Fairy Tales from A Parallel Universe

on gracefulness of being

2012-01-27T00:40:00.000+02:00

why human? why not a bird? why not a dove?

I don't hear any of the doves complaining about why so cold in winter and why these branches so naked? none of that, nope.

nothing to get sentimental, nothing to fuss about. no small conversation. grand silence.

it is a cold sunny winter day. that is what it is. cold. sunny. winter. just that. birds on tree. me looking out from my room.

life goes on. gracefully. as is. life is.

yes

2012-01-08T22:53:00.000+02:00

honesty. vulnerability. power. love. dance.

I am not the first person to say yes. Or the last.

Funny how I see now that it was No - all along.
Funny how No was a way of life - before.

Today is the first day of my life.

I say Yes. To life. To me. All of it.

yes is a world & in this world of yes live (skilfully curled) all worlds, e.e. cummings said.

Yes to the monsters, yes to the nun, yes to the child, yesto the wild woman.

Yes to joy and hatred and love and jealousy and anger andhappiness and sadness and fun.
Yes to madness.
Yes to the ugly and the beautiful.
Yes to bad and good and compassionate and mean.
Yes to failing. Yes to making.
Yes to creation and yes to destruction.
Yes to fears. Yes to desires.
Yes to flying and yes to falling.
Yes to tears and yes to laughter.

None of it and all of it is me.

I don’t care. I wantto dance.

dance, dance, otherwise we are lost, pina said.

Yes to death.

Yes to life.
Yes to me and all there is.
Yes to the dance.

Yes.

heart-made miracles

2011-12-31T20:27:00.001+02:00

made of you, made of me

made with love, made of love

each unique

each one whole

full of sparklings

full of light

heaven on earth

let each moment be

a string of heart-made miracles

for you and me...

with love and blessings

and a Happy New Year!

turning

2011-11-10T16:07:00.000+02:00

with so little as much as one,
I felt the turning.

all

turning

the great blue sky, the clouds, the sun

turning

the earth

turning

with so little as one breath,

I was one

turning.

Attroversiamo...

2011-10-02T20:41:00.001+03:00

capito eh?

attroversiamo...

Conditions of A Solitary Bird

2011-09-11T21:00:00.001+03:00

The first: that it flies to the highest point;
The second: that it does not suffer for company; not even of its own kind;
The third: that it aims its beak to the skies;
The fourth: that it does not have a definite color;
The fifth: that it sings very softly...

- San Juan de la Cruz "Dichos de Luz y Amor"

africa of my soul

2011-07-27T16:07:00.002+03:00

Where is the Africa of my soul
Wild
Unchartered
Yearning to free…
Elephants, zebras and giraffes and tigers
Birds I never saw before
Singing songs I never heard before
Stepping barefoot on lands
Drums roll in my heart
Never dreamed silence could be so loud
Speaking in unknown language so peaceful
Never knew I could hear wild trees talking to blue skies

Stars so bright only in complete darkness
And beauty of a new dawn
Takes my breath away
And Africa of my soul
wild and free
shines and sings
Never have I seen colours so alive before.

to dear ee cummings

2011-07-14T18:15:00.002+03:00

morning

whispers

like a blossom

refrigerator still blue

beneath concrete

when is clouding always

between you and me

do come early summer

with cicada song

sleeping through winter and spring

we, like small tree

dream

happy flower

sun smiley - but no sound

I must fly in green light

soon evening laughs

to life

some wild journey...

listen

every breath

cry

I am.

2011-06-12T20:32:00.000+03:00

today is always still.

- Antonio Machado

on freedom

2011-04-26T09:42:00.001+03:00

May your days be free from the bondage of philosophy (even the philosophy of non-duality) so that your heart can soar and your spirit dance even when you are sad and miss someone you love.

- Wayne Liquorman

spring is here...free at last!

2011-04-08T16:27:00.003+03:00

spring - barefoot and free...go on, run, celebrate, walk on grass, breathe in sunshine and spring rain and the wind...let the season spring me free!

on truth and life / immortality

2011-01-12T21:37:00.003+02:00

"Art is a mystery.
A mystery is something immeasurable.
...
Every artist's strictly illimitable country is himself.

An artist who plays that country false has committed suicide; and even a good lawyer cannot kill the dead. But a human being who's true to himself - whoever himself may be - is immortal; and all the atomic bombs of all the antiartists in spacetime will never civilise immortality."

- e.e. cummings

If we are all but artists, let us once more surrender to this mystery called life. and may we discover each moment our own uncharted miracolous lands and sing in truth, joy & freedom.

and so let us be free, as birds and as he, dear e.e.cummings.

on signs and the journey...

