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Friday’s poem, third in the trilogy this week: “Next”
I’m sitting here, all in white with my mantra and mala beads, fresh from the first day of “retreat” with Deva Premal & Miten and Manose. I’m feeling very mellow, connected, in a deep state of peace. And, yes, almost like this is “Next.” Rosemary and I are in retreat within the Gayatri Sangha for seven days, every day at 1:00 pm EDT. The energy that Miten is invoking for us each of these days is that of “Compassion, Forgiveness and Gratitude.” These are deep blessings for all of us to bring peace and joy into our lives! May it be so for you. May this be the next step for humanity!
Next
When I stop long enough to dream, to
Consider what comes next—there hovers
At the edge of my perception a
Disturbance in the air, a blur, a rush—
It’s like the invisible whir of Hummingbird
Wings; little tornadoes just beyond—
A flicker at the corner of eyesight,
A glint of movement too fine to be.
I wonder what higher consciousness looks like.
Is it a monk sitting silently on a cushion in a corner?
Is it even a human form available to five senses?
Perhaps it is that disturbance at the edge, beyond.
I cannot linger here for long in a conscious state,
Exploring this edge of what remains real.
I drift into a different dream and shift in shock
To wonder: Is this fluttering vibration a next me?
©2020 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Wednesday’s Poem, second in the trilogy – “Enough”
As I wrote and posted on Monday, I have three poems for this week, kind of a trilogy (at least I think they go together). This one is for my word for 2020: Enough. I have been working with this word, probably my whole life, but wanted to really focus on it this year. It is a very versatile word, applies in many contexts; I’ll let you use your imagination to extend it to your contexts!
Interestingly I’ve chosen to publish this today, July 22, Rosemary’s and my 37th annual celebration of our wedding. But my word does not apply in this context; I can never get enough Rosemary in my life!
I’ll post the third poem, “Next”, on Friday. I’ll let you decide how they fit!
Enough
Breath—so easy, in, out, unconscious,
Sleeping, moving, natural enough.
And when not, gasping, panic
A little death as flow ceases, seizes.
Means—water, food, comfort, semi-conscious
In the flow. Stuff accumulates, enough.
And when not, grasping, panic
A buying frenzy, empty shelves.
Freedom—to breathe, to buy, to be,
To choose what and when is enough.
And when not, gaining higher consciousness,
A steeper climb to see beyond ourselves.
Wisdom—perception is reality, perspective mastery;
The present moment holds it all—enough.
And when not, go deeper, beyond—
Breathe, rest mind, let go, BE.
©2020 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
A New Book launches today; my Chapter: “Qigong is the Way, A Calming Practice for Health and Long Life”
I know; I have’t written or published here for a bit…life is busy while we are doing our work “on the inside.” I do hope you are well during this COVID pandemic, staying safe, being smart. I am keeping my immune system strong with my daily Qigong practice!
Speaking of which! I and 24 other authors and health experts launch our book: “The Ultimate Guide to Self-Healing Techniques, Volume 2”, today! You can get it on Amazon now; the Kindle version is only $1.99 during this special launch celebration.
My Chapter is #10: Qigong is the Way, A Calming Practice for Health and Long Life
In this chapter I describe an “Easy Bone Marrow Washing” form, a 5 minute practice you can do anywhere to relax the body and calm the mind.
This was a fun project. I encourage anyone, if you have the chance, to participate in one of these collaborative books! It’s a way to get out there and to offer your services!
And if you get the book please consider leaving a review on Amazon. If you don’t want to go that far leave me a comment here!
Thanks and happy reading!
And if you want to learn more about Qigong my website is: Qigongistheway.com
A Poem for our Birthdays: The Miracle of Our Togetherness
Rosemary and I have been sharing this August 2 birthday for 47 years! It is a special day and we treat ourselves to play and feasting. Today will be no different!
I began the day thinking about this fun fact of shared birthdays and about our relationship. This poem came to help make her day special:
The Miracle of Our Togetherness
It is a joy for me to share your birthday!
And as we sail swiftly into our Golden Years,
Our Golden Time together,
I just want to reflect on that shared journey.
We were like two lightening bugs flashing
On a warm July evening seeking each other
In the wilds of the wide world,
Not even realizing there was a joining to be made.
We were so different! And joined with others.
You, the conservative, Catholic cosmopolitan girl;
I, the gangly, sometimes goofy, farm boy still out to save the world.
You from Washington, DC; I from the wilds of Wisconsin and Africa.
And we flashed in that July heat all that time ago;
We knew, instantly (or eventually) that our worlds had changed.
We knew some magic, some miracle had brought us together.
And we still know there is magic to make together.
It is a magic of pure gold, a magic all our own.
Others see it, know it; the gods see it, show it to us.
And we see it, know it, struggle with words to show it:
The Gold of Lightening; the flash, the sizzle, the bright light of Love.
