#774 Awakening - MUCH Closer Than We Realize

    David Bingham is a respected, very effective non-duality teacher. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND his short, concise, very clear book: David Bingham, Jessica Wood. “Effortless Being” 2023 (70-page paperback $17. from amazon.ca) which clarifies ancient non-duality teachings, as directly experienced by sages, saints, mystics and now increasingly, by ordinary people like you and me. This book greatly eases awakening to our true nature, which in turn eliminates most of the unnecessary suffering we unwittingly create for ourselves.
    His website (https://davidbingham.org/interviews/) has MANY FREE interviews and other valuable resources.

    Below are short segments from 2 of his early conscioustv interview transcripts:

Interviewer Iain McNay: "... you seem to be in a place which we would call ‘self-realisation / non-duality’ - but I don’t know how you would describe it for yourself.

David Bingham: "Well, I like the term self-realisation because it’s a realisation of what is already the case for us all, and I like to keep it quite simple because the opportunity for self-realisation is something that is openly available now. In the story of human history it has been something that has appeared in the distant past, or something only other people have, or something you have to achieve after a long time of spiritual practice. But the way consciousness is unfolding, the opportunity for self-realisation is something that everyone can now attain." 

Iain: "... that’s right, it used to be that this was a special state and you had to live in a mountain for several years and a lot of them actually became hermits, or they were gurus. And now it seems that it’s happening more to fairly ordinary people, even British people." 

David: "Absolutely. And I think that’s how it starts. It seems as though it’s something that’s wonderful & amazing, and then there’s a realization that people from your own country have actually made the shift, and then people that you know, and then you think, 'Well, hang on a minute - maybe there’s a chance for this to happen here as well'. And so the whole process is actually going on by itself and, in the story of human awakening, the opportunity is there very widely now. And if you look at the story of the way the world appears to be, it’s probably required. I think it’s something that could make a massive difference, because it is realization of one’s true nature." 

Iain: Yes, we’re now towards the end of 2008, and… the last few months have been a pretty hairy time in the outside world. So let’s just run through ... what happened in your life up to where you are now ..." 

David: "Yes. Up until the age of about four, things seemed really wonderful and I just felt in a great space. Then there was a shift in circumstances and the point of separation was very clear. I think for everyone there’s a period of time where you feel just really comfortable. If you look at photographs of children, especially up to the age of two, you can look into their eyes and see that they’re in absolute total ecstasy, and there’s a sense of completion, there’s no problem; and in that state, there’s nothing wrong at all."

Iain: "But they are crying sometimes. They’re not in ecstasy then, are they?"

David: "Well, they’re crying because there’s a physiological need. Usually it’s because they need some food or something, but the awareness in which they’re residing has no ruffle or strain or discomfort. The story we all take part in, in human life, is to move from the state of complete integration, through a cycle of separation - or apparent separation (because it actually has never taken place) - and to return again to full knowing of our true nature ..."
    David Bingham - Non-Dual Pointing - Part 1 Interview by Iain McNay https://conscious.tv/text/09.htm

Interviewer Renate McNay: "In the interview you had before with my husband Iain (above), you mentioned twice that at this present time the human race has the possibility to awaken, and I thought it was a very interesting statement, and I would like to know how you came to this conclusion. What is pointing in this direction?"

David: "OK. The world as we experience it can be perceived on many different levels. So it can be perceived as being an absolute reality or it can be perceived in a way where it’s known to be a phenomenon or a manifestation. What points to the development of consciousness is the sequence of unfolding throughout life. It appears to me that, from there having been the opportunity for a very few people to be able to realize self-awareness, the same opportunity is coming into focus for many more people now. The way consciousness is revealing itself is with greater and greater simplicity, as in reality there is only presence-awareness-existence. The way consciousness plays the game, though, is to disguise itself, so nearly everything appearing in the manifestation is to conceal the fact that there is only presence-awareness-existence. So, the concept of time, the thinking process, the body - they’re all devices that consciousness uses to hide itself and…"

Renate: "So, excuse me... I just wanted to ask, why is it doing that?" 

David: "Because it can. Because the nature of consciousness or awareness is that it is infinite, it’s a field of infinite possibilities." 

It can be seen in terms of cycles. There can be cycles where there can be ups and there can be downs; and there can be concealment, complete ignorance, and there can also be complete knowing. And it can move from one to the other and it loves doing that. So that’s why it does it, just because it can, really.

