Arrival

The forest is gently swaying and creaking. I can still see across to the opposite slope, but not for long – the leaves are nearly half cast. The trees have awoken and authored their dreams in this surface world of space and form. The branches are reaching out to taste the air and join the wind. The warblers’ calls fill the empty space that wasn't there until they sang.

April Heat

A magnificent silver cloud is glowing white around the edges. The mountain is a dark hulk of ancient rock behind a screen of lime-green pubescent leaves. A breeze plays around in the treetops, warm and wild, but is gentle where I sit. The air is not spicy even though it’s hot; it carries the faint scent of quickly decaying leaves in the northern forest. Despite this warmth, there is stillness, like we are still waiting for full awakening. The warblers are not here yet (one day away) and we’re waiting for them to sing the abundance of our sister continents. Today, it is surprising new growth turning into flower. The violets dot the yard like perfect amethyst gemstones. The sun outside the cloud is pleasantly hot on shins and face.

White Pine Forest

Tiny pink firebombs
Jewels of the white-pine forest
Old and wizened spring.

Between Air and Water

There’s a fine mist falling. The light is dimmed. It’s soothing. I want to be where the soft rush of water falls through the air. Brushing past the air molecules and pulling them downward, charging them with the energy of friction.

Early Spring

The sun is warming
the air still cool
what moves the most
is wind in the pines
everything else
is building strength
and waiting.

Which Way?

I've tried to investigate many different traditions, secular and non-secular, to see if any feels like a perfect fit. I recently read an interview with Stanley Kripner. He doesn't deny the reality of so-called psychic phenomena or subtle energy, but doesn't think it's supernatural either. He keeps an anthropological perspective on individual traditions. What I take away from this is that my individual experiences are legitimate in their own right. Anybody in this western culture at this point in time is a pioneer of their own way. I don't need to join anything just to give legitimacy to my practice. To the extent I am able, my practice involves following the lead of dreams, visions, and instinct and what comes through, contained within the body and stance of the witness.