"hope puts the color in the sky..."

From ucmoons.tumblr.com

"when did we get so careful? when did we lose ourselves? afraid, we fade out."

~matt nathanson

i've been drawn to that anias nin quote for years... the one when the "day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." and i keep finding it in my consciousness again these days. obviously, this is the new year, and i'm talking about revolutions here, so i've been thinking about what is the revolution that is honestly happening inside. for years, i've been drawn to this quote... for now, i'm feeling like i'm beginning to live it.

 i'm loving the stretch, the making room, the opening wide... i have to slow down a bit to let it all sink in. 

the past few days i've been sitting with books in my lap, and remembering what it feels like to turn pages, feel one side of the book go from thin to thick as i move through it. and that's what the greater part of my life is feeling like too... going from thin to thick as i move through it. when i'm sliding through my days, not paying attention, the ice feels thin, and ready to crack at any moment. but when i slow down and notice, my footing (even if it is ice), becomes thick and ready for anything.  

ucmoons.tumblr.com

i've been "tight in the bud" for about the right amount of time, i'd say. i've let myself grow into that space, and i've loved being there, and now i'm ready to surprise myself with whatever comes by peeking my head out of this handy little bud that has sheltered and nourished me. 

 ucmoons.tumblr.com  

the risk to blossom. it can feel like jumping into choppy seas. fragmented. it can feel like going backwards, to when you were young and tender and innocent, and naive. but it can also feel quite "grownup". i have a crowd of people around me like lifeboats filled with cheerleaders (how lucky am i!?!?). i have a love of salty water, and an innate ability to float. i have vision and verve, and know when i need to simply breathe. 

ready to risk the blossoming. ready to burst into a beautiful new day. 

you?

a revolution

From nadafarmlife.blogspot.com  

when it's cold outside, and there's a new blanket of snow on the ground, everything is frosted with glittering light and appears to be a blank slate... 

kind of like new year's day. today. 

and there's a part of me, on new year's day, that wants to hold this moment of perfect silvery clarity, and not touch it.

in the end, though, that's not my nature. my truth is to get out there and get into it. 

and of course, when you go out walking in the snow, what is just beneath it is revealed: smells of wet earth, crunch of dead leaves, color of anything but white. 

this is the revolution. 

no new year's reSOLutions this year. no, ma'am, i'll take the power of a reVOLution. i'll take the reigns of this beautiful year ahead, and ride it hard and happy!!

this year, i will walk out onto that white canvas, and enjoy the steps, enjoy the footprints i will make. finding the beauty laid out before me, finding the freshness that is every day. when i walk out into each day, i'll find all that is waiting for me. i'll dig in, and explore, and dare to be me. for although the footsteps may seem to mar the image of the freshly fallen and undisturbed snow, once they're there, they imply search, enjoyment, movement, appreciation. 

From tangiebaxter.typepad.com  

listening to our hearts can be challenged in the noise and abundance of december, but january~ oh sweet january is stark and simple. sitting in an empty room with nothing but light to keep you company; light and your heart beating gratitude, beating hot blood living, beating a rhythm that makes sense to your soul. and now you can actually hear it. oh, hear it!!! 


step out into this year with me. find that earthly musty muck from which we come, and where we will return, under your feet. feel it sucking you in. and remember it's from that mud that comes the spring growth... but for now, digest and enjoy the cold snap of reality that is present in the first day of the year. 

From abluekindofgreen.tumblr.com  

abundance in balance

From images.search.yahoo.com

the year is ending. 
culminating. 


these are the moments of peak, of most, of all. 


and it's the time of putting all of our experiences from this entire past year into our hearts~ packing them away like fragile and textured decorations from the tree~ letting them fill spaces that were empty before. letting them influence the other treasures in the box of the soul. letting them give deeper meanings to precious experiences that we've been carrying for many years. 


it's a time of abundance, family and finger food. the time for cheer, sadness, sleeping in other spaces, and waking up on christmas morning with giddy hearts and leaping children. 

From mariapacewynters.wordpress.com 

it is the time when wishes are granted and gathered under a tree, when families are found again (smells remembered, memories and spice tea stirred), when eyes brighten in candlelight, 

and it's when time slows to almost timeless.

vibrant and deep colors abound. 

music and food is rich and layered. 

friends fill mailboxes with photos. 

the countdown is on!!! 

shoulders rub in shops. 

chocolate and mint marry merrily. 

wrapping paper waits to reveal the questions.  

 wreaths warm doors with the ever green.

then, it happens. 

the narcissus bulbs reach the point of no return. they burst open, sending their scent as a reminder that it's time to simply stop. their white petals glitter with the magic of this moment. for the pinnacle has passed. the denouement has arrived. 

denouement:

The final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are resolved. The climax of a chain of events, usually when something is decided or made clear.

sweet relief. 

what is being made clear to you now? 

what's clear to me, is that it's good to be back at the blog. it's good to have this release. 

what a lovely year it has been. 

i'm ready for the new, though... are you? 

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.