The Dance of Sacred and Mundane

Please stop by SkyWatch Friday to view amazing sky photos from around the world.

You may have noticed that the skywatch images above all contain trees (my photos often do-I LOVE trees...and I live in NH, so we have a lot of them...plus they tend to poke into the sky, like that child in 5th grade with his hand up "me, me teacher, I KNOW the answer, pick me, see me, notice me"...how can I NOT notice the trees and include them in the sky shots? You might also notice those pesky telephone poles and wires. Often in editing photos, I will crop out telephone poles and wires...I enjoy the pure, holy, serenity of the natural world, without the "messiness" of humanity's technological foot prints (or raised arms) interrupting the view. Today I decided, you know what? The sacred and mundane are always interacting...co-mingling, dancing, entwining...this is the nature of living...discovering the sacred within the mundane...like taking photos through the windows of our car on the way home from a doctor's appointment (mundane) and being awed by the beauty of the sky (sacred)...while the mundane (telephone wires) are scattered across the skyscape (sacred).

Perhaps this could be called a dance with the wholeness of reality...co-mingling, entwining, embracing everything.

gentle steps everyone,
Laura

PS...I seem to have developed tendonitis or some kind of over use injury in my left wrist and hand...making typing painful for me...so I might not be blogging as much for a while... this includes commenting on all of your amazingly inspiring blogs ☹ But I think I can still read them as I can click my mouse button just fine with my right hand so far, but it is a little bit tender too, so we'll see. Meanwhile, I will be present to you in a quiet way-reading and viewing you words and images. I need to be attentive and compassionate to my wrist and hand. I will try to continue posting images...that's not as much physical work...but I will miss writing, it gives me so much pleasure. Oh well. One day at a time and all that.

Waking

a new day begins
misty
mysterious

cool air
lips pursed
color kisses the day

secreted beneath the cover of leaves

a periwinkle looks up expectantly
as if waiting for me
to notice her presence

I lift my face
to a now brilliant sky
green buds birthing

red blossoms bursting

yellow stars dancing
on slender branches

fully awake
to the glory
of a single morning

to a Presence
my mind will never
understand
a knowing my heart
cannot deny

When I greet a moment with awareness, with gentleness and good will,the veil of morning fog parts and I feel like Dorothy stepping out of the house and entering the enchantment (reality?) of Oz. I am so grateful to Sylvia Boorstein for the metta practice she has been sharing through the Spirituality & Practice e-course I have been privileged to be a part of for the past 3 weeks. We have two more lessons, and I am noticing that my heart is more and more open every day, just like the crocuses above. To me, open means feeling really happy, content and loving...it also means fully feeling when I am angry, hurt, sad or frustrated. And...it means recognizing the possibility of responding to myself and others with more compassion when my temper flares, judgment takes me by surprise, or sadness is momentarily overwhelming. I want to thank my friend Jan Lundy who recommended this course and is sharing this journey with me. What a blessing to be connected to such a bright shining soul. Actually the blessing is far more expansive as I am now connected to many bright shining souls...each of you reading this blog entry, sojourners on the way, must be included- each of you one of the bright forsythia star blossoms I have been blessed to meet heart to heart on this road called life!

On this the last day of Pesach (Passover), may all be free from the bondage of suffering imposed by others or by our own hardened hearts. May we soften and open to the wisdom of compassionate living.

may we all feel safe
may we all feel happy
may we all feel strong
may we all live with ease

may it be so
for all living things
for all beings
today and every day

gentle steps,
Laura