time slows down, just like a train
entering the service station, as
light refracts off a mix of glass diamonds…
cut differently all,
as colors bleed through them,
and out the other side,
pouring love into the universe, by design…
we watch
with rapt awe and attention,
as love is transmitted via the chrysalis,
through the atmospheric tension,
and into the hearts of every part of living creation…
Photo by Pixabay
houses made
of straw, and
fortresses,
created
on the shifting
sands of time,
without knowing
of another relevant
offering.
ensues,
instability,
during,
the most
prestigious
journey,
of a life lived, of
love known,
and loss
betrothed.
wedded,
hand-in-hand,
we search for reasons,
contemplate
the faltering, and
fight
the quell
on the inside.
battling back,
we retrace
our steps,
and begin to create
new foundations,
one brick at
a time;
laying them
one upon another,
in a fantastic
lattice,
of love
and honor.
If you’ve not yet checked out Astha’s Anthology, Utmost Feelings, well, you can now order it online. Here’s where you can find it:
Paperback-
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/9390817455
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/9390817455
Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/9390817455
Amazon FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/9390817455
Amazon ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/9390817455
Amazon IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/9390817455
Amazon JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/9390817455
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/9390817455
Ebook
Payhip- https://payhip.com/b/DjE8x
Kobo Books- https://www.kobo.com/in/en/ebook/utmost-feelings
B&N Press- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/utmost-feelings-astha-srivastava/1139758293?ean=2940162372431
Additionally, the coauthors of Astha’s Anthology, Utmost Feelings, are creating a space for people to send their sentiments to Astha’s family.
If you are interested, please add your sentiments to this form, thank you, and stay blessed.
I’ve been reflecting a lot upon the concept purpose the past few weeks, and, whereas I’ve not come up with any real new conclusions about purpose, I do have a few reflections to share with you. Ready? Okay, here we go.
Let’s first define the concept.
purpose noun
the intention, aim or function of something; the thing that something is supposed to achieve
Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries
There we go.
While I understand this definition, it leaves me feeling a little wanting. Meaning, while I understand the definition perfectly well, I think it can set us up for heartbreak if we’re not careful.
For instance, what happens if the “something that is supposed to [be] achieved,” is not achieved. Then what? Hm.
I have a different way to think about purpose; and it consists of three basic concepts.
When we are fully present, each moment lives and breathes with a purpose all it’s own. Thinking about purpose this way is not about “achievement.” It’s not about striving or seeking anything. It’s about being present to what is, accepting it with an open heart and mind, and then taking the actions necessary to create anew in each moment.
Thinking about purpose this way, eliminates the need for something specific to happen. Instead, each moment something unexpected can occur, and we can accept it, and create our life anew from that space.
That is powerful, empowering, and purposeful.
This poem is a collaboration with DiosRaw, which is a wonderfully insightful website, and inspirational blog. I had a great time writing this poem with Amber. We hope you enjoy it!
Disguised within
the might of words lies silence
that speaks
inwardly, with
a spark reserved for the rendering
of our collective hearts.
Beneath
the surface,
the
words we ink, spill our surrender into authentic seeing
between
the spaces in momentum being, created inside that expanse at your center.
Be clear, my dear,
the way of opening is already
here,
just take a look at those concepts
you hold close,
transcending
into non-dual consciousness,
meaningful
and meaningless abstractions superimpose.
One on top of the other,
in a dance of mutuality and
complete singularity, so
breathe in deep, be silent,
and let those words go.
Do not mock a pain you have not endured,
you walk in shoes of yours
to express into words
the meaning of experience you chose,
once adopted these concepts we call words,
live a life of their own, dancing from within to the
page in a steady stream of consciousness
via the law of attraction, instead of simple reaction.
Reflected in the multifaceted mirror,
scattered fractals of the all,
squeezing the essence of awareness into our scripts,
fear not your own beauty in your creations,
for the dancer creates the dance to be danced.
We hold ourselves
Together
In every type of weather
Stormy clouds, or
Cloudless skies
Full of never-ending
Setting suns
We resist
And hold true
To what we believe
Is the most important
Function
Of our desired reluctance
Sheltering ourselves
Against a foe
Feared
Of an imagined destructive
Compunction
Set to crack the
Facade
Created from the beginning
Of our earthly existence
And while we express
Our resistance
We move
Further
Away
From our true coexistence
You, me, and all of thee
Let the light shine
From within you
And give way
To all that
Beauty
Because my friend,
As we allow
Ourselves
To break
We begin to understand
That this is not the
Last stand, no
Rather
It is the beginning
Of a new life
Not predicated
On holding back
But, rather, only ever
On moving forward,
Creating
All that’s within us
And allowing ourselves
The freedom
To break as often as needed
Happy Sunday.