Lammas, magic cross-quarter time, a golden time
Of harvest, the reaping time of all that has been sown.
The light shifts now from the silver light of summer
To the golden light of autumn: Our Golden Time.
©2019, Richard W. Bredeson, all rights reserved.
Friday’s Poem: Casting No Shadow
[Warning: this poem contains a four-letter word that may offend some people. It is a word for material found in the bottom of a bird cage and rhymes with grit. If this word offends you please read no farther!]
I am fresh from the Christine Kloser event, known simply as “Breakthrough,” for Transformational Authors. I have known Christine and her event for several years; this one was her sixth; it was the first one I attended. And I can honestly say this was the best of all personal growth conferences, retreats and other such meetings I have ever attended! I did come away transformed in several ways. I will write more about this in a later post.
For now I want to offer this poem, dedicating it to Christine and all of the friends and fellow poets I spent three quality days with this week:
Casting No Shadow
Standing in the Center under high Sun,
Casting no shadow
I wonder:
Where has all that shit, my shit gone?
Earth, Mother, accepts it all
Composting it, the shit, into food:
Rooting soil
For the wonder and beauty of the lotus.
Facing East, bowing to the rising Sun,
Shadow stretching West
I wonder:
How far does that trail of shit extend?
Great Bear of the West doesn’t care;
His shadow absorbs all darkness
Sending life
Deep into the root and stem of the lotus.
Facing West, bowing to the setting Sun,
Shadow disappearing into the night
I wonder:
While the Mother sleeps, who stirs the shit?
The Great White Way of the night sky
Carves a graceful turn to churn
Rotting waste
Feeding the growth and awakening the lotus.
Facing North, bowing to the Great White Way,
Soft Moon shadows glowing in the night
I wonder:
How can shit survive this peace and beauty?
Cosmic Energy, creative power
Pumps the life-blood, pure potential
Filling mud
With juice to enliven the lotus bud.
Facing South, bowing to the warming Sun,
Shrunken shadow withering to the North
I wonder:
How can so much shit generate all this beauty?
Earth and Fire, Mother and Sun
Join in Holy Union, merging love and light;
Ascending we
Witness the opening, Jewel in the Lotus!
(Om mani padme hum!)
©2018 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
And then this happened…
Once again there’s been a delay between posts here. And I haven’t written any poems lately. Many of you already know why:
Sometime, just after the “Lion’s Gate” event on 8/8/2017, I had a heart attack. I am a bit vague about exact time here because my symptoms were pretty mild – no great drama, no race by ambulance to the hospital, no life-saving actions by first responders. No, just a few days of chest pressure and a restless, mostly sleepless night on 8/10.
On 8/11 I taught my Friday morning Qigong class. This felt good, but the pressure in my chest continued and began migrating to my back. Hmmm! Between Rosemary and me we decided to give our local “urgent care” a try. Good experience. They sent me to the emergency room with EKG, chest X-Ray and instructions to Rosemary to get me through triage fast.
Long story short my troponin level, a protein marker for heart attack, was through the roof. By early morning on 8/12 I was on my way via ambulance to Washington Hospital Center for catheterization to determine the cause of this heart event. In at 8:30; by 9:00 they knew I had blockage that needed CABG (the cardiology short-hand for Cardiac Artery Bypass Graft) – three of them in fact.
My CABGx3 got scheduled for Tuesday, August 15 (Mary’s Assumption Day, so I knew I was in good hands!). I spent the rest of Saturday through Monday in the hospital under acute observation; I had this time to prepare.
I continued my Qigong practice. There was this lovely atrium window on the fourth floor where I could go through my morning routine in nice light. I knew at this point that Qigong had saved my life, kept me healthy and strong enough to endure/survive the heart attack. I certainly wasn’t going to stop practice now, especially prior to surgery!
Surgery was routine, as these things go. I suspect splitting open a person’s chest to access the heart’s arteries is never quite routine. My care at Washington Hospital was stellar! I can’t imagine my experience going any better. (OK, the food was not gourmet but it was edible!). By Saturday, 8/19, one week after admission, was released with new drugs and a few restrictions. No Qigong for a few days! But I walked out with the “heart of a 20-year old” (according to the cardiologist who read my echocardiogram) and new plumbing.
And I have been on a fast-track to full recovery ever since. I started my Qigong classes up again on 9/22 – added two make-up classes to cover the missed August classes.
And now I am launching my next series of classes for the Fall 2017; they run from October 6 through December 29, 10:30 am in West Annapolis. And these classes are available LIVE via internet. You can find the details on my website (linked below).
Qigong saved my life. It continues to speed my recovery process. And I am committed to bring this ancient, life-saving technology to as many people as I can reach.
Join me for this life-saving practice! QigongistheWay.com
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:
New Moon, New Lunar Year, New Beginnings!
Hello Dear Readers!
I hope you have noticed I have been absent for the past couple of months. Rosemary and I have been regrouping and revamping during our hiatus, but now we are back – the Goddess is returning!
