(All photos are mine unless noted.)
- Spring -
Underneath the surface of what can be seen and noted,
lies the realm of the "What Is"
that which is waiting to break out and be recognized
for that which truly is real.
Spring, is waiting to explode in full motion and color,
waiting on the One Who Gives Birth To All
to say, "Now! Now is your time!"
--------------------------------------
The same is true of everyone, a new birth - a burst of Spring is waiting to reveal itself to us in what may seen an explosion of truth arriving on the wind, or as a gentle breeze softly speaking of things we have always longed to hear, or as any number of a multitude of ways that God lets God's Presence known to all who choose to hear.
My teacher in things Buddhist has for years now been asking me to look at the "felt sense" of what lies beneath my judgments, reactions, and all the old habits that once were useful looking at life through the lenses which I ground to suit my wants. Under all those neighborhoods and streets that I created to give a sense of self-worth, lay the reality of who I actually am.
The way to realization of Self is a path that must be traveled well, without undue rush, as learning to see what needs to be seen for continued growth requires some discipline - a way to practice exercising the inner senses. A guide is most helpful here and I am fortunate to have a good one who will also call me out when I return to "head" meanderings and forget or refuse to take the inner road to the information that is trans-formative and enlightening.
The photo above was taken of a tree in a stiff wind and with as slow a shutter speed as possible. Some changes to improve clarity and a good sense of color was done in the computer. The lesson for me is to slow down my sight, take a pass on judging and naming what is in front of me, and allow time to offer that which cannot be seen in a scant one-hundredth of a second or less. If I take the "heart photograph" and spend the needed time to develop the image I will be better able to see more clearly the things God wants me to understand about our interaction together within this breast, in the place where the Spirit teaches things which cannot be understood by my intellect alone.
Dorothea Lange, the noted photographer of the 1930's once said, "The purpose of the camera is to learn to see without a camera." Years ago I learned to see a photograph before I raised the camera to take the picture - an intuitive sense that several knowledgeable people in the photographic industry said was my 'viewpoint' - which is a vague way of saying that my sight for images was consistently good, so I was on their list of people to call for certain assignments. Today I see this as an unacknowledged Grace, the Gift of creativity that came from within without my being able to be grateful years ago as I was then telling myself that I was the photographer, I was the one who owned the rights to being 'special.'
Now, I feel in tune with what is arising from my heart and soul desiring to give expression to the co-creation my life with The Creator Of What Is, partners of a sort - not equal , but definitely working with God who is mentoring me in this arena of sensing what is true and real. This is the joy of my life these days, a joy that I will do my part in this partnership with the Spirit within to nurture with each breath, to be attentive with in a growing clarity of interaction together. I see, that I am not alone, I am not the one who is complete charge of life - that is God's business and I will cooperate.
----------------------------------------------
True reality may look gray and uninviting,
yet is can be visible to sight that wants to see
with eyes that can be nurtured to look within.
---------------------------------------
Look
to this day,
For
it is life,
The
very life of life.
In
its brief course lie all
The
realities of existence,
The
bliss of growth,
The
splendor of action,
The
glory of power –
For
yesterday is but a dream,
And
tomorrow is only a vision,
But
today well lived,
Makes
every yesterday a dream of happiness
And
every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look
well, therefore, to this day.
Sanskrit
proverb, by Kalidasa, 4th. century
Hold carefully the fragile child that is within, it needs your nurturing, your parenting to grow to the fullness that God intends all of us to have.
(This is a photo found on the net without a credit.)
-------------------------------------
Links:
A meditation of 10 minutes to nurture clarity in seeing -
(It can be seen in full screen by clicking the icon that looks like a cogwheel.)
Here is the audio to download or just listen to:
https://www.box.com/s/de61644ac73fa7caf396
Here is the audio to download or just listen to:
https://www.box.com/s/de61644ac73fa7caf396
-----------------------------------------------------
A little humor:
Until next week, Peace and Serenity, Bill Lagerstrom
