Archive
Memorial Day 2026: a poem
I’ve written about Memorial Day in my journal over the past few days. I took much of the weekend “off” to regroup, rest, recover, rejuvenate my reasons. I’ve thought about my poetry work, how it has been absent for some time. I am feeling reenergized to continue. Maybe my muse is returning; or maybe I’m beginning to listen more closely, to the silence.
Memorial Day seems to have become a day to celebrate wars. The wars of my time on the planet have been stupid, usually fought to a draw, or worse; always at a great loss of life. Today I’m celebrating my life, my family and the inner wars (I’ve termed them journeys) that take far more intelligence and courage to wage.
War is Stupid
A day to remember–
I remember a Mother,
Transplanted to this country
By her Mother.
She was a toddler;
Not free.
I remember a Father,
Removed from school
By his Father
To work the farm.
He was a teen;
Not free.
They fought no wars
But for their inner
And Family wars.
It is they who fought
For me.
They set me free.
Wars are fought
For territory, power, money.
Freedom is the cry of the victors;
Liberty, justice, the “Americal way.”
It’s all a fool’s way;
War is stupid.
The real heroes
Take inner journeys:
The territory of Peace is
Within the human heart;
The power to sustain the journey is Love;
The reward for the courage is Joy.
Fight no wars for me–
For my freedom, liberty, justice.
Take an inner journey of courage.
Find Peace within.
Let Love wash away all fears.
Find the Joy in human hearts.
You will find this is enough.
©2026 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
A Poem for post-election Friday
So, that happened on Tuesday. My feelings are still all over the place; I continue to feel them, process both thoughts and feelings, do my inner work, discuss thoughts and feelings, even prayers, with close associates. I do my Qigong and breathing practices…deep breaths!
And I write. Here’s what came today:
Dig down for the joy!
We must go on and see this through.
“This” may turn out to be ugly.
Maybe we must dig down through the ugly
To find the beauty.
There will be joy in that beauty.
Maybe we need to go through the crumbling systems,
The pillars we believed so strong and tall,
To reach the other side,
To discover the new, better way.
There will be joy in that way.
Maybe we need to let go of the old ways, old beliefs,
Old models and “shoulds.”
There is clarity at the end of chaos.
There will be peace and joy in that clarity.
©2024 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
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 post-election day poem
Often when I am upset by circumstances, events, things beyond my control or even understanding, I turn to my pages to write and I turn to my poetry journal to see what might help, if not penetrate to an understanding, at least bring me into a state of grace and gratitude. In this post-election denouement this is what came to me:
Change (with gratitude for a Pawnee proverb)
Fortune cookie:
Mistakes are portals to discoveries.
Me:
Then there are no mistakes.
Optimist:
Every problem is an opportunity.
Me:
Life is all about lessons.
Electoral College:
Trump is the President Elect.
Me:
Half the country has voted change.
Rosemary:
Hold in the Community of Love and Light.
Me:
Embrace me, Community.
The Divine Feminine:
Your purpose is to live in Joy.
Me:
Facing the Sun I see no shadow, only Joy.
©2016 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
MONDAY’S POEM: Move into Freedom
It is Memorial Day here in the US, a day we set aside to remember those who died in war; as we say, those who fought for our freedom and fell in battle. It is a time for flag waving, speeches, gestures of thanks for the veterans.
It is a day to consider our freedoms and be grateful. I also remember those who refused to fight and their freedom to do so; William Stafford comes to mind. And I remember our living veterans who remain under-appreciated and under-treated for their sacrifices.
And it is a day to consider all of our ancestors and all the sacrifices they have made that we might live free. With that let us:
Move into Freedom
Freedom – Joy, Joy – Freedom
Can these qualities
Be found, be felt
Separately?
Movement – Stillness, Stillness – Movement
Are these states
Opposite, echoes,
Independent?
Letting go, holding on
Can these acts
Serve, supply
Together?
Let go,
Move into stillness,
Find freedom,
Be joy!
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
ROSEMARY’S INSPIRATION: Surviving or Thriving?
Rosemary’s “Two-Minute” Video for this Week: Surviving or Thriving?
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: You Are The Alchemist!
We have a message from The Divine Feminine to help us embrace our Inner Alchemist:
“Dear Ones,
Transformation is Alchemy in practice.
You are not turning lead into gold as you have been told the alchemists of old were attempting. You do, however, have the power to turn the lead of another person’s anguish or concern into the golden light of joy.
Each of you who sees these words is a transformation artist in every moment. Every word that you speak has the power to transform the hearer in some way. You can speak with love and concern and em-power the other person, or you can speak harshly and increase their feelings of low self-worth or self-esteem.
Even your thoughts have the power to affect another person. If someone speaks to you, and your thoughts are not supportive, you are sending that lower energy vibration to the speaker. If, on the other hand, you really listen and see the essence of the person and not the circumstance they are describing, then your thoughts can help that person to experience a higher vibrational energy and feel that support.
