Showing posts with label spirit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spirit. Show all posts
6/14/15
8/17/14
9/29/13
Pacific Patrol At Sunset
Thrillingly swiftly making our spirits well aware...
We journeyed to the coast,
impoverished souls,
pale faced ghosts,
nonetheless riddled with holes...
The prior year as the milepost,
full of chuckholes,
we arrived diagnosed,
needful of healing tidal shoals...
Missing someone not present most,
who up yonder scrolls,
lost on earth after long sclerosed,
for reparations we undertake pacific patrols...
Suddenly a sunset uplifts our 'til then blithe pneuma unaware,
jarred by geographical repositioning of terra firma and salt air,
thrillingly swiftly making our conscious spirits well aware,
all along missing person has been soulfully in our foursquare.
We journeyed to the coast,
impoverished souls,
pale faced ghosts,
nonetheless riddled with holes...
The prior year as the milepost,
full of chuckholes,
we arrived diagnosed,
needful of healing tidal shoals...
Missing someone not present most,
who up yonder scrolls,
lost on earth after long sclerosed,
for reparations we undertake pacific patrols...
Suddenly a sunset uplifts our 'til then blithe pneuma unaware,
jarred by geographical repositioning of terra firma and salt air,
thrillingly swiftly making our conscious spirits well aware,
all along missing person has been soulfully in our foursquare.
4/19/13
4/12/13
3/14/13
10/21/12
Desert Dawn
Ambrosia for heart, soul and spirit...
Still of desert morn
sun reflecting earthen color
tinting sabbath sky breaking
dawn resting day.
Ambrosia
for heart, soul and spirit...
10/6/12
A Soul Never Dies
Resting peacefully among heavenly wildflowers...
RIP Karen Snyder Counts (1955-2012)
10/3/12
Crossing Chasm Canyon
Writing life unedited is meant to be bolting...
Crossing chasm canyon my soul,
suddenly bereft seeks out in desolation
innovative thinking to resurrect the spirit
searching renewal to be once again whole.
Suddenly synapses discharged like lightning,
striking forthwith connecting brainstorm
to fertile ground of my flowing mind that
writing life unedited is meant to be bolting.
Signaling a new standard for placid existence,
a perception since canyon wash is ever shifting
trekking earth depends upon fortified walls with
a consistent and constant yet flowing conscience.
Crossing chasm canyon my soul,
suddenly bereft seeks out in desolation
innovative thinking to resurrect the spirit
searching renewal to be once again whole.
Suddenly synapses discharged like lightning,
striking forthwith connecting brainstorm
to fertile ground of my flowing mind that
writing life unedited is meant to be bolting.
Signaling a new standard for placid existence,
a perception since canyon wash is ever shifting
trekking earth depends upon fortified walls with
a consistent and constant yet flowing conscience.
5/18/12
The Spirit Never Dies
Even as the house burns down and is abandoned...
Physical disease and illness can lay waste to human body just as wind and fire can tear a house apart. A metaphor arises if you consider the physical being of a body as a house to the spirit and soul. One interpretation of the analogy is a house may be destroyed and vacated but the former inhabitants live on earth somewhere else. This can happen also in a very real sense to a person living with a chronic disorder that is disabling and usually fatal. The person you see, visit and talk with is visible in front of you but if you're discerning and know them for who they really are you're not seeing the shell left of their physique. They have in a very real sense moved their spirit into another anatomy although not visible to our myopic vision. For them their spirit, soul and personage inhabit a different place. One they have created with their internal strength and vision that allows them to be as mobile as they are able and keeps their mind from dwelling on physical limitations.
This happened to me once decades ago when for a long period I was in a physical state that confined me to a hospital bed and after that took time to restore my body to its previous condition. Others I've known are not able to do that since their physical condition is unchanging or deteriorating. I see in my sister who braves Scleroderma that as her body changes and becomes less functional and confining that she has already moved into another body that I recognize as being one similar to the one she once had but above all functional. Her spirit hasn't died and needs a house that it may dwell if only in the mind it resides. I recognize that to a skeptic and hard realists this is all specious and suspect and for them I am sorry since their coping mechanisms always seem to be at a minimum tinged with anger and bitterness. All I can vouch for is my personal experience where I inhabited a different being I imagined as like a tree, with roots, trunk, branches and twigs nourished by the warmth of the sun and feed by living water.
This is why I photograph a lot of trees and create visual art with them.
Physical disease and illness can lay waste to human body just as wind and fire can tear a house apart. A metaphor arises if you consider the physical being of a body as a house to the spirit and soul. One interpretation of the analogy is a house may be destroyed and vacated but the former inhabitants live on earth somewhere else. This can happen also in a very real sense to a person living with a chronic disorder that is disabling and usually fatal. The person you see, visit and talk with is visible in front of you but if you're discerning and know them for who they really are you're not seeing the shell left of their physique. They have in a very real sense moved their spirit into another anatomy although not visible to our myopic vision. For them their spirit, soul and personage inhabit a different place. One they have created with their internal strength and vision that allows them to be as mobile as they are able and keeps their mind from dwelling on physical limitations.
