fantasy island

eyes closed
warm water
cascading
over my head
and body
I am standing
beneath a waterfall
on a tropical island
where snow and winter
never visit

A small stone for Day 14.

I am

Silvery moonlight streams through the window
and onto the sticky mat
Where I am
Becoming
Space
Expanding
Gliding over the ice
Sohum
(I am that I am)

Riding the moonlight

A form of meditation

(Fishing the Colorado River.)

Fishing provides that connection with the whole living world.  It gives you the opportunity of being totally immersed, turning back into yourself in a good way.  A form of meditation, some form of communion with levels of yourself that are deeper than the ordinary self.

~ Ted Hughes

Playfully…

(A playful bird.)

Playfully you hid from me.
All day I looked.

Then I discovered
I was you,
and the celebration
of That began.

~ Lalla (India)

About a month or two ago I was flipping through Yoga Journal magazine.  I think it was the June issue but don’t hold me to that as I no longer have the copy to check.  I came across the poem quoted above as part of a review of the book Mala of the Heart: 108 Sacred Poems.  I had an almost immediate and interesting inner reaction to it.  It was as if someone opened a window in my soul, letting in a strong breeze and a bright light.

It is a difficult thing to describe.  It was a lot like looking at a breathtaking sunrise or sunset and suddenly, briefly, feeling a connectedness to everything.

From time to time I would think about it as I meditated.  It came to mind again when we were at the Lake Irene trail head in Rocky Mountain National Park and I saw a bird flitting around playfully in a pine tree, almost inviting me to follow as it hopped from branch to branch, peering out every now and then in a game of hide-and-seek.

I bought a copy of the book just before we set out on our trip to Colorado.  I haven’t had a chance to do much more than flip through it to look for the exact wording of Lalla’s poem.  I’m looking forward to reading more, and the journeys and adventures that might bring.

Life by the pond

(Green frog by the pond. Photo by Robin. 2006)

An old pond
a frog jumps in
Sound of water

– Matsuo Basho

Another old post revisited.

Wonders

(Moon over the Bogs. Photo by Robin. 2006)

Sometimes I look at something and I think it’s so wonderful.
And then I realize I was pointing out a fact
That was as obvious as the moon.

~ Hsu Yun

Stepping through the portal

(April 2006. Photo by Robin)

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu

I set out on a new journey, a meditative journey, my knapsack over my shoulder, looking like the Fool dancing on the edge of a cliff, ready to take a giant leap of faith.

Why is it The Clash is running through my head?

Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double…

I leap…

And find myself at a doorway, a portal to another land. I can clearly see the pathway, but have no idea where it will lead.

Should I stay or should I go now?

13 March 2012 update:  Funny how this old post is just as appropriate for me today as it was in 2007.  Life just keeps cycling from beginning to ending to beginning to… well, you get the idea.  New journeys, new adventures, happening all the time.