our liberation is bound up with all others, let us work together for freedom for all ~ welcome, welcome to the day we celebrate the astonishing light of our being and to day 40 of a season of peace… today is another of my favorite moments in the cycle of life when we rest in the in between times moon, the rainbow moon who sings a song of transformation, of transmuting dark, threatening clouds of pain, into rainbow colored arcs of joy… i’ve patiently been waiting for 40 days in the desert of the heart to celebrate a queen of liberation… Harriette Tubman and Holy Synchronicity! find that today is the 106th anniversary of her death… i shall turn this platform over to the poem of Sonia Sanchez to bring light to the life of this extraordinary being… 1
Picture a woman riding thunder on the legs of slavery …
2
Picture her kissing our spines saying no to the eyes of slavery …
3
Picture her rotating the earth into a shape of lives becoming …
4
Picture her leaning into the eyes of our birth clouds …
5
Picture this woman saying no to the constant yes of slavery …
6
Picture a woman jumping rivers her legs inhaling moons …
7
Picture her ripe with seasons of legs … running …
8
Picture her tasting the secret corners of woods …
9
Picture her saying: You have within you the strength,
the patience, and the passion
to reach for the stars,
to change the world …
10
Imagine her words: Every great dream begins
with a dreamer …
11
Imagine her saying: I freed a thousand slaves,
could have freed
a thousand more if they
only knew they were slaves …
12
Imagine her humming: How many days we got
fore we taste freedom …
13
Imagine a woman asking: How many workers
for this freedom quilt …
14
Picture her saying: A live runaway could do
great harm by going back
but a dead runaway
could tell no secrets …
15
Picture the daylight bringing her to woods full of birth moons …
16
Picture John Brown shaking her hands three times saying: General Tubman. General Tubman. General Tubman.
17
Picture her words: There’s two things I got a
right to: death or liberty …
18
Picture her saying no to a play called Uncle Tom’s Cabin: I am the real thing …
19
Picture a Black woman: could not read or write trailing freedom refrains …
20
Picture her face turning southward walking down a Southern road …
21
Picture this woman freedom bound … tasting a people’s preserved breath …
22
Picture this woman of royalty … wearing a crown of morning air …
23
Picture her walking, running, reviving a country’s breath …
24
Picture black voices leaving behind lost tongues … ~ may we continue her underground railroad mission of liberation…
welcome, welcome to day 39 of a season of peace… today is another of my favorite moments in the cycle of life when we rest in the in between times moon, the rainbow moon who sings a song of transformation, of transmuting dark, threatening clouds of pain, into rainbow colored arcs of joy… let us carry on today celebrating women, we’moon, we of the moon, the feminine spirit with a meditation given by Yogi Bhajan… it is said that when a woman practices this meditation for one year, her aura will become tipped with gold or silver and great strength and the beloved’s healing powers will flow through her… by practicing this meditation, a woman’s thoughts, behavior, personality and projection become aligned with the infinite beauty and nobility unveiled by the mantra which balances the five elements… I AM Grace of Beloved lying on back fully relaxing with eyes closed inhaling deeply through the belly and holding silently saying the mantra 10x while tensing the fingers to count… exhaling deeply and holding the breath silently saying the mantra 10x for five quintessential inhales and five quintessential exhales or a total of 100 mantras daily… I AM Grace of Beloved, I AM Grace of Beloved, I AM Grace of Beloved, I AM Grace of Beloved, I AM Grace of Beloved… may all beings feel the amplified flow of grace and strength and radiance…
welcome, welcome to day 38 of a season of peace… today is another of my favorite moments in the cycle of life when we rest in the in between times moon, the rainbow moon who sings a song of transformation, of transmuting dark, threatening clouds of pain, into rainbow colored arcs of joy… today is also auspicious as the International Day of Women… it’s long been said that when 1000 women gather, heart consciousness, the divine human will be birthed. His Holiness, the Dalai Lama says that it will be women who transform the world… let us begin a new cycle of soul transformation, a moment of uniting heaven and earth and manifesting greater love on earth… today as we rise, we are a great wave rippling across the cosmos celebrating the divine feminine in her quest for equality, freedom and harmony… coming together in sacred circle drawing down the energy of the new moon, we pause across the planet to gather in peace and be the rising tide singing our soul song… let’s focus the healing power within our hearts on all our relations and our beautiful cosmos… Unify Heart Meditation let’s all hold hands and gently close our eyes conspiring, inhaling together, slowing the breath… bringing our attention to how our bodies are feeling right now and in full acceptance of whatever is