Where does ... come from?

Where does doubt come from?
An over-active imagination
bearing no resemblance to the
truth of a situation.

Where does fear come from?
An unrealistic expectation
of perfection.

Where does anxiety come from?
An over-worked mind
seeing the danger in every situation
instead of the positives.

Where does trust come from?
Meeting the reality of the moment and
seeing doubt, fear, anxiety for the
overweight charlatans they are.

Where does patience come from?
An openness to seeing what is and
allowing it to be.

Where does kindness come from?
An open heart seeing the
interconnectedness of all life and
letting it in.

Where does ... come from? audio

© 25 Nov 15

Autumnal forget-me-nots

In the unkempt garden
where moss covers the path
because there is not yet time
to tend it
forget-me-nots grow in the pond
flowering in autumnal October
delightfully reckless.

The artist’s garden
is a feast for the eyes.
Metal watering cans waiting for the rain
a shed with no door
heaped high with items
unfamiliar to a glancing eye
intriguing
clay birds resting on a lichen-strewn wall
holly shining brightly
attractive yet dangerous
stepping stones leading towards
the artist’s lair
bushes of berries
thistles and seed heads inviting nature in
piles of pebbles.

The garden a collection of
things placed and
things yet unsure where their home is.
Amidst the muddle and the creeping moss
my heart delights in
forget-me-nots flowering unseasonably
in the pond.

© 18 Oct 15

Faith in humanity restored

I discover
as I heard this phrase yesterday
that my faith in humanity
did not need restoring
it has never faltered.
I see that for each person inflicting
suffering, pain and injury
on another
there is one willing to give
a helping hand
food to eat, clothes and warmth.
For each child who falls and cries
there is an adult willing
to pick up and comfort.
For every mean or harsh word
there is a kind and generous one.
For every aggressive or dangerous act
there is a calming hand and soothing voice.

These acts may not always meet
or manifest in the same place
yet I perceive they balance
one another out.
With a rise in aggression, violence and conflict
there is equally a rise in compassion and love
willing to meet and embrace the negativity.

If we expect only the negative or the bad
this is all we will find.
Let’s seek out and praise the
generous, kind-hearted and the giving.
Let’s speak of those who
go the extra mile and
care for the stranger.
My faith in humanity
does not need restoring
it never faltered.

© 30 Sep 15

Snow bird

Today
I was reminded of a snow bird
a delicate, beautiful formation
created by a delicate, beautiful being.

We met together
this group of girls and two adults
to enjoy a day of meditation and
quiet presence.

Our plans were thrown awry
by the snow that fell
delicately and beautifully
settling, covering, disguising.
We went outside to play.

Whilst many threw snowballs and
messed around noisily
you created a snow bird
delicate and beautiful
to sit atop the fence and
watch our gambolling.

Next day much of the snow
had gone
all that was left lay dirty and sullied.
Yet the snow bird
still sat atop the fence
a gentle, lovely reminder
of our day together
and of its originator
delicate and beautiful.

© 18 Oct 15

Shining jewels

Raindrops glisten
hanging from berry, twig
grass blade and seed head.
Indra’s Net may be invisible
yet its jewels shine here
in every hedgerow.

Look near, look far
manifestations of silence
glint all around.

Look within, look without
manifestations of silence
sing in every atom.

The seer can only see
what it knows.

© 27 Oct 15

The world has gone awry

The world has gone awry
turning the weather in November
to hotter than July
as if confused, uncertain how to behave.

The world has gone awry.
Humans bombing, killing humans
humans killing innocents
in the name of peace
in the name of sport.

The world has gone awry.
Fear creeps in like a
suffocating blanket
stealing away rationality
replacing it with mistrust
stealing away generosity
replacing it with suspicion.

In the furore of emotion
I can forget I am we.

My bigger self, my better self
is the stranger I have yet
to embrace as friend.
My teacher is the one
who stirs up my uncertainties
questions my firmly held beliefs
pokes me like a hornet's nest
to search my heart and
find out what is there.

In a world gone awry
if I am not to be overtaken
by fear, mistrust and suspicion
I must centre myself
resting in the heartspace and
letting go of separation.

Here, there is no good and bad
no right and wrong.
Here, love abides
here, compassion dwells
straining at the leash
ready to embrace
all the confusion and uncertainty.
Ready to look for
demonstrations of love
in helping hands
shoulders to lean on
arms to carry
sleeves to wipe away tears.

A world gone awry
can be straightened out
by hands of love connecting
smoothing foreheads and
wiping away worry lines.

A world gone awry
can be straightened out
by remembering
I am we.

© 16 Nov 15

What are you waiting for?

What are you waiting for?
For the mind to be quiet
or to lose its impetus?
You may as well wait for
the sun to stop shining.

For everything to be just so
in order to seek freedom?
You may as well wait for
the ocean’s waves to become motionless.

For happiness to fill
your sense of lack and longing?
You may as well wait for
all the stars to go out.

For oneness to descend
in a shower of rose petals?
You may as well wait for
the earth to stop turning.

What are you waiting for?
Oneness will never appear
once you have fulfilled a
self-made list of Herculean tasks.
Oneness will not wait
for you to transform all your bad habits.
Oneness cannot be the
end of your constant journeying.
Oneness is now
or never.

Oneness is present beyond and
through and sustaining the mind.
Oneness is the freedom you seek and
the space that allows you to see
what you perceive as a lack.
Oneness is in happiness and sadness
beyond and through and sustaining
each emotion, each action, each thought.
Oneness is the step you take and
the path untrod
the thought put into words and
the thought unspoken
the action taken and
the deed undone.

What are you waiting for?
Oneness is not waiting for
the sadness and madness and badness
to dissolve and
for equanimity and evenness
to sweep over you
like a shimmering cloak.
Oneness is beyond and through and sustaining
every breath you breathe.
Oneness is no future event
no end destination
no merit for a life well lived.

Oneness is now
or never.

© 28 Oct 15
What are you waiting for? audio