rising morning
Red sun rising above on-ramps
Orange and gold orbs dancing on silver water
love bridged and abridged
prayer ascending descending
ethereal mist surrounds baseline
treetops
towers
cranes
bridges
floating up from this magical smokiness
this morning’s color therapy
red
orange
brown
white
gold
bronze
copper
Fall sits in blazing splendor
this December beginning
revealed spots of hidden beauty
all along commutes
portals into mystery at every bending moment of God-path’s every where
work waits to steal the beauty of my wanderlust
but for now…
I smile
at the courage of all these leaves
letting go
simply jumping with abandon
without nets
free falling into their next adventures
at the extreme holy beauty of this very moment
I carry this with me
changing the landscape of my day
holding this sacred space
returning again and again
to dip my feet into the colors
of my mindful remembering
❤️
Amy Lloyd
LISTEN FROM SILENCE
Be present. Be here.
Feel your feet on the ground,
your belly rising and falling.
Be open and receptive
to the life all around you.
The sounds, smells, tastes.
Feelings rising unexpectedly.
A tingling in the belly.
A contraction in the throat.
Heaviness in the head.
An old sadness coming to visit.
Stay curious as the moment dances.
Listen. Listen with your entire body.
Hear yourself. Hear the other person.
Hear the silence in between the sentences.
Let the silence linger a little while longer.
There’s no rush. There’s no ‘better’ moment to get to.
Silence doesn’t always need to be filled.
Be a little more naked. A little slower.
Know a little less what you’re about to say.
Be a little less prepared, a little messier,
a little more willing to expose your vulnerable heart.
Be surprised at your own responses.
Don’t numb yourself with the same old stories.
Stumble if you need to. It’s okay. You are held.
Let your words emerge from silence and return to them.
Notice if you’re talking just to avoid the silence.
Notice if you’re regurgitating a story you’ve told before.
Notice if you’re trying to impress, or win love.
Or avoid being seen for who you really are.
Friend, in silence we truly meet.
Genuine understanding is beyond mind.
Love is wordless; needs no more words.
Listen to the silence; it is volcanic.
💕
– Jeff Foster
God-path portal by Robin OK
He comes to us as One unknown, without a name, as of old, by the lakeside,
He came to those men who knew Him not. He speaks to us the same words: “Follow thou me!” and sets us to the tasks which He has to fulfill for our time. He commands. And to those who obey Him, whether they be wise or simple, He will reveal himself in the toils, the conflicts, the sufferings which they shall pass through in His fellowship, and, as an ineffable mystery, they shall learn in their own experience Who He is.
– Albert Schweitzer
When we pray, we don’t pray to change God’s mind, to urge God to fix everything, we pray to change our own hearts. We pray to be made compassionate if we are selfish; we pray to be given strength when we feel weak. We pray so that we might take action against injustice or suffering rather than sit idly by. We pray so that we are humbled by our flaws and yet grateful for our gifts and strengths. If our heart is hard, we pray that it be made tender. We pray to see ourselves with clear eyes, neither too proud nor filled with self-doubt and judgment. We pray to be filled with empathy for those who are sick, abandoned, imprisoned, or suffering. We pray to be given the strength to do what is hard. We pray to remember what is within our power to do, and also to remember what is beyond our capacity to control. we pray to remember in hope that all is not lost, that it is NEVER lost. And that we have a role to play in making things better. We pray to grow closer to God and to those who have gone on before us so that we remember the faith that inspired simple lives to be better lives.
This is why we pray. Not to relinquish our own responsibilities to one another, but to remember them! To inflame our sense of right action, not to extinguish it by soothing our conscience to sleep.
So, we pray! We pray so that our eyes become clear and our hearts emptied enough to make room for Love. We pray to be awakened. For God to awaken us all to our present duty! It is here that the world will be made whole.
🙏🏻
Punk Monk
life: acoustic & amplified 