it is in the giving that we receive

in the prayer of st. francis of assisi, it is said,

"make me an instrument of thy peace.

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

grant that i may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

it is in dying [to self] that we are born to eternal life."

these are the days of thanksgiving. these are the days when we make lists of things and people for whom we're thankful. these are days of giving and receiving. 

today, i'm feeling thankful for a little book i found in goodwill this weekend called your life is your message by eknath easwaran. a book that is clearly "right up my alley": full of little gems to accompany anyone on a journey of transformation, hoping for harmony within. the quote above is suggested as a mantra, one of those sayings you repeat over and over throughout your day... a saying that helps get space between all the endless chatter of your mind. 

in this time of thanksgiving, is it easier to sow love instead of hatred? are you more likely to pardon? does your faith feel stronger? can you hope, notice the light, shout for joy? are you an instrument of peace? 

OR... is it harder to take~ all this love and light.

From flickr.com

at this point of this year, i'm on a journey of transformation... i'm looking for deeper harmony within... i'm looking to understand and i'm loving to love. 

it is in the giving that we receive

so what are we giving these days, this time of year? what are we offering of ourselves? when you give, what do you receive? 

your life is your message. 

your life. 

your message. 

what is it? 

will you give your message to us? what will you receive by giving it to us? 

you never know. 

neither do i, but i'm excited to begin. 

 

roots of a smile

From sisterhimalaya.tumblr.com

for some, a smile is lingering just beneath the surface~ just behind the color of the eyes. it's there, but quietly there. 




today i'm wondering where your smile begins, 
and where your smile finds the light.
today i'm wondering what makes it too hard to hold the smile in? what pulls your lips apart, and your eyes to twinkle? 

for some, eye contact is easy. relaxed. 

some don't look away, some can rest in your eyes, 

From feefeern.wordpress.com

are open for what you have to offer.

how do you feel about eye contact? 

who in your life allows you to rest in their gaze?

with whom do you see "eye to eye"? 

From icp.org

From blog.epicedits.com

are you feeling comfortable in your skin today? are you smiling with confidence knowing that you're doing just what you should be doing? just what you're meant to be doing?

From fanpop.com

From mariahinafrica.blogspot.com

is your smile "off to the side"? what do you know that is lighting you from the inside? is a giggle brewing? is that light inside you relaxing your heart or making it flutter with joy? 

From vanessajackman.blogspot.com

i see a lot of quiet and subtle smiles coming from the adults in my life. occasionally, i will see an adult guffaw! blast! explode with laughter. occasionally. and i'm wondering about that tonight. wondering what it would be like if we all walked around like the kids with whom i spend my days.

From elpais.com

the kids who laugh because they can't help themselves. the kids who laugh because, 

why not!?!?

peals of laughter. ripples and tidal waves of laughter. 

all day long. 

how would your day be different if you smiled and laughed like that (again)? 

remember, you too, used to laugh like that. 

nothing quiet about it. 

just pure and loud joy.  

thanks to http://pinterest.com/ucmoons/ for so many of the photos found here... it's a light and bunch of smiles for me most days!!

two spirits~

a giraffe stands. 

pauses. 

perks ears. 

looks this way. 

this is the brink. this is the edge. a moment of stillness, of promise. 

the moment where ending and beginning collides. 

under a tree, a giraffe finds shade. 

sees through mist.

pauses. 

finds breath between ribs.

feels earth beneath feet. 

is ready.

go. 

if at least one foot (or hoof) is off the ground, it's running. 

the heart surges towards life. 

muscles decide to work as one towards a goal. 

a goal of motion, of intent. 

purpose. 

a leap. 

intense life.  leaving ground for another time.

time for sweat. time for dripping sweat. 

sweet, sweet speed.

go because you can. go because you have to. 

magnificent.

visual literacy

i've been spending quite a bit of time, the past few days, looking at images, and thinking about what they bring up for me (feelings, memories, ideas, etc.). i've been thinking about how we are bombarded with images day after day. some of them we immediately read, without even thinking about them, and know what they mean:

i don't think these images are too charged with meaning. plain and simple, women's/men's restroom, school crossing, stop. we see these signs everyday, and perhaps even if you couldn't speak english, their message would still be conveyed. 

now, what about these images... 

 i'd wager that these images have a little more emotion attached to them. these images seem to have more of a required knowledge of culture in the north east states of the united states. looking at the logos wouldn't necessarily speak to the long held rivalry of two baseball teams. however, i can think of two of my readers who would have plenty to say about these icons... even wondering why they were put on the same page!!! 


as an experiment, i entered the words "images of harmony" onto google search. here are three images that caught my eye of the 98,300,000 that popped up in .24 seconds...




i would love to see which of the 98 million images for harmonyyou might choose. and i wonder, do these images even remind you of harmony? 













i believe the way we read images can provide us with a treasure trove of information, if we're willing to really look within. gathering images on a vision board, or on a website such as pinterest (http://pinterest.com/ucmoons/ is "my" site) is something i do regularly in order to see what is attracting my subconscious.  



