Poetry Springin' from My Soul!

The Ceiling at the tomb of Hafiz
Photo from Roozbeh Taassob @ Wikimedia Commons

A couple of months ago I was reading Hafiz every morning to kick start my day. His poetry really helps to put a spring in my step, I highly recommend it. Anyway I began to notice some poetry sneaking into my journal writing and it was definitely Hafiz inspired stuff. I liked it so I thought that I would share it with all y'all! Let me know whatchya think.

Wherever I go,
the dance unfolds in front of me
like a lively
circus
of
light


As the joy deepens
I awaken to the sound of your heart beating
in my chest.

I open my eyes and giggle to see you...
wreaking silly havoc
all around
me!

Ahhhh Hafiz! You've gotten under my skin and into my heart & pen! Thanks for such incredible inspiration and love! Oh and Thanks to Daniel Ladinsky too! His translations channel your amazing grace!

Sending Y'all My Hearty Joy!

For almost a year and a half I have had heart shapes appearing all around me. They started about six months after I watched "The Secret" for the first time. I've written about them in past posts, here and on LipstickHippie.com, so I'm not going into great detail about it here but you can see them if you search for "heart" on either blog. I just wanted to share a couple that I found recently. I don't photograph all of the hearts that I find but once in awhile I am inspired to grab my camara and document my crazy heart story!


This toothpaste heart I have tried to recreate and I haven't even come close. I was talking to my cousin on the telephone and getting ready to go out at the same time when I looked down and this little gem was looking back up at me! I took the photo while I was still on the phone with my cousin. The funny thing with this one was that we were talking about the hearts a few moments before this showed up. I'm glad that I use cinnamon toothpaste, it's so pretty! And check out the cloud heart in the column to your right (scroll up or down a bit, depending on when you read this.) That one is pretty amazing!

Saying Goodbye to Mae

Years ago, when I was living in Santa Fe, I decided that I wanted to have a dog. I have a crazy parrot and he'd always been scared of other animals so I wanted to find a small dog that he could get used to more easily. I decided a Chihuahua or Chi mix would be perfect for Oscar and me so I went online and found Chihuahua Rescue and Transport. I filled out an adoption application and crossed my fingers. Shortly thereafter I received news of a scheduled visit from a CRT representative to make sure that my home was suitable for one of the rescued dogs. Two women and two Chihuahuas arrived at my home in the Spring of 2000 and one Chihuahua and two women left that day. I had not been told that they were bringing a potential dog so it was a wonderful surprise when Mae burst into my life bringing love and joy with her. The moment that she jumped out of the car she ran right to me as though she were arriving home after a long journey. The two women were flabbergasted because apparently this was not normal behavior for the dog they'd been calling "Mandy". The moment that I sat down that gorgeous little dog jumped from the floor, up into my lap and directly into my heart.

I found out that day that Mae had been found running by the side of the highway in Las Cruces, New Mexico by a kindly truck driver. Apparently she did not try to run away from the driver when he stopped to pick her up. Mae was a dog on a mission. She'd been terribly malnourished and she'd had heartworm and mange. Mae was taken in and healed of all of her maladies and then delivered to my door at the approximate age of seven and a half. Since that time she's driven across the country to NYC, she's flown to Miami, Austin, Paris and the Island of Capri in Italy. My wonderful little bean was adored by numerous people and animals all around the world.

On the morning of February 3rd, 2008, last Sunday, Mae went to the hospital and did not leave. Mae is in my heart and I take comfort in the feeling that we will most certainly meet again. I love you Mae, now and forever.

I lost my kitten, Little Buddy, almost exactly one year ago Below is an excerpt from a post I'd written at that time about dealing with pet loss;

I have found that some people do not understand the grief that I feel. "Psychologists have long recognized that the grief suffered by pet owners after their pet dies is the same as that experienced after the death of a person. The death of a pet means the loss of a non-judgmental love source." ~ Margaret Muns DVM

There are books about it and support websites to help with the grief and feelings of guilt. If any of you have lost a pet, and are finding that you feel tremendous grief and/or guilt, there are some links below that may help you. I find "The Rainbow Bridge" to be particularly comforting to read. It may sound silly but it does bring hope to my heart.

May you abide in joy one and all.

http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm

http://www.petloss.com/muns.htm

http://www.chihuahua-rescue.com/

Green Really is the New Black

Going green basically means thinking in terms of lessening the waste that we create and creating less of an impact on our environment. There are many simple and manageable things that we can do everyday that add up to huge change. Saving electricity by unplugging any charger that is not in use is a great beginning. Changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs not only saves electricity but it also reduces the amount of waste because they do not need to be replaced as often as incandescent bulbs. Buying local... anything, saves petroleum and supports local business growth. Recycle your grocery bags or even better buy re-usable bags and put all of your old plastic bags in the re-cycling bins that are popping up in grocery stores and pharmacies. This saves a lot of plastic and it will also reduce the amount of plastic that is produced in the future. Of course turning off any lights or appliances that are not being used is so easy and yet so important. Turning off the faucet when you are not actually using the water. All of these things are great ways to begin to lessen our carbon footprint on this planet.

