Journey of the Heart

We Have all had times in our lives were we feel deep inner transformation occurring as we are going through hard times... This poem tracks the plunge into pain and despair, the tuning to God, the expelling of inner demons, and ultimately the phoenix rising from the flames. The video was made for the poem, mapping the journey from dark to light, from the prison of the mind, to the embrace of dear friends. Emergence by Janavi Held 1 I punctured the universe for a place to grow my heart. The blood of my endeavors soaks into a history of crying artists. I sit with that race gazing at a catastrophe of visions unmet exploding into odd, disorienting shapes which can't breath anymore, can't give birth. I have penetrated the unseen universe with a chant. 2 It has lips and eyes this universe. Its stomach and lungs are vacuums, yet I am unseen, seeking   a   deep ocean, a restless bit of oxygen, my mind st...

The following is an excerpt from Lamentations of the Sea... It is a book I wrote and the book I wished I had a year ago when I lost my brother and lost any sense of life as it once was. Throughout the past year, I have taken a passage of grief that has taken me to some very dark and stormy places and taken me to some very beautiful and light places.  The Collectors is one of the beautiful and light places. I wrote it last summer, inspired by the life affirming change of seasons, the glowing warmth of the sunshine, and the lovely colors of the flowers, which were medicine for my tired soul after a winter filled with grief. It is a reflection on what a privilege life is, and despite the hardships that come with being human, there are many beautiful gifts that come too.  Every ending is always a genesis for new beginnings. Any undoing will always leave space for new becoming. And at the end of the day, each day is simply a collecti...

After my spiritual teacher blessed me with a new name...  ...I decided to legally adopt it as I no longer identified with my earlier self. Even though I felt re-born, there was an underlying anxiety and sadness that took me by surprise. Writing this poem helped me process this confusion.   The Butterfly's Angst by Tara Anand Cocooned no more Emerging with wings Awkward and lost ­– I am … newborn! I have a new name, I have a new form, I have a new world, So why do I mourn? “ My God, is this ‘me’ ! Where is my old form?” Lonely pangs arise Leaving me forlorn I disquietly take stock Of my insides and out, Hoping a flicker of ‘ me’ I’ll find in some spot Reaching my heart, I sigh in relief: “Oh! I am still ‘me' Not all is lost!” Tara Anand  (formerly Charu Agarwal)   co-founder of Dhyana Life ,  is a Life Coach, Raj Yogi and writer based out of India. She works with people around the wo...

This poem is a heart cry for authenticity... It is the urgency I came to, after experiencing some very painful issues this past year which led me to a place of feeling, no more.  I want to be myself and to fully be myself means that I will sometimes be met with love, and sometimes with disappointment.  It is the people-pleasing side of my nature that needs to be sacrificed on the altar of God’s unconditional love. Only God will give me the validation I need as a child of royalty and honor.   When we know our worth, we can be free to love and be loved in return. This poem is about coming into the realization of personal power; power that is shaped by love and creativity, that uplifts others and does brave things like forgiveness. I believe that only as we face our own inner pain with healing, will we not be driven to repeat the same patterns over and over again.  I am determined by the grace of God to both live into humility, and to become more...

Control. When did I become the one to have to be in control?… Oh, yes, widowhood can do that to one. Along with finding strength beyond what you ever thought yourself capable of. But this control thing, wow. “You’re leading again…” It was a simple statement really, one uttered by my partner during our dancing and one that got me to thinking, for I’ve always been the submissive one, or so I believed but through these past 8 years on my own I now realize how much everything in my life has changed… You’re Leading Again… by Maureen Lancaster  One, Two, Three One, Two, Three please follow me, says he, as he tries to dance with me yet here I am trying as best I can finding myself trying to lead wanting to go faster than your speed I want so much for you to guide and simply let myself, in your arms, glide yet old habits formed in times of need have planted deep roots from a tiny seed found on my own to have to fend  I’ve ended up los...