Monday, December 19, 2011

Sacred December by Dean Solon

there is no need, no point, to be making someThing happen.
beacause it---all of it, all of THIS---is always happening,
is always present.  there is simply
                                                       really
                                                       and truly
only opening and always opening
to IT
with IT
and as IT.
breathing in and breathing out...you are with IT.
showering in the morning...you are with IT.
preparing a meal, staring at the computer in the workplace,
listening to music, driving a car in the philly traffic...you are with IT.
so it is in sacred december...
so it is in any month, so it is in any moment,
so it is here and now...
you are with IT.
you are IT.
OM MANI PADME HUM
what we seek, we are.

what you seek
you are      

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Closing Eyes by Dean Solon

close your eyes, listen.  feel your heart beating,
your breath rising and falling.  do nothing.

closing eyes gently...
closing eyes gently...
opening heart and mind, spirit and soul, gently.

a sacredness of present moment.
a sacredness of present moment
awareness.
who and what you are...magical and miraculous.

when all noise diminishes, when all chatter dissipates and all chatter subsides,
what remains, what and who resides and abides?
SomeOne surprising and mysterious,
SomeThing unexpected and unforeseen,
SomeThing beyond belief and beyond description
...you
   and all of this.

simple, beautiful, silent.

the lightness of being.  the openness of being.  the vulnerability of being. 
a day begins, with threads  [connecting], with waiting willing surprises.  and am i open to them?  am i attending, not-attaching, to them?

eyes closed.  heart beating,
breath rising and falling.  doing nothing.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Thanksgiving 2011 by Dean Solon

openness     spaciousness     vastness     expansiveness
what living can be
what living is to be

awareness     clarity     compassion     wisdom
what living can be
what living is to be

awe     wonder     mystery     surprise
what living can be
what living is to be

awake     awakening     enlightened     enlightening
what living can be
what living is to be

forgiveness
lovingkindness

gratitude
thanks-giving

what being here and now is to be

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Do you like to crochet or knit? Do you want to learn? We need your help making lap blankets for nursing home residents


The Resiliency Center Knitting Circle is working on a project to deliver 180 lap blankets (36” x 36”) to patients in a local Nursing Home. Lap blankets benefit nursing home patients by providing physical and emotional warmth. They are a wonderful way to show love and support for someone in need of a warm hug every day.   

The mother of someone in our Knitting Circle inspired this project.  She spent the last three months of her life in a nursing home.  She was more fortunate than most.  Her family visited throughout the week and gave her love and care she needed.  As I’m sure you know, others are not as fortunate and do not have the benefit of care and visits from relatives and friends.  Although we cannot take the place of a caring family, we can show love to these individuals by providing them with a colorful blanket as a reminder that someone cares.

We are asking volunteers to knit or crochet washable lap blankets that are 36" x 36". Any colors, patterns, needle sizes are welcome. Just let your imagination and kind heart go wild.

Lap blankets completed so far have been crocheted (using a basic granny square) or knitted in panels that were joined after completion.  Any pattern you choose would be great. If you prefer, rather than knitting or crocheting a blanket of 36” x 36”, you can knit or crochet blocks of 12" x 12" and we will combine them with other squares we receive. There are web sites available on the internet such as ravelry.com with step-by-step instructions for learning to knit and crochet, along with patterns for all levels. Or, better yet, join us on the second Saturday of the month and we would love to teach you! Please register by logging in to: http://www.meetup.com/resiliencygatherings/  

Your lap blankets can be dropped off or mailed to:  

Jen Fusco Perry, LPC
The Resiliency Center   
602 S. Bethlehem Pike    
Ambler, PA  19002

If you have any questions, please send an email to:  warm.hugs180@gmail.com
Please note that we do not monitor email every day but will get back to you shortly. We are just a few people in a Knitting Circle* who are hoping that we can put a smile on someone’s face by giving them a warm lap blanket along with the knowledge that people care.
 
Please help us reach our goal. We cannot accomplish this mission without your help.

