Nature’s Secrets
The Maple tree glistens
as dewdrops kiss its leaves
passionately,
before Fall arrives again.
I listen carefully
mindful and still
to all of nature’s secrets.
My New Designs
I have ventured out to use my art in fashion accessories. Check out shopVIDA.com for more great accessories. Soon I will complete my web-page exclusively for my designs. Stay tuned. I am really excited about taking this sort of giant step.
Thank you.
Silent Haven
There is a silent haven
A marvel of a place
where words
do not matter anymore
only the stillness within me.
August 1st
Energy flows through
Sunflowers sway joyfully
As I doze off
Go With The Flow
Langston said,
“My soul has grown deep like the rivers.”
I always knew exactly what he meant.
I was very young when I first saw a river
close up and personal.
Its Rippling mesmerized me.
the moss-covered rocks
served as stepping-stones
to a safe haven.
I want to go with the flow
Feel its timeless energy,
fugitive from the craziness
and elusive like the butterfly
I ask it to overflow
abundance to those who need it the most
“My soul has grown deep like the rivers.”
Langston said.
sun rays glisten on the liquid crystal
and I listen to its secrets
and to the whispers from the heavens above
a mindful moment
“There is a river whose streams
make glad the city of God…”
And I feel at peace again.
More On Mindfulness
Out of no where I began humming “One Moment Time”, a song made popular by the late Whitney Houston during the 1988 Summer Olympics. It dawned on me that I was going back to a special one moment that was and has been very meaningful to me. It was the song chosen by my students to sing at their high school graduation. I was one of the teachers in charge of a high school graduation at the time.
The moment I played back in my mind was when the students were called up to receive their diplomas. They were all so proud of what they had achieved. Most of them had been labeled at-risk and they were so proud they had made it to graduation. These moments are the ones that matter to a teacher, parent or grand parent. It is a moment in time that does not escape one’s memory very easily.
I suppose this is a good example of what mindfulness is all about. That moment in time was to create awareness of all things around us and our own self awareness. It was the culmination of many instances that lead to the to it.
“Mindfulness is being aware of or bringing attention to this moment in time deliberately and without judging the experience.” Thus I must have been aware of many of the details of that particular event.
I must admit however, that it is a little more difficult these days to be mindful and focused in the moment. Eckhart Tolle, author of The New Earth urged us “to be in the present or in the now” where each moment counts.
In my book, Haiku Moments I try to exemplify my ideas on mindfulness with the moments expressed in haiku and some of the photographs that connected to those moments.
But again focusing on the present moment is not easy these days. There are too many distractions. However, the challenge is ours to stay focused, grounded and still. It may be that we need to start talking to each other face to face. We need to get rid of our devices and basically stay disconnected but at the same time making ourselves available to others.
Mindfulness to me means holding yourself captive so that nothing else matters.Here is my poem about mindfulness:
One moment in time
It is a magical moment,
one that you can never live again.
It is a moment well spent with a friend,
it is a time to make of yourself a masterpiece.
So that others take you in as their special moment.
A moment in time
is a deep breath
to cleanse the body
and build a spirit.
One moment in time
may connect you with your soul mate
It is a dance in which missing a step will
stop the music playing.
One moment in time is a time to be
mindful and calm,
still and in tune with nature
and your being.
It will be a “time to be free.”
Hopefully it will be the one moment for Peace and Love.
Please let me know what mindfulness is to you.
The Landscapes of My Mind
Sometimes I go to my favorite place;
silently and all alone.
no fancy name given
no signs to direct me there
no houses, no people
simply a natural space
in which to roam.
If ever you should need to go there
I will gladly show you the way
but there is one thing I must say
all you really need is to close your eyes
take three deep breaths
and wish yourself away.
* I often have dreams where I am just walking through beautiful and peaceful landscapes. The painting is one that depicts my latest dream.
On Creativity
In tune with my most recent post I decided to reblog this post when I visited the exhibit at the New York Botanical Gardens dedicated to one of my favorite artists Frida Kahlo.