present… notice where your body is touching the ground and bring your focus there and begin feeling the pulsing energy of the Earth beneath us, the heartbeat of Mother Earth… with an inhale, breathe in gratitude and love for all that she gives us… continuing to breathe, feel your heartbeat, your unique beautiful rhythm pulsing in synchrony with our earthmother… breathe deeply from your heart as you open to the sensation of love within you… feel the pulsing energy of this love… now, envision, feel and be this pulsing energy as a light glowing in your heart. breathing deeply, see and feel this light getting brighter until it fills your whole body and surrounds you… with your next exhale, think of someone you know who is having a difficult time in life and imagine this person is right in front of you… while remaining connected with the love in your own heart, embrace your feeling of empathy for this person’s struggle as you breathe… see the light in their heart as the same loving light that is within yours… as you offer your love and compassion to this person, feel the light in both of your hearts growing brighter together… now, with an inhale, focus your attention back on your heart feeling the light grow brighter as you allow the love from your heart to nourish any parts of you that have been in pain… open to feeling compassion for yourself as you breathe the light of your love into the places you have kept fear, grief, anger, stress, and insecurity… open to feeling nourished by the love within and offer yourself acknowledgment and respect for everything you are, how far you have come and for the incredible beauty and power within you… take another a deep breath and start to feel the woman to your right… this woman has her own struggles, pain, fears, and insecurities… take a moment to feel empathy and great respect for this powerful woman… while breathing into your heart, feel the power of the love in her heart. see and feel the light within her as it grows brighter, surrounding her… Feel the light within your heart and the light within her heart growing brighter together… take a moment to feel the woman to your left… this woman, too, has her own struggles, pain, fears, and insecurities… take a moment to feel empathy and great respect for this powerful woman… while breathing into our own heart, feel the power of the love in her heart… see and feel the light within her as it grows brighter, surrounding her… feel the light within our heart and the light within her heart growing brighter together. feel the love and light of every woman in the circle being amplified… growing brighter… filling the whole room… envision in your life and community women interacting from a space of harmony, mutual support, celebration, acceptance, and upliftment… feel in your heart, yourself and every woman feeling secure and happy in whom she is and supported by our global sisterhood. bring this intention to the light in your heart and with a deep breath imagine sending that light into the earth below you, like a seed being planted… bring your hands to your heart and feel your heartbeat… take a deep breath and gently open your eyes… now being anchored in heavenearth soaring through deep space being peace and painting it across the sky sea… welcome, welcome to our beautiful world that is just, regenerative, healthy and peaceful…
welcome, welcome to day 36 of a season of peace… today is one of my favorite moments in the cycle of life when we rest in the in between times moon, the rainbow moon who sings a song of transformation, of transmuting dark, threatening clouds of pain, into rainbow colored arcs of joy… poised here in the portal of the pisces new moon, may we all leap as one, letting go to flow with oceanic imagination in the field of rainbow mystery where only love is real and everything is possible… this rainbow moon is a bridge between the current astrological turn around the sun and the new one when we move into aires on equinox so one part of us lets go and releases while another part of us welcomes the spark of new life and possibility… death and birth, expansion and contraction, breathing in and out, the eternal cycle of life… another holy synchronisiddhi of today is uranus moving into taurus for seven years and opening a portal of transformation that will truly blow our minds and anchor love on earth awakening the dreams held deep within us personally and collectively… the great turning is upon and within us supporting us to let go of fear and anchor in truth, wisdom and love as we swim in these mystical waters of remembrance together…
welcome, welcome to day 35 of a season of peace, a day in the radiation of the new moon in pisces, the last new moon of the astrological turn around the sun… today we are on the eve of this new moon and we are celebrating mardi gras, fat tuesday, our day to go wild and release everything that does not serve the good of the whole… on this day of quintessence, the fifth day of magical, changing consciousness, march, we honor this day when exactly six years ago the Poetic Peace Pilgrimage was conceived… a daily breathing practice, a daily presencing practice of being peace in every moment…