2010-12-27T11:54:00.001+02:00

A Cleared Site

2010-12-10T14:34:00.002+02:00

...

That cleared site is what I want.
Live in the opening where there is no door
to hide behind. Be pure absence.
In that state everything is essential.

The rest of this must be said in silence
because of the enormous difference between light
and words that try to say light.

- Rumi

Meetings with Zen 1 - "The Grand Distorted Shadow"

2010-11-17T10:21:00.003+02:00

So I finally get down to drawing with my black brush pen. My first target is the branch hanging on my white living room wall, very appropriate for a Japanese style drawing I decide and start. Completely emerged in the ins-outs, the little buds etc. I finish the drawing of the branch. However, somehow I sense that my drawing is incomplete – it does not seem to pass on the powerful effect of the branch on the wall. And then I realize the missing component, it is the shadow – aha..!

So I get to work again and attempt on the shadow. Mmm, almost finished and better, and I am happy with myself, with the drawing and the branch of course. In the course of trying to draw the shadow, I get my real Aha! moment: you see the shadow seems much bigger, more curved and quite distorted; much more impactful or more beautiful maybe than the branch itself, yet distorted still. But it is part of the branch itself, born out of it and inseperable - and yet not real and yet distorted. Hmmmm….

And I realize so it is with us…and the world we live in. We create it, it would not exist if it were not for us. Yet it is only a shadow of the truth. It is but a distorted view of reality – our distorted view of reality. This view can be breath taking at times, and quite painful at other, but the underlying truth is neutral, really. Whatever we observe through our lenses or experience through our senses, a person, an event, a meal, something whatever it is, is defined and made real by us, and it is only just that, a person, an event, a meal and so on. It is our illusion that names and classifies it as horrifying, beautiful, right, wrong, delicious etc. Being “in the eyes of the beholder”, the description inevitably changes from person to person. While agreeing on the truth might be very easy, the views might be clashing. While truth has a quality that brings together, the illusion can easily seperate.

Truth and illusion inseparable, we are in a continuous story or dreamworld we are creating. Yet what makes the difference in the quality of life we lead is the awareness: the awareness that it is an illusion and the awareness that there is an underlying truth that binds us all, that binds all creation together, that makes us feel everything is as it should be. Knowing this, why all the suffering?

So how can I get more of this awareness, or live in more of this (I seem to hear you asking)?? Well just some minutes of being completely emerged in this drawing, being in the moment and being only the drawing helped me to realize, become more aware.

So go draw…well yes, may be. or paint, or sing, or walk or just do whatever you are doing but be there. Be the doing itself, be the silent witness of exactly what is happening in the moment. Just be.

And experience…the unbearable lightness of the presence…
– of truth that is.

So much praise and gratitude for the grand distorted shadow!

elif in wonderland

2010-11-05T23:11:00.003+02:00

love-in-nature, loving nature, loving life

in wonder and awe of nature's graceful beauty always...

singing my song of gratitude to Mother Nature

just dear autumn in all its wonder wonder-land magic, that's all...

and then came nothing

2010-10-31T21:52:00.005+02:00

and then came nothing
silent and free
resting in pure stillness.
and came nothing
singing and dancing
flying in pure joy.

and then came nothing.
a voice.
in eternity

echoeing "I am"...

where love is.

2010-10-26T21:57:00.003+03:00

just look under your feet.
just look at this moment.
love is here. love is this moment.
love is.

on truth

2010-09-10T22:40:00.002+03:00

- Do you always say the truth?
- Truth is easier to remember...

from the movie "Mother and Child"

on dreaming

2010-08-31T19:58:00.002+03:00

I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man.

~Chuang Tzu

on being open...

2010-08-04T22:00:00.002+03:00

may my heart always be open to little birds
who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old

may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it's sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young

and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there's never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile

- e.e. cummings

about embracing...

2010-07-20T19:15:00.004+03:00

“Maan, do you know what it is to finally accept the life you never planned upon?”

- says Ivan to Roger in “Greenberg”

In the movie, Ivan in his early forties is talking about his current life, struggling with divorce from wife with one kid – which wasn’t what he dreamed, but ended up with, struggled and when apart with family, realized he actually loved it and trying now to embrace it getting back together with family.

so I got hung upon this line. in another way.

Thinking about me: about to start, just starting or already started the life I always dreamed about – with no specifics really, but just the dream of being me, being able to express & live my own truth, and doing what I love, being what I love, being just me.