And it’s a fascinating stage at the moment because self-realization is something that is becoming universally available. It’s a time when the invitation is there for many, many people because the fabric of life, the apparent security that people have adopted in relative terms - so things like their work, their relationships, their family, the fabric of society, financial structures, social structures - are all being shaken. So it’s offering an invitation.

People are saying, 'Well hang on! I thought I was safe here, and I’m not'. So that’s giving rise to a question. But actually it’s consciousness that’s giving rise to the question because that’s the invitation to see what is real and what’s present? It plays the game of pretending that it really is this person called Renate [gesturing to Renate] for a period of time, and then it (consciousness) reveals itself (Renate) as itself (consciousness).

If you take it from the point of view of a young child: for the first couple of years of life, there is just this field of awareness in which everything is being registered, but there isn’t a sense of individual self there. So there is an appearance of a body-mind, of a one- or two-year-old child, and everything’s experienced in a state of total wonder. But consciousness plays the game of hide & seek. It begins to pretend it really is this person from around the age of two and, through reinforcement, of being called by your name and the family structure being reinforced, you come to totally believe that; that’s who you are.

And then, through life, through the early years and through the teen years, there’s a building of the sense of self (small self, ego) in terms of what you’re good at, what you’re not good at, what you like, what you don’t like, and the preoccupation with the whole story of a little ‘me’.

You could say that, in recent history, the cycle hasn’t been completed. From the state of knowing, up until the age of two, through the concealment, in the early years, the concealment has continued because people have remained bound by the forms, so the identification has continued until death. The new opportunity is for the cycle to be completed. From the initial level of knowing, through the sequence of identification with the body & personality, there’s now an opportunity for consciousness to reveal itself to itself on a grand scale." 

Renate: "But does that mean, David, that this whole game that we are playing, that consciousness is playing with itself, is coming to an end? On the surface, if we look at the world, that seems to be happening, that we’re somehow sliding down somewhere into extinction." 

David: "Yes." 

Renate: "And what you see on another level - the same is happening?" 

David: "Yes. In terms of the story, or in terms of what’s happening in the world, it appears as though everything’s become very shaky, but it’s all part of the cosmic drama. It’s intentional because it’s revealing itself to itself. Previously, consciousness was concealing the fact that presence-awareness-existence is something that isn’t personally owned. 

In this moment, if we take what there is, there is present awareness. There’s a knowing of everything that is arising in this moment, so present awareness knows this body sitting on this seat, it knows the sound of the gentle buzzing of that light; and it’s all being registered directly in present awareness. But the way consciousness disguises itself is to pretend that there is a person here experiencing that. If we look at the nature of awareness, it’s something that is just here. And it knows everything, it knows everything on a sensory level; it knows the sense of there being an individual here..." 

Renate: "So, let’s do that now. So I feel myself sitting here now. I perceive myself as somebody sitting here looking at you. So what is the non-dual pointing? How would you tell me that I’m not really sitting here [laughing]?"

David: "OK [laughing]. With non-dual pointing, it actually clarifies the distinction between what is permanent and what is temporary; so what never changes is the awareness that knows that. Awareness is registering the sitting there directly, so it knows that the body is sitting there. Now the mind may come in as a secondary device, where it would say, 'I’m sitting here and this isn’t a very comfortable seat'; or it may make some other kind of judgement. But the knowing of the ‘sitting here’ is something that is just known in awareness, and it’s known directly and the individual isn’t required to know that."

Renate: "So because we learn that we are an ‘I’, so we say 'I am sitting here and I am feeling hot and I am feeling cold' - but those are actually, as you say, feelings which arise within awareness?" 

David: "Yes." 

Renate: "It’s direct knowledge, as you call it." 

David: "Yes. Everything about the manifestation is reinforcing the manifestation. So if you turn on the TV or read the newspaper, or speak to most people, it’s always reinforcing the sense of there being a separate individual."

Renate: "I am receiving something from my senses?" 

David: "Yes. But it’s just noticed very clearly that what is primary is the awareness in which it is known.

For instance, the common thing would be to say 'I think' but, actually, if it’s looked at carefully, it’s noticed that there is an awareness of thinking, so the thinking isn’t who you are; there’s something that is aware of thinking. In the same way people can say, 'Well, I can taste that water': the taste of water is registered in awareness; there isn’t actually an individual involved in doing that.