From Little “T’s” to Big “T’s”; Alleviating Stressors Using Trauma Focused Therapy Approaches


by Kathleen Krol, LCSW, RPT 
Life is stressful! No one is immune from experiencing stress, whether it is the day to day little “T’s” or the bigger life changing “T’s”. Little “T’s” are the fender-bender accidents, dissatisfaction with a critical boss, fear of giving a presentation or navigating through your child’s terrible two’s. Big “T’s” are the events that have a lasting impact; loss of a loved one, involvement in major accident, experiencing or witnessing violence or abuse. Little “T’s” are the situations that cause some sleepless nights, muscle tension, worry, intestinal problems, poor concentration, anxious or sad mood. Big “T’s” may include the same disturbances as the smaller “T’s” but may occur with more intensity or for longer duration of time. Big “T” symptoms also may include recurrent dreams or flashbacks of the event, detachment from others, irritability or angry outbursts, psychological distress and physiological reactivity to internal or external stimuli that remind one of the trauma.
In this article, I’d like to highlight three modalities; Sand Tray, Trauma Art Narrative Therapy and EMDR, that can be used in alleviating symptoms from little or big “T’s”.  All three approaches can be used with children, teens and adults.
Sand Tray provides choice of using either wet or dry trays of sand along with selected “miniatures”, objects which provide the medium for emotional expression and communicating one’s experience. Trauma is sensory based in that traumatic memories are encoded in both the body as well as the brain. The modality of sand has a kinesthetic quality that addresses the sensory component of trauma, the deeper emotional experience that is retained in the body itself. For children, sand tray provides a safe, natural way for them to express themselves without re-experiencing the traumatization of the original event. Adolescents and adults may experience emotional release through the use of symbolism and projection of feelings until the sand tray and miniatures.
Trauma Art Narrative Therapy (TANT) is a structured cognitively oriented technique which uses art as a modality for healing from trauma. With trauma, memories are often disconnected and fragmented. Trauma art pieces together these memories by guiding one to narrate the traumatic experience through a series of sequential drawings. As one draws “snapshots” of the event, integration of the emotional and cognitive components of the brain takes place and promotes healing. Preparation for this trauma work always includes establishing a safe point before and after the trauma. TANT is effective with both minor single incidents to major events that have had significant impact. Artistic ability is not needed to benefit from this modality and more spontaneous drawing is most effective.  
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) uses bilateral stimulation techniques such as eye movements, tapping or audio which stimulate both sides of the brain. When a traumatic event occurs, pieces of the trauma can remain stuck or frozen in the brain and nervous system. Bilateral stimulation helps “unlock stuck material” thereby allowing the mind and body to process the traumatic event. EMDR is often used with big “T” traumas but equally can be beneficial in alleviating symptoms of general anxiety and phobias or working through little “T’s” that can impact daily functioning, assist one in better managing stressors related to job, family, relationships and overcoming roadblocks to growth and development. Preparation includes developing resources in stress management and relaxation.
Kathleen Krol, LCSW, RPT is a independent practitioner at the Resiliency Center and also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Registered Play Therapist, who uses these three modalities along with Family and Play Therapy and Parent Education.  She works with children, teens and adults experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and loss, abuse and behavior issues. To learn more about any of these specialties’ or discuss how she might help you and your family, email kasiakrol17@verizon.net or call 215-289-3101, mailbox #1.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Accidents? by Dean Solon

are there accidents, truly accidents?  are there only accidents?  is each thing and every thing and any thing circumstantial, unrelated, uncaused, disconnected?  incidental and accidental, no more than coincidental?

is there sense, are there reasons?  is there continuity, and synchronicity, and co-incide-nce?  is there a God?  are there Masters, is there Mastery?

the hindus and the buddhists defy a finding...made after much seeking and soul searching, to accept what arises and to live with what is and to be ascribing no primal cause, no Determinable beginning and no explicable end...by deciding, by hypothesizing and theorizing, by determining, there is karma---Karma---giving cause, and effect, and reason, and explanation of this reality we are living in and of this consciousness we are living with.

following a trail, always attributing reason(s), wanting, wanting so much, for there to be sense, comfort, security, a floor and a ground to be standing on, sitting on, sleeping on, awaking on.

so the hold again loosens, as it must loosen.
so the need for answers, for the Answer, abates, subsides, falls aside, as it must abate, subside, fall aside.
perhaps there is a floor and a ground of all being.
perhaps there is no floor no ground.
perhaps there is this and that, perhaps there is not-this not-that.
perhaps there are limits and are terms of agreement.
perhaps there are no limitations, no regulations, no certainties.
perhaps there are rules relating and laws defining.
perhaps there is only experiencing and expressing the mysterious and the ineffable.

perhaps there is knowing.
perhaps there only is not-knowing.