welcome, welcome to day 34 of a season of peace, a day in the radiation of the new moon to be… letting go of old wandering into unknown guided by love ~ spending the last four days in a field of wanderers, pilgrims on a purposeful journey who are not lost, and, who do not march forth in these uncertain times in despair for we are unwavering in the being that we are made for these times which call out the best in us… “The most remarkable feature of this historical moment on Earth is not that we are on the way to destroying the world – we’ve actually been on the way for quite awhile. It is that we are beginning to wake up, as from a millennia-long sleep, to a whole new relationship to our world, to ourselves and each other.” ~Joanna Macy~ listen, take courage as Howard Zinn elucidates the right way of being in these turbulent times… “An optimist isn’t necessarily a blithe, slightly sappy whistler in the dark of our time. To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places- and there are so many- where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” now, take peace with the words of Desmond Tutu… “You and I are made for goodness. You and I are creatures who were made for transcendence, were made for love, were made for caring, were made for embracing one another… And that is what is going to prevail.” yes! we can…
welcome, welcome to a most auspicious day… 3-3-3, day 33 of a season of peace and it’s our day of celebrating the astonishing light of our being in a week celebrating International Women’s Day and in the moon of Women’s Herstory… to honor the divine feminine in all, injoy this poem by Nina Simons… Shifting Guidance from Head to Heart All the brilliant, innovative and effective solutions and strategies won’t be enough to shift our collective course without an accompanying — and radical — change of heart. For me, what’s central to alleviating humanity’s strife and addressing the devastation we are wreaking upon our mother Earth is tending to an imbalance of the masculine and feminine. Reclaiming the value of the feminine within each of us is essential to bringing our human wholeness to this time of revolutionary reinvention. We have to practice loving, re-awakening and strengthening the feeling parts of ourselves: our intuition, our body wisdom, our dreams and our deep listening. As we re-enliven the inner knowing of our hearts (understanding that relationships are far more important than accomplishments, goals or tasks), we’ll become better partners to ourselves, each other and the Earth. If we practice our capacity to be comfortable with vulnerability, with uncertainty, and with attending caringly to the cues and clues that surround us, it will help us to re-synchronize with the world and become more resilient, flexible and adaptive to change. This is not about devaluing the masculine side of ourselves; it’s about re-evaluating what a healthy masculine means. It’s about reclaiming the whole of our dimensional humanity. For me, I find I must begin with my inner self, since what I see out there likely reflects what’s within me. If I don’t, it’s far too easy (and not ultimately effective) to blame others without cleaning, updating and reorienting my own operating system, first. I am practicing re-sequencing my inner voices so that my heart’s instruction can lead, and be supported by the plans, analysis, structures and strategies my mind creates. When I listen with my heart, I am pierced with an empathic awareness that calls me into action beyond what any amount of learning, reading or mental understanding can prompt. I am stunned by the power of women, and our capacity to heal. Wise elders, friends and mutual mentors among the women I am honored to work with remind me to listen deeply to all my sources of guidance — to seek assistance from nature, from my dreams and intuition, to inquire of my ancestors, and listen for responses, before determining a course of action. This requires me to peel away layers of patterning, of rushing to respond to prove my value through productivity. It requires me to question old and deeply ingrained habits. As I practice composting layers of acculturated learning that I absorbed unknowingly through the invisible water of culture we swim in, I wonder whether I will ever be free of it. I realize I need to decolonize my mind, and practice reclaiming and remembering other ways of knowing. Along the way, I’ve discovered something about the feminine. I’m learning that listening is not a passive act. Life is teaching me that it doesn’t just require my ears. I’m learning to listen with my belly, my dreams and my intuition. Not only does it require actively attending to receiving guidance, I’ve discovered I also have to ask, in order to receive, and then wait — patiently if possible — for a response to come. As I practice this — with my inner self, with nature, with my body, with ancestors, and dreamtime and intuition — I find I have many more sources of insight or guidance than I’d previously imagined or remembered. May we remember how to bring the wholeness of our humanity — our deep listening; our patient observation; our loving, powerful, tender hearts; our humble hands; and our prayers — to co-creating the conditions for thriving life.