It is really embracing a life you never planned upon in another kind of way, and it is still difficult at times…

What you are doing is letting go, letting go of “the old” and - what you are really embracing is the unknown, embracing the total uncertainty of letting “the discovery of yourself” unfold, while holding on to only what you know to be true in your heart.

Now what is that, what is in your heart? This is a question to think about…
Because before you can get to what is true in your heart, there is a lot of sorting through and cleansing to be done, which just happens on the way.
And accept that it is all gone, aaalll gone. period.
Cry if you want to and if you can, for the old, and let go let go let go. For good. Out. Forever.

And then comes the discovery, the uncertainty: what is true, what makes your heart sing…?
This may sound simple, but not. Requires you first to love yourself unconditionally, it is all about love. It is so scary to embrace it, because we have been conditioned for years not to trust it, look elsewhere, hurt with all push-pull or run-chase kind of strategies or power games. It is where we are really vulnerable. God forbid what would happen if we just loved ourselves??

Requires you to remember what love means, what life means and where love lives in life. Requires you to extract love from all the hidden but oh so obvious places, rediscover where love has always lived and will always live within you.

Oddly enough, the true freedom comes when we accept and love ourselves no matter what.
Oddly enough, then we become free to truly accept the responsibility of a life we choose to create and be a part of. And then we can actually move on, jump and live live live, go on living the “real dream” as a friend of mine put it once.

Now that – is embracing. Life that is.

dear Reader (I have always wanted to use this...), I know I am a bit all over the place, not so clear, I know you are now asking "but how? why? where? how?" but that is exactly the thing:
Now. Right now. No questions. Just do it. Accept. Love. Live.

So that’s the story of how I got hung on this one question…

- p.s. nooo, the picture is not The Seagull, namely Jonathan Livingstone, but a distant yet strikingly similar relative from Greece a friend has caught on the act - of being a seagull and living, that is. enjoy...

love divine...

2010-07-20T12:30:00.003+03:00

I need love, love's divine

Please forgive me now I see that I've been blind

Give me love,

Love is what I need to help me know my name.

...

Love can help me know my name.

...

- Seal “Love’s Divine”

what love is?

2010-07-10T14:45:00.002+03:00

i don't know
what love is...

for example,
this moment is love
how do we know it?
breathe in, breathe out
one moment of love, gone.
from nothing to nothing
from all there is to all there is
from love to love.

i don't know, what love is.
i just breathe.

from love to love.
one breath. one heartbeat.
one moment in eternity.

help me love. help me breathe.
o God, help me love.

a nice day...

2010-07-05T17:17:00.002+03:00

"Say,Pooh, why aren't you busy?" I said.
"Because it's a nice day," said Pooh.
"Yes, but --"
"Why ruin it?" he said.
"But you could be doing something Important," I said.
"I am," said Pooh.
"Oh? Doing what?"
"Listening," he said.
"Listening to what?"
"To the birds. And that squirrel over there."
"What are they saying?" I asked.
"That it's a nice day," said Pooh.
"But you know that already," I said.
"Yes, but it's always good to hear that somebody else thinks so, too," he replied.

- from "The Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff

the living road

2010-06-09T00:14:00.005+03:00

Walker, your footsteps

are the road, and nothing more.

Walker, there is no road,

the road is made by walking.

Walking you make the road,

and turning to look behind

you see the path you never

again will step upon.

Walker, there is no road,

only foam trails on the sea.

Antonio Machado

...

Be patient toward everything that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue.
Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them.
And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will find them gradually, without noticing it, and live along some distant day into the answer.

Rainer Maria Rilke

on enlightenment

2010-05-12T10:35:00.001+03:00

Before enlightenment chop wood carry water, after enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.

- Chinese saying

on trust...

2010-04-16T11:36:00.000+03:00

To be unprepared is to have faith and to do it confidently is to know we are all connected.

- Jason Mraz

the dark night and the dark knight...

2010-04-09T14:11:00.001+03:00

can we have the courage to find, accept and reveal the dark knight within ourselves, our own dark knight to help us safely and lovingly navigate through our emotional waters and open our hearts to more and more love even in the darkest nights of the soul?

this knight appearing in the dark out of nowhere, this power in ourselves that we didnot know even existed, fearlessly goes after truth and with true compassion of the heart, shines light into all the dark places, cuts into all the wounds at first giving us pain we think at times unbearable, but bleeds them so that we might be set free and the truth be restored. our truth that has always been and will always be.

can we embrace the dark night and the reveal the dark knight? with their blessed presence, may we all have the courage to love and receive love unconditionally.

daylight and the sun

2010-04-09T10:32:00.002+03:00

now I cry for daylight

daylight and the sun

now I cry for daylight

daylight everyone

daylight in my heart

daylight in the trees

daylight kissing everything

she can see

...

there was no light

only the white night

first born when the sun

screamed her eyes wide open

daylight in the fields

daylight mountains

fire kisses the floor

of the lakes and makes shadows

...

ooh, your dream

here on the water

warm the sand

the seagulls calling

kissed by kindness

...

you gave me this

your fire becomes a kiss.

