Tag: beauty

Just As You Are.

You are beautiful just as you are, my loves.

With just as much might as a tiny pinprick of light piercing through the depth and shadows of night.

You are the morning star ushering twilight home; even in silence your grace is profound. And, everything that surrounds? A reflection of all that you are and do.

Oh darling, please rest assured – the world shares its magic in the most subtle of ways: your light, your beauty, your sparkling perfection.

Happy Valentine’s Day, my sweet friends!

In peace and with much love…

Namaste ❣️

In the Eyes of the Beholder.

There’s an art museum in the neighboring town where I lived.

The architecture was quite stunning; stone marble steps marked the entrance through the brass and iron framed door. On either side, roses dipped their weighted blooms before stone statues of ‘great men on horseback’ and heroes of the war.

We used to visit there every Sunday, just before the crowds settled in. Mom loved the Van Gogh exhibit best, captivated by the wild impassioned, brushstrokes and obvious castings of tradition. Though I never quite understood the draw.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Mom would smile before moving on.

Not everyone can appreciate the appeal of a Warhol, Bosch or Van Gogh – and, certainly the complexities of taste are far reaching. However, one thing has always perplexed – when it comes to Nature’s artworks each of us stands so blissfully in awe.

Through the Redwood’s towering pose, we find humility; in the heron’s swift ascension, we find grace. Every amplitude of brush stroke, each hint of color – all lending something miraculous to the beholder; the blessing of simplicity in a world fraught with trouble.

And we may lose ourselves within the throes of an uncertain storm. Or, perhaps we’ll find perfection reflected within the endlessness of cosmos.

“The secret is in action; here and now.” writes Nisargadatta Maharaj. And, in the end “it is your behavior that blinds you to yourself.”

In peace, dear friends…

Namaste ❤

A Mistake? Or, Grace?

There’s a koi pond in the gardens of a local nursery I like to visit. I stopped there yesterday on my way home from work, the weather far too nice to miss the blessing of their company.

I’ve always been fascinated by their movement; graceful even in the murkiest of waters. They seem to ‘know’ me upon my arrival, risking ‘life and fin’ in their passage before a hungry old barn cat standing watch. And, simply for the benefit of our conversation – “Have you stopped to see our Magnolia? Doesn’t she look lovely in that deeper shade of green?”

One of my favorites is a speckled beast the locals call a ‘butterfly koi’. Her fins flow like a silken robe through the water. And, perhaps knowing the magnitude of her effortless beauty, she’ll pause – allowing room for the spectators’ exclaim.

To the more traditional of Koi enthusiasts, she’s a ‘genetic mutt’ – unworthy of such popularity and acclaim.

Though, I’ll never say…

To me, she’ll always be one of the greater wonderments of Spring.

“She’s a failure of cross breeding,” her attendant once shared. “Though, my goodness – isn’t her imperfection just the prettiest of things?”

A little something to consider, my friends…

In peace…

Namaste ❤

In This Moment Here.

My darlings, this morning a passage from one of my favorite poets, Ellen Bass – a reminder to hold faith even in the most uncertain of times.

Based upon the messages received as of late, I felt it worthwhile to share.

To love life, indeed – even in those desperately delicate moments when our way forward seems improbable, at best.

And ours is to find enough to believe.

Namaste ❤️

“to love life, to love it even
when you have no stomach for it
and everything you’ve held dear
crumbles like burnt paper in your hands,
your throat filled with the silt of it.
When grief sits with you, its tropical heat
thickening the air, heavy as water
more fit for gills than lungs;
when grief weights you like your own flesh
only more of it, an obesity of grief,
you think, How can a body withstand this?
Then you hold life like a face
between your palms, a plain face,
no charming smile, no violet eyes,
and you say, yes, I will take you
I will love you, again.”

~ Ellen Bass

The Miracle Within Each Moment.

Don’t be afraid, my darlings.

You needn’t travel this path alone, certain of the outcome before it has ever been experienced.

Open yourself to the possibility wonderment; rest within your ‘knowing.’

Everything has its place and purpose, my loves – revealed only through this passage of time.

Remember, “we are the impossibility within an impossible universe” – this alone should reinforce your purpose.

That we may learn to embrace gratitude within each moment, without the worry of having to know why.

Life just is, my loves – and we, are among its most perfect manifestations.

Remember, it is “the invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.”

As, it’s only when we’re able to look past Limitation – that the beauty of this life is revealed.

You Are Perfect, Just As You Are.

Let it all go, my darlings.

Every illusion of risk versus reward; every moment of ‘what have I gained.’ Each instance of wondering why, or wallowing deeper into your pain.

Let it all go, my darlings. Let your worries fade to nothingness.

Find solace in the ‘not knowing how’, and dig your toes deeply into the mud of ‘what happens next.’

Let the world find you, just as you are – with the softness, grace and compassion to shift the barriers of our self-centeredness.

Live in the ripe juiciness of the question. Go on – stumble around, and let it sting.

