In Praise of a Rose

And the Rose that I speak of is, of course, the one and only, Rose Rosetree. It's been on the backburner of my consciousness for quite some time now, to give credit to this particular someone, who has given so much to so many in countless, unheralded ways. What prize can be given to a woman, who gives hope to those in despair, encouragement to those who are discouraged, clarity to those in doubt, and support to those on the brink of discovery?

There are Emmys and Oscars and Nobel Prizes, but what, in deed, is appropriate for someone who has so many spiritual gifts and shares them all so generously with her fellow man? Her wisdom, her joy and her beauty of soul improve this world immeasurably! The only phrase that comes to mind is "Well done, my good and gentle servant, well done!"

I would encourage anyone who has experienced this lovely human being to share their thoughts and comments. Perhaps we can put a blush on the lovely Rose.

Blessings to all

God Yelled in my Ear..Ouch!

Did you ever notice that you never see a picture of Jesus smiling, or for that matter any other saint or spiritual personage? This sort of puzzles me. Is it because we like to think of our gods as serious and celestial, maybe detached and most definitely above the likes of us? Wouldn't you think that Jesus must have had tremendous charisma to accomplish what he did, and for me that means smiling-perhaps even a smile on the magnitude of say Tom Cruise's or Joel Osteen's. No, I don't think he could have saved a single soul without convincing the multitudes that the kind of joy that he radiated could be their's also.

It seems to me that when anyone speaks about religion (if one even dares) everyone seems to get all weird and serious and clammer into opposing corners -closing eyes and silently shouting "don't touch me, don't change me, I'm standing my ground!!". Relax, I have no intention of doing that. If there's one thing I don't like it's trying to change people. It's not worth the trouble that it invariably invites. I'm merely expressing a thought process that came rumbling through my head. If this train of thought stops at your station , feel free to hop on board or wait for a train going in your direction. It's all ok with me.

Right now, a Charlton Heston like voice is sounding in my head and saying "And God created man in his own image" Does that mean my image is the same as God's? Joseph Campbell seems to believe that man is more likely to create God in his own image. I don't want to get too deep here, but when you look at the mess of the world today, there appears to be quite a bit of evidence to support that claim. Following that train of thought, the aspect of God that I'm connecting with today is a God with a sense of humor.

God has many aspects, of course, but in this moment, I'm relating to this one because of an experience I had last week. I was pondering a spiritual question-nothing major, just what was the correct position to take and how to deal with this minor spiritual dilemma. I spent the better part of the day dwelling intently on this issue. We are guided by that "wee, small voice"from within, so I was sort of listening for that, when a rather loud voice boomed in my ear-"You seriously need to lighten-up!" Taken aback somewhat, I pursued my inner dialogue. I said "Lord, don't you want me to take the right position here and do the right thing?" God said "absolutely, not, if you take the right position, that mean somebody has the wrong position. We don't need anymore of people taking positions. Look where that's gotten you. People have been killing each other all through the ages because of overthinking issues and taking positions. No I don't want any more of that." I said " Well, then how am I going to know what to do?" God responded, when the time is right, trust me, I'll advise you, just forget about all that thinking!"

"In the meantime, what about that bargain we had?" "What bargain is that God?" "The one where I agreed to give you life and you agreed to give me your life experiences. Well, if you think I want to experience overthinking and right and wrong positioning, you're sorely mistaken. Didn't I give you lots of stuff to enjoy? Get out there and love the world and let it reflect back to me. Give me something new, exciting, original. That's what I really want. "

"OK, sounds good to me God. By the way would you like, by any chance, to experience that piece of chocolate cream pie that's sitting in my refrigerator?"
"Sorry, you're on your own with that one." "Ice-cream- how about ice-cream?

"Nope-sorry!...... Mortals-you really do need a sense of humor to deal with them.

The Cosmic Landscape

The Cosmic Landscape
Personal— Posted by: Lilylady @ 04/07/2006,Friday 11:13
Spring has arrived and much like a child on Christmas morning, I have arrived once again at my dining room window to view the goings-on in my beloved garden. I carefully note all the beautiful life forms taking shape and busily playing their parts in the "Cosmic Landscape". How dutiful they are-they never seem to miss a beat.
However, today, my attention rested, also, on the dead leaves which are collecting in various nooks and crannies, awaiting their removal by someone (guess who???). Oh, no, how can there be crunchy dead stuff in my beautiful garden? As my mind grasped this scene, I wondered, "Am I doing this in my life, as well?" I questioned myself "How often do we all do this-trying to "bring forth" -creating the new and beautiful-without fully cleaning up the "crunchy dead stuff" in our lives. Perhaps we all have "lifeless leaves" pushed out of the way-into the recesses of our minds and hearts.
Just as a garden requires attention and love, even a well-lived life needs its share of weeding and hoeing, as well. I view my garden as a harmonious painting. Flowers, trees, bushes, grasses all need to blend harmoniously in color and form. For me, "The whole is the sum of its parts." is a personal mantra. I will often pluck out a flower because it's just not right with the rest of the picture. The "little upstart" usually gets planted in another location where it plays better.
We too, as humans, are part of a "Cosmic Order". Each of us plays a note in the "Cosmic Orchestra". It's our only part, small,perhaps, in the grand scheme of things, but without that individual sound the Whole is not complete.
Our unique Note cries out to be heard, so let us rid ourselves of the accumulated "dead stuff"-whatever it is, so that note will be a " joyous sound unto the Lord."