This is why I photograph a lot of trees and create visual art with them.
2/22/12
Days Are Not Lost
Merely notebooks postponed...
There are days that arrive
Unannounced and unexpected
When the spirit of being alive
Is for some reason rejected
Starting with the reptilian brain
Force motion enacted to kick start
Synapses that fire only to drain
Requiring a switch to soul and heart
Then visualize the ground
Where those cells
That seemingly drowned
As thoughts in wells...
Later to be drawn from
and collected.
Unannounced and unexpected
When the spirit of being alive
Is for some reason rejected
Starting with the reptilian brain
Force motion enacted to kick start
Synapses that fire only to drain
Requiring a switch to soul and heart
Then visualize the ground
Where those cells
That seemingly drowned
As thoughts in wells...
Later to be drawn from
and collected.
1/31/12
1/16/12
Black and White Make Gray
Not necessarily a blue mood...
Admittedly I would not like to live in a place that rains a lot, gray clouds are the norm and the landscape seemingly bleak. We've experienced gray clouds and rather stark skies this past weekend for desert country that is usually bright and clear. Some would say that the desert is austere and monochromatic but since I know where and how to look for the beauty and color I think not.
Therefore I tend to view a gray and bare day as a rare opportunity to explore how to make it have a life of its own and discover the hidden beauty in it. I'm supposing that people who live in that type of climate all the time and like it do the same thing as those of us who enjoy the desert do. As a matter of fact I've come to think that the real art in living and creative endeavors is not what strikes you right away. It is that which is subtle and the allure takes time to absorb its values that make it attractive.
In reality whether urban or rural the aesthetic must be sought since it rarely makes itself obvious immediately. Taking photographs in color is wonderful because color bursts out at you and makes itself known right away to be worked with. Working in black and white or with sepia and other forms of monochromatic pictures is another application of art of itself. Both are satisfying but the challenge is enhancing the beauty that is not quite so evident. The education is that this is a case of art imitating how to live life.
Admittedly I would not like to live in a place that rains a lot, gray clouds are the norm and the landscape seemingly bleak. We've experienced gray clouds and rather stark skies this past weekend for desert country that is usually bright and clear. Some would say that the desert is austere and monochromatic but since I know where and how to look for the beauty and color I think not.
In reality whether urban or rural the aesthetic must be sought since it rarely makes itself obvious immediately. Taking photographs in color is wonderful because color bursts out at you and makes itself known right away to be worked with. Working in black and white or with sepia and other forms of monochromatic pictures is another application of art of itself. Both are satisfying but the challenge is enhancing the beauty that is not quite so evident. The education is that this is a case of art imitating how to live life.
1/14/12
Musical Aspirations On A Hook
Instruments in abeyance...
Waiting to be plugged in and fill the air with music.
At one time played by someone these four and five bass string guitars were pawned for one reason or another. Perhaps the owner lost interest, discovered they weren't very good at playing, were a trade in or worse needed the money and had to sacrifice a beloved instrument for cold hard cash. They hang waiting in silence to be become alive again and fill the air with their back beat sound to enrapture the player either alone, with a small group of family and friends or perhaps even in public performance. No matter the skill and ability of someone who might want to play one of these guitars, it is almost shameful they're in a landfill of silent musical equipment.
Ray Charles said: "I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water."
All creative people feel that way I think, I don't remember a time I didn't want to create something and was fortunate who had parents and family that encouraged it. They endured my learning to play piano and guitar and learning to sing. They praised my writing, drawing, painting and photography efforts while offering kind and helpful suggestion on how to improve. Whether creativity is in the arts, in thinking and philosophy or sciences, whether the skill is small, level or great it should be encouraged to develop the mind and soul. It is a seed to enrich life and should be planted, cultivated and grown to its fullest potential if only to satisfy the individuals own essence to give it courage and enrich the spirit.
Waiting to be plugged in and fill the air with music.
At one time played by someone these four and five bass string guitars were pawned for one reason or another. Perhaps the owner lost interest, discovered they weren't very good at playing, were a trade in or worse needed the money and had to sacrifice a beloved instrument for cold hard cash. They hang waiting in silence to be become alive again and fill the air with their back beat sound to enrapture the player either alone, with a small group of family and friends or perhaps even in public performance. No matter the skill and ability of someone who might want to play one of these guitars, it is almost shameful they're in a landfill of silent musical equipment.
All creative people feel that way I think, I don't remember a time I didn't want to create something and was fortunate who had parents and family that encouraged it. They endured my learning to play piano and guitar and learning to sing. They praised my writing, drawing, painting and photography efforts while offering kind and helpful suggestion on how to improve. Whether creativity is in the arts, in thinking and philosophy or sciences, whether the skill is small, level or great it should be encouraged to develop the mind and soul. It is a seed to enrich life and should be planted, cultivated and grown to its fullest potential if only to satisfy the individuals own essence to give it courage and enrich the spirit.
