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Posts tagged ‘Beauty’

May 22

Riches of Wonder

“encounter the mystery and wonder of unsuspected instants. Let us dip into the marvel of the budding and the blooming” ― Erik Pevernagie

“And the deer–
how beautiful they are,
as though their bodies did not impede them.
Slowly they drift into the open
though bronze panels of sunlight.”
― Louise Glück, The House on Marshland

Sometimes seeking and searching
Sometimes beauty finds you
Too many times, passing by without notice
To be awake
To see delight
In stillness
Wonder strolls in, an invitation
To be found and held
Embrace of mystery, awe, reverence
Partaker of joy

“If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches; for the Creator, there is no poverty.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

“Live bold, without fear. This is life amongst the deer.”― Katelyn S. Bolds

May 21

Poetry of the Earth

“The poetry of the earth is never dead.” – John Keats

“Home has less to do with a piece of soil then a piece of soul.” – Pico Iyer

To hold dear, with delight
Extraordinary beauty
Bloom and life woven throughout
Abiding and embracing
Richness and density
Lightness and buoyancy
Poetry of the earth
Alive and well
Join the prose.

“To experience sublime natural beauty is to confront the total inadequacy of language to describe what you see. Words cannot convey the scale of a view that is so stunning it is felt.” – Eleanor Catton

May 20

Fidelity and Flow

“A person susceptible to “wanderlust” is not so much addicted to movement as committed to transformation.”― Pico Iyer

“In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is more urgent than sitting still.”― Pico Iyer, The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere

Fidelity to this day
Presence sought, found
Held, steady
Yolk easy
Burden light
River of joy running through it, undeterred
Slow. Attention. Stillness.
Reverence. Wanderlust. Serendipity.
Fidelity to this day.

“Serendipity was my tour guide, assisted by caprice”― Pico Iyer

May 17

Sow Love, Bloom Peace

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.” – Francis of Assisi

“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” – Dalai Lama

Peace
Woven in pause, stillness, reflection, putting down, beauty, grace, generosity
A jolt out of complacency
Paddles to jumpstart your heart
To get out of your head
The figuring, counting, comparing, complaining, blaming, othering, assumptions
An inside job
Daily practice, consistency and commitment
A shift
In thoughts, words, actions
Kindness, thankfulness, gratitude, goodness, praise
Awe, wonder, love, reverence
Sow, tend, bloom
Cast light.

“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” – Henry David Thoreau

May 16

Hints of Gladness

“And see the peaceful trees extend
their myriad leaves in leisured dance—
they bear the weight of sky and cloud
upon the fountain of their veins.”― Kathleen Raine

WHEN I AM AMONG THE TREES
by Mary Oliver

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out,
“Stay awhile.”The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”

Hints of gladness
Slivers of light
Slices of awe
Enter the narrow gate
Threshold to peace
Crossover
Walk slow, deliberately
Look up and around
Dance with beauty
Stay awhile
Bow often.

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”― John Lubbock, The Use Of Life

May 12

Unhurried, Joy Resides

“His decision to live small made him larger than life.”― Allen Levi, Theo of Golden

“Joy is unhurried.”― Cleo Wade, Remember Love: Words for Tender Times

Space and margin
Deep breath, in and out, repeat
Rest to restoration
Slow to delight
In moments, density
Open the gifts scattered generously through this day
Joy, unhurried, overflowing, abundant
Still small voice, listen
Small things, large life.

“The only way we can make the most of our lives is to make the most of our moments. Today, wherever you are, decide to stay. We can know the gifts that lie in the present only if we stay in it long enough to receive them.”― Cleo Wade, Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life

May 8

Found World

“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.”― John Muir, The Wilderness World of John Muir

“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’” – Robin Williams

Flowers peaking, trees bursting, blue skies lingering
Spring trifecta
Fireworks of color, fragrance, freshness
Rebirth, creation, transformation
Accept the invitation
Join the party in delight, awe, wonder.

“Put on the mind of morning
To feel the rush of light
Spread slowly inside
The colour and stillness
Of a found world.” – John O’Donohue

May 7

Microscope, Telescope, Kaleidoscope

“Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope – a slight change, and all patterns alter.”― Sharon Salzberg

“Life is a dance. Mindfulness is witnessing that dance.”― Amit Ray, Mindfulness Living in the Moment – Living in the Breath

Unhurrying
Undoing
Unwinding
Untangling
Untying
Unification
Resuscitation
Refreshment
Reimaging
Restoration
Recreating
Resurrection
In the stops and starts
Thresholds and bridges
Giving and receiving
Unknowing and knowing
Transitions to transformations
And the beautiful winding path inbetween, detours and delays
Life beating
Join the rhythm, dance and flow
Partake, witness, cherish the ride
Awake, anew, aware

“Mindfulness helps us get better at seeing the difference between what’s happening and the stories we tell ourselves about what’s happening, stories that get in the way of direct experience. Often such stories treat a fleeting state of mind as if it were our entire and permanent self.”― Sharon Salzberg, Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation

May 6

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Breathing in Beauty of Presence, Rapt Attention

“What would it be like if I could accept life–accept this moment–exactly as it is?”― Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance

“Perhaps the biggest tragedy of our lives is that freedom is possible, yet we can pass our years trapped in the same old patterns…We may want to love other people without holding back, to feel authentic, to breathe in the beauty around us, to dance and sing. Yet each day we listen to inner voices that keep our life small.”― Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance

Slow entrance
Autopilot disengaged
To do list put aside
Looking up, in, around
Soaking in fullness, depth, dimension of surroundings
Places, people, self
Foregoing rearview mirror replays
Not rushing ahead, arriving before getting there
Feet planted on the ground of this day
Open door for gratitude to enter
Reflection, inquiry, attention
Take the long cut
Wander, fritter, abide
Joy, beauty, peace in anchored presence
Receive and cast light.

“Clearly recognizing what is happening inside us, and regarding what we see with an open, kind and loving heart, is what I call Radical Acceptance. If we are holding back from any part of our experience, if our heart shuts out any part of who we are and what we feel, we are fueling the fears and feelings of separation that sustain the trance of unworthiness. Radical Acceptance directly dismantles the very foundations of this trance.”― Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance

May 5

Woven Beauty

“We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.”― Anais Nin

“To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget.” – Arundhati Roy

Layers
Nuance
Depth
Complexity
Simplicity
Unseen
Opposites
Sames
Ordinary
Extraordinary
A mix of contradictions
At the same time
Bridges
Beauty overflowing
Imagination
Inquiry
Joy
Curiosity
Patterns
Mystery
Light
So much light
Life in this day
Be present
Love well
Cast light.

“Our life is composed greatly from dreams, from the unconscious, and they must be brought into connection with action. They must be woven together. ”― Anais Nin

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