welcome, welcome to day 32 of a season of peace… are you feeling the frequency of magic as we move into march under a waxing moon of insiraction? as we all presence ourselves in this magical moon of divine flow listening to the whispers of the river we are, i find myself on re-treat in the miracle zone where we follow Einstein’s suggestion to notice everything as a miracle beginning with yourself and let this perception, like a stone thrown into a pond, ripple out and out and out… deepening in our trust of source breathing through us ever ready to grace the space in between as we surrender, as we die to the old and are reborn to the new… love sharing the milagro field with you… may our hearts burst open in unconditional love may our minds be illumined by a peace passing all understanding may our bodies be flooded with central sun’s light may our spirits soar with radiant presence ~
welcome, welcome to day 31 of a season of peace… are you feeling the frequency of magic as we move into march under a waxing moon of insiraction? i’m feeling inspired to greet this month as freespirit racing with the wind into a new beginning and a new blessing from John O’Donohue, a poem for all pilgrims on the spirit path… happiest of trails, beloveds, as we adventure into march wandering into wonder… Every time you leave home, Another road takes you Into a world you were never in. New strangers on other paths await. New places that have never seen you Will startle a little at your entry. Old places that know you well Will pretend nothing Changed since your last visit. When you travel, you find yourself Alone in a different way, More attentive now To the self you bring along, Your more subtle eye watching You abroad; and how what meets you Touches that part of the heart That lies low at home: How you unexpectedly attune To the timbre in some voice, Opening in conversation You want to take in To where your longing Has pressed hard enough Inward, on some unsaid dark, To create a crystal of insight You could not have known You needed To illuminate Your way. When you travel, A new silence Goes with you, And if you listen, You will hear What your heart would Love to say. A journey can become a sacred thing: Make sure, before you go, To take the time To bless your going forth, To free your heart of ballast So that the compass of your soul Might direct you toward The territories of spirit Where you will discover More of your hidden life, And the urgencies That deserve to claim you. May you travel in an awakened way, Gathered wisely into your inner ground; That you may not waste the invitations Which wait along the way to transform you. May you travel safely, arrive refreshed, And live your time away to its fullest; Return home more enriched, and free To balance the gift of days which call you. ~ yes, may we travel in an awakened way with wide open hearts filled with lovingkindness… may we be well and peaceful and at ease and happy…
blessing the space between us as we journey into mystery the pilgrimage to our one heart ~ how I have loved and love meeting you daily in the quantum field where love is all there is and celebrating a season of peace for… This is the bright home in which I live, this is where I ask my friends to come, this is where I want to love all the things it has taken me so long to learn to love. This is the temple of my adult aloneness and I belong to that aloneness as I belong to my life. There is no house like the house of belonging. ~ David Whyte ~ thank you for walking home with me – today is day 1900 of the poetic peace pilgrimage… this moon as in month also brings an especially touching poignancy to the space between us as this journey into mystery, this pilgrimage into the tiny space of our one heart, the void, the sacred space of emptiness is such a deep dive into the stillpoint of creation… surrendering to the beloved and trusting in the tenemos of great mother to support and nourish us, we summon the courage to leap into the unknown and relax into the organic, rhythmic flow of the mysterious dance of life… holding hands in the dark, feeling the waves of our one beating heart, we witness the birth of the new, the promise of every inbreath followed by the re-joy-sing of every outbreath… for in our coming together in the sacred space of our cosmic heart, we change everything, we are transformation dancing to the tune of el canto hondo, the deep soul song… stillness flowing…
