NOT KNOWING

I was just in New Zealand and met a man named Peter Beadle. He is an artist and paints these incredible landscapes from this part of the world. I read one of his books where he said that if I stayed there for a few weeks I would "...realize that man’s life, in sickness and in health, is bound up with the forces of nature; and that nature, so far from being opposed and conquered, must rather be treated as an ally and friend, whose ways must be understood, and whose counsel must be respected." I did stay for a few weeks. I hiked 33 miles on the Milford Track where I took these two pictures. One evening my friend Max invited us to share with each other what we were thinking that day as we were marching through this grandeur. The insignificance of mankind could certainly be felt there. The towering peaks, thunderous waterfalls, dense forests with ancient beech, and eerie bird calls, all conspired to shrink me down to a very humble size. The evening star cover was vast, clear and unfamiliar to me. The entire experience left me filled with awe and respect for a planet we call HOME. What was I thinking? I'm not sure really. It had something to do with appreciation. Perhaps appreciation that I am not in control. That something else, some larger energy, is at work in the universe. Something about which I know very little at all. Not knowing is such a relief. Beadle had invited me to understand and respect nature. My respect is there; the understanding may take a lifetime or two.

CONNECTING

Connecting with each other and with ourselves through art. Beautiful! The courage to create, to branch out, to take a leap, to become fearless--if only for a second or two, to dare to jump in from a great height, to learn. And...we do learn.

Poppy '09/LPC

We learn from Oriental thought that those divine influences are, in fact, the environment in which we are. A sober and quiet mind is one in which the ego does not obstruct the fluency of things that come in through the senses and up through one’s dreams. Our business in living is to become fluent with the life we are living, and art can help this. ---John Gage

ROUNDNESS (Christmas Eve 2009)

Villa des Amis

Days begin and end in the dead of night.

They are not shaped long, in the manner of things which lead to

end----arrow, road, man’s life on earth. They are shaped

round, in the manner of things eternal and stable----sun, world, God.

Civilization tries to persuade us we are going towards

something, a distant goal. We have forgotten that our only goal is to

live, to live each and every day, and that if we live each and

every day, our true goal is achieved. All civilized people see the day

beginning at dawn or a little after or a long time after or

whatever time their work begins; this they lengthen according to

their work, during what they call ‘all day long’; and end it

when they close their eyes. It is they who say the days are long.

On the contrary, the days are round.

Jean Giono, ‘Rondeur des Jours’ (1943)

ACCEPTANCE

The clouds above us join and separate,

The breeze in the courtyard leaves and returns.

Life is like that, so why not relax?

Who can stop us from celebrating?

Lu Yu

DON'T WORRY

One path to happiness is to cease worrying about things which are beyond our control and, with the exception of our mind, perhaps everything is. Therefore, employ the mind to think good thoughts, always on the ready to find the answer in things, the reason for them, and happiness will follow as sure as your shadow.

SPRINGTIME

Tao is at once the universal pageant of the constellations and the budding of each new leaf in the spring. 

It is the constant round of life and death and all that falls between. 

It resides in us as we reside in it. 

It is the source as well as the end of our being. 

It neither judges nor condemns but continually blesses, in all moments, an unending cycle of change and renewal. 

It is a belief in life, a belief in the glorious procession of each unfolding moment. 

It is a deeply spiritual but decidedly non-religious way of life. 

It involves introspection, balance, emotional and spiritual independence and responsibility and a deep awareness and connection to the Earth and all other life forms. 

It requires an understanding of how energy works in the body and how to treat illness in a safe, non-invasive way while teaching practical ways of maintaining health and avoiding disease and discomfort. 

Taoist meditation techniques help the practitioner enter deeper or more expansive levels of wakefulness and inner strength. 

But most of all it is a simple, natural, practical way of being in our bodies and our psyches and sharing that being with all other life forms we come into contact with.

TAKE COURAGE

Today a friend told me about being annoyed with a drip last night in her New York City apartment. As she grew angrier and angrier she opened her eyes and saw the full moon

sitting next to a very bright star. She got up from bed and sat in a chair looking at the moon 

and the star and the silhouette of the buildings beneath them and felt a profound connection to something greater and to the drip. 

Many, many years ago in a land far, far away there lived a people with a direct connection to the earth. There were dripping sounds from the dew coming

off the rock ledges and the same moon and star bathed everything in light even though it was

considered night. They honored their connections to what had come before and left images for those who would follow. We are connected to them just as assuredly as we are connected to the moon and the star. This realization lessens the anger, returns it to an annoyance and finally to a connection to everything and one's self. 

What a blessing to have such a friend(s).