It’s in our hands,
Yours and mine,
A sublime undertaking
With so much potential for the making
In each moment exists
That true and powerful bliss
Let us not be remiss
About that which coexists
Like a tangle of weaves
Threadbare, and
A shouldered burden everywhere
A light that shines north
In its possibilities do come forth
A beautiful spectacle
With need of many respectful glances, and
Second chances made fair, with
All that is there for the taking,
Or rather, for the making
Creativity is our highest calling
People say, and yet we spend more time
Forestalling that which we know is our true nature
Which is also quite grand and sprawling
Believing instead in
Disconnection and separateness as truthful
When they are in fact quite deceitful
Listen my friends
To that which you know, and
Be bold, for it is not to dear to hold
Close to heart and use to make that grand start
For creation is there in every moment
Breathless and sweet as the afternoon breeze
A prize for our enjoyment
Use with care, and
Never be wary, nor tarry too long
Rather be daring, adventurous, and strong
And, in this moment?
Begin to create the life of your longing
Phew, what a week. All across the country we are still seeing rises in the COVID-19 virus. As I’ve mentioned, most of my extended family lives in Los Angeles, and the virus incident rate is particularly high there right now.
It’s a lot for everyone to bear right now. A lot. Know that even when you feel like you are the only one feeling anxious, sad, confused, angry, frustrated, or any other emotion that arises; you are not alone.
We all feel. We all feel the same emotions. They come and go, here one moment, then gone the next. Normal human experience.
This week I was feeling particularly blocked. No real writing ideas were forthcoming. Frustrating. And, as I’ve written about in other posts, this happens to us all. You can insert whatever medium you like here, arts, science, it doesn’t matter. We all get blocked. Stuck.
Mm. Took me about two days to figure it out, which means that I continued to do my day like always, feeling overwhelmed. For me, the first indicator something is going on. Then it occurred to me. You’ve not cried at all this week.
You may be saying, jeez, it’s only Wednesday. Yet, as was aforementioned, we all have a lot to hold, handle, and deal with right now. Letting out those tears then is not only needed, it is necessary. For everyone, and especially those that live their life from a creative standpoint.
Creativity becomes blocked when we hold onto our emotions. Yep. What did I do? I cried. And, guess what? Almost immediately I had several new insights, which I am currently writing about, including this blog.
It is so interesting to write about the importance of doing our inner work, being with our emotions, probing into them, really feeling them, letting them go, and still continue to get stuck holding onto mine. A Paradox? Yes.
Happens to us all. It is part of being human. It is the pain, and WONDER about being human. It is also the continuous learning about being human.
On this Wednesday, then, I send you peace and love; and, knowing that your emotions, which may be erratic and more complex than normal due to our current reality, are not abnormal. You are just like me. And, I am just like you.
When you need to cry do so, and see what comes on the other side of those tears that are ready to pour forth.
Possibility: Noun – a thing that may happen or be the case.
I’ve been thinking more about possibility this week. What’s possible in our new landscape? Are the same things possible today, as were possible 6 months ago? Not sure? Me either, so let’s take a look.
The Art of Possibility is about creating a context. A context specific to new ways to think about old and or new problems or issues. It is about letting go of preconceived notions of what is possible in a given situation.
The psychology of possibility is rather simple. Let go of the past, be in the present, and create the future from where you stand today, seeing reality as it is. Not how we think it is, rather how it really is.
Seeing reality as it really is means being aware of our thinking patterns, and knowing when we are limiting ourselves by presuming or assuming we know all there is to know about a problem, issue, or situation we are faced with. Facutlay, humans know very little – if you don’t believe this blogger, read a little Socrates.
The sociology of possibility involves creating traction with those around us in the art of possibility. As I’ve written elsewhere, humans are social animals, and rely upon connections with other humans. It is only natural then that groups will function in accordance with the language they use to describe their shared reality. If that language is about limitation then limitation is what they will see and create. If, however, that language is about possibility, then possibility is what they will see and create.
The possibility of possibility is about remaining open to new ideas, new understanding, and letting go of the notion that we know. Seems simple, yet can be difficult, as human beings are in some ways programmed to think they know more than they do, which is where vulnerability comes in. Being open means being vulnerable.
Be vulnerable today in some way. Create and share a possibility with someone in your context, and, or create and share a possibility here. Either way, create and share. What else is there, really?
Until next time…
Develop. Inspire. Transform. 