Of Oranges and Agave

The oranges continue to drop 

-- thud! plop! -- 

upon the ground, 

some from over-ripening 

and others assisted in the descent 

by a hungry woodpecker poking holes. 

There's one with a hole!

The woodpeckers also fly

from one agave stalk to the other,

pecking away

(alas, I didn't get any photos of the birds).

Merely two weeks ago, 

the agave were barely awake and stretching.

But, the multicolored poles of agave 

are shooting up fast in their race to touch the sun. 

The leader is currently well over six feet tall 

and none of them are giving any hints 

as to how high they intend to reach. 

Spiky spindles 

expand and contract; 

I can almost hear them 

breathing and growing 

at impressive speed. 

Because I don't know what kind of agave live in our yard,
everything they do is a beautiful surprise!

Heard In The Echo

Echo Canyon at Chiracahua National Monument, AZ

Bubble rocks bouncing echoes in the canyon, my heart so light that I could be the echo instead of the voice of origin. I could be the memory instead of the presence that feels the pressures of daily lifestyle; I might become the echo that is soft and faint and that everyone wants to hear. 

In fascination we call out to listen whether an echo will bounce back to us so we can know what we said, what our melody was. Do we not listen to ourselves the first time? Can we not hear our own voice truthfully? Is this why we want the echo to call back to us the wisdom that is held within it? 

Is it merely a copy or do the earth and rock and air and moisture imbue the echo with a resonance of wisdom our voice didn’t previously have? Is our pure self resonating back to us in return for the courage to speak? 

Is the air heard in the echo; does it feel the brush of feather and cloud whisking the sound into a blur of memory, painting it into a clear, light whisper?

Is the rock heard in the echo; does it fill the space with solid truth and allow the weight of our words to be heard and sent on their way as they can never be recalled?

Is the water heard in the echo; does it mirror from puddles in crevices and dew upon leaves, and hold safety within the sap of the juniper and the flesh of yucca, where the fluid moisture can caress and soften the echo to return to our ears as self-love?

Who goes there? Where are the unseen?

Dragons of the watchtowers, holding the elements and directions, their vibrations sing to creation of our universe as they flap their wings, and rain fire, and live in caves, and cry tears of grief and laughter into the rivers that flow to the oceans above and below. They are courage and inspiration, partners in journey and growth, knowing the piercing truth revealed in the fires of transformation that create and dissolve then manifest once more. 

Gaia cradles the beasts who warm our imaginations and keep us safe. She gives birth to the discerning flames riding wings of sheer breathless joy and She lands upon a nest of infinite possibility as their voices rise into space and fall into canyons to be swept away by rivers to the ocean once more. 

Dragons live in Echo Canyon, see them swoop and soar among the magical spires where they epitomize grace and cast shadows we run from until we realize we can never hide---the dragons only want to carry us into awakening. Hear their ancient voices echo ...

Deep Within

Incredible. Awe inspiring. I will never again be able to walk Mother Earth without reflecting upon the beauty She holds within; birthed to us, gestated, menstruated, bleeding all the colors and shades of rainbow minerals, earthen glory outshining even the stars in Her diversity. Splendid. Magnificent. 

Deep gratitude for eyes to have seen within this immersion Her deep secrets and treasures revealed -- I weep in Her presence to know Her glory above and below.

I was able to shift my focus and receptors to enjoy the crowded sensation of going to the Tucson Gem Show and so glad I did! We were blessed by chilly, cloudy morning so the crowds were held off a few hours and I was able to thoroughly adapt to and enjoy the exhibits and displays of hundreds of thousands of gems, minerals, rocks, and fossils. 

From this immersion, I was gifted with not only a wonderful day of walking, exploration and delight in Ron’s company, but also a visceral connection with Gaia’s inner world of embodiment as Mother Earth. We’ve all been exposed to the beauties of silver and gold, emerald and diamond, of amber and salt crystals in smaller amounts, through shop windows, special jewelry. But how to experience the abundance and sheer magnitude that truly pervades the depths of Earth Mother? An "world's largest" exhibit that is spread throughout an entire city can express this to some degree. 

As I walked in reverence among the familiar and exotic unknown, I simultaneously gave thanks for the joy of Gaia’s splendor and offered healing for the penetration She had been subjected to by those who may have been thoughtless seekers of jeweled treasures. 

The sheer bounty and magnificence was nearly overwhelming during my first outing on Tuesday but yesterday, after shifting my perception and placing some conscious energetic boundaries, the day and its grandeur were amazing ... I was such a small piece of the macrocosm that is Gaia. “Deep in the earth I go...” indeed! 

I could imagine myself on a trail tunneling through cave after cave where She displayed remarkable wonders with infinite variety. At some moments I could know my shallow breathing as the awe swept away my air, and at others I was vibrating in rapid-pounding, pulsing, foot-tapping joy as Her gorgeous rock and ancient fossils surrounded me on all sides. 

Whenever and wherever I walk now I will wonder what beauty lies beneath the surface. Wondering, if I go deeply enough, beyond the soil that grows my food, beneath the water table that slakes my thirst, beneath the ever-expanding veins of Gaia’s blood, will I find new wonders? More beauty and heart-breaking magnificence? This is never to discount the beauty above, or the rich dark soil, or the broad expanse of sands that shimmer or the deep red rock of a mountain, or the warm brown tones of tile. These are gentle, soothing, life giving resonances that cradle and support. But now I also feel further and know other wonders previously hidden or felt they were ‘elite’ to a select few. The bounty of the rocks available shows once more that Gaia always provides enough for everyone ... and more than enough were we to be conscious of Her treasures. She is the ultimate artist and Creatrix. I was humbled by the artistry She holds within Her body earth. We take out and use these gifts -- shining, cutting, polishing ... but all begins with Her and within Her. 

She is creativity and inspiration and beauty beyond compare. I am but a unique cell among billions that grow out of Her. And the stones speak, the earth calls, Her voice crystal clear.

An unexpected experience was when we stumbled upon the African Art Village, see my post on Ancestors ... 

Imagination Instead of Blame

Southern Cross, Australian Bush Flower (wikimedia commons)

"In recent years some have spoken against a metaphoric view of disease because they don't want us 'blaming' patients for their physical problems. If cancer is related to a person's way of life, they complain, we will hold the individual responsible for an illness over which he has no control. It is true that blaming a person for his disease only leads to guilt, and no increase in imagination. Yet, in Sardello's words, 'The object of therapeutic treatment is to return imagination to the things that have become only physical.' Whenever we place blame, we are looking for a scapegoat for a real dislocation which is difficult to find and in which we ourselves, as individuals and as a society, are implicated. Blame is a defensive substitute for an honest examination of life that seeks guidance in our mistakes. Fundamentally it is a way of averting consciousness of error. Sardello recommends that if our hearts are attacking us or if cancer is immersing us in fantasies of death, then we should listen to these symptoms and adjust life accordingly. Rather than blame, we could respond. Listening to the messages of the body is not the same as blaming the patient."

~ Thomas Moore in Care of the Soul

What I like about this view is that it provides us with the ability to step back from standard thoughts about ourselves and others; to allow some relational space between body and soul; to realize that there is more to life than what we can see or touch, or even feel. With each passing year, energy medicine gains ground and more people awaken to the possibility that we each have let circumstances influence and control us on an unconscious level. Imagination is powerful and empowering...