As If by Dean Solon

we think, we believe this is our world.
OUR world.
as if     as if     as if
any world, let alone this world, is ours.
as if     as if     as if
any body, let alone this body, is mine.
as if     as if     as if
any body, let alone that body, is yours.

as if     as if     as if
any thought, any theory, is real and true.

as if
as if 
as if

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Transitioning with Children Following Divorce


By Jeff Katowitz, LMFT


       When two people divorce it can be a difficult process both emotionally and financially in making an adjustment to a new way a living. Through a shift in life style, never ending schedule changes and negotiations if there are children, and seeking a predicable flow and consistency in routines can be very challenging.  Many parents attempt to create a new family too quickly and are motivated out of a desire to put back together or establish an image of a family from one that had been broken. Parents, however, need to engage in a process of their own healing and reflect regarding what had transpired in their previous marriage or relationship first prior to establishing new relationships. Awareness is the key here, where many parents tend to find themselves feeling lost, trapped by their own pain and may seek refuge in a new relationship to cover over quickly the negative experiences that they had in their marriage.

      But what about the children of these divorcing couples. It is not within their control to pick a new partner for their parents (although some have a great deal of influence in this process). They too may have a similar need for normalcy and predictability but their parents’ judgment and timing of their decisions may be in question. Some children may carry and harbor resentment toward one or both parents for their decision to divorce. They struggle with their own feelings of abandonment and many feel that no one has considered the impact that the divorce has had on their lives.  It is therefore critical to assess how their children are transitioning and may need to work towards developing or reestablishing trust with their children if it has been compromised. But how do parents initiate a process in which they help their children feel acknowledged and cared for?  Parents seem stuck in a quagmire - between their own sense of entitlement and desire or need to transition out of an unfulfilling relationship and the guilt over hurting their children and not knowing what the most appropriate next step should be.

    Depending on the circumstances and the ages of the children parents may want to consider engaging them in an open discussion - asking for feedback and opinions regarding what had transpired specifically relating to the divorce. Many parents are unaware of how to gauge where their children are emotionally following a divorce and make assumptions about how their children feel. Without a clear understanding directly from their children parents may experience resistance and a great deal of conflict in their relationship with their children. From experience in treating very complex family systems and those transitioning through divorce and healing post divorce I have found that those parents who show compassion and patience with their children regarding the pace of their transition receive positive results.   It is not uncommon to hear children openly articulate that they want to “see their parents happy” and this suggests that they have made a shift towards letting go of past pain and resentments – they can now see more clearly of what is in the best interest of not only themselves but also of their parents. Those children who have been permitted and encouraged to draw their own conclusions are not only able to think about what will make them happy but also able to think about their parents’ happiness. It is also a strong indicator that their needs are being met and that they have been able to transition through a difficult chapter in their lives by forgiving their parents for the decisions that they have made.


Jeff Katowitz, LMFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist providing individual, couples, family counseling. Specialties include adolescent development, separation, divorce, adoption, and blended families. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Jeff at 215-307-0055 or email him at jpkatowitz@verizon.net.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Whole Shebang #2 by Dean Solon

this is the way it is:  i am living in heaven and in hell, at once.
this is where i am.  in one world.  here, now---heavenhell.
this is the whole shebang.  this is the whole works.  this is the context, is the content:
there is one world.  heavenhell.
the delight and the desolation.  the beauty and the banality.  the soaring and the scarring. 
heavenhell on earth.  our eyes witnessing. our minds perceiving, our hearts understanding:  drama, attachment, falling aside, falling away,
revealing no separation,
no stipulation, no condemnation.
revealing THIS...