...

-Anthony and the Johnsons

downtherabbithole

2010-04-04T13:35:00.003+03:00

1
I have befriended
darkness
never realized it could get
darker after dark
never knew there were so many shades of black
funny how
in the dark
I carefully discover
all these hidden walls
one by one
one after another
walls so strongly built
won’t let me out

when is dark the darkest?
what happens after that?
and have you realized
how quickly
your eyes adapt
and you start seeing
black shadows in black

and still
admit to this I will
I prefer the depths of darkness
to being blind.

and down the rabbit hole all the walls come tumbling down.

2
was it up or
down the rabbit hole
the way to home
I wonder…

and what is home anyway.

on the arrows

2010-04-01T10:03:00.001+03:00

What if our priorities changed and we didn’t have anyone to impress but ourselves. What if we were not afraid to walk with our weakness and our strength both showing…to walk with the arrow in our hearts and not bend to hide it…to not pretend but to feel, and to feel, and to feel…and to know that the arrows dissolve when it is time? What if we were no longer ashamed?

- Jennifer Posada

Song of Myself

2010-03-17T15:11:00.002+02:00

I CELEBRATE MYSELF,

and what I assume you shall assume,

For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

...

I exist as I am, that is enough,

If no other in the world be aware I sit content,

And if each and all be aware I sit content.

One world is aware,and by far the largest to me, and that is myself,

And whether I come to my own today or in ten thousand or ten million years,

I can cheerfully take it now, or with equal cheerfulness I can wait.

...

- from "Leaves of Grass", Walt Whitman

spring...?

2010-02-25T21:03:00.003+02:00

when will
spring come
she asked
his hands filled with flowers
his smile
glowing sunshine
waking up all
waiting to be reborn
with sweet kiss
and birds
and butterflies
and rainbows
whistling love in her ears
as she gently
dances
barefoot
on fresh grass
dizzy scents of wilderness
blue skies

and who said spring was a lady.

2010-02-14T10:53:00.000+02:00

2010-02-11T10:39:00.002+02:00

"In the beginning, the trees are trees, the rivers are rivers, and the mountains are mountains. As you go along the path, the mountains are no longer mountains, the trees are no longer trees, and the rivers are no longer rivers. You go along the path a little further and the trees are trees again, the mountains are mountains again, and the rivers are rivers again, but the difference is that we no longer believe it."

- Zen saying

blank

2010-02-08T22:49:00.003+02:00

So what is it with blank pages he asked.
Silence.
(What is it what)
What is it that scares me –
I am not scared.
Just.
Blank.
I am not a writer either. So blank page is off my territory.
Ha ha. Mind. Games. Plays. I hear.
Stupid. Trying to run away.
Useless and stupid. I tell you.
So I decide on
new tactic.
Here:
Me
Sitting
across
MysocalledfearfulselfifyouknowwhatImean
Tryingtofoolmewithcomplexityneverstopping
Blahblahblahblahblahwordafterwordafterword
But
Then
I
Know
I must have
Called.
Nobody knows the answer
But.
Me.

He who knows
My fear but
Nevertheless
Loves
I
Who knows he knows
But
Nevertheless
Loves
Me-self
And
Him.

And blank is no more.
Where love is.

And blank never without sound

Where silence peacefully lives.

I hear me walking

2010-01-28T18:00:00.003+02:00

and so I will journey
endlessly
the depth of a forest
teases me so
not sure of what I'd find
not searching for anything
time is lost
and I am found
by leaves, by birds, by the wind,
by me.
the sound of my footsteps
on forest ground
accompany me
one by one
they are
lost
and
found
each step calls for another
and in between
I can hear my voice
tuning softly
to Mother Nature's song

who is this
I ask
my footstep
answers
as it touches the ground
and the forest suddenly
opens its heart
and I feel alive
together
with each step.
...
the journey revealed only by walking.

one tree

2010-01-21T17:25:00.002+02:00

I need only
one tree
to speak my truth
one tree
standing bare
in cold winter
in cold cold city concrete
with no leaves left
to adorn
no leaves to protect
one tree
standing bare
all scars exposed
still standing tall
all presence
still fully there

I need only
one tree
to speak my truth
to speak one truth
gracefully dying
to its own rebirth
the beauty of creation
declared in silence
one tree
standing bare
standing there
shouting
I am.

