Everywhere Camp of the Heart

It’s not about how many years you have to live, but how you live with the years you have left.

2007-03-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

2007-03-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

Doctor's Visit

2007-03-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

Just enough teeth left
To chew my food
Just enough nose
To smell the flowers
Just enough sight
To take in the beauty
All around me…

Life is good

2007-03-13T01:15:00.000-07:00

The Pebble

2007-03-13T01:10:00.000-07:00

I drop the pebble of inquiry
Into the pond of my innermost
Reflection.
Ripples move out
And reverberate off the shores
Of my distant Self.
I see the images of eternal truth.
I feel the wholeness
Of my inner being.
This recognition is my homecoming.
Nothing has changed,
But for the light that illuminates all.
With gratitude and laughter,
I accept this wondrous gift
And heartfully extend it
To you.

2007-03-13T01:06:00.000-07:00

The Path of Beauty

2007-03-13T01:02:00.000-07:00

I walk the path of beauty.
I walk among the firefly stars of the night
Where silence embraces me
Like a warm blanket.
I hear sounds that tickle my ears and soothe me.
I lay upon the ground
That becomes my bed.
I sink into the Earth.
I listen to my heart
And it becomes the drum sound that guides me.
I feel the pulse of my blood,
Surging like a river into mystery.
I explore the depths of my breath,
And I become the Wind
That knows every place.
All my senses communicate
The beauty that surrounds me and is inside
My heart is full
And I am one with all creation.

2007-03-13T00:59:00.000-07:00

Song of Big Sur

2007-03-13T00:50:00.000-07:00

I am spirit,
I’m a place beyond the World;
Caught on the edge
Where crystal sand has been hurled.
I’m the restless sea.
I am the rocks above.
I am the butterflies
High on love.
I am steep, ragged cliffs
Falling into the sea.
I am sudsy foam
Crashing in on me.
I am passing whales
Who spout white water.
I am joyful treasures,
I am dolphin and otter.
I am hot pools and rock pools
Where I am cleansed of my worry.
I am slow walks and quiet talks.
I don’t have to hurry.
I am dark fertile earth.
I am gardens that grow.
I am dreamtime succulents
Who say that they Know.
I am green, spongy grass
Who says, ”Come play on me.”
I am the salt in the air
Rising out of the sea.
I am raccoon, masked robber,
Who steals in the night
Along with my brothers,
We hug in delight.
I’m a clear, happy creek,
Over rocks tumbling down.
I flow by a building
Where silence goes round.
And way back beyond
I’m a canyon that goes deep
In quiet solitude
I bathe in the creek.
I am giant redwoods
That long ago burned.
I made hollow cathedrals
Where people could learn.
I am tall reaching pines,
Home for butterfly dreams.
I am sky-diving hawks,
Feathers chasing their screams.
I am flowering vines,
Who climb over banks.
I am you passing by,
Our eyes touch in thanks.

I am Spirit
I am the rock that meets the sea.
I am Spirit.
I am all that I can be.

2007-03-13T00:40:00.000-07:00

Thunder Beings

2007-03-13T00:37:00.000-07:00

Thunder beings,
Messengers from Great Spirit,
Thank you,
For bringing us your crackling light.
Thank you,
For bringing us the energy of creation.
As you approach us,
Carried by your friends,
The dark clouds,
We await in anticipation.
Our hair and bodies tingle
As the rolling thunder
Announces your arrival.
And now in the middle
Of this awesome display,
You reach in to touch
Our hearts
And illuminate our origins.
We are grateful
That you carry the blessing
Of the Creator.
We, in turn, pledge
To also bring the light
Of Spirit
Into the darkness
Of a sleepy world.

2007-03-13T00:33:00.000-07:00

Mountain Top

2007-03-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

Strong legs
Swinging arms
Deep breath….
They got me here.

Now I must play the waiting game
Waiting patiently,
As the difficulties
And rigors of this place
Slowly loosen
And exfoliate
The reluctant layers
Of a civilized man.

2007-03-12T23:41:00.000-07:00

Unity

2007-03-11T23:35:00.000-07:00

Let us not forget
That we have come here together
And this togetherness
Is part of our transformation
Part of the utter joy
Of the experience we are attaining:

A feather by itself
Floats to the earth
Feathers united in a wing
Ascend to Heaven

2007-03-05T22:19:00.000-08:00

Static

2007-03-05T22:15:00.000-08:00

The reactions of people
Are like Fall leaves
Tumbling and skidding
Across the ground

What I want
Is to find the tree
They came from
And follow her roots
Deep into the earth

Soup Kitchen

2007-03-05T21:58:00.000-08:00

I’m looking for words.
Where are they hiding?
Words to match my feelings
And the truth I know
In my heart.
I’m grabbing for handles
On the full pots of expression.
Just like serving up food
At the “soup kitchen,”
The fragrances are rich.
Sustenance is at hand.
The line forms to the right.
And the broth just keeps coming.
I want to give it away.
It’s too hot to handle.
Here,
You take a bowl
And let’s break bread
Together.

2007-03-05T21:53:00.000-08:00

Labor of Love

2007-03-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

I held the piece
Of rough marble in my hand
As fashioned it
I worked it
Grinding
Then sanding
Stage after stage
I squeezed it
Flipped it
Held it on end
Caressed it
Until the marble
Began to take the shape
Of my hand

As it became smoother
And smoother
Its surface began to reveal
A map of delicate lines
And subtle colorations
Somehow it felt like my life
And that of the stone
Were emerging together
I understood
That all of the painful
And challenging experiences
I have encountered
Have been the abrasive grit
That has given definition
To my character

Time and Life’s erosions
Have exposed me
For who I really am…

God’s hidden treasure

2007-03-05T02:59:00.001-08:00

Patricia

2007-03-05T02:54:00.000-08:00

Driving and driving,
Long drive up the Central Valley.
Nighttime drive,
Journey to Mt. Shasta.
First time!
And my companion,
(She needed a ride)
Is unknown,
Though a vision quester,
Like me.

We talk with animation,
Like early morning birds,
And then fall into silence
With the deep night sky.
Vision questers can do that.
They allow themselves
To know all sides
Of the same thing.
No place to go,
As we hurtle down the road,
Excitement brewing
In the pit of our stomachs,
A sign from the inner sky
That this would be
A powerful weekend.

And when strangers meet
And nothing is strange,
Could this mean that this place
Is becoming safe
For all of us to heal?

The swallow swoops down to skim the pond and leaves with a mouthful of water.

2007-03-05T02:12:00.000-08:00

2007-03-05T02:10:00.000-08:00

Communication to the World

2007-03-05T02:02:00.000-08:00

Wake up!
Smell the roses!
Smell all the smells
Strip off your clothes
And walk naked
In the warm breeze

Let the rediscovery
Of your senses
Bring innocence again
But this time
Bring respect also
The child and the adult together
Hand in hand
Innocence and respect
We are the guardians
Or the destroyers
If we despoil
All that is beautiful
We will have nothing
Left to guard
Wake up, humans
Before it’s too late
And appreciate all
That is before you