10/16/11
Sanctuary Electric Blue
The soul and spirit are eclectic...
Let them conduct freely outside the walls.
Too many people are bound by religion and tied to beliefs that are tight and rigid. The message there is only one way, one path, one road rang different bells for me than the ones traditionalists hear. When I broke away from the mold shaped by thousands of years of interpreted history and read the authentic and verifiable origins for myself I gained a new knowledge. An open passageway that was truly free.
There is a difference in what is commonly meant as religiously holy and what is spiritually holistic. The thoroughfare to freeing the soul, spirit and mind is not a toll road encased in the narrow paths many religions consider holy. The constraints of religion in actuality turn people away from spiritual enlightenment rather than open the door. Spirit is everywhere, conducted by us that choose to be open to it and not confined to the walls of a building and the minds of self anointed officials. We all have a direct link to the Holy Spirit of God and a Higher Power if we choose to make the connection.
Let them conduct freely outside the walls.
Too many people are bound by religion and tied to beliefs that are tight and rigid. The message there is only one way, one path, one road rang different bells for me than the ones traditionalists hear. When I broke away from the mold shaped by thousands of years of interpreted history and read the authentic and verifiable origins for myself I gained a new knowledge. An open passageway that was truly free.
There is a difference in what is commonly meant as religiously holy and what is spiritually holistic. The thoroughfare to freeing the soul, spirit and mind is not a toll road encased in the narrow paths many religions consider holy. The constraints of religion in actuality turn people away from spiritual enlightenment rather than open the door. Spirit is everywhere, conducted by us that choose to be open to it and not confined to the walls of a building and the minds of self anointed officials. We all have a direct link to the Holy Spirit of God and a Higher Power if we choose to make the connection.
5/16/11
Human Touch
On being personable in a detached world...
We are people starving for attention in a world of automated tellers, touchscreen ordering and voice response systems. Personal attention is a two way street. That person behind the counter who robotically rings up your purchase needs attention as much as you do. We are human and our spirit is what separates us from the animal kingdom.
It is astounding how many people are operating out of fear and anxiety. Those two emotions are reflected in our interactions with each other in urban areas and small cities. A lot of people act as if they don't care in this mixed up, muddied era of economic downturn, political divisiveness and social disruption. Actually they're just playing it safe. People have been trained to publicly be cool, calm and detached and mimic a phony customer service model that is based on whatever acronym some consultant came up with. Attempting to avoid offending anyone has made many defensive and cold towards others.
In my industry I work with people who suffer test anxiety since their credentialing and livelihood depends on a high stakes test. Experience has taught me that acknowledging it in some way from the beginning returns a heartfelt "thank you" afterwards. One way I do this is just prior to entering the test room I will tell someone to "take a deep breath, breathe in the good air, exhale the bad air and think success." There is nothing original in that statement but it gets a positive response in test takers ranging from burly firefighters to aggressive stock brokers to aloof doctors.
At the interchange of human interaction people seem to be dispassionate but underneath they are not. Inside may be a raging bull or a soft-hearted bear that fears what others might think or only wants to be recognized as a person. Take a moment to recognize someone's fear or anxiety by doing or saying something that acknowledges those emotions indirectly by being personable. My bet is that you will discover the most detached person will light up and respond.
We are people starving for attention in a world of automated tellers, touchscreen ordering and voice response systems. Personal attention is a two way street. That person behind the counter who robotically rings up your purchase needs attention as much as you do. We are human and our spirit is what separates us from the animal kingdom.
It is astounding how many people are operating out of fear and anxiety. Those two emotions are reflected in our interactions with each other in urban areas and small cities. A lot of people act as if they don't care in this mixed up, muddied era of economic downturn, political divisiveness and social disruption. Actually they're just playing it safe. People have been trained to publicly be cool, calm and detached and mimic a phony customer service model that is based on whatever acronym some consultant came up with. Attempting to avoid offending anyone has made many defensive and cold towards others.In my industry I work with people who suffer test anxiety since their credentialing and livelihood depends on a high stakes test. Experience has taught me that acknowledging it in some way from the beginning returns a heartfelt "thank you" afterwards. One way I do this is just prior to entering the test room I will tell someone to "take a deep breath, breathe in the good air, exhale the bad air and think success." There is nothing original in that statement but it gets a positive response in test takers ranging from burly firefighters to aggressive stock brokers to aloof doctors.
At the interchange of human interaction people seem to be dispassionate but underneath they are not. Inside may be a raging bull or a soft-hearted bear that fears what others might think or only wants to be recognized as a person. Take a moment to recognize someone's fear or anxiety by doing or saying something that acknowledges those emotions indirectly by being personable. My bet is that you will discover the most detached person will light up and respond.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)