Also, if you take the various states of consciousness - the waking state, the dreaming state and the deep sleep state - awareness is actually continuous through those states. Continuous isn’t actually the right word because there is no continuity because there’s just this. But in the waking state, there is awareness of the waking state environment, so there’s awareness of the waking state body, the waking state thinking process, the waking state emotions and preoccupations, the waking state world. In the dream state, there is awareness of the dream environment, of the dream individual, of the dream emotions and of dream thoughts. In the deep sleep state, awareness is simply awareness itself. It returns to the level of non-manifestation, to the level of just knowing itself - which is home, which is why human beings crave sleep. They need some relief from the turbulence which is experienced in the waking and dream states."
    David Bingham - Non-Dual Pointing - Part 2 Interview by Renate McNay https://conscious.tv/text/10.htm

    Confused? Listen not just with the mind, but with EVERYTHING to some of Bingham's excellent interviews for clarification that comes from immersing yourself in any "new language" - in this case, the new (to you) language of non-duality:

    David Bingham interviewed by Corina LaVonne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrULIbzuPUk

    Effortless Being: A Deep Dive with David Bingham https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_1Vt-gJ8j0

    Hanna with David Bingham https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbwg717keN4

    End of Seeking — David Bingham Interview - Unity Consciousness & Effortless Being 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk0dhSI5GAs

Alan Syliboy

#773 "Normal" Mood Swings?

    Most of us "have good days and bad days" - right? Not only that, but an increasing number of us can feel trapped for months in the lows of these so-called "mood swings." Often accompanying depression is anxiety, from chronic low-grade to all-out panic attacks. Unless these completely destabilize our daily life, we soldier on, and assume life's rough but "we can handle it!" Increasingly people see their family doctor and get antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds prescribed for some relief from the symptoms, but relatively few have psychotherapy. Increasing numbers of us are delving deeper into the spiritual roots of this global human dys-ease.

    Some rigidly assert that meditation is just a trick or mind-game to "take the edge off." Anything spiritual is too quickly & easily written off as "too deep," woo-woo, another Eastern "heresy," unscientific mumbo jumbo, "not really my thing," etc. Especially after we get into our 60s & 70s, a profoundly rigid, narrow thinking can grab hold, sometimes coupled with a heroic posturing in never changing one's mind. A sad, public display of such a petrified mind was the famous actor, Charlton Heston, then president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), declaring he would give up his rifle only when it was pried from his "cold, dead hands."

    I don't think I'm in the minority in that I've been learning, maturing & evolving a great deal over my 77 years of life, and have come a long way even in the past few months. When friends who've not seen me for a while sometimes tell me how good I look, I smile knowing that they're being kind. What I don't tend to mention is that I feel better than ever & that this profound sense of well-being has continued to increase over the decades, despite my creaky old body. So, vowing never to change one's thinking is as admirable as a grumpy toddler refusing to have their diaper changed. 

    Most of us, at least intellectually, concede that an open mind & open heart are essential to wise maturation. However life, particularly major trauma in early life, but really all forms & degrees of trauma condition us to armour our minds & hearts. And yet, the path forward is always, eventually, into & straight through all of our defences. With major trauma, trauma therapists provide expert guidance through this minefield. For more of us than we realize, psychotherapists can save us years of needless suffering.  
    Spirituality is not a substitute for psychotherapy - look up "spiritual bypassing." NEITHER are antidepressants & psychotherapy substitutes for spirituality.

    As is pretty clear by now, the people I admire most in the realm of life-long learning, maturing & evolving are the mystics - past & present. Their omega experience and perennial philosophy have a very long, inspiring history: https://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.com/2026/09/772-perennial-philosophy.html 
and https://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.com/2026/09/771-basics-of-waking-up.html 

    I've been very inspired by living mystics Helen Hamilton https://www.helenhamilton.org/ Angelo Dilullo https://simplyalwaysawake.com/ Jonathan Ashford https://www.jonathanashford.com/ and most recently, David Bingham https://davidbingham.org/ 

    In a particularly valuable video Bingham speaks with a female seeker who was suffering from anxiety & depression, and helps her - like he has many others - greatly improve the quality of her life. This video is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - VERY WELL WORTH watching in its ENTIRETY: David Bingham's first conversation with Jessica Woods - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp9NU0fngjA&t=15s 

    Jessica shares that she fears surrendering & realization might cause her to not care anymore about being a Mom to her young child. Bingham assures her that realizing one's true self is fortunately not like that, that she’ll actually be a better Mom. The mind is closely aligned with fears, most of which are irrational. Equanimity is not synonymous with indifference nor lack of empathy. However, equanimity is a state of calm & emotional balance, especially noticeable when facing stress, or difficult situations. So your emotions no longer need to wildly oscillate up & down with life's natural ups & downs. So mood swings may be very common, BUT NOT normal, NOR desirable.