this is the way it is:  wild world, wild life, a core place, a center, a conviction, where
peace and love and mercy reside, abide, transmit an experience and expression of
abundance and nothingness.
you have done yoga, you have meditated.  what have you found to be real and true, there?  what have you learned? 
what are you knowing, now?

this is the way it is:  the glory and the genocide.

no matter how much we bring our western sensibilities to buddhism, we cannot escape the predicament, we cannot eradicate the possibility, of what the Buddha has presented to us:  you are not becoming IT;  you are IT.
this is the way it is:  not becoming.
                                         being.
in nearly infinite time and space, where there is not-time, where there is not-space, there is, only, here now....there is being.

the universe is not waiting, this planet earth is not waiting, for us to become something.
the accelerated path is urging, is demanding, is insisting:
now, be something, be someone.
now, be the Buddha-self.

now, be awake.  


Flash Flooding by Dean Solon

the expressing of this world is a river running through
every thing, a river overflowing its own furrowed banks,
a flash flood perpetually in the making
and the destroying.
mysteriously, in a moment, any moment
THIS moment
it disappears,
as if it never was, never could be,
as if a drought has overspread the earth.
as if a drought has overcome the heart.

mysteriously, in a moment, any moment
THIS moment
the river reappears,
and the heart again knows sorrow, suffering,
holocaust, again knows hope and loving kindness.
the heart again knows.  

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Laughter Yoga by Elizabeth Venart

Laughter Yoga is an exercise and wellness routine that combines fun laughter activities with deep yoga breathing. It was developed in 1995 by Dr. Madan Kataria.  A physician fascinated by medical research demonstrating the positive health benefits of laughter, he decided to start the very first laughter club through an informal “experiment” in which he brought together a group of just five people at a local park in Mumbai, India with just one task: To laugh. They told jokes and funny stories and invited others in the park to join them. Their small group quickly grew to over fifty people! However, Dr. Kataria soon realized being funny was not the best pathway to laughter, as sense of humor is very personal, and offense is as likely to emerge as laughter when jokes are involved.  In his effort to address this challenge, he reviewed laughter research and discovered that the body cannot differentiate between fake and real laughter. We get the same profound health benefits whether we are simulating laughter or engaging in the real deal!

Laughter yoga is based on the principle that anyone can laugh at any time for no reason whatsoever, without relying on humor, jokes, or comedy. Since that first gathering in the park only 16 years ago, laughter yoga has now expanded to over 6000 laughter clubs worldwide.

In laughter yoga, we encourage laughter through simulated body exercises and interactive activities in a group. Using eye contact and childlike playfulness, this “pretend” laughter soon turns into real and contagious laughter. The health benefits from laughter include improved mood, strengthened immune system functioning, decreased stress, lowered blood pressure, and experiences of pain relief. To top it off, laughing is FUN!

For more information on laughter yoga, check out the links below, and enjoy the video of the baby laughing. This baby was born knowing how to laugh. Research has shown that, on average, children laugh approximately 200 times per day, whereas adults laugh only seven times. Laughter yoga helps us reclaim our natural tendency to laugh and helps us learn to take ourselves less seriously. Join Elizabeth Venart on Mondays at 9:30 a.m. at The Resiliency Center for a weekly laughter yoga club. Learn more and RSVP through our Meetup group. 

Laughter yoga can be practiced in groups, done alone, or learned and deepened by working individually with a Laughter Yoga Instructor.  Elizabeth Venart, a Licensed Professional Counselor, and the Founder of The Resiliency Center, gained certification as a Laughter Yoga Instructor in June. Since that time, she has been offering the laughter club and also infusing laughter yoga into her work with individuals and groups.  To learn more about Elizabeth Venart, visit her website or give her a call at 215-542-5004.


