Journey of the Heart

Peace Enters My Heart peace enters my heart though I have touched- the chaos of my living, it sometimes wears- on my soul, I settle inside, the sanctuary of the season, it clothes me in rest- I come to greet my day, with love- reaching inside, this quiet- winter morning- let it move from me, songs that echo- peace on earth, it is from my heart- a beginning is birthed, I reach- and take your hand, we enter into- our holy place, of comfort and love- of peace and grace. Art by Jeanie Tomanek  Maureen Kwiat Meshenberg   is an author and a prolific poetess. She is guided by her inner soul’s journey and her empathic musings about life. Maureen’s draws from her human experiences, bringing reflective, soulful thoughts of the heart and the shifts in life’s journey to her poetry. Her most recent work includes her own Facebook page called   Heart’s Calling  where she currently reaches almost 3,000 regular readers. She also has her own  website here.  She currently hosts a mo

Christmas Called Me In by Cheryl Anne Maris Christmas called me in To the heart’s quieter place Away from all work and worry And the intrusion of outer images Christmas called me in To that space where I am free From the illusion of entitlement And the laughable notion of intellectual property Christmas called me in To the Realm of the Infant Into helplessness and crying And the universal truth of vulnerability Christmas called me in To the Hope already born To the ending written Long before the prologue wet the page Christmas called me in To Love Uncontainable And the sustainable peace Of Its full foregone And future surrender Christmas called me in To the tender seeing of the Midnight Clear And the gentle hearing of the Silent Night Senses bestowed upon the lovelorn and senseless Christmas called me in To the cradle of the defenseless The Light of the World shining On, In, and Through Eternity, You, and Me.

NOTE TO SELF Whenever you feel  that frosty tightness, just breathe –  through it, with it,  around it, within it. Warm your wonderful waters   simply by beholding  the beauty of now,  allowing archaic agonies to soften and drizzle away. Recognize that your foundation is strong, your flow genuine. Though some shadows remain, trust that you will attend to them if need be. Celebrate the gentle peace  that cascades  through and all around you. Relax into your uniquely radiant truth. Live – be fully alive,  enjoy the joyous rhythms of omnipresent love. Sarah Carlson   has many pieces to her whole, as most of us do. Those pieces include: mother, teacher, daughter, friend, widow, sister, skier, bicyclist, hiker, coach, drummer, and poet. Sarah lives in the western foothills of Maine where opportunities to make connections amid the splendor of the rivers, lakes and mountains are plentiful. She began writing and combining her poetry with photographs of her experiences in the na

GAZING INTO INFINITY When you gaze into a woman's eyes... prepare to cross the threshold   into the house of her soul... it is there, where her strength and beauty will greet you In the light where a thousand flowers grow you may want to stay forever... within the sunrise & sunset of her gaze wrapped in the arms of her magnitude adrift within the ancient sea of yesterdays her eyes reveal she is of passion,   enchantment & fortitude the place where galaxies are reawakened Come...   set-sail-forth into the depths   of her extended amplitude your heart will sing   in the infinity of love unshaken. Poetess,  Irma Aguilar-Olivas , is a published Author of,  Whispers Of The Heart: A Book Of Poetic Musings .  She is currently based in Austin, Texas. Fluent in both Spanish and English, she has been writing poetry in both languages, since childhood. Irma's writing influences are expansive, but include both the seen, and unseen mysteries of life. Recentl

HOW CAN OUR SOULS NOT GO   by Cricket Baker So woozy with a crush of gravity is this planet that it’s not enough to embark upon a year-long courtship we call orbit; Our earth TWIRLS at drunken speed, too lovelorn to care about sobriety in its attraction to a star. And our sun takes notice, how can it not? Earth breathes sweet leafy breath to clothe itself in bridal clouds, Reflects the sun’s shine with its expanse of ocean to say You’re beautiful like this , and, in unfathomable vulnerability, Offers up all its stories with lifetimes of human beings. With existential mystery like this happening— actually happening — how can our souls not go WOOZY WITH LOVE? (First published May 21, 2019 at cricketbaker.com ) Cricket Baker is a novelist and blogger who writes on distinguishing between the Real You and the Pretend You. After decades of love for psychology and what she calls her ‘little awakenings,’ Cri

As I can’t walk far, my husband sometimes takes me on a short trip to the coast (we only live around 20 minutes’ drive away). Sometimes I’ll want to visit one of our favorite ‘tame’ beaches where we used to walk our two dogs when they were younger. I have such beautiful memories from those trips: our black Labrador was an incredibly strong swimmer and would relish jumping over bigger and bigger waves to retrieve a tennis ball thrown in for her; the younger dog preferred to paddle along the shoreline, less confident in the deep water.  Then it would be time