    In subsequent blogs, I'll comment on details from this video, which for me - a slow learner - took over 28 years of serious practice to really "get" experientially. BUT it is VERY WORTHWHILE to directly experience. AND it does NOT need to take nearly that long. You can do this!!

 Brandon Flowers singing "Does It Ever Cross Your Mind?" 

 

#772 Perennial Philosophy

      “The perennial philosophy states that the omega experience (not the description, but the actual experience of union with the Divine) is identical in all the mystical branches of all the world’s religions. This has implications for how we should live our lives, which Aldous Huxley succinctly laid out in his Minimum Working Hypothesis:
           · That there is a Godhead, Divine Ground of Being, or Brahman that our reality depends upon for its existence.
           · That this Ground both transcends the world and is imminent as the world.
           · That it is possible for human beings to love, know and, virtually, to become actually identical with the Divine Ground.
           · That to achieve this unitive knowledge is the ultimate end and purpose of human existence.
           · That there is a Way or Dharma that must be obeyed if people are to achieve their final end, and this Way is a way of peace, love, humility and compassion.”

       Dana Sawyer “Huston Smith: Wisdomkeeper. Living the World’s Religions. The Authorized Biography of a 21st Century Spiritual Giant.” Fons Vitae, 2014. 

 

The above was initially posted on my blog: johnlovas.com on Monday, June 8, 2015, where it had 192 visits. This johnlovas.com blog comes up as "not secure" due to a technicality which I'm currently unable to fix, but which AI tells me is harmless. 

#771 Basics of Waking Up

     MANY have to "hit rock bottom" as a result addictions or other types of major shocks to the system ("shipwrecks") which completely shatter worldviews & self-concepts, forcing them to construct far wiser, shock-proof worldviews & self-concepts from scratch. 
     SOME of us continuously observe our internal dialogue, and realize how self-talk keeps us sleepwalking through life, & then we feel the urge WAKE UP and start LIVING deliberately. 

     “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”  Henry David Thoreau

      “The only real purpose of being here on this earth is to learn or to re-remember our original nature state of no limitations.” Lester Levenson   

     “The only service you can do for anyone (including yourself) is to remind them of their true nature.” Stephen Levine 

     When we relax, when we really let go of every conceivable mental & physical contracted armoring; let go of every anxious urge to do something, go somewhere, be someone, etc; when we allow ourselves to become as silent & still as possible; and IF this peaceful state doesn't frighten us, & we now deeplylisten to the most delicately subtle sense of aliveness within, THAT ephemeral, untouchable, undefinable, spark of vitality is - imho - who / what we actually are. One wisdom tradition advises: "Rest in 'I am' before 'I am' becomes anything."
      Imho, this spark of life has LITTLE to do with our personal fears, neuroses, preferences, "must haves" & "must avoids" - superficial, transient nonsense we typically (wrongly) assume is who we are. Imho, our ultimate identity has EVERYTHING to do with our transpersonal Buddha-nature, Great Spirit, Brahman, Tao, Yahweh, God, Allah, Primordial Source, The Light, Love, Loving Intelligence, Self, Unified Field, "The Force" (Star Wars), etc.

      “The term 'perennial philosophy' was coined by Agostino Steuco (1497-1548) and refers to a fourfold realization: 
      (1) there is only one Reality (call it, among other names, God, Mother, Tao, Allah, Dharmakaya, Brahman, or Great Spirit) that is the source & substance of all creation; 
      (2) that while each of us is a manifestation of this Reality, most of us identify with something much smaller, that is, our culturally conditioned individual ego; 
      (3) that this identification with the smaller self gives rise to needless anxiety, unnecessary suffering, and cross-cultural competition and violence; and 
      (4) that peace, compassion, & justice naturally replace anxiety, needless suffering, competition, and violence when we realize our true nature as a manifestation of this singular Reality. 
      The great sages & mystics of every civilization throughout human history have taught these truths in the language of their time and culture. It is the universality and timelessness of this wisdom that makes it the perfect focus for the spiritually independent seeker."
      Rami Shapiro. “Perennial Wisdom for the Spiritually Independent.” SkyLight Paths, 2013. 