...and grass still keeps growing on dead concrete.

a simple life

2010-01-01T18:01:00.004+02:00

Simple – some meanings from Webster’s dictionary

- not complex; not blended with something else; not complicated
- unadorned; as, "simple truth."
- undesigning; sincere; true
- unaffected; unconstrained; natural; inartificial; straightforward.
- direct; clear
- homogenous
- easy not hard

As we are entering a new year, marking the beginning of a new decade really, I have been thinking about a simpler life – no, the truth is my heart has been and is yearning for a simple life.

The past two years have been spent in eliminating various part of what you can call my observable outside life – jobs, people, furniture and alike. And eliminating parts that may not be so obvious for the ordinary man of this system, parts of me, inside of me, that are even harder to spot, catch in action and disable. I cannot truly say “kill” because you can scrape them, beat them but you cannot get rid of them; because they are there, they are the shadow of humanity, of you and me like yin yang or such. That’s why I say disable, which requires enabling another part of me, that is also ever present, to transform this life experience that has been given to me to live in joy.

I have realized in process and after, that this simplification is so critical - because unless you get rid of whatever is not serving you, not bringing you joy, not making your life easier, not functioning anymore in that sense, there is no room for all the new that you are dreaming of. There is no room for your wishes to come true, no room for you to discover what you didn’t even know existed because well the stuff is/was blocking it. Hello universe I shouted and shout still “Help me open room for me to blossom and grow into this potential that is called “me”…” whatever that is. And when you are aware and yell for help, the universe answers always, lends you its oh so powerful vacuum cleaner and before you know it things start moving.

It is not easy, sometimes very heavy stuff need to be moved and there is pain, tears and anger and so on. It is a fight truly – but a fight I am so willing because there is no other way for me anymore. I cannot “not be me” anymore, I do not want to spend my valuable energy for pieces that don’t fit anymore – and anyway I know now that I do not have support for that. I can read the signs, I get the message: “I am the message” and if so why try to hide it, run from it, show something that is not it?

It feels so fresh, my heart feels so fresh after – I feel so light as if I have wings that I did not know existed, moments of gratitude that maybe fill my eyes with tears but tears of genuine joy. Life goes on more easily…and nothing needs to happen, just me, just being is enough. And just for living fully those brief moments of joy, awareness, lightness of just being here, now, me, it is so worth the effort.

In all this simplification and building a new life, I still have an enormous yearning inside of me for a more and more simple way of life. Which brings me so near and dear to Mother Nature, so simple yet such a master of harmony and perfection and always the perfect guide, healer and nurturer in every way. Living in the very center of an extremely busy city, my heart searches, longs for, and cannot be kept still – it is as if I have to wake up and run and hug a tree or something. It is getting more difficult to breath this machine, I know a bigger simplification is on its way and I am trusting that the Universe is already working to bring me just that.

Meanwhile, I keep on dreaming a simple dream: I am standing in front of a small wooden cottage may be, among the tall trees, I have my feet on the bare soil, it feels humid and warm and so embracing. My eyes closed, I feel the morning sun, feel the soft breeze on my face, it cleanses me. I hear birds, the wind in the trees, a water stream somewhere, I can hear my heart, I am humming along. I am just there, I am in the moment, I feel grounded, I feel I belong, I feel alive – more alive than ever. It is just a simple sound “aaaaaaaaah” - the joy of life.

A simple life that brings me back to me, that is all I want to continue to experience increasingly, that is all I long for and sing for. A simple life that is easy to live and easy to be.

...

And if you are willing, if you are awake come join in, come let us join forces with the universe for manifesting this simple dream called life…

puzzle-d

2009-12-27T19:42:00.005+02:00

where in this puzzle / do we fit

I know we touched once or twice

our parts felt good together

our hearts danced to the same rhythm for a while

but where in this puzzle / do we really fit

when is the time and place

where does the puzzle lock us in

and we are but one embrace

locked in one heartbeat

breathing...breathing in sync with the universe

...

until then

I will keep turning and turning

while singing my song

until then

I will keep turning and turning

until our shapes recognize eachother

until we suddenly know

how it all fits.

message in a bottle

2009-12-20T15:24:00.003+02:00

the last concert of this year, we packed our new year wishes in a bottle and sent them to the universe, singing singing singing songs of joy.

