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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.
A Friday Poem for the New Year: “Locked by the Clock”
Over the holidays I’ve been reading a lot of Rumi, especially “The Soul of Rumi, A New Collection of Ecstatic Poems” translated by Coleman Barks. Many of these poems are ghazals, poems comprised of couplets. In his later published poems, Robert Bly took up this form. I have refrained from writing in this form as the rules are complex. But I don’t necessarily have to follow all the rules to write couplets. And I don’t have to call this poem a ghazal!
At this time of the year I often think about time. Yesterday as I was writing, the title of this poem came to mind. As I began to write it couplets came through. And as the poem developed our trip to the ocean to celebrate our December 15th special day came to mind. So, here is an attempt at a ghazal-like poem to celebrate the New Year and to put the passage of time in proper perspective!
Locked by the Clock
Teaching Qigong I often say:
“Locked knees block Qi.” Energy,
It flows from the earth, through the feet
Into the core of our being. Feel it,
The force of that flow surges
Like the tide lifting the heart. Listen:
The roaring surf, the salt spray
Glistening in the hanging mist, suspended:
The shimmering light of winter’s
Sun. Such times at the shore!
It is easy to float, drifting within the
Tide, not locked by the clock. Free:
No thought, merging with the
Ocean, emerging as One.
©2020, Richard W. Bredeson, all rights reserved.
A Poem for Friday: In Formation
Are you overwhelmed yet? The information continues to flood in around just about any subject area you can examine: politics, environment, world affairs, scientific discoveries, medical advances, … it never ends! And my question is, does any of it really matter?
In Formation
How does the average guy,
Filled with stress, anger, resentment,
Cortisol and dis-ease get along?
Is it any wonder that our country, society,
Our so-called culture, is in such a mess?
How in the world did we get here? I think
Technology has a lot to do with it.
I am applying our so-called technical advancement
To the Information Age we find ourselves in.
Are we in information overload?
And are we addicted to this flood of information?
The more we know the more we want to know.
But, do we really know anything?
The deeper we plunge into “existence”
The more we learn there is nothing there.
Matter at the lowest level winks in and out of existence.
Left alone it is a wave of energy probabilities.
Observe it, it becomes some-thing we call a particle;
Look away and it falls back into a wink and a wave,
Flapping in the breeze of the quantum field which
May be there, or not!
Does anyone truly understand this
When they hug their daughter goodbye?
We live in a world of probabilities
Never knowing for sure what is real,
What to believe, what is true,
What to perceive as with our own eyes.
We use to hear: “everything is energy.”
Now we are told: “everything is information.”
Energy packets contain the code that describes the state,
Like DNA seals our fate to grow, age and die.
Information too, grows, ages, dies – its half-life
Grows shorter through the age until it too
Winks out of existence, becomes the lie
That was so true yesterday!
We just know and then we don’t, letting it go, forgotten,
Overwhelmed by the next truth in packaging, in lending,
In the telling; just another story.
As the half-life of truth grows shorter,
Does it ever collapse into Truth?
Or is it always in formation,
Always becoming something else we take for Truth
Until it too become another short-lived truth, a lie?
©2019, Richard W. Bredeson, all rights reserved.
A Poem for the New Year: More to Be
This can be a tough time of year for many; sickness, hospitalization, even death. The holidays mark passages; we celebrate hard and then the let-down sinks in. And, now, today we move through a new moon/solar eclipse in Capricorn – at 8:28 PM Eastern.
So, be careful with yourself, watch your energy level, stay atuned to your inner needs, and be!
More to Be
The list is long,
The new year moves
Ahead, more’s afoot,
Low sun shadows head north.
Days remain short,
Long dark cools the soul.
Energy wanes in the aftermath
And always more to do.
Chill winds blow,
A chance of snow,
Time to hunker
Shrugging in the lee.
Moon hunkers in sun’s lee
Tonight. Long lists wait,
The breath abates,
And always more to be.
©2019, Richard W. Bredeson, all rights reserved.
A Poem to Celebrate the coming: “Winter Solstice”
While many say “Jesus is the reason for the season” it was a season long before Jesus hit the scene. As with all of the Church holy days they are mapped onto ancient observations that may go back 100 thousand years or more.