      “The two extreme worldviews are probably represented by materialism and the perennial philosophy, the central core of understanding common to the great religions. The materialistic perspective suggests that life and consciousness are accidental byproducts of matter, and that their evolution is driven by the interplay of random events and the instinct for survival. The purpose of human life and evolution is solely what humanity decides it is.
      The perennial philosophy, which lies at the heart of the great wisdom traditions & religions and is increasingly said to represent their deepest thinking, suggests that consciousness is central and its development is the primary goal of existence. This development will culminate in the condition variously known in different traditions as enlightenment, liberation, salvation, moksha, or satori.
      The descriptions of this condition show remarkable similarities across cultures & centuries. Its essence is the recognition that the distortions of our usual state of mind are such that we have been suffering from a case of mistaken identity. Our true nature is something much greater, an aspect of a universal consciousness, Self, Being, Mind, or God. The awakening to this true nature, claimed a Zen master, is ‘the direct awarenesss that you are more than this puny body or limited mind. Stated negatively, it is the realization that the universe is not external to you. Positively, it is experiencing the universe as yourself.’ … Typical is the claim by an Englishman that to realize our true identity is to ‘find that the I, one’s real, most intimate self, pervades the universe and all other beings. That the mountains, and the sea, and the stars are a part of one’s body, and that one’s soul is in touch with the souls of all creatures.’ Nor are such descriptions the exclusive province of mystics. They have been echoed by philosophers, psychologists, & physicists. ‘Out of my experience … one final conclusion dogmatically emerges,’ said the great American philosopher William James (1960). ‘There is a continuum of cosmic consciousness against which our individuality builds but accidental forces, and into which our several minds plunge as into a mother sea.’
      From this perspective, evolution is a vast journey of growing self-awareness and a return to our true identity. Our current crises are seen as expressions that arise from our mistaken identity. But they can also be seen as self-created challenges that may speed us on our evolutionary journey toward ultimate self-recognition.”
      Roger Walsh. "Human survival: A psychoevolutionary analysis." ReVision 1985; 8: 7-10. (free on the web)

     “… there is one, indivisible, unborn, ultimate reality beyond time & space, name & form. The discovery of this reality as our own true nature is the real opportunity, possibility and purpose of human existence. … suffering & delusion (is) caused by ignorance of the real Self.” Mooji

     “Without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness, nothing will change for the better in the sphere of our being as humans, and the catastrophe towards which this world is headed - be it ecological, social, demographic or a general breakdown of civilization - will be unavoidable. . . 
     The salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human meekness and in human responsibility.”
       Vaclav Havel, address to the U.S. congress, when he was President of the Czech Republic (1993-2003)

     “Survival and fully being alive & fully living are not the same thing.” 
      Gabor Mate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2cJb1QeMIQ  a truly EXCEPTIONAL interview!

 

The above was initially posted on my blog: johnlovas.com on Sunday, April 10, 2022, where it had 168 visits. This johnlovas.com blog comes up as "not secure" due to a technicality which I'm currently unable to fix, but which AI tells me is harmless.

#770 Relating to Pain Wisely

     Most of the time now, when I'm awake & lying on my back, there's an electric-current-like pulsating sharp pain in some part of my left leg, either locally eg in my upper thigh, or less often, radiating down along most of the leg as if into the bones of my feet. This is known as 'sciatica.' It's sharp, jabbing, varying in intensity, really 'grabs my attention.' While sciatica is dependent on the position of my lower back (vertebrae compressing the sensory nerve to my leg), adjusting my back's position itself causes pain in the lower back, & triggers sciatica as well. Sitting involves much less sciatic pain, and standing or walking are best, though hampered by a leg brace that's fixed straight & crutches.

     So what is my best option? How can I relate to pain wisely? First of all, after repeatedly changing the position of my lower back doesn't help or worsens the pain, at night I can simply be still, accept whatever pain there is, and after a while, I do fall asleep for a couple of hours. Then repeat until it's time to get up for the day. In the morning, I sit up and periodically stand up & walk about for a few minutes. Clearly, I do what is practical to directly eliminate or minimize the pain. This is simple self-care & self-compassion. After the 'doing' of simple practicalities, it's all about 'being' - authentically expressing who I am.