Let it all go, my darlings.

Let your soul have its wings. Take flight, and soar to all those charming little places in between.

Let compassion deepen in your willingness to be—just as you are—without the burdens of a ‘protective shield.’

Let the richness of this life find you, my loves – just as it is. Let this experience become your catalyst.

And knowing, you are perfect – just as you are.

“Do you know how beautiful You are?

I think not, my dear.

For as you talk of God,
I see great parades with wildly colorful bands
Streaming from your mind and heart,
Carrying wonderful and secret messages
To every corner of this world.

I see saints bowing in the mountains
Hundreds of miles away
To the wonder of sounds
That break into light
From your most common words.

Speak to me of your mother,
Your cousins and your friends.

Tell me of squirrels and birds you know.
Awaken your legion of nightingales-
Let them soar wild and free in the sky

And begin to sing to God
Let’s all begin to sing to God!

Do you know how beautiful you are?

I think not, my dear.

Yet I
Could set you upon a Stage
And worship you forever!” – Hafiz

Protecting the Treasure Within.

Can you see it darlings?

Right there, inside this “Pink Moth” orchid? As if a little one has tumbled from her nest – in order to guard the flower’s precious nectar.

With wings ‘cupped’ she holds her stead…ever-watchful of the treasure within.

Can you see it darlings?

Right there, inside this “Pink Moth” orchid? As if a little one has tumbled from her nest – in order to guard the flower’s precious nectar.

With wings ‘cupped’ she holds her stead…ever-watchful of the treasure within.

And knowing, “If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it.”

Find the beauty which surrounds you, my darlings. I promise you, it’s always been ‘just right there’ all along.

The Gift of Refuge.

“The Fully Enlightened One, beautifully seated, peaceful, and smiling
a living source of understanding and compassion,
to the Buddha I go for refuge.
The path of mindful living,
leading to healing, joy, and enlightenment,
the way of peace,
to the Dharma I go for refuge.
The loving and supportive community of practice,
realizing harmony, awareness, and liberation,
to the Sangha I go for refuge.
I am aware that the Three Gems are within my heart.
I vow to realize them,
practicing mindful breathing and smiling,
looking deeply into things.”

My darlings, you may have heard me reference this idea of ‘taking refuge’.

In the Buddhist sense, taking refuge refers to our continuous recognition and willingness to move towards that which is most beautiful, truthful, and good. It humbles us, and deepens our capacity to understand and love.

In this moment – I could find no better representation of refuge than that of the hearts who have so lovingly gathered here – and, to share so graciously, their spirit.

Make no mistake, my darlings – it is kindness which changes this world. These micro-moments of reaching out, of ensuring another’s heart might be heard. To take the moments, irrespective of our day – to offer hope in the form of a hand.

This is what humanity needs most of all.

And, such a blessing that in my own time of need –  I have the gift of your light to help see me through.

My darlings, I don’t say it nearly often enough – but, I am so ever-grateful that you are here.

Much love, and deepest blessings ~ from my humble heart to yours.

Namaste <3

Wishing You the Beauty in all Things.

The sky lit with brilliant hue, of fiery orange and incandescent blue.

Proving beyond all lingering doubts, that—when you’re able to see the beauty in things…then, my loves, it is beauty which surrounds you.

“To learn to see,” wrote Friedrich Nietzsche “to accustom the eye to calmness, to patience, and to allow things to come up to it” – without judgement, without the habit of preconceived notion.

What you are looking for is already within you—a flash of blue in its richest hue. This is what it means to truly see.

“I exist as I am, that is enough,
If no other in the world be aware I sit content,
And if each and all be aware I sit content.
One world is aware, and by the far the largest to me, and that is myself,
And whether I come to my own today or in ten thousand or ten million years,
I can cheerfully take it now, or with equal cheerfulness, I can wait.”
― Walt Whitman

Indeed, whether in my own today or in ten thousand million years, with equal cheerfulness…I wait. Knowing that within each, most glorious step there is this moment of awakening.

Namaste, my loves – and on this day, I wish you the gift of beauty in all things.

In Case You May Have Forgotten…

My darlings, do you know just absolutely beautiful you are?

What I mean to say is, do you truly understand it?

To think of the many wonders that have brought you here today. Whether your inclined to believe in the musings of space, or (like me) ponder the miracles of happenstance.

The point is, my darlings – YOU are a magnificent point of light, a reflection of all that is great in this Universe…a manifestation of the divine.

Within you, there is potential – and, the limitlessness of choice. You are all that you ever wished to be; and, you are…the better portion of my day.

And gifted these senses, my darlings, these beautiful senses –

To see…

To feel…

To laugh…

To love.

Now tell me, if you can – just what could be better than that?

So, enough with this nonsense of thinking you’re never enough…

Because, my dearest darlings,

You are the sky…

You are the earth…

You are the heavens above.

And you, are my “absolutely everything.”

So, go out into this world today with love