Perfect Moments

03/20/2006,Monday
Perfect Moments
Personal— Posted by: Lilylady @ 03/20/2006,Monday 15:24
Have you ever thought about life as a series of moments, strung together, much like pearls on a necklace or beads on a rosary? I can assure you I never did until recently when I had a most, wonderful, unique experience, which I dubbed, for want of any other term, a "Perfect moment".
Now, I know we have all had perfect moments in our lives-such a weddings, births and other precious experiences, but that's not what I'm writing about. such moments are planned and event-centered, they don't just fall on you, like some fabulous accident. Even meditative moments, as blissful, as they can be, are anticipated or atleast hoped for.
Let me describe my most recent experience with these elusive little specks of time. Last month I was sitting in my car, outside the Fairfax courthouse, awaiting my husband's return after doing some work there. Anticipating a half an hour wait, I settled into a relaxed position in the front seat, appreciating the quiet that surrounded me, when I became, suddenly very aware of the sunlight pouring into the front windshield. It had a lovely warm quality and bathed the car with radiant light. I was enclosed in a protective coccon, much like a babe in its mother's womb. I reached for a small Mandarin orange, which I had brought along. Even that seemed to have a heightened, vibrant color, its dimpled skin taking on an interesting depth and complexity. I delighted in the tangy, sweetness on my tongue. There was a perfect hamony about all of it. There was a pervading sense of timelessness, as though a little bit of eternity slipped through a crack in time and space. I smiled to myself and whispered, "That was a perfect moment"!
If I had been an artist this probably would have become a painting, but instead it has become a written portrait of a unique experience. I couldn't help but wonder how many of these beautiful moments slip by us, unnoticed as we rush through our busy days. A casual observer of this scene, would see only the exterior experience (a woman eating an orange, etc.), but one who lives from an inner perspective invites supreme joy from even the most insignificant moments. One can never plan or anticipate such experiences, for much like the Tao, the minute you think you know what it is, it's no longer that. Our minds take over, rather than our sense of being.
I guess I've always been a "moment person", I just hadn't realized it. From early childhood I had the habit of "freeze-framing" moments, so I could capture them and keep them forever in a little storage chamber in my mind-available to me anytime , untouched in their perfection. Such moments, I feel are better than memories, which alter and change with time. I thought this was quite an unusual thing that I did, until recently, when my daughter gifted me with a book about the Spanish artist, Velazqez. Some of his paintings, to my amazement, I immediately identified with. They had a highly unusual perspective. They showed an ordinary, mundane activity as the focal point of the picture, while a very extraordinary historical or religious event was occurring in the deminished background. What was actually in the mind of this artist, I'm not sure, but it made me think- that perhaps the transient and the intransient, the ordinary and the extraordinary are always a part of any given moment, much like two sides of a coin, inextricably linked. To be part of one is to be part of the other-the only difference being one's perspective and sensitivity.

Catching the Wave -from the 13th Floor

I often wonder why I love Virginia Beach so much. I believe it's because the energy here is so exhilarating and uplifting. It's a place where people come, not only to observe the beauty of the sea, the sand, the sky, but to intentionally interact with them.From my condo on the 13 th floor I have a unique vantage point on this lovely little microcosm. There is life unfolding everywhere and every minute. There are young people, old people, children clutching sand buckets, fisherman and surfers, cyclers and skaters, fog horns and boats of all shapes and sizes. The sights and sounds are dazzling and delightful. It's LIFE and we all need to be caught up in it, whether at Virginia Beach or in wonderful, little microcosms of our own choosing.

Beneath my window the surfers have gathered once again and the morning ritual begins. Good weather, bad weather, they gravitate to the ocean, much like the salmon which spawn upstream. In their shiny, black wet suits they paddle out on their surfboards to await the perfect moment and the perfect wave.

Patiently, silently they wait and wait some more. The silence borders on a sort-of surreal reverence. Then it appears- the wave, the perfect one they had hoped for-they clammer one by one to their feet, balancing upon their boards(even if only for a few moments), they glide magically upon the surface of the water. Truly, they are a perfect example of man in harmony with nature, a literal "going with the flow". Total immersion in an experience-how joyful.

The view from the 13th floor gets better still! Off to the left of the surfers by only a few yards, I see movement upon the surface of the ocean, and yes I see it again. I grab my binoculars to confirm the sighting of dolphins, a whole school of them. Black and shiny, they too, are performing their own little rituals of joy. I'm not sure if they are aware of the surfers or if the surfers are aware of them, but, for me, a strange parallel seems to exist here.

The people on the beach are involved in their own activities and don't seem to see the dedicated surfers or the wondrous dolphins (even though they are quite close to shore), but from the 13th floor the perspective is much more encompassing.

We do this in our own lives, don't we? How often do we fail to see the whole picture because we're so engrossed with ourselves and our limited environment and limited vision. Like mice in a maze, we can't find our way because we can only see what is just in front of us, but if we could look down from above, a higher perspective, how easy it all would be. It's my hope that we all catch the wave, take it from me, it's so much easier with a 13th floor perspective.