life: acoustic & amplified

in the dark times

When times are dark

the way becomes clear.

Trust in your breath.

Rest in your heart.

Bow to the stranger.

This is the gospel of astonishment.

If we are completely lost

we come home

to each other.

Fred LaMotte

cut to the chase my friend

God dances us 

woos us until we can’t help falling 

head over heels

leave the past behind

step into a fresh page

the flow of spirits connecting hearts will heal our wounds

boil it down to the clearest truth

what does it cost to live our highest life?

distilled wisdom imparted with every word we share

simplicity (distilled beauty), 

kindness (distilled love) 

and authenticity (distilled truth) 

are earths highest spiritual achievements 

give me passion for these three gifts of grace

the light always shines out of darkness

stars are not visible in the day skies

candles never staying hidden by the multitude of bushels 

the wildfire burns away the dry grasses

a fine sprinkle of salt goes a long way to the discerning tastebud

laying on of hands warms the whole circle like a cashmere sweater

we are given choices (free will)

what we choose brings us heaven or hell 

don’t base your long-term goals on short-term goods

always keep in mind what you want most

think about what you are tolerating once in a while 

look in the mirror to see God’s reflection 

staple it to your forehead 

take it with you to staple it to the foreheads of everyone you meet

carry on now

carry on

💞

Amy Lloyd

 

all boxed up

God, sometimes I am as one

trying to go up and down stairs

with huge boxes in my arms

and I can’t see my footing, or other people.

I stumble. I drop things. I crash into people.

Help me set aside all my cargo:

emotions and beliefs that push and pull me,

heavy fears that unbalance me,

the way I want things to be, points to make,

how I want to be seen….

Help me set it all down and instead

carry only the song of your love,

and dance, light and lithe,

in your open meadow,

and, quick on my feet,

make way for others

who stagger and stumble…

__________________

Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Unfolding Light

http://www.unfoldinglight.net

I decline all offers to live in a house of reasons and proofs

I refuse to live a moment without the faith of doubt

I reject staying in a box of absolute truths

I deny my own dogged-dogma of black and white knowledge

I challenge myself continually to keep letting go of what I know for sure

I intentionally say no to my own sense of pride and privilege

I humbly confess my own lack of humble speech

I gratefully open myself to the vast newness of each day

I necessarily choose to rely on God rather than myself

I stand on the foundational stone of believing life is always for me even when I can’t see it

I embrace change, understanding its value, even when it’s a struggle and feels difficult for me

I bow on the shores of the ocean of goodness and pain as find my place among all the grains of sand

I sit in the most comfy seat of miraculous realization:

I am a drop of the ocean – I am the ocean in a drop

I stand on the circle of the earth and speak to the wind and the fire, the stars and the dirt

I am water – I flow

I am earth – I grow

I am that I am that I am that I am

abundance in every breath

ashes to ashes

dust to dust

I rise

I fall

I live

I die

I love

I love

I follow the light

I follow the light

❤️

Amy Lloyd

i will be

H O M E

Your past life sits in storage

while your future waits on hold.

Because right now

you are Here For Now.

You may be a Caregiver,

a Jobseeker, an In-Betweener,

a Path Changer,or a Newcomer.

At times you may

have felt let-down,

alienated, isolated,

unsettled, or separated.

Yet through it all,

you managed to keep

your chin up and

your heart open.

Home means something different

to anyone who ever says it.

Home is the gentle hearth of

inclusivity, welcoming those

of varying paths and all who’ve

felt pushed aside. Home is the

familiar sounds of reception,

beckoning us to come in from

the outdoor air of indifference

and relax our anxious mind.

Home is the soothing aroma

of simple kindnesses

wafting through each room,

inviting us to sit down and

share our stories of lives honestly

lived without any fear of being judged.

Home is a warm covering of acceptance

wrapped securely around our bodies,

reminding us we truly fit in;

that each one is an integral part

of the human family and

this Earth is our shared abode.

Home is a way of being.

It can ride along whenever

you journey and will settle in

wherever you take it.

Home is what you make it.

And because you made

your home a kind and

honest space to share

with others all around,

may you find a gentle

place to rest your head

and calm your soul.

💞

Susan Frybort

What falls out of me naturally?

What kind of woman lives at my core?

What music arrives with me as I enter a room?

What is the highest desire I want most?

What am I willing to do to get what I want?

What makes me feel delicious?

What particular things spark my joy switch?

What do my hands itch to touch, feel, carry forward?

What music jazzes me, dazzles me, rattles me, discovers me, uncovers me?

What joy drives me, stops me in my tracks, floods me, starves me into leaving my comfort zone?

What is my greatest desire?

My ecstatic pleasure?

My most sensual movement?

My highest form of worship?