I love the Winter Solstice for many reasons, but mostly for the return of the Sun (or Son if you will). After the three days around Solstice the Sun will rise again and begin the long climb to Summer Solstice.
Rosemary and I celebrate the Solstice as part of our Holidays. Happy Holidays to all, whatever and however you celebrate.
Winter Solstice
They say we are on a spiral journey;
We spin on the Mother,
Spinning around the Father,
Spinning at the edge of the Milky Way,
Wheeling through the fringe of the Verse.
The effects of this swirling seem small:
Summer Solstice spins through Fall
And on to deepening Winter as
Light recedes in lowering sky
And Spirit draws nigh offering Love.
The cycle is grounded in Mother’s core,
Energy following graceful traces of
Magnetic forces, lifting consciousness
Along soft grooves of innocence,
Natural paths for expanding vision.
Spiraling consciousness follows
These graceful lines of attracting energy,
Mapping courses for the transformations
Forever carrying us higher,
But never far away.
Earth bound and sky happy we rise
Ever seeking, always believing
There is more, we are more.
The season reminds the reason
We spiral on, lifting gradually.
We stretch our plastic minds,
Resisting brittle breakage
On our destined way.
Each turn reveals more, creates new
Perspectives, bigger dreams, exposing
Even so, the next turn.
Solstice deep to Solstice high
We spiral from choice to choice
Knowing the journey, seeing
Transformations from new heights
Learning more with every turn.
©2018, 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.
A Haiku and Poem for Equinox and Harvest Moon
Are you feeling it? The energy seems palpable during this high Sun/Moon interaction. On Saturday we went through the balance point, sun aligned with the equator on its journey to the south announcing the shortening of days and our slow waltz toward winter here in the north. Today we approach the Harvest Full Moon, the sun aligned in opposition to the moon, reflecting as much sunlight through the night as we ever receive.
In honor of this celestial near-Earth closely linked events I wrote a haiku for the equinox and a poem for today’s full moon:
Equinox Haiku
Balance, a still point,
Equal parts of day and night—
Pure potential breathes.
Moon Mirroring
Tides run a little higher, lower;
Blood flows, passion grows, heat rises:
Moon mirroring sun in its fullness
Awakens life to its high potential.
Cycles in cycles, the microcosmic orbit
Mirroring the macrocosm
As the toroidal Universe gently turns
Through its billions years grace.
The smallest particle spins into a wave
Echoing the tide propelled by sun and moon.
The greatest cosmic orchestra tunes
To the One Note as the dancers turn;
The choreography is perfection, every
Move in exact harmony with every part.
The hologram from smallest to totality
Alive, mirrored in the Mind of God.
©2018 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.
FRIDAY’S POEM FROM RHYTHMS AND CYCLES: Winter Solstice
This past Wednesday Rosemary and I hosted a meeting of our Consciousness Exploration Community for sharing some good food and excellent conversation. Our theme for the evening was sharing something meaningful about the holidays; a story, a song, a poem. So I wrote today’s poem which also fits my “Rhythms and Cycles” theme very well.
I hope you have wonderful memories of your Holiday Celebrations and are making new ones this year. Be sure to share them!
Winter Solstice
They say we are on a spiral journey;
We spin on the Mother,
Spinning around the Father,
Spinning at the edge of a Milky Way
Wheeling along the fringe of reality.
The effects of this circling seem small:
Summer Solstice spins through Fall
And on to deepening Winter.
As light recedes in lowered sky,
Spirit dips so close we feel the Love.
The cycle is grounded deep in Mother’s core,
The energy follows graceful lines of
Magnetic force, lifting consciousness
Along soft grooves of innocence,
Natural paths of vision and expansion.
Spiraling Consciousness follows
These graceful lines of attracting energy,
Mapping courses for the Transformations
That continue to carry us higher,
But never away.
Earth bound and sky grateful, we rise,
Ever seeking, always believing there is more;
We are more.
We stretch our plastic minds beyond,
Resisting brittle breakage on our destined way.