     This is where one's worldview & self-concept (often unexamined), play a powerful role. The subconscious has a powerful (mostly hidden) influence on one's life.
     If deep down, one believes that the universe is a meaningless machine, and we're but random slabs of meat, then it's natural to feel like a wounded animal, suffering alone for nothing.
     On the other hand, when we sense / remember that we're profoundly at home, unconditionally loved & intimately interconnected with everyone & everything, then adversities such as pain are small, temporary lessons helping us grow stronger & wiser.
     Mystics and others who've had profound direct experiences beyond this physical realm, suggest that the hardships we experience in this realm, are for the sole purpose of helping us evolve to higher levels of consciousness - ie are specifically tailored for our benefit. People who've had near death experiences (NDEs) repeatedly report that what might at the time feel like horrible events, are remembered as minor inconveniences compared to how much was learned & the ineffable benefits for ALL those involved. Three reports:
     “I’ve become more relaxed, there is very rarely anything that really makes me upset.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3Ow4sEW8D0
     “There’s just a sense that everyone’s going to be OK. Everything’s happening the way everything’s supposed to be happening. And we’re all taken care of, and that it’s all perfect the way that it’s happening.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTESmsletG4
      The purpose of life is to become a 'bigger container' so we're able to get closer & closer to the Light. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iNucPVPGw4

     Wisdom tells us that after doing everything that's reasonable to directly manage the pain, continuing to focus narrowly on the pain becomes the main cause of suffering. So instead, the wisest approach now is to whole-heartedly say 'yes,' accepting (rather than arguing with) present reality, and to welcome pain with genuine curiosity. Now we can hold the pain in 'spacious awareness.' This is like the sky fully accepting rain clouds, knowing that the sky is huge & timeless, and that rain clouds are small & transient.
     EVERYTHING CHANGES when we can clearly experience challenges NOT as deadly attacks, BUT as loving lessons to help us grow & evolve.
     This is also the secret to true happiness as we age, as we learn an impressive number & variety of challenging life lessons.

      “The easy path of aging is to become a thick-skinned, unbudging curmudgeon, a battle-axe. To grow soft and sweet is the harder way.” James Hillman

 

It’s better to feel pain,
than never feel at all.
The opposite of love’s
indifference.

So keep your head up

and love.

 
Lumineers

 

#769 Being Right Here and Now

“Listening to the sounds that are right here now.
Open and receptive.
Gently opening to the sensations and feelings in the body.
Relaxing with what’s here.
Aware of that background of presence that’s always here.
That awareness that knows what’s happening.
That tender space that includes the life that arises moment-to-moment.”

Advises Tara Brach, in her fine guided meditation: https://www.tarabrach.com/meditation-sacred-presence/

* 

Diamonds by Ingrid Goff-Maidoff

 

 “What if recognizing diamonds
was enough to make them yours
and you saw them now everywhere?
On the sunlit ocean; in the moonless sky;
on winter fields and the tips of branches after rain;
in smiling faces; the brook; the lake; the stream;
the kitchen stove; stairs; puddles, ice, clouds;
anywhere life glimmers and light glints;
kisses, belly laughs, bubbly,
wine, decay and crumbs;
flights of fancy, feathers,
teeth, words, breath….
Diamonds, diamonds,
all diamonds.
Would you see
then in truth
the very richness
that you are?”  

 

from Ingrid Goff-Maidoff's book: “What Holds Us. New and Selected Poems”

https://tendingjoy.com/products/what-holds-us-poems?_pos=1&_psq=What%20&_ss=e&_v=1.0

 

 

*

Sharing Silence by Gunilla Norris

“Within each of us there is a silence
—a silence as vast as a universe.
We are afraid of it…and we long for it.
When we experience that silence, we remember
who we are: creatures of the stars, created
from the cooling of this planet, created
from dust and gas, created
from the elements, created
from time and space…created
from silence.
In our present culture,
silence is something like an endangered species…
an endangered fundamental.
The experience of silence is now so rare
that we must cultivate it and treasure it.
This is especially true for shared silence.
Sharing silence is, in fact, a political act.
When we can stand aside from the usual and
perceive the fundamental, change begins to happen.
Our lives align with deeper values
and the lives of others are touched and influenced.
Silence brings us back to basics, to our senses,
to our selves. It locates us. Without that return
we can go so far away from our true natures
that we end up, quite literally, beside ourselves.
We live blindly and act thoughtlessly.
We endanger the delicate balance which sustains
our lives, our communities, and our planet.
Each of us can make a difference.
Politicians and visionaries will not return us
to the sacredness of life.
That will be done by ordinary men and women
who together or alone can say,
“Remember to breathe, remember to feel,
remember to care,
let us do this for our children and ourselves
and our children’s children.
Let us practice for life’s sake.”

 

 

Mark Brennan - Argyle Fine Art argylefineart.blogspot.com