Dr. Kataria’s Laughter Yoga Website

Laughter Yoga Program on Discovery Channel

Dr. Kataria, Founder of Laughter Yoga, Laughing Silently at 5:00 am

Yang-Sheng Mind-Body Research Update article

Sunday, August 21, 2011

All That You Dream by Dean Solon

what is residing and abiding in the depth and breadth and breath of you is not a heart of darkness.

residing and abiding in the depth and breadth and breath of you is a heart of compassion, a heart of wisdom.

what is residing and abiding and abounding in the depth and breadth and breath of you is not restlessness and noise.

residing and abiding in the depth and breadth and breath of you is a quiet,
is a silence,
that includes all sounds and all sights
and all that is past and is future
and all that is full and is empty
and all that you know and do not know     
and all that you dream


Thich Nhat Hanh:  "If we live mindfully, we encounter the Buddha and Jesus Christ all the time."

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

A Song For The New Day by Dean Solon

you are here to change the tune.

you are here to sing a different song, to chant a different mantra.  you are here to bear witness, to go forth with love, to resolve and to redeem, to make waves and to make whole.

you are here to be blessed, and to be bliss.  you are here to sit before the altar, to be altered, and to be one who alters in space and time.  you are here to be awakened, and to be an awakener.

you are here to be the loving cup.  you are here to be a bolt of lightning.  you are here to be a single finger, pointing skyward.

you are here to be what you are.  you are here to be more than who you are.


you are a stranger in a strange land.  you are a perfect fit in this world.

you are a mending of the fabric that is torn.  you are a healing of the wound that has been inflicted.

you are a leaping forward to the remembering of an ancient tale.  you are a falling backward into a seat that has been waiting for you.

you are the reaching for something new.

you are the retrieving of something misplaced.

you are here for completion.  you are here for the co-creating of a new beginning.


you are here to be what you are.  you are here to be more than who you are.

 

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Get off the Merry-Go-Round of Life to Rediscover Your Children - by Jeff Katowitz

          The life of a parent can sometimes be described as like being on a merry-go-round that just never stops. Racing around in the mornings, afternoons and evenings. Where are we supposed to be and what is demanded of us? Who needs me and how and what do I need to prioritize? With the mundane tasks, responsibilities that seem to never end we tend to get caught or trapped on the merry-go-round of life and miss out on making sure that we reconnect and nurture important relationships.

      It is important for all of us who have children to consider taking a journey back to them. What this essentially means is that many of us are gradually distancing ourselves from what we covet the most, we’re just not aware that it is happening. This process occurs as we rarely get a chance to evaluate and remind ourselves of what is most meaningful. It’s time for us to pay closer attention and to work towards understanding and appreciating where our children are in their development. Begin to look more closely at how our involvement in their lives on a consistent basis can impact their mood, grades, relationships, physical health, motivation and overall behavior.

     Consider conducting a self-evaluation of how much we really know what is going on our children’s lives. Do we know who their friends are? Did we know that they got an “A” on their last spelling test? When was the last time we read to them, threw a ball, colored, went to the movies? Oh, here’s a good one – how about asking ourselves when was the last time we had a meaningful conversation with our child?

     If you answered “I don’t know” or “no” to some of these questions you may want to take notice and evaluate more closely your relationships with your children. Ask yourself the question “what role am I playing in the life of my children?” Perhaps circumstances make it difficult for you to connect with your children due to a myriad of reasons, but begin to examine if changes need to be made in order to be more accessible to them and identify their needs.

      Here are a few simple suggestions of how to increase your involvement and connection with your children. Start a process of consistent communication with each of them. It can be a simple comment or initiating a dialogue with them that shows that you care and notice them. “You look really cool in that jacket.” “I heard you did well on your quiz yesterday,” “How was your day?” You can also try to tell them how much they mean to you. “You know, you are really important to me and I hope we can begin spending more time together – what do you think?” Remember, it doesn’t require a great deal of effort to embark on that journey back into their lives. You just have to be willing to step off of the merry-go-round for a while and take notice.

Jeff Katowitz, LMFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist providing individual, couples, and family counseling. Specialities include adolescent development, separation, divorce, adoption, blended families, grief and loss, and families in transition. 

Friday, July 15, 2011

How Big? by Dean Solon

How big are we supposed to be?