...

that very night, I am looking at this bottle of wishes under my Xmas tree and I say to myself "look at this bottle, with hopes, wishes, crazy dreams and all" - full of potential. just like you, me and every one of us. just like this very moment, just like every moment.

...

right at this moment lies our potential to rewrite our lives and make our dreams come true. right now we can embrace the opportunity by choosing to look with new eyes, see with an open loving heart and share with joy.
...

so I hereby choose declare that:

...

I am a bottle of potential, full of love, light, joy and miracles.

I accept with gratitude all the love and abundance that the universe is offering.

I am whole, I am complete, I am one with the river of life.

I am in divine flow.

...

thank you.

2009-11-30T10:44:00.000+02:00

Shed your clothes of pride, enter the house of love where the music never stops where the walls are made of songs & the floor dances.

- Rumi

dreams are nothing more than wishes and...

2009-11-25T10:59:00.005+02:00

a wish is just a dream you wish to come true...

2009-11-19T00:00:00.001+02:00

The brave are simply those with the clearest vision of what is before them - glory and danger alike and notwithstanding, go out to meet it.

- from "Kate & Leopold"

why is the fisherman graceful?

2009-11-12T22:04:00.009+02:00

I sit in a small fishermen bay. It is now November, still the warm autumn sun is here somehow. Last bits of sunshine hit my face with the fresh sea breeze, it is late afternoon.

Crowds and the hustle bustle of summer are long gone. Almost nothing, almost no one is here. Just me, the fishing boats, some thirty cats, one dog and its puppy, some fishermen, some workers...Few people left here have many question marks in their minds, about me of course. I don't care. I am used to being the the "weird one" by now - in fact they are thinking like that, I am feeling quite OK.

I look up. The windy sea, boats dancing, the island with gigantic clouds on the horizon. What a beautiful scenery...

My eye catches a slim figure, way in the distance, like a signature in the horizon at the end of the bay. He is a fisherman, standing tall curvy at the very end of the wooden pier. He might be a symbol for ultimate serenity/peace - I wish I knew, I am sure there is an appropriate Sanskrit word for this. As I gaze at this watercolor-like figure, brown black silhouette against a silvery sea-sky combination, I ask myself once again: "what makes the fisherman so graceful?"

It is as if he is just standing there, like a statue from a Greek temple of the Gods, or like a meditating yogi. It is as if the fishing rod is just a decorative but symbolic ornament he holds as the master of ceremony. It is as if he is not expecting or waiting to catch fish at all. The serenity of this figure is one of a fishing sufi, performing the act of fishing as the dutiful servant of the universe.

The sun is further down, lights have changed, they change continuously. The fisherman is still. Now I am starting to think he is almost floating on water, walking on air.

Meditation is found most difficult by many city dwellers, by most people indeed. Not for the fisherman, not that he is aware of it or that he intends to meditate. If you've ever gone fishing, you know what I mean, you've had a glimpse of the "freedom of fisheman's mind". Just the rod, just the water, just the breeze, may be fish...

I believe there lies the fisherman's connection to grace. He effortlessly becomes part of the scenery. He is the water, he is the wind, he is the clouds, he is the fish.

He is in total surrender.
He is one with nature.
He is in a state of grace, one that seeds, grows, blossoms and is transformed by nature.
Gracefully strong, serene and present as the nature.

A boat's humming motor mixes with sweet songs of the waves. A distant seagull cry is heard in the background.

To fish or not to fish...There is no question.

happiness hmmm...

2009-11-05T18:16:00.002+02:00

“But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?”

- Albert Camus

A happy life is just a string of happy moments. But most people don't allow the happy moment, because they're so busy trying to get a happy life.

- Abraham

road to nowhere

2009-11-04T00:21:00.003+02:00

we know where we're goin'
but we don't know where we've been
we know what we're knowin'
but we can't say what we've seen
and we're not little children
and we know what we want
the future is certain
give us time to work it out

we're on a road to nowhere
come on inside
taking that road to nowhere
we'll take that ride...

from Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads

searching for wilderness

2009-10-29T22:17:00.005+02:00

have you gone wild
he asked
I want to
I said
I really do
have you lost your mind
he asked
I wish I could
I said
I'm trying
'cause wild is the heart
and the heart is never lost

in depths of this wilderness
my mind is speechless
it has no answers
no questions even
in depths of old forests
me lost in shadows
where is the sun, peeking in
but wild is my heart
and my heart is never lost

and yes I am wild
and I am crazy
and stupid and restless
and silly, like a child and all that
and I too cry for days
and I too laugh on no end
and will you still love me for that
as helpless as I am
my heart is wild
and my heart is never lost.

