Archive
A New Poem: Trends & Patterns
I’m coming back. Doesn’t it always seem like this, returning to something familiar after a journey outward? This blog posting adventure can be like that; sometimes we go away for a time; then we come back to it, drawn to the familiar, even the necessary, like a wild creature to water.
If you are a Facebook friend you may know I’ve been in the wilderness of daughter’s illness the last number of days. But she seems to have turned a corner with that; and I’m coming back!
I’m even writing again. Here is a two part entry. I will post a follow-on to today’s poem tomorrow. Please watch this space…
Trends & Patterns
Look back – what do you see?
No, don’t dwell there;
It is too easy to find regret,
Too easy to get caught in
What could have been!
Look ahead – what do you see?
No, don’t dwell there either;
It’s too easy to get caught in
What could go wrong!
Stay present – what do you see?
Trends & patterns paint a scene
Of what was, what could be.
But don’t get caught there;
Use the power of mind to be.
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
A Full Moon Poem: The Motion in Emotion
How do you feel during full moon events? Do you notice? There are times when I don’t quite understand why I am feeling something different; sometimes sad, sometimes angry, sometimes doubting. I am feeling a little that way today; there needs to be no explanation, especially when I remember the nearly full moon I saw last night. That is explanation enough!
If you are feeling this full moon (it is exactly full Sunday, July 9 at 12:07 EDT) then be easy with yourself; give yourself some time to just BE. Feel the feelings; they make us human!
And sometimes I write a poem to express my feelings, to process them, to appreciate them:
The Motion in Emotion
The amygdule is never silent, still;
It processes ten to the tenth bits
Of input in every moment
Quantizing information to guide being.
The pile of quanta builds, refines, renews
In every moment, modifying the guidance
Ever so slightly, fine adjustments
Corresponding to that flood of input.
Movement can be infinitely small, sub-light speed,
Seen only in shadows, dark contrast.
Great swings of motion can startle
Even the calmest of moments, light-calm.
Staring at the moon, swelling in the east
Reveals little motion, seen best as shortening shadows.
And yet, the motion in emotion
Is sharp and clear in full moon light.
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Sun-Day; a Poem for In-spiration
It is a beautiful day here in Maryland in this high-summer time. I wrote on our deck in the sun, celebrating life, the breeze, the ease of a lazy day. The title of today’s poem comes from a book by Ilchi Lee, “Human Technology, a Toolkit for Authentic Living.” A short section, titled Transience, is all about impermanence. I think you get the drift!
Transience
We exhale, letting go, merging with the afternoon breeze,
Sensing a oneness with all moving air.
We inhale, accepting, in-spiring the breath of Jesus, Mohammed,
Being a part of the wonder of it all.
Each breath we release and accept holds its own little life;
Moment to moment we live in the awesome splendor of all time.
Each breath is all there is, all we have, the beat of a butterfly’s wing;
And we fly, gliding on the breath of the gods.
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
A poem for the summer solstice: High Sun Days
Our longest day of the year, here in the northern hemisphere, was yesterday, June 21 at 12:24 AM EDT to be exact. Huge crowds gathered at Stonehenge, one of our oldest calendars of human design, to witness the solar event. There are many ways to mark and celebrate this time of high summer when days are long and the sun is high in the sky. I wrote a poem to remember to remember:
High Sun Days
Long shadows persist
Pointing southwest
Toward the hot desert
In the early morning haze
Creating a ghostly dance of light.
Long shadows persist
Pointing southeast
Toward the humid swamp
In the late evening haze
Creating a lingering dance of light.
These are high sun days,
Long lazy days of floating light,
Shadows creating two edges
Of a butterfly wing,
Creating a sense of peace and long life.
The rising sun of summer
Dances on the edge, shimmering.
The setting sun of summer
Lingers at the edge, remembering.
Life and love float on wings of butterflies.
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Update and a Poem: Testimony
I have not posted here in a while but I have been busy! Personally I have been deepening my study and practice of Qigong to become a better teacher. The more I study, the more I realize Qigong is not only my life-long practice for health, happiness and longevity, but also my passion to share this health-giving, life-saving technology from ancient China. And it is so simple, so easy, and FREE!
One of my teachers, Jeff Primack, came to Baltimore in early April for a three-day intensive. It is always great to be with a teacher; and I had a profound experience of energy rising during the closing “breath circle.”
In late April Rosemary and I traveled to Sedona and the Mago Retreat Center for an amazing experience with Teacher of Soul, Katye Anna Clark and about 30 other travelers from all over the country. The retreat was a four-day intensive immersion for “Living from the Heart.” Wow! Another transformational experience of opening the heart to live more fully from the soul. And I had the distinct honor of teaching Qigong every morning of the retreat in the beautiful settings of Mago.
And in mid-May I traveled to Daytona Beach to spend another three-day intensive with Jeff Primack, this time at his National event: QiRevolution. And I met another of my teachers, Dr. Roger Janke who offered profound insights into health and wellness from his 40-year perspective of teaching and practicing Chinese Medicine and Medical Qigong.
It was a magical spring. I am honored and humbled to have experienced profound shifts. I am grateful for my further awakening. And I am motivated for share my insights.