I have found that as I begin to do these small things my attitude towards waste is changing. Every time I am about to put something into the garbage I pause and ask myself if there is not perhaps another purpose for the item. Over the holidays I found so many ways to recycle that I'd never thought of before. I glued wrapping paper from presents received to cardboard from unusable gift boxes and then I cut them out, punched a hole in the top, put a piece of re-used ribbon through the hole and they became 100% recycled gift tags. Catalogs that I never wanted have become a wealth of images to collage into gift cards and boxes. Old wine bottles are turned into vases and water bottles for the dinner table. I have found that ideas just start popping into my head throughout the day. The amazing thing is that with most of my recycling and re-using I almost always end up saving time, money and gas. The idea of disposable anything should really cease to exist. Old t-shirts make great cleaning rags and cloth napkins add elegance to any meal while saving paper...

Alternative fuels and power sources are a piece of the puzzle but, contrary to popular belief, our petroleum burning cars are not the biggest culprit in global warming. Cows, sheep and other farm animals are contributing huge amounts of methane gas to the atmosphere through burps and flatulence. According to Sara Lewis of The Argus, cow's four chambered stomachs cause them to release enough methane in one day to fill 40 party balloons, from flatulence alone. Lewis goes on to report that one kilo of methane gas warms the earth 23 times as much as the same mass of carbon dioxide. Take a moment to consider the amount of wasted meat in grocery stores, in restaurants and in our own homes. So, in my opinion, one highly effective way to go green is to put a higher value on the meat that we eat. Buy local organic meat if you can, if not then purchase the highest quality meat and buy only what will be consumed. If we all begin to treat red meat as a luxury food item the number of methane emitting animals will lessen, the quality of the meat we buy will heighten and we will all be healthier to boot. Of course if you want to be really green then just stop eating meat altogether.

Our concept of recycling needs to grow far beyond bottles, cans, clothing and cell phones. Many people are wanting to build themselves brand new green homes but the reality is that when you take an old house and green it up you are recycling that house which is saving a huge amount of waste and energy. Driving a used car that runs on bio-diesel is a whole lot more sustainable than buying a brand new hybrid. We just simply need to let go of the idea that everything we own must be brand new. If every person on the planet bought a new car every year we would be living in a parking lot in no time at all. Perhaps it would help if we changed our perception of what it looks like to be successful. That should be really easy since green really is the new black, it's terribly cool to be green.

The long and short of it is, in my opinion, the best way to go green is the way that works best for each individual. Trying to do it all at once will likely result in overwhelm which generally leads to giving up. So start with the changes that seem manageable to you and grow from there. If you have the desire to change and you take the first steps, you will be amazed at the ideas and inspiration that will come to you. And last but certainly not least, share your ideas and your enthusiasm. Write, blog and talk about what you are doing. Be the example, the inspiration for others. "Be the change that you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

Why Ask Why?

Imagine if you deliberately paused for just a moment before choosing to take action and asked yourself why? What paths would change in your life? Today I paused before choosing angry words and instead I chose to express pain. Each action becomes more deliberate and has more meaning when we pause for even a millisecond to evaluate our choice. I choose my actions and my reactions and when I remember to choose consciously I lessen the drama and heighten the quality.

Oprah's Incredible Gift of Inspiration!

My dvr is set to record Oprah every day so that later I may pick and choose which episodes I want to watch by reading the episode description. Recently I was baffled... an entire show dedicated to YouTube.com celebrities. It seemed pretty off the wall to me. So, of course, I decided to check it out and I am once again amazed by Oprah's vision, understanding and powers of inspiration. A topic that seemed at first to be trite and a little bizarre turned out to be incredibly moving and inspirational. Several people on the show were simply following their bliss and through the magic of YouTube.com their dreams and beyond became their reality in no time at all. It was a beautiful affirmation of the Law of Attraction. Self effort and grace will bring us more than we could ever hope for when we learn; how to truly allow ourselves to dream, how to ask for our dreams, and finally, how to love ourselves enough to allow our dreams to come true. It sounds easy but it does require a good deal of love for one's self, a plethora of faith, and a wee bit of motivation. Mix 'em up in your tummy and dreams will come true folks! And if at first you don't succeed keep on tryin' and I promise that when you get the recipe just right it really does work.

Power Animals! Who'd A Thunk It?