journeying through the shadows

2009-10-23T22:08:00.006+03:00

from light to pitch black

from pitch black

to light

the pendulum of discovery

sharpening

my senses

tuning

the strings

of my heart.

birds of a feather

2009-10-20T10:51:00.002+03:00

start the engine!
new dream in horizon
must get moving...
wings check
breath check
sweet murmur of my heart check
whoooo..whowheeee....
forests, streams,
mountains...
behold
better yet take me

I am your bird after all
singing the song we are meant to sing
delivering us
to places we belong
the home in the heart
for which we have longed

the birds of a feather
sing together
the song which gives me my wings...

2009-09-28T19:55:00.003+03:00

Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
I am large, I contain multitudes.

-Walt Whitman

2009-09-26T00:25:00.002+03:00

blessing to be away and awake...

"To awaken within the dream is our purpose now. When we are awake within the dream, the ego-created earth drama comes to an end and a more benign and wondrous dream arises. This is the new earth."
- Eckhart Tolle

witnessing ordinary miracles

2009-09-22T11:40:00.002+03:00

how do we witness other lives that pass before our eyes and how do we witness our lives passing us by?

this one woman, she is sitting in front of a model eyeing a design on the dress in her little boutique, so involved in thinking, imagining, creating - I think. how wonderfully peaceful, how much she loves her job, how creative, how lucky - I say to myself. what should I cook for dinner, does he really love me, may be I should put this pocket somewhere else, what if this does not sell - she thinks. such a slow day - may be in boredom she says to herself.
just one snapshot of a moment - so ordinary, so glorious.

this one man, carefully looking at the dress, and looking around. made by my love, what a wonderful place she created he thinks - I say to myself. he must really love her - I think. it is already late, hope she comes soon and we can leave - he thinks. I have so much to do - he says to himself lost in a train of thoughts.
one picture moment - so ordinary, so special.

which one is real? what is the truth? what is important and not? and for whom?

we keep writing stories for what we see, and keep interpreting the world through the stories we write. these stories we tell ourselves sometimes make us happy, sometimes make us long for something unreal that we think exists, and sometimes make us sad. these stories make the world real as we see it.

can we keep reminding ourselves that what we call reality is only our version of only a story that we make up - and can always rewrite at anytime? and every thing is only as important as we make it...we choose to make it ordinary or glorify it.

and so with our own lives, and so with my own life. one kiss may just come and go, one moment as such - if we choose to celebrate, one ordinary day can be transformed into magical.

I guess grasping happiness lies in the awareness of these moments: the ebb and flo between life so ordinary and life so glorious. the artistry lies in transforming ordinary to magical through an open heart, loving eyes and celebrating this moment. knowing that ordinary is one miracle in disguise...

easier said than done I know. but I ask you what choice do I have if I am to create an adventure of wonder and joy for myself here on this earth?

I choose to bless this moment, bless the players taking part, bless the universe and this me creating it. so I try and I try to enjoy the ride...I take one breath: aware of one breath so ordinary, one breath so miraculous...

what are you looking at right now, how are you witnessing this moment?

U.F.O. (Unidentified Free Object)

2009-08-17T22:59:00.006+03:00

...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...

let me tell you the tale
of this free soul who dared
to stay free as long as she could
and people were scared
and people amazed
they wished they were, but impossible it looked

this free soul she knew
you are the sky
if you choose now to fly
this free soul she must
continue to shine
as bright and as invisible as a star

they wanted to name her
they wanted to blame her
they tried and they tried
but could not identify her
oh how unaware she was
how uninterested
in names or games or things of that sort
all she could care
was to keep her heart light
keep that light burning
and spead it she must

was she there? was she real?
still not bored? can she feel?
–they asked-
in and out of their sight
but with nothing to hide
while she kept reflecting , the sun of her joys
they went along thinking
about this question of life in “other” universes

this free soul she knew
you are the sky
if you choose now to fly
this free soul she must
continue to shine
as bright and as invisible as a star.
...
...
...

Post Note - the simple question was "occupation?". the answer:"occupied" I guess, with me, in me, for me. or as a dear friend simply put it "boss of me". and I guess I forgot the "do not disturb" sign on the door - of the sky - yep that must be it.

2009-08-14T21:24:00.001+03:00

An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth.