“The creative mind plays with the objects it loves”
– Carl Jung
I recently visited the exhibit of Frida Kahlo at the New York Botanical Gardens. I took this picture of the desk where she painted. I imagined her sitting there looking around at her beautiful garden. I have many of her biographies and books that illustrate her work. The complexity and depth of her soul is in her work. I have different storage places for my paints, pens, pencils and brushes. These are among some of the objects I love. I see them as extensions of my mind and a creative source. All I need to do is walk by a vase full of paint brushes (the older the better) and I cannot resist the urge to create something. Sometimes I fall in…
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On Creativity and Mindfulness
I do not think one can exist without the other. We must be mindful of the creative process and what it means to be creative. Isaac Asimov once said that to be creative, “isolation was a requirement.” At times I believe this is true. But there are times I do not want to be isolated at all.
Creativity is expressed in many ways. We may have a muse or many muses to help us get inspired to create. Some of us may be so lucky to be born with a creative spirit. Some of us get this sudden flash of creativity. The proverbial “light switch” that turns on and we run with the idea hoping we did not get the idea from somewhere else. Is it possible for two people to experience the same creative flash simultaneously?
Creativity for me is almost a sacred endeavor. I believe that we must be connected to something beyond our physical reach. I taught children with the firm belief that every child was creative. It was not something I could teach them but something that was part of their being. And each child was creative in their own way. As Howard Gardner proposes we all have “multiple intelligences” that can be developed in different ways. Therefore, it would take a “creative” teacher to help this process.
So how does mindfulness play within all of this? “Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.” Thus, we are aware of the creative process and how to fulfill our creative needs.
I found a few blogs that speak to the creative process and how to develop mindfulness. I also found a few magazines that help people work through the creative process by keeping journals. One of these magazines provides you with a variety of prompts to create all kinds of art and different genres of writing.
I had not used Artrage program in a while to create drawings or paintings. Today I was mindful and I must have been visited my muse and I painted this:
I call it “Deep Mist”. I think it reflects what I was feeling but then again was it a “sudden flash” or was it my “isolation” that help me create this. I am not sure. I am learning from many of you that creativity is a beautiful thing. I also started keeping a journal where I write down my thoughts as I paint. It is amazing how I am beginning to understand a lot more about what creativity is about.
I hope to continue to share some of these perspectives. I would love to get your reaction and comments.
Attributions:
https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199203/the-art-creativity
https://www.learning-theories.com/gardners-multiple-intelligences-theory.html
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/531911/isaac-asimov-asks-how-do-people-get-new-ideas/
Take one minute to make peace
Within the theme of today’s post on meditation. Once again Peace to all.
Take a minute today
to make peace.
Start with yourself
breathe deeply and believe
it can happen
if we all try.
Plant a seed
send someone a LOL
write someone you love a letter
and wish them peace
Peace is not a season
it should be a way of life
Take a minute today
and think about His sacrifice.
On Meditation
Meditation brings us closer to the silence
we all need right now
the more silent and still
the more awareness grows
like wild ferns in the deep forest.
Peace evolves from within:
the soul develops hardy muscles
to keep depression out;
like a great cyclone fence
it protects,
but still lets the sun rays dance around you.
Meditation energizes;
it brings back the pep in your step.
Breathe the Yoga Master commands
Breathe and let your heart sing
as you meet all your soulmates.
Breathe and be still
the thrill
will
elevate you
high up
and soon
you will feel
the clouds.
Breathe!
Peace to all.
Quotes that could have been poems
Some of my favorite quotes revisited. Each time I read them they are even more meaningful.
Photo by Melba Christie (c) 2012
Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose.”
“I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.”
“If you are yourself at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world. Then share your peace with everyone, and everyone will be at peace.” –Thomas Merton
“I am very happy, very enchanted … for I am surrounded here by everything I love… My desire would be to stay just like this forever, in a quiet corner of nature. –Claude Monet
“Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly. “One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” –Hans Christian Anderson
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- Beautiful people do not just happen (themovingbookshelf.wordpress.com)
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Quote- On Butterflies
Check It Out!
I am happy to announce I am now a Goodreads Author. So please for those of you who have been so kind to buy my books and for those who buy them in the future, I will appreciate a review of my books.
Haiku Moments is available at barnesandnoble.com
The Secret Life of Mandalas
Available at barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com