We have begun publishing a revised newsletter based on the phases of the moon. We will publish updates about twice each month just before the new and full moons. Why? Because the moon is a very important influence in our lives and awareness of her importance is a key to living a more conscious life.
The “Chinese New Year” based on a Lunar Calendar was celebrated about two weeks ago. The sun was exactly conjunct the moon Wednesday evening, February 18 at 6:47 pm Eastern. The year transitioned from a Wood Horse year to a Wood Sheep (or goat) year. We are now in this new energy.
As I begin publication of “Men and the Goddess” again I will draw material from the MoonLetters Rosemary and I publish, I continue to cast I Ching Gua (Hexagrams) on each New Moon which I’ll publish here and I continue to write poems which I will share here from time to time.
Meanwhile here are some excerpts from our MoonLetter published just after the New Moon and New Year:
Moon Message
“At the time of the Lunar New Year, each individual is invited to create a vision for the coming year that encompasses new wishes, new desires, new dreams, new delights. It is a time to lay to rest the past, the ups and downs of the past 13 Moon Cycles, and allow everything to start afresh. Let go. Detach. Dissolve that which holds you back and look forward to your new creations. Happy New Year!”
Moon News
Happy Lunar New Year!!! The New Moon is ushering in the New Year according to the Chinese calendar and we are ready to move into the Wood Sheep year.
According to Feng Shui Grand Master Lillian Too, “The energies of this year of the wood sheep are very favourable in terms of business and other opportunities. It is important to begin to live in a state of greater awareness so that these opportunities don’t pass you by.”
This New Moon happened on Wednesday, February 18 at 6:47 pm Eastern Standard Time in the very last degree of the sign of Aquarius in the very last minute – 29 degrees 59 minutes. This is a powerful time for manifesting something new in your life, and this Lunar New Year gives you a fresh start for the next 13 Moon Cycles.
Three minutes after the New Moon was exact, the Sun and Moon were both in Pisces, moving us from consciousness of all humanity to a sense of interdepence with all – nature, plants and animals. We also look toward the spiritual aspects of situations and ourselves during the Sun’s time in Pisces. The Moon in Pisces invites us to connect deeply with our emotions.
What new dreams are you dreaming for yourself? What new ideas do you have for your life this year?Celebrate! Take advantage of new opportunities by committing to act in the direction of your dreams. You will be supported.
This New Moon is also a Super Moon when the Moon is closest to Earth and in alignment with the Sun and Earth. Its impact is enhanced when this is the case. Have you noticed that this week you are feeling a lot of energy? Or more drained than usual? I did an ‘electronics fast’ for a couple of days before the New Moon and it was exhilarating! Try it some time.
Get ready for the Full Moon which occurs on March 5 at 1:05 pm Eastern Time. The Full Moons are times to let go, to release the old.
You’ll be receiving another MoonLetter at the Full Moon! (But only if you subscribe.) We’ll also publish bits and pieces here on the blogs.
If you want to receive the MoonLetter each time it is published you can do that at TheScientificMystic.com When you subscribe you will also receive a meditation on the phases of the Moon given by Rosemary.
I hope you have been well while I’ve been “away”! 2015 is coming in with very different energy; enjoy!
A FRIDAY POEM FROM “RHYTHMS AND CYCLES” – A Poem for Tristan
Yesterday was an eventful day! Our newest grandson, Tristan Wallace Bredeson, was born! Rosemary and I are at a conference in Orlando which also started Thursday. We knew some additional testing was being done for the baby, not due until August 24, but did not expect his arrival so soon! When we got word of his impending birth we began to wait and wonder; just as excited as expecting parents ourselves!
I began this poem while we still did not know; parents had not wanted to know the gender of this child and we did not even know name choices! I completed the poem after a few details were added. I include it in this volume, “Rhythms and Cycles”, because birth is certainly the beginning of another cycle! And I’m happy to share the joy of this new cycle!
A Poem for Tristan
I hold my breath
Waiting to hear in the silence
That first ring of life-news.
Is he here? Is she breathing?
Has our new grandchild
Joined us on the Mother’s surface
Breathing the Mother’s air?
And I wait.
I glance at my phone for signs.
I see only a dark face.
Cold technology is waiting
for some signal to let us know
All is well.
The phone remains inert,
Resting in that space of silence
Between breaths, between updates.
I take a breath.
Does baby take a breath?
I take a baby-breath
As baby takes his first breaths.
“Can I make my breath
As soft as a baby’s?”
Can baby breathe a healthy
Breath of air – and spirit?
Yes, I believe he can!
Then all comes to life
As we learn the joyous news
That all is well and he is here.
He may be early, anxious for
Sun, Moon, Stars to be just right.
He may be small, for now;
He will grow into his big name!
Tristan Wallace Bredeson is here!
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Please enjoy!
Men and The Goddess 