Each turn reveals more, creates new
Perspectives, new vistas pulling up,
Onward to next dreams, exposing
Even then, the next turn, inevitably ahead
Around the bend.
Solstice deep to Solstice high
We spiral from choice to choice
Knowing the journey, seeking
The cycle through consistent course, yet
Rising through transformation with every change.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
NEW MOON IN SAGITTARIUS I CHING GUA: SHI-MULTITUDE
The New Moon in Sagittarius appeared on Saturday morning, November 22, 2014 at 7:32 AM EST. That morning, shortly after the Moon was exactly conjunct with the Sun and newly in the sign of Sagittarius, I sat with my yarrow stalks and cast an I Ching Gua (a six line hexagram) to determine the energies for the coming month. And the result is an interesting one that I’ve been giving a lot of thought to.
It’s pictured here: only one Yang line at the 2nd position. All the rest are Yin lines. And there are no changing lines; this is a stable, some might say “stagnant” energy for the month.
My primary source for interpreting my I Ching practice is Taoist Master Alfred Huang’s The Complete I Ching. While most English translations of the Shi is “Army” Master Huang goes back to the older meaning, “Multitude.” In ancient China there were no standing armies. If there was a need for an army – only two reasons required one: defense against invasion and to overthrow a tyrant – military units were assembled from among the peasants who had some training in military action while they were idle during inactive farming seasons. I too prefer the older interpretation of the word and this Gua.
For me this hexagram represents a community. Rosemary and I both have been writing and thinking a lot about community, how important it is for human evolution. Humans are social beings. We have survived and evolved through gathering together in groups of mutual support and aid. In our modern world we seem to have lost this concept. We have turned to a “dog-eat-dog” world of competition, everyone for themselves, “whoever dies with the most wins.” We also seem to have lost any recognition or respect for leadership. With the “me first” attitude so prevalent there is no trust of anyone who might propose a movement toward progress.
This Gua, Multitude, speaks to this modern social dilemma. Note the second line is the only solid, Yang, or strong line in the hexagram. The Yin lines seem to pivot about this second line, the leader of the multitude. “He” derives his authority from the Yin line at the fifth position, a line representing feminine energy. There is excellent balance between masculine and feminine power in this Gua and the other Yin lines represent the community.
It is time for all of us to find our communities. If we are not in community we can either find one to join or build one. There is stability in this Gua, no changing lines, to emphasize this message. The key meaning is in Confucius’ Commentary on the Decision:
Shi is a multitude.
Persistence is for righteousness.
One who is able to lead the multitude
To persist for righteousness
Is able to bring peace to the world.
Firm and central,
He obtains a response.
Taking the risk of dangerous action,
He confronts no hindrance.
Relying on this,
He maintains public order,
And people follow him.
Good fortune.
What mistake should there be?
This month I also want to offer the Mutual Gua to shed more light on this energy of “Multitude.” This Gua is formed by taking the inner lines to form a new one: the second through fourth lines form the bottom trigram and the third through the fifth lines form the top trigram. This yields Fu which means “Turning Back.”
Master Huang says we should always look at the Mutual Gua: “The hidden meaning of any Gua lies in it’s mutual Gua; it should not be ignored.”
Turning back means to return to the beginning; to repeat a cycle. The Gua is said to represent the eleventh month in the Chinese Lunar calendar and the bottom Yang line can represent the Winter Solstice and return of the Sun. The Decision for this Gua says it all:
Turning back.
Prosperous and smooth.
Going out and coming in.
No harm.
Friends arrive.
No fault.
The Tao of falling away and turning back,
In seven days comes the return.
Favorable to have somewhere to go.
We look now toward Thanksgiving and the holiday season. Enjoy community. Find community. Build community. Thrive and evolve. The energies of this time support you!
Many blessings and gratitude for you, kind readers!
PS: Sorry to increase the length of this already long post, but I wanted to add this from Rosemary about the energies of Sagittarius:
According to The Mountain Astrologer magazine, ‘Sagittarius is the sign most associated with discovering the meaning of life and our role in it.’ Are you ready to begin a new cycle of living your purpose? Can you commit to evolving your consciousness and shining your light more brightly?
Please enjoy!
Men and The Goddess 