- Bonnie Friedman

silence aloud

2009-08-08T11:37:00.002+03:00

say what light do I bear
if not the fire burning within
what music do I make
if not my heart singing
...
and what about this complete silence.
...
this silence that bears all words but none
all possibilities in one

though I cannot speak
only silence talks to me
stay with me
it says
stay
with
me
nothing to be afraid of
you are here
you are loved

it is nice
falling asleep
completely awake
completely free
complete in silence
staying with me.

Nature Boy

2009-07-28T00:17:00.005+03:00

With tonight's tribute concert, I am reminded
of this wonderful song which could be
Nat King Cole's answer to or version of
the Little Prince......

...

There was a boy

A very strange enchanted boy

They say he wandered very far, very far

Over land and sea

A little shy

And sad of eye

But very wise

Was he

And then one day

A magic day he passed my way

And while we spoke of many things, fools and kings

This he said to me

"The greatest thing

You'll ever learn

Is just to love

And be loved

In return"

2009-07-24T10:00:00.000+03:00

Row, Row, Row your Boat
Gently, down the stream
Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily
Life is But a Dream

- English nursery rhyme

far out

2009-07-20T19:33:00.002+03:00

how far out can far out be?

when I am already wayyy out there. and it feels like I've quite pedalled it and there is no one around to be seen.

once in a while I run into the ghosts of the past, and it feels somewhat nice & oh so relieving that I can now just shrug my shoulders, say "hey, ghost of the past" and move along. it is like jerry seinfeld said once, wouldn't it be nicer if you could just shake head or say "acknowledge" to the people you see ten times in your office or during the day, then trying to come up with silly mindless chatter every time like "hey, 2 days left", "t.g.i.f" or "no pain no gain"...yeah ghost of the past move along, move along...

and it seems I am in a big extended "now" which I should really be grateful for and I am.
I am grateful for being able to feel this void.
grateful for the abundance this parallel universe is continuously offering me.
grateful for this peaceful, silent day, the evening sun and my balcony looking over to trees, a hideout in the middle of it all.

really grateful for being able to hear this far-out-heart-and-soul in me, that never gives up and never stops loving me and loving life even when I'm wayy out there.

hey did I say pedal? I must be on a bicycle, no doubt with the wind in my face, and a kite tied to my bike.

hi, wayy out there! grateful to be here. now.

2009-07-13T22:59:00.001+03:00

the greatest gift you can give yourself is you...

mmmm, I'm pretty sure.

The Hopi Prophecy

2009-07-11T11:15:00.005+03:00

I find myself repeating reminding these following lines, in these quite uncertain yet equally exciting times. feel like a juggler with all balls in the air for most of the time, not knowing which ones will land, where and will I be able to catch one or two or so...and in such times, it is always always best to go back to the basics, open our eyes to what life has to offer to us - as the Hopis so powerfully remind us...of ourselves, and of the joy of just being alive:

"You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour.
And there are things to be considered:
Where are you living? What are you doing?
What are your relationships? Are you in right relation?
Where is your water? Know your garden.

It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other. [Everyone and everything is our mirror]
And do not look outside yourself for the leader. [You are the one you have been waiting for!]
This could be a good time! [Choose wisely]
There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold on to the shore.
They will feel they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly. [Inner catalycism]
Know the river has its destination. [A higher plan/purpose]
The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. [Be flow]
See who is in there with you and celebrate.
At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally.
Least of all, ourselves. [Who I AM and What I Do have nothing to do with one another]
For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!

Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. [Notice the word "All"]
We are the ones we've been waiting for." [Aho!]

~ The Elders, Oraibi , Arizona Hopi Nation"

nothing quite like it

2009-07-08T01:04:00.002+03:00

things have changed
the water looks still, a lot has changed
and soon will be jumping
from where? to where?
we don't know. we want to be suprised.
by life. and isn't it wonderful?
just so and so...

and in many ways
we have come along way it seems
we are there already, may be
we have far more to go for sure
we don't know. we want to be surprised.
by life. and isn't it wonderful?
just so and so...

nothing as new and updated as now
nothing quite like this moment.

the point of z-e-r-o

2009-07-08T00:29:00.000+03:00

apparently a world or maybe quite a few words in english were waiting to be released in me - fans all over and inside screaming "hey? who is this?". this is a new? or different? voice within. wanted to be out...apparently...

like different but similar versions of the same truth.

all you need is a simple: hello, who is there?
and how nice to meet you would be...quite nice.
and you must see me smiling there, yep.

for starters then: let us celebrate this point of z-e-r-o by:
hello...who is there?

go on...you know the rest.