What Is is nearly infinite in its spaciousness, in its openness, in its vastness.  Words are limiting, and What Is stretches nearly infinitely beyond all possible limitations and boundaries.  We are created to be immense, expanding beings big enough to "contain" all that is in its nearly infinite complexity and its nearly infinite simplicity.  We are to be big enough so that All That Is is expressed fully in our words, in our actions,
in the walk that we are walking,
in the silence that is nearly enveloping in its nearly infinite field.

We are intended to manifest the spaciousness that is ever becoming the spaciousness of What Is, to unfold the openness that is ever becoming the openness of What Is, to reveal the vastness that is ever becoming the vastness of What Is.

How big are we supposed to be?

We are to be big enough to create the illusion,
we are to be big enough to maintain the illusion,
we are to be big enough to override
     and set aside the illusion.

We are to be big enough to be a drop of water dripping from the faucet of all time and space, big enough to be the drop infinitely dripping from that which is behind and beyond the faucet of all time and space.

We are unleashed, to be the drop that is One Drop,
to be the trickle become the flood
overflowing.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Michigan Meditation by Dean Solon

living in me
is nothing to acccomplish in this lifetime.
living in me
is there never was anything to be accomplished,
and there may never be.
i was born whole;
that there were holes to be filled
was illusion and ignorance, and
is illusion and ignorance if and when arising.
enlightenment was, is, not needed.

enlightenment was to be, is to be, not sought.
why seek, why search,
for what is, and always is, present moment?
reaching for the sky?  here is the sky.
looking for the ground, looking for the floor?
here is the ground.  here is the floor.
looking for what is real and true?
here is what is real, here is what is true..
looking for what is not-real, not-true?
here is what is not-real, not-true.

here is what you've been looking for,
where what you've been looking for always has been.

living in you
is nothing to accomplish in this lifetime.
living in you
is there never was anything to be accomplished,
and there may never be.
you were born whole;
that there were holes to be filled
was illusion and ignorance, and
is illusion and ignorance if and when arising.
enlightenment was, is, not needed.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Generosity Of Spirit by Dean Solon

gentleness with self opens to and reveals a wonderful "secret" teaching:  you are perfectly all right as you are.

you are perfectly all right as you are.

this gentleness and generosity with yourself unfolds to a feeling and to a sharing of light and warmth, of compassion and loving kindness, with other living beings. 
and so your perception of life and of the world begins to change and to expand...and so the world changes, too.

sitting in this moment...in this present and precious moment.
sitting...in this transitory
                     transparent
                     translucent
                     transcendent
                     transformative moment.
the concoction and connection already residing inside you.
the concoction and connection already and always breathing, already and always living, inside you.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

New Life (Easter 2011) by Dean Solon

a meeting and merging of vision with precision and a big sky view.

an experiencing of the whole shebang in its infinite variety and definitive exactitude.

this...
is seeing what is and what is to be without attaching to outcome or addicting to process (and performance).
is living wthout limits, living with restraint (and integrity).
is living with all seeming paradoxes and without confusion.
this...
is a path requiring practice and purpose, and humility.
is a way of walking as shaman-self and as spiritual friend.
is a journey of participating in time and space without adhering to time and space.
is a coming to personal realizatiom and liberation, to awakening and enlightenment, and is a coming to compassion for all living beings, in any and every form and expression.
this...
is offering and receiving gentleness with oneself.
is attaching no importance to any of all of this.
this...
is being here and now, and being anywhen and everywhere.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Earth Day by Dean Solon

one hand on the earth.

one hand on the earth, which grounds us, supports us, graces us with life and with presence. 

one hand resting on the earth, provider of sustenance, provider of constant companionship during all the moments of our being alive, here.

sitting quietly on the earth, breathing, breathing, feeling a resonating, feeling a connecting and a connection. 

sitting quietly, here, now, every day an earth day.

sitting quietly, witnessing the mystery of this, offering gratitude for this.

sitting quietly, one hand on the earth. 