💞

Amy Lloyd

THE OPENING OF EYES

That day I saw beneath dark clouds,

the passing light over the water

and I heard the voice of the world speak out,

I knew then, as I had before,

life is no passing memory of what has been

nor the remaining pages in a great book

waiting to be read.

It is the opening of eyes long closed.

It is the vision of far off things

seen for the silence they hold.

It is the heart after years

of secret conversing,

speaking out loud in the clear air.

It is Moses in the desert

fallen to his knees before the lit bush.

It is the man throwing away his shoes

as if to enter heaven

and finding himself astonished,

opened at last,

fallen in love with solid ground.

…

The Opening of Eyes

From RIVER FLOW

New and Selected Poems

© David Whyte and Many Rivers Press

…

gold over blue

(Photos above from Pinterest)

there are levels of perfection we reach…

gold over blue, for example

there are places in life of high altitude…

this very moment, for example

there are spiritual depths within which we open…

reading your poetry, for example

there are moments of achievement we never get over…

that time we finally won in ping-pong against the current champ, for example

there are always new things to learn…

each day is full of ‘the next choice’, for example

there is more goodness and abundance in this world than any other thing…

your friendship, for example

everything is grace…

this yellow morning, for example

💛

Amy Lloyd

< u>https://youtu.be/BWNE3eWBRA4

a love note for you…

If you’ve got a minute

I know it’s unfashionable,

out of the box,

even disturbing at times

to admit

but,

I love that you pray;

that I know your children’s names,

the way you sweep leaves off the back step

every afternoon,

use the tall thin glass with the yellow swirls

put sea salts in the old claw footed tub

walk your gigantic dog in the evening.

I love that you trust me

that the Mystery makes you crazy mad

-and no one wants to be saved

they just want

to stand next to you

while Rome burns.

While Rumi pauses,

poets select

artists carve out

writer’s buy new pens,

things sparkle-

I love that

what seems destroyable

is non-destructible

and the first thought in your mind

when you open your eyes

is the sigh of

“Oh Most Holy God”

and the heart expands

bearing witness to

raising cane

walking down hospital halls

reading stories to toddlers

playing in a sandbox

trying on shoes, and you can’t stand trying on shoes;

reciting Hafiz while you walk in the woods.

making amends

humming something about dragonflies

and watering baby pine trees.

Refusing to walk

anything but

the call…

Thank you

for fighting the whole way

so I would call you,

Friend

some stories end

some go on

for all of

Eternity

💞

Beauty,

Rev. Donna Knutson

dance n sing

Merge with your doubt.

Become one with

bewilderment.

Past and future

are too heavy to bear,

but in this moment

you are weightless,

at home with loss,

every atom filled with

the empty sky.

Moved by the stillness

of your Mother’s breath,

fall into dancing and sing,

‘I don’t know!’

Fred LaMotte

YOUR PERSONAL HEALING

Your personal healing has

never been done before.

Not by anyone

but you.

So be patient, gentle, merciful

and kind as you attempt to

uncover, untangle, revisit and reclaim

inside the vast field of emotions

within the process

of Working Through.

This means you will be required

to reshuffle and sort an array of

misplaced feelings. So, don’t sprint

through the tall grass, past the

wildflowers of misinterpretations

en route to recapturing and restoring

what has been lost or became disrupted.

And all you held that was

never really yours – guilt for not

doing enough, blame for upsetting

the current, pushback for taking

your rightful space – let it fall

to the ground.

Then from here on out,

despite the ups and downs,

remember:

You don’t have to

pick up everything

that gets thrown at you.

💃

Susan Frybort

This day is the beginning of the 7th Annual Creative Collaborative ReTreat the vision of my friend, Robin O’Neal! This year is special and we hold this space in a new place of love and joy!

So excited for all these new beginnings! I believe in the new things comin’

https://youtu.be/lkGBLLjAXEA

we got style

“you’ve got to have style in whatever you do — writing, music, painting, fashion, boxing, anything.” – #MilesDavis

we’ll fly

https://youtu.be/juRqIbIb7QM

“three universal questions that mock conventional wisdom…”

1. Why do I have to obey the rules?

2. Why can’t I be different?

3. Why can’t I do it my way?

❓

Twyla Tharp

never settle

What falls out of me naturally?

What kind of woman lives at my core?

What music arrives with me as I enter a room?

What is the highest desire I want most?

What am I willing to do to get what I want?

What makes me feel delicious?

What particular things spark my joy switch?

What do my hands itch to touch, feel, carry forward?

What music jazzes me, dazzles me, rattles me, discovers me, uncovers me?

What joy drives me, stops me in my tracks, floods me, starves me into leaving my comfort zone?

What is my greatest desire?

My ecstatic pleasure?

My most sensual movement?

My highest form of worship?

