Soul Magnet

He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how. – Nietzsche My earliest memory is lying on my back in my baby crib, with no separation between my self and the world. Attracted by the three primary colors of red, yellow and blue, I wordlessly watched the gently swaying bird mobile …

3 Steps to a Natural High

The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience. – Frank Herbert We are natural beings. Although human existence is enhanced by technological artifice, our essence is affixed to the natural world. There are far too many artificial means to escape rather than embrace reality. Disconnect and unravel the illusions. …

Be Led by Your Dreams

Standing on the bare ground,–my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space,–all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or parcel of God. – Ralph Waldo Emerson Nature holds a myriad of …

Soaring Eagle Spirit

Powerful winds were blowing this morning here on the Pacific Northwest coast. As I walked onto the beach I glanced up to see this majestic eagle gliding gracefully above me. I think of my departed World War Two veteran Dad whenever I see an eagle on the beach. The day he died, I went to …

On Frozen Sands

In a world where death is the hunter, my friend, there is no time for regrets or doubts. There is only time for decisions. – Carlos Castaneda Winter’s biting winds blur the fine line between life and death. Just like life, no matter how bundled up against the unexpected we may be, an unexpected chill …

On a Perpetual Journey

I tramp a perpetual journey. – Walt Whitman The pulse of change throbs away within the journey of the human spirit. Occasionally, a subtle shift in the ethereal breeze triggers primitive instincts. Intangible forces raise the hairs on the back of the neck and stipple the forearms with goosebumps. Ancient longings squeeze the skull and …

Reverie

{In a new style of prose-poetry} I stand unadorned before the Universe Poised at the threshold Betwixt the boundaries of water and sky Supplicating in solitude Awaiting redemption Within the gyres of uncertainty Astride the fundamental boundary There is only now Not then or when or how Spirit-wings sprout fully formed The celestial updraft lifts …

Creating Yourself Anew

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. – George Bernard Shaw Where are you from? This is one of the first things people ask when they try to get to know one another. But this simple question can be one of the most difficult to answer. I read an interesting article the …

A Poem of Valediction

The glistening torii gate framed the lush sanctuary like a vermilion sentinel. Dawn’s silver silence was fractured by stuttering footsteps on rough slate. A cinnabar leaf clung to the stone lantern drawing the eye upward. Across the koi pond joyful sunbeams ignited the recently transplanted laceleaf maples. Crimson radiance dripped onto the mossy rocks like …

20 Ways to Increase Happiness

My wife and I were apart for eight months during the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic. She was in China, having returned for her father’s funeral, and I was here in the US. After the horrible winter, I began preparing our garden to put my mind at ease. I wanted to do something special for …