Thursday, March 24, 2011

A Reminder, A Review by Dean Solon

what each of us is seeking, is always here, has always been here.  the light shines in you and through you, the warmth radiates in you and through you.  as you proceed on the life journey, an openness and a spaciousness unfolds, and a place of centering becomes "available" to you.  this place, this space, includes experiences of feeling you are waking up, includes experiences of feeling connected and connecting, includes experiences of being saved (of feeling "i was lost, and now, i'm found").

what each of us is seeking, is always here, has always been here.  you are a jewel.  you are a jewel...in a sea of jewels.  your experience of living, of being, becomes more in and of the present moment, allowing a possibility of more sensitivity, more intensity, and---thank God---more patience, more tolerance, and more humor with your own predicament, and with the predicamant of others.

what you are seeking, is always here, has always been here.  like all other human beings, you are never more than a moment away from awakening into clarity, bliss...
enlightenment.

let's sit with this...

be with this...

 

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Poetry by Dean Solon

the universe is poetry, and we who are humans find poetry demanding, and difficult to process and understand.

we feign ignorance, pretend to be asleep, because we are hiding...we are running [away]...we are addicting to drugs or drama.

we are anxious that we will be found, will be discovered, will be judged harshly
OR will be re-awakened and be reminded
AND will remember who we are:
magicians in a world of magic,
each of us with wands, casting spells and uttering oaths
and waking up princesses and princes from deep sleeps
to remember who they are:
prophets, shamans, teachers, poets,
so that they---we---may understand the universe,
which is poetry.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

The Words Of Shantideva by Dean Solon

"May the fearful become fearless;
 May those oppressed by grief find joy;
 May those who are anxious
 Be rid of their anxiety and feel secure.

 May health come to the sick;
 May they be free from every bondage;
 May those who are weak find strength,
 Their minds tender towards each other.

 As long as space remains,
 As long as sentient beings remain,
 Until then, may I too remain
 And help dispel the miseries of the world."

                                                                     (Bodhicaryavatara, Chapter X)
                                                                 

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

In The Loop by Dean Solon

sitting...with the web.

with a web, extending outwards into the furthermost reaches of the Great Big Sky universe.  with a thread, connecting all expression and forms of the cosmos, gossamer-like lattice linking everything and every one.

each of us a piece, a portal, a presence.  each of us tuning in and tuned in.  each of us in the mix, each in the flow, each of us in the loop.  the web, a thread connecting, linking, all that is...as Mind, as Consciousness, as White Light, as Sensitivity, as Being.

seeing it, feeling it, being it, now.  present-moment alertness and awareness of the web---THIS web of being---now.

being awake to and with and as the web not-limiting to some future moment or to some distant lifetime;  seeing this, feeling this, being this...now.

space-time continuum, as the nearly infinite rays of the sun, unfolding, converging, presenting, here, now.

you in the flow, you in the loop.  you are the flow, you are the loop.  you are the web, you are the thread.  you are a piece, a portal, a presence.

you a presence in a vast, expansive and expanding, nearly-infinite ocean of Presence.




sitting, some indeterminate time later, with a vow of intention:
     "As long as space endures
      As long as sentient beings remain
      May i too abide
      And dispel the miseries of the world"
                                                                                           (Shantideva)

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Exploring by Dean Solon

each of us encouraged
to be living a grounded and grounding life
as what is presenting is an earth-plane experience
of no ground, no floor.

each of us is born into THIS.
each of us enters into this which is mysterious and surprising, comes into this which is unexpected and unforeseen...yet somehow familiar.
each of us is born into this,
without a visible road map,
and told to explore.
exploring, it is easy to forget you are exploring.
experimenting, it is easy to forget you are experimenting.
exploring and experimenting, it may be easy to forget, in this world with a nearly infinite possibility of activities, of experiences, of dramas and of distractions...is within each of us a nearly infinite ocean of possibility.
within you is a world of mystery and surprise, is a world of awe and splendor.  within you is a possibilty of experiencing connection.  within you is who you were as you came into this life, and who you are now:
a being of light and warmth.  a being who is, in your heart of hearts, loving and kind, compassionate and merciful, peaceful and joyful.

exploring and experimenting...holding lightly not tightly...
always awaking into this present moment,
always being born into THIS.