in this place of reverence and devotion, you look up and see these huge billboards looming overhead. It is startling and, to me, so telling. It begs the question above.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

     dreams of pink petals

     and soft whispers of

     green leaves

     the intersection of

     exacting intelligence

     and vivid strokes of beauty

 

     could there be greater

     evidence of the divine spark

     than this blossom of brilliance

     unwaveringly becoming itself

     wide open and free?

 

     oh to live like a flower

     rising to this life with

     no hesitation

     to burst forth boldly

     no doubting, no hiding

     sitting powerfully in the center

     of what is meant to be,

     pouring out color, scent, flavor

     surrendering it fully,

     perfectly,

     until it’s done

 

 

     I aspire to this, this way of being. That was what really started me on this poetry project, a deep thirst to express, expand and be seen. I don’t mean be seen in a seeking glory sort of way, but to risk revealing deep parts of myself and trusting that in creating outwardly, showing up and opening out that there will be a corresponding opening inward. My experience so far is that this is true but it can also be quite tender and even achy, growing pains I guess. Shine on everyone, be bold and bright!

    

 

 

 

 

       

 

 

 

 

  occupy this moment

  touch it with your tenderness,

  bring it to your lips,

  listen for its song
 

  see every side of it

  each subtle dimension 

  all the curves and angles,

  the center moving out

  meet this moment fully
  expansion and contraction
  expressing through shadow
  the way it catches light
 

  occupy this moment

  ride it like a wave,
  and in the next instant
  a tide of rising and falling
  the world is made again

 The present moment is the only place we can ever really know anything, connect to anything, be fully alive. Every moment is full of  potential, the potential to experience, but the the thing is we have to actually be there to experience the world in front of us, or the one within us. I often find myself lost in my thoughts, lost in my mind, somewhere other than experiencing the present moment, but I have practices like yoga, dance, meditation and writing that help me to come back to now, what is happening now, what I am feeling, seeing, touching. It is worth showing up for.  

 

on the long walk of life

what loads we carry

the weight of what

we have been and

who we long to be

along the road we often

drop our playfulness

lose our simple joyfulness,

the delight of climbing walls

and talking to the trees

learn from the children

see them skip, run,

dance and sing,

remember, remember,

look and remember,

set your load down

feel how you breathe

sense your deep energy

come home to your body

wonder once again

at your fingers and toes,

no matter the gravity

situation or station

we all are such children

of light and of soul

let’s run and laugh

just for this moment

spin in wild circles

throw our gaze up to the sky

and feel the beat of

our fierce child hearts,

our inner perfection

we are beautiful,

all of us,

every single one

Living and traveling here in Asia I have seen many people living in the toughest of circumstances. I have witnessed people living in absolute poverty, and with no recourse or resources to turn to in hopes of a change. I have also seen among those people, especially the children, a capacity for happiness and play despite the gravity of their life circumstances. I feel this is evidence that our true nature is joyful and playful. Children are still connected to their pure energy and embodied soul nature. To watch a child at play, is to watch a wise teacher, a teacher who shows us powerful remembrances, of the same wisdom, the same playful nature, we all have within us. This is a wisdom and quality of being, that goes beyond country, culture, gender, it is so deeply, so profoundly human. Remember, remember, look and remember, this joy and freedom is who we are.

I took this photo in Delhi, India. I was so taken with this playful child, balancing, almost dancing along this wall, while her mother and I presume, older sister, looked on.

 

 

 

at the gateway of the heart

guardians hold their vigil

custodians of secrets

protecting things unseen
holding their posts
in the unknown shadows
waiting patiently and faithfully
for the moment of truth
the lightening strike of
potent awareness
that cracks them wide open
and what was held for so long
is finally set free

This image called to me today, and as I considered it, this stone post head at the end of a bridge had the feeling of being a protector. I know there are pieces of me, feelings, emotions and parts of my “story” that I might be conscious of, or not, that I have not fully processed or integrated. To think about these vulnerable or wounded parts, the things that are hidden, being guarded and protected until the time comes to bring them into the light of truth is comforting to me. It is the idea of having inner angels of steadfast protection, holding safe space for my inner world to unfold as it will, when the time is right. Maybe this resonates for you, or maybe not, but we all have things we hide or protect, even if we all hold them in unique ways. Love to all of us in this magnificent messy life!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it is such small treasures

of mysterious origin

that set my heart alight

      with wonder

  and leave me struck

  in sweet captivation

  delivering me back

to a wide eyed innocence

  that is open and joyful

   and so fully in love

     with this world

 

 

 

The events and happenings of the world and life can get to feeling really heavy for me sometimes. It is useful for me to engage my senses toward the small beautiful treasures around me, they help me to open my heart even when that is a difficult thing to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

take the first step

ascending or descending

either way, any direction

it is the movement that matters

coming unglued from

bindings and hesitations

feel your way along

through both light and shadow

up and down and back again

until you know each step

so intimately and yet

attuned to the constant

changing and shifting

each footfall a discovery

a moments visitation

of what arises and falls away

a journey of becoming begins

with even a small willingness

take the first step

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

solitude

is an invitation to

finally strip it all down

to the bare bones

and be naked,

exposed in front of

the one who matters

to revel in all the power

and beauty that this

one being can hold

 

in solitude abandon

the long told lies

of doubt and fear,

slide out from them

like a serpent shedding skin

and bask in the light of

your own perfection

 

sing, dance, howl

for the majesty of

this miraculous creation,

only you can unlock

your mystery

your divinity,

know your truth,

speak it

 

cocooned in solitude

enter and find yourself,

emerge from your shell

transformed again and again,

take the slow path back,

we are in the circle

waiting

 

 

Bonus haiku:

 

go to the mountain

wrap solitude around you

soul light leads the way

 

 

I have a complicated relationship with solitude. For a long time I could not embrace the gift of solitude because it kept getting lost in my fear of being alone. My story of “alone” is full of rejection, pain and loss. As I have committed more and more to a spiritual life over the last decade or so, my relationship to solitude has shifted and evolved. I recognize now that if I want to truly step into myself, if I truly want to go deep and grow, solitude is essential. If I want to create and express from an empowered and authentic place I have to take the time with myself to connect to that place of truth. In solitude I can go into my heart and soul space, get to the distilled essence of what I am here to experience, feel, process, and in doing so I feel my core relationships getting stronger, I make better choices about how I invest my time and energy, I can engage with the world in a more skillful way.

 

Solitude brings me sustenance and grace.