*how do you find out about your subconscious desires?
*what images are you aware of loving? 
*what kinds of images "turn you off". 


i'd love to see some of them. 

art.

boring art. is there such a thing? 
hold on. boring. 
i'm not sure i even know what that feels like. 
seriously. i don't know that i've ever felt bored. 


but boring art. is that just short for art that doesn't excite the viewer? is the viewer not moved? is moving and inspiring the purpose of art? perhaps.... 


but i was noticing, as i walked in the woods a couple of weeks ago, that there is just nothing boring (in any sense of the word) in the natural world. i am clearly inspired by the natural world... it's one of the best teachers i have. 

now, i know these rocks didn't just land this way, some human came along, and placed them. (is this art?) but just look at them. are they trying to be other than they are? are they hiding their spots of lichen and age? are they sucking in their sides, or softening their hard edges? NO WAY! 

and check out this lichen... a friend on the walk called them british soldiers. they're teeny. they're reaching for the sky. they're off the beaten path on a mountain somewhere in the middle of maine. and they're living their lives as full and high as they can reach. 


i'd say that is art. 

gifts

 the light is changing this weekend, shifting an hour back. the colors around us are following the sun's lead. i noticed as we drove today that the leaves come off the tops of the trees first... leaving the lower, more established leaves to linger. the scene looks much like the photo above. golden and glowing. perhaps reminding us that it's time to head inside, and cozy up for the next few months. 


how much do you allow the seasons to effect you? how much do you follow the natural rhythms that say there is a time to romp and play outside (you can also read this as "playing outside of your self"), and that there is at time to come in (again, "in") and sleep and restore. there are the shoulder seasons of spring and fall where you can do a little of both, but the summer and winter are for hard living and experiencing... what about this... 


plant new ideas in the spring, 
once they take root, watch the sun and rain and your self nourish them all summer,
gather in the fruits of your ideas and actions in the fall,
and then comes winter... 
winter, for taking time to examine your bounty of the year. time to "pour over seed catalogs" and dream about what you might "plant" next spring... 


what about that? do you think there is anything resembling this natural world pattern in your life? can you embrace the darker times of the year, and see them as a balance for the lighter times?   

there are more days now when i'm aware of the red thread of life reaching from my heart, from my head. this thread that tangles in trees, in thoughts, in touching life. it's easier to see in the fall as leaves tumble, as leaves snuggle together on the ground ready to turn to deep black soil (the nourishing kind, for feeding those trees that loom above them). i'm aware of  feeling tugs and snags of my thread. reminding me of where i've been, and leading me forward. i do love the fall and winter for their visibility. for their subtlety. 

above me, the final flourishing of the leaves. the fantastic color parade as it falls to finish. 
below me, roots digging in for the cold times. reaching deep for any lingering warmth.
and i, in the center of them both, feeling full of life and light. 

i'm remembering now, and the light dims outside, that the light is warming up inside. i'm at the doorway of fall into winter: winter, the cathedral of introspection, the church of soups and songs with family and friends around a piano. so i won't mourn the loss of daylight in the evenings. i'll feel the warmth of a cozy light at the head of a driveway covered in leaves a little snow, and i'll head in.
"in."will you join me?

open for business

 i sat in my favorite coffee shop this morning and let my eyes get loose as i looked out the window. 
the first thing they landed on was the only thing visibly in motion: a flag waving on the side of the building and it said, simply:
OPEN
it brought to mind a few questions as i sat with my journal open, and my pen poised... 

open. 

(when you form your lips to say the word, your mouth looks like an open door.)

*are you open to something new beginning?

*who did you open to today?

*what opens you up? 

*what (pandora's box) experience are you anxious to open?

*what does as open door mean to you?

*are you open for business today?

i'm remembering today that i'm not what some would call "a planner". i love to let things unfold, to open. i love watching people, places, experiences open. there's a thrill in it for me. the thrill of discovery, of the unknown, the thrill of the new. 


how about when you hear a new song? how about when you walk into a goodwill store? how about when you see your child running off the school bus? how about when you feel your love deepen for someone unexpectedly? 
are you open to this? 


how about a snowstorm in october? how about when your tea is a little hotter than you expected? how about when synchronicity lights up your day? 
are you open for this? 


picture this: the universe is sending you loads and loads of mail everyday. open it up, if you like. open up those letters, and read them. they're just for you, and me, and all of us.

i think we'll find some serious, fantastical and lovely things in those open letters. what is opening for you today? will you tell us?