Speaking or listening you can affect another person by your presence. You can help them to feel good about themselves or to feel lower self-worth. Do you think about this when you speak? Do you concentrate on the other person when you listen?
Now, it is not your role to do the transforming of and for another person, but you are a facilitator. The alchemist mixes the elements and adds a catalyst, and then the process occurs. You are the catalyst as well as the alchemist.
Your first obligation, however, is to transform yourself into the person you were born to be. Are you living the life that your essence is asking for? Are you being your true self and not a persona required by others around you?
Transformation of yourself does not indicate that there is something broken in you that needs to be fixed. You are perfect just as you are at this moment. The transformation of which we speak here is the one in which you continue your evolutionary process, the alchemy of reaching for higher and higher vibrations within yourself.
As your consciousness evolves, so will your vibrational frequencies. Keep reaching for greater awareness, greater understanding of the world around you and where humanity is evolving. Pay attention to your thoughts and ask about the ‘light content’ of those thoughts. Are you thinking at a high frequency of light or do your thoughts feel heavy and dark?
Transform your thoughts and you will experience transformation within yourself.
Your story of transformation can act as a catalyst to help others to see the possibility of experiencing their own transformation. Think about being the empowered alchemist who empowers others!
You are the alchemist. When you shift the lead of heavy thoughts in your own life to thoughts of the Light, you can experience the golden Light of Joy that does not depend on circumstances but that lives within you NOW.
Be an agent of transformation, first for yourself and then for others. Be the alchemist you were born to be!
And so it is.”
From Rosemary: This message indicates that we are always in the process of transformation and so is each person with whom we come into contact. That is an awareness that leads us to see why we must take charge of our thoughts, words and deeds!
ROSEMARY’S INSPIRATION: You are an Alchemist!
My “Two-Minute” video for the week: You are an Alchemist!
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: I Am Tolerating WHAT???!!!
We all have some things in our lives that aren’t perfect. They can be as mundane as a kitchen we wish were updated or shoes that aren’t quite comfortable but look oh, so good with that one outfit. Or they can be huge, like a spouse who abuses us or a job that we dread going to each morning.
What are you tolerating in your life today?
What has bugged you in the last week? Was it a friend who called and you couldn’t wait to get off the phone? Was it the traffic in your long commute to work? How about that dripping sink in the bathroom that keeps you up at night? Or that orange carpet that you keep planning to replace?
Look around you and ask yourself if you are surrounded by things that you enjoy seeing, people that you enjoying being with, activities and work that feel fulfilling. Is everything in your house in working order or are you tolerating some things that don’t quite work right?
Everything around you that is just a ‘tolerance’ is draining your energy, your very life force, your ‘chi’ or ‘prana.’
Think of the energy it takes to look at that ‘tolerance’ every day and wish things were different. Do you judge yourself harshly for not having taken care of it yet? Are you silently passive/aggressive, getting angry at your partner or kids for not taking care of it? Are you constantly reminding yourself that you ‘can’t afford’ to do anything about it, which keeps your focus on lack instead of abundance?
You CAN do something about the things you are tolerating in your life!
Make a list of those ‘tolerances’ this week. Big, little, mundane, significant. And then look at the emotional impact of having those tolerances in your life. Are you giving away your power, your energy, to something that you can change?
No one must tolerate being abused by another person. No one. There is always help if you feel you must get away, whether it is a partner, a family member, an employer. If this is on your list, make it a priority to do something about it.
Not every tolerance is physical. Are you procrastinating about your spiritual life because you are tired or too busy or overworked? Are you tolerating a schedule or energy drain that doesn’t allow you to have JOY in your life? You deserve joy. Is there something in your life that is blocking joy? Take care of that block.
Sometimes the shift is as simple as thinking in terms of ‘and’ instead of ‘either/or.’ Sometimes a huge effort is required to make a change. Whether it’s getting a new job or leaving a relationship or painting a room, you can do it.
Find a friend in whom you can confide, or a trusted counselor, and talk about your list of tolerances. Someone else might be able to offer a simple solution that you haven’t considered and you can cross that one off the list. Others might take some time to clear.
Think of the energy you are freeing up, though. Imagine if you spend next weekend clearing away the tolerances in your home [you can start with the easy ones like fixing the faucet or painting the room] and see how much better you feel. Then work on the ones that might require more work or outside help.
Remember, you are claiming your energy and your power. It’s worth the effort!
PS: Are you ready to let go of those things you tolerate? Are you ready to unlock the mysteries you carry? Do you want to hear mystic messages specifically for you? Apply for a FREE Discovery Session with Rosemary! Apply Here
ROSEMARY’S INSPIRATION: What Are You Tolerating?
Rosemary’s “Two-Minute” video for the week: What Are You Tolerating?
PS: Are you ready to unlock the mysteries you carry? Do you want to hear mystic messages specifically for you? Apply for a FREE Discovery Session with Rosemary! Apply Here
Men and The Goddess 