And with that I offer:
Testimony
Health is a personal thing
And it is a choice.
It’s personal because it comes from inside;
And only you can make the choice.
Look to the outside;
Visit the impersonal health-care facility,
The hospital near you, the place
You would go if seriously ill or injured.
Do you see health there?
Oh, there is plenty of care.
Sickness, disease, crippling injures
Are within the realm of care here.
Look rather to the inside
If you are seeking health care.
There is where your health lives;
It is in your heart, your mind, your soul.
Your body is a walking, fluid, pharmacopeia.
Visit is often to find wellness.
Breathe, meditate, seek inside
The magic pill of health, happiness, longevity.
Be the testimony to your free choice.
Breathe the richness all life offers.
Move inward to seek the Light.
Balance in the flow of boundless Love.
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
No End
A little “Five Element” ditty:
No End
The well is deep
The stream is long
The lake is broad
The ocean has no end.
The dawn is bright
The flame brings light
The Moon warms night
The Sun’s shine has no end.
The growth is strong
The expanse is vast
The trees stand tall
The life has no end.
The breath is long
The song is light
The word is true
The story has no end.
The soil is rich
The land is broad
The core is deep
The Earth has no end.
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
My “New” Manifesto
A week or so ago Rosemary brought several of her long-term clients together for a group VIP day. I was fortunate enough to be included and to do the work with this select group. And we did some excellent work.
Rosemary led us to create our “manifestos” for ourselves. We did some deep work exploring our purpose, our big “Why?” We answered questions like:
“What do you stand for?”
“How does your heart, your soul and your personality come together in this life?
“What is your declaration about this life, independent of any ‘shoulds’?”
We also answered the five questions that Matthew Goldfarb asks in his book, “Corporate Renegade.”
“What are you pissed off about?”
“If you could change one thing about business or the world what would it be?”
“Why do you want to start a business in the first place?”
“Why are you willing to go broke to make this business work?”
“Why are you willing to go for broke to make this business work?”
And then we went to work. Some of us got out paper and scissors, colored pens and fancy tapes, decorating their manifestos with frills and flourishes. I’m a word guy and not overly skilled at the crafty work so answered questions, took note of my priorities and wrote out my manifesto. Here is the result:
Alternative Facts?
We must remain vigilant and test everything and anything coming out of the White House. Don’t be deceived. Stay awake. Shine your light. And as William Stafford wrote in his poem: “A Ritual to Read to Each Other” —
“For it is important that awake people be awake,
or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep;
the signals we give — yes or no, or maybe —
should be clear: the darkness around us is deep.”
Let’s keep the signals very clear!
Here’s my response to #alternativefacts:
Alternative Facts
Do facts alternate?
Are they sometimes true, sometimes false?
Are they bits in a computer,
Sometimes zero, sometimes one?
Facts can evolve.
Humans are learning creatures;
This makes facts always relative,
Ever changing as we grow.
And sometimes facts can flip,
Like from zero to one.
Science is like this:
Old theory disproved, new theory proposed.
But it is rare for facts to flip, flop, flip.
They are not bits in a computer to turn off and on.
Alternative facts are devolutionary;
They take us back to old “facts” disproved.
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Inauguration Day Thoughts
Not so many words, just thoughts, and feelings:
Transfer of Power
The motor fires, turns, idles;
Yet there is no movement, no action
Until the transmission engages
To transfer power to the axles.
The wind blows, spins blades;
Yet there is no change, no traction
Until the mill turns generators
To transfer power to the grids.
The tides heave, ebb, return:
Yet there is no launch, no sail
Until the turn from full, to flow
To transfer power to the ships.
The trees stand, grow, clear air:
Yet there is no transition, production
Until the axe clear-cuts for lumber
To transfer power to building.
The government pauses, idles:
And there is no action, no change
Until the constitution orchestrates
To transfer power to the chief.
Fire, Wind, Water, Wood all transform.
Power is transferred into the Earth.
Chiefs go and chiefs return, no change.
The transfer of power remains.
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
A poem for a rainy day: Inner Practice
It is a dreary day here in Maryland. It is dark and gloomy with rain coming down steadily. It is a good day to practice!
Inner Practice
The breath begins with emptiness.
The inner curve of the belly
Is a waiting, a pause,
An anticipation of the new.
The breath proceeds with a rise.
The curve of the belly fills with
An action, expansion;
Excitement lifts on an inner note.
The breath rises on its inner path.
The spine straightens and lengthens,
Action peaking, seeking the crown,
Expanding outward and upward, reaching.
The breath follows the inner curve.
The skull bone directs its passage,
Downward through the hollows of the face,
Ending in the empty space guarded by teeth.
The breath remains in this inner space.
This is a waiting, a pause.
Inaction holding, resting in peace,
A suspension of the doing – just being.
The breath descends from its quiet rest.
The inner curve of the chest opens
With soft action, a contraction,
A sinking downward and inward.
The breath expels what no longer serves.
The inner curve of the belly forms,
Compressing, flattening, sending out
The last of the used, the spent, the old.
The breath ends in emptiness,
The inner curve of the belly restored.
Resting, contemplating, anticipating
The inner practice of breathing.
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Men and The Goddess 