I have been a creature lover since... the beginning of time! I love all creatures except for mosquitoes (sorry mosquitoes!). Once, when I was very young, I was strolling down the street with my family in Provincetown, MA when suddenly they realized I was no longer walking with them. (In those days this was not quite as alarming as it would be today.) My family backtracked and found me in a biker-y bar hugging a Great Dane. I saw him and just walked right in and latched on without so much as backwards glance! Also, I have always talked to creatures. Not like an animal communicator, I just talk to them. I like to think they get the drift but, if nothing more, I suppose that they feel my respect and love. It is my wish that every creature feel these things. Anyway, as usual, I digress and digress and...

If you've followed either of my blogs you will note that eagles come up quite often. I have a whole mess of em living near me and flyin' around above me. I see them pretty much every day now. I find that I actually feel incredibly strong feelings of love, gratitude, peace and joy when I see them. I also feel power surging through my being. Not wild raw power but what I can only describe as graceful liquid power. Often times I will see them when I am doing my yoga practice on the grass and it's like drinking a power drink. Seriously. I am not certain if my words do the experience justice. Alas! I only have my words to convey my feelings!

So, the other day several eagles came flying across the lake and I stopped to gaze upon their glory. I was pondering my infatuation with these majestic creatures and it occurred to me that eagles really and truly are my power animal! My mom had a boutique for many years that sold Native American art and 'stuff' and I've read plenty of books that include references to and stories about such things, so power animals are not a new concept for me. However, until I had this experience I honestly never really understood how real they actually are. I do indeed get power from seeing them. Whether they are 30 feet away or a mile I get the same intense jolt every single time I see them. It's very difficult to take my eyes away from them. Now, as much as I love creatures, I've never had this reaction before. I mentioned my revelation to my dad and he said that this had occurred to him as well.

Lately I see eagles almost everywhere I go, so far, in about a sixty mile radius. I see them pretty much every time I drive. Two or three times I've had one pause for like five to ten seconds directly above my head. They truly are masters of the wind! Sometimes they fly through the yard only twelve feet or so off the ground which is very cool. Finally, I'm sure this is not as fascinating for y'all as for me, one time I had one land on a tree close by. Amazingly I'd remembered my camera, which I grabbed and walked as closely as I could get to him/her (there was a fence between us). I talked to the beauty and snapped photos for about ten minutes. (That's him/her to the right.) I figured that eagles must be making some kind of a massive comeback but I looked online and so far I've found no information supporting an eagle boom.

I decided to write a little something about my experience so I jumped online and googled power animals and found a lot of interesting info. My favorite site is Shamanism ~ Working With Animal Spirits Core. They have a list of animals and their particular wisdom. It's a beautiful site and quite informative as well. Here is what the site says about Bald Eagle;

Bald Eagle's Wisdom Includes:

• Swiftness

• Strength

• Courage

• Wisdom

• Keen sight

• Illumination of Spirit

• Healing

• Creation

• Knowledge of magick

• Ability to see hidden spiritual truths

• Rising above the material to see the spiritual

• Ability to see the overall pattern

• Connection to spirit guides and teachers

• Great power and balance

• Dignity with grace

• Ability to see the "big picture"

• Connection with higher truths

• Intuitive and creative spirit

• Respect for the boundaries of the regions

• Grace achieved through knowledge and hard work

It's pretty cool. I actually do have really keen sight. When I go to the eye doctor they tell me to read until I can't read anymore and then they always stop me and tell me to stop showing off! I've been told my insight ain't too bad either! And as for the rest of the list, well, I definitely have the capacity for all of them and I would certainly like to cultivate those qualities and fully realize and embrace their potential in myself! What a truly wonderful life!

Through my further research on the subject I found out that we may have several power animals looking out for us and they can change over time. When we disconnect from one we may form a new bond with a new friend! I remembered having feelings similar to my eagle 'infatuation' with Pelicans, oddly enough! And at that time a Pelican landed about a foot away from me and just sat there for about ten minutes. I felt so incredibly privileged but I did not consider the possibility that he was a messenger or helper. Duh! So, today, I clicked on Pelican and here's what it said;

Pelican's Wisdom Includes:

• Proper use of abundance
• Control of ego
• Recovery from loss
• Ability to float through emotions
• Ability to return from the edge of extinction

I was going through a very difficult time with my (now) ex-husband when Pelican came to call. We were having some money troubles and I was beginning to see that he had some very serious personality issues that I'd not realized before. It's hard to explain but when I read this list the whole Pelican experience made sense to me. I still love Pelicans and I hope that they will always be here to help me out! So there you have it, gang, power animals are very real... So if you see a creature and have a strong emotional response, check out Shamanism ~ Working With Animal Spirits Core. They might have something very interesting to convey!