💞

Amy Lloyd

stars shining bright above you

What if you were sent here by something larger

Not against your will or wishes

But in alignment with your deepest longing

What if is was as simple as finding what you love

And letting it teach you how to live.

💞

~Oriah “Mountain Dreamer” House

I used to wait for a sign, she said, before I did anything. Then one night I had a dream & an angel in black tights came to me & said, you can start any time now, & then I asked is this a sign? & the angel started laughing & I woke up. Now, I think the whole world is filled with signs, but if there’s no laughter, I know they’re not for me.

😁

Waiting for Signs – Story of the Day – Story People

Prints here: https://shop.storypeople.com/products/waiting-for-signs-prints

https://youtu.be/CsaCCCQZNVQ

Against all odds the winds are changing directions

bell choirs keep silent vigil at midnight 

from the back a wheelchair

set in constant motion

subconscious patterns

run night and day

you, being the one and all,

free flowing floods flooding

body temperature liquid streaming

there she goes again

climbing over the rails

adrenaline pumps straight through the heart

stopping at flight and fright

no freeze allowed

night after sleepless night

finding me a hollow shell

still calm and beauty sensitive

aged trees newly borning leaves

Springs colors filling in daily

against the ever changing

skies and waters

greens, blues and silvers

this furious night wind

rides the water hard and wet

Friday can be somber

but hold on to your bonnet

puzzle pieces are settling into place

even in the void between questions and answers

bright resurrection arrives on Sunday mornings

patience is a rewarding experience

sorrow is the pathway into life

joy is still the stuff dreams are made of

all through the night hours

the silky cat keeps a hungry watch

until we wake to see what this day brings

a hearty breakfast, to be had by all

🌻

Amy Lloyd

down to earth

C O N F U S I O N

Confusion is a place between places.

The area where my true sense of direction

is obscured by the mists of varying emotion.

The moment before settling into my body

and allowing the potent feeling to fill me…

.

.

Here’s to Confusion.

Here’s to patterns being disrupted

by life’s unpredictable tempo.

Here’s to Not Knowing,

yet somehow grasping

I can withstand and bend

just like open waters;

being receptive to the teachings

of contrast and change

and to finally seeing.

Here’s to Lost Footing.

To being thrown off balance

and breaking through

my deep-grooved thinking

and outdated styles of perceiving.

Here’s to walking into waves

of fresh ideas and colliding

with radical ways of being.

Here’s to Frustration

and Disorientation.

To climbing out of the rut of habit

and swimming into waters of freedom.

Here’s to Discomfort

and Dissatisfaction;

how they lead me to deeper paths

and redirect my attention to

the light of alternative reason.

Here’s to Pains of Truth

overcoming erroneous roots.

When even the simple things

become strangely complicated,

here’s to forming new concepts,

gathering bold insights,

and to gaining with each

untried day, a life deeply lived

with grace, spilling over

with meaning.

🥂

Susan Frybort

All of your smarts

don’t fit in the lifeboat.

Your accomplishments

are too heavy for this parachute.

Even your thoughts

are only junk in your pockets.

The ideas people have of you,

even your own,

make quite a pile,

don’t they,

enough to fill a grave,

too big a pile

to fit through

the tiny door to heaven,

the little keyhole

into real life.

All that fits through

the needle’s eye

is your soul.

Why are you

afraid of that?

Thread this realm

with your beauty.

You are a song,

it passes through,

whole and perfect,

and fills the world.

__________________

Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Unfolding Light

http://www.unfoldinglight.net

(Facebook/Fred LaMotte)

Took a leap of faith

Thought I’d learn how to fly

Lookin’ for rainbows

And dreams passing by

Looking for answers

To a whole bunch of lies

Tryin’ to be anybody but me

had no idea how hard life could be

As I started to fall

As I crashed to the ground

picked myself up

and here’s truth that I found

—-

Learned I must bend

So I won’t break

How to get real

Not be a fake

Chose to smile through the pain

And never to hate

Now I’m flying so high

While I’m walking around

Cause the sky doesn’t end

Till it reaches the ground

🌎

Living each day now

Each step by faith

It’s so good to be

Right here in this place

Just You and me now

Stopped asking why

Don’t need the answers

to all of the lies

found I Am all that I need to be

ready to live ‘cause it’s time to be free

finding my way through blue skies or gray

🌞

Cause I’m walking on sunshine

On top of the world

Hooked on this feeling

Yes, I’m one happy girl

💃

Learned to find rainbows

Right in the rain

Found out I had more

The more that I gave

Chose to be happy

Not to complain

Living with passion

I know what Im worth

Cause life didn’t start

Till I got down to earth

🌈

Yes, I’m flying so high

While I’m walking around

Cause the sky doesn’t end

Till it reaches the ground

🌎

Amy Lloyd

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