It's time.

http://year-of-living-authentically.blogspot.com/2010/10/message-to-everyone.html

Into Creation

Mystery of Mu-Ah,
My Non-Self, God-Self--
in the empty field, infinite empty field
of everlasting possibilities,
of countless images.

Amazed that this power of creation exists inside myself--
amazed in infinite gratitude,
amazed in brilliant bliss,
In the fierce bliss of the Emptiness,
I stand amazed.

Amazed again in gratitude,
both now and ever more,
for You gave me the Earth,
and the power to make it Heaven.

Universal Love

Three original paintings on the theme of
Universal Love: Embracing The Divine In All

Caritas Abundat

Inspired by Hildegard von Bingen's chant of the same title,

as sung by Norma Gentile:

Caritas Abundat

Loving tenderness abounds for all
from the darkest
to the most eminent one beyond the stars,

Exquisitely loving all
she bequeaths the kiss of peace
upon the ultimate King.

Reflection

Inspired by the following poem, which came to me

in a meditation during my own recent "seclusion" as a Christian mystic:

Infinite beauty is at our feet, if we will walk in it.  We walk into the infinite beauty by walking on water--by walking so gently that all we leave is a subtle ripple on the surface of the still, clean pool, as we move across, slowly and surely.

We dance together on the surface of the water.  He draws me strongly into His arms.  He draws me up, spinning blissfully--He has made me His.  And in the whirling of the dance, I can no longer tell who is he, who am I, or who is God.

Treasure of the Heart

Inspired by a love song that came to me, slowly, over the course of several months  of painfully slow driving on I-55 during construction.  The imagery in the song comes from various shamanic journeys I experienced over the past year while trying to straighten out my own relationships.  The lover mentioned, though at first I had him confused with a man I know, is actually the Light that exists inside me--and has always been there.  It is within you, too, and is worth protecting at all cost.

dragon slayer pirate queen

Alone, in the desert, as the wind blew through my hair

I saw you at a distance, an answer to my prayer

At a distance, oh, so far away

And I saw you in a field as a statue of gray stone

Unmoving, unblinking, and very much, very much alone

Waiting for the breath of life

And the stars collide in the galaxies

And the universe, it shifts before my eyes

And in my heart, white light tells the story of the Dragon Slayer

and the Pirate Queen

I fell overboard, I was drowning in the sea

And amazed, I watched as you dove into the ocean after me

And in a blink the world was changed

And then you stood before me, and pulled me off my throne

And you carried me to the forest, threw me down to the ground, made me your own

And in a blink the world was changed

And the stars collide in the galaxies

And the universe, it shifts before my eyes

And in my heart, white light tells the story of the Dragon Slayer

and the Pirate Queen

I've seen your face now and I'll never be the same

I know who you are now and I'll come to you when the wind calls out my name

And we can never be apart

For the stars have collided in the galaxies

And the universe has turned itself around

Now the bards will sing the story of the Dragon Slayer

and the Pirate Queen

o/~

Dive into the ocean of your own mind.
Swim deeply in the waters of your own spirit.
Unearth the long-buried temple within your heart,
explore its wide open spaces,
stand in awe before its pillars.

This space, so long forgotten, contains all you want.
This space, so long forgotten, contains all you need.

Vision

Infinite beauty is at our feet, if we will walk in it. We walk into the infinite beauty by walking on water--by walking so gently that all we leave is a subtle ripple on the surface of the still, clean pool as we move across, slowly and surely.

We dance together on the surface of the water. He draws me strongly into his arms. He draws me up, spinning blissfully--he has made me his, as God has made me his. He is the face of God that is created, is existent, as the Lover specially made for me. Everyone has his own God-Lover inside.

the other man

You were my opium, your gentle touch
sending waves of adrenaline
through all my veins,
lighting my face with a smile,
heating my body with fire.

But a drug does not choose who will consume it.
And I longed deep within to be chosen.
And now a man within my heart has chosen me.

True, he has neither skin nor bones nor any substance I can touch.
True, he has no resonant voice to vibrate my cold heart back to life.
But he speaks to me through the rising of the sun.
He touches me through the invisible current of cosmic energy.
He loves me through a vision that only I can see.

I still love you, and nothing is your fault,
but never again
will I cherish your illicit pleasures
deep within my heart and body
as though loving an inert substance were the best I could hope for.

Animus

A man alone, walking purposefully,
raging waterfalls at his back,
draws his bow,
launches flaming arrows,
one after another,
farther than the eye can see.

Who is he? What is he doing? Finally he turns and I see his face.
Rugged, clean-shaven, wild brown hair--a warrior!

Who is this warrior? I gaze at his face,
trying in vain to decipher the mystery.
Then, watching the gentle, determined energy of his walk,
suddenly, I know him.
He is me, and I am he.

A spinster's web

Working tirelessly
Singlemindedly
Painstakingly, cutting hundreds of intricate forms from the fabric,
one stitch at a time to bless the new bride,
while I remain desolate, cast out, unloved.

You cannot declare bankruptcy for karmic debt.
You can only pay it with your own blood.
Working is cleaning, giving is cleaning,
Polishing the mirror surface of your soul,
So that someday you might find your love clearly reflected back without distortion.

The beggars at the train station have learned this well.
With nothing tangible to give,
They nonetheless give the most precious gift of all,
Calling out "God bless you!" to every ear that hears.