Archive
A May Day Poem: Commitment & Surrender
I am privileged to part of an amazing group of people who meet a couple of Mondays a month to discuss deep thoughts and experiences. I am the guy among four incredible Goddesses. Over the last few months we have used the “The Keys of Enoch” by J.J. Hurtak as our springboard for our discussion. It has been an ever awakening journey beyond the “normal” 3-D elements of life. Our next springboard is “The Cosmic Hologram: In-formation at the Center of Creation” by Jude Currivan. We are interested in penetrating the depths, and heights, of reality in our multi-dimensional Universe so we can be better co-creators of our reality.
This week our discussion concluded with two words that seem almost opposites; their juxtaposition struck me as an excellent jump-point for thought and maybe even a poem. Here’s the result:
Commitment & Surrender
Is this a dance, a rhythm, an ebb
And flow through the music of time?
Do they push and pull one another
Leading, following to the pulse and notes?
Commitment leads, pushes across the floor,
Pulls away from a cluster, creating
Space and steps, new twists and turns
As the ballet evolves in the flow.
Surrender yields to the wishes of the maestro.
The choreographer dictates the journey,
Narrates the story in perfect harmony
As the notes unfold from the conductor’s baton.
Commitment is the drive, the force
Compelling action, progress, evolution.
Surrender is the acceptance of the propulsion
Ever reaching higher, farther, beyond.
Surrender is the prayer that holds the course.
Commitment is to pray to support the cause.
Commitment is the knowing the cause is just.
Surrender is the trust that the course is God.
©2018 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
PS: If you wish please substitute “Dao” for “God” in the last
line. I debated between the two and decided the poem has a
more western feel.
A Mid-Week Poem: “Light”
One of the many things I love about autumn is the light. We are experiencing absolutely perfect Fall weather here in Maryland and the light streaming down epitomizes that love I have. It must be the angle of the sun well past equinox at this point, the way it casts that golden hue to everything it touches. The view of the light toward the south from my writing chair is the inspiration of today’s poem. Happy mid-week!
Light
Reflections dance, glinting shards of Light winking on and off
Over the nearly still surface of the mirror-like lake.
The flashes could be the under-bellies of leaping fish
Or simply the lightest of breezes playing over reflections of sky.
It’s difficult to block out the Light seeping through cracks in the wall;
Even the shadows cannot hide, cannot exist in the absence of Light.
Squinting through nearly closed eyes at the stream from the crack
Reveals the coat of many colors worn so beautifully by the Light.
There is no escape, no corner to hide, no distance to run from the Light;
It is the first and last of the holy creation that reveals consciousness.
Reflection within reflections, echoes of time, the record of the beginning
Stream down, all around, signs of eternity from the Ancient of Days.
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Friday’s Poem: Basho’s Frog
I read an article recently describing the difference between Buddhist and Taoist meditation. The premise is that Buddhist meditation seeks to quiet the mind while Taoist meditation seeks to merge with the Tao, to find peace and tranquility, for example, in nature. Maybe I’m not a purist, or maybe I’m just missing the fine points the article attempts to make, but I find my meditations can go both ways, from quiet thoughts of nature into utter stillness, silence, empty mind; and then back again. Perhaps I am mixing two forms of meditation, but if so they both serve me.
As I thought about this, wrote about it in my pages, the world famous Japanese haiku by Matsuo Basho popped into my mind. So I took the liberty of riffing off his amazing vision:
Basho’s Frog
The pond clears as a cool mist
Settles on the surface
Undisturbed by breeze or current.
The mind holds a vision of quiet peace
Settling into stillness
Undisturbed by random thought.
The frog croaks, singing his love
Settlilng over his mates
Undisturbed by his call for response.
He leaps, “kerplunk”, rippling the surface,
Raising the mist
Disturbing the stillness, if not the peace.
Gratitude rises as a cool mist
And settles over the surface
As ripples fade into the undisturbed peace.
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
I’m Back; new poem: From the Silence
I have been silent on this blog. My last post explains a bit; heart attack, etc. And while everyone marvels at the speed of my recovery (and I do too) it still seems glacial. And some of the pace is about rhythm; I haven’t fully regained my rhythm. And this certainly includes my writing, especially poetry. But here is an attempt to gain something back; or should I say step ahead with whatever new is out there to come?
From the Silence
It’s quiet here but for the inner hum,
The music that comes from a million
Invisible violins, the vibration of
Hidden worlds so deeply beneath our ken.
The silence is anything but silent when
We listen with our whole beings,
Every cell attuned to the billion strings
Synchronized in perfect pitch, all to keep us alive.
And from this deepest place, this almost silent
Whorl of stars and galaxies we pause, bend
Our ears to better hear the underlying rhythm
Carrying the melody, ever changing, ever lifting,
Of light, the brilliant music pouring
Down from dawn to dusk to shake us
From our sleep, our silence, our deafness
To the message of Love.
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
The poem for today: Edge
Our first call this morning was from Mindy. First reaction: oh-oh, what’s wrong? She usually doesn’t call early unless she is in distress. First thing she said was “Charlie is OK.” Our son-in-law was driving to work this morning, going in early about 2:00 AM. As he crossed the Severn River bridge going west he had to rapidly respond to an oncoming, fast moving vehicle going the wrong way, toward him; he managed to swerve away to avoid a head-on! And he had the presence of mind to call 911 and alert authorities.
Just down the way, near Mindy and Charlie’s home the wrong-way car hit another head-on; both drivers were killed. A third car was also hit causing injuries. The police still do not know exactly what happened, how the east-bound car in the west-bound lanes caused this!
We are all so grateful we still have Charlie in our lives! And it is a reminder of just how precious our lives are! This inspired today’s poem:
Edge
Humans are fragile things,
Little more than the gossamer
Of a moth’s wings.
When we dance at the edge of flame
We flirt with oblivion, feeling real,
Believing it’s not a game!
The heat heightens awareness, we feel alive
Remembering each moment is precious.
Flitting too close we die.
An errant draft can set us adrift.
Away from the light we forget,
Wondering why, wandering from the gift.
Then the flame flares, calling like Buddha’s bell,
Reminding who we are and why;
We fly true and well,
And dance again on the ledge,
Conscious of our delicate beauty,
Floating in ecstasy, balanced on the edge.
©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
PS: Mindy called as I was writing this. Thankfully it was a request for a quick ride to medical appointments. While driving to and from I did remember…!
Relationship Questions, A Tuesday poem for your thoughts
We had dinner last evening with our amazing friends Bob Sima (yes, that Bob Sima of enlightened music fame) and his talented partner Shannon Plummer. Rosemary and Shannon went off to their “Goddess Group” (yes, this blog is most definitely about the Goddess in my life!). Bob and I had a nice long time to catch up and discuss many things, including our relationships with these incredible women/goddesses in our lives.
One of the things I brought up is what we can know in our relationships, especially intimate ones. I had written about this in my Morning Pages a day or so ago. Bob seemed to resonate with my thoughts so I am motivated to offer them here. The poem came out of my thoughts derived from my Pages.
Relationship Questions
Am I committed?
Do I believe she is committed?
Is she committed?
Does she believe I am committed?
Four little relationship questions.
They apply to any intimate partnership.
The answers rest on a shaky platform:
The less than stable human heart-mind.
An individual can answer only
Two of these relationship questions.
There are always two halves to a pair.
Assumptions lead to trouble.
Four yeses lead to bliss,
A committed relationship.
Communications and trust
Are the means that lead to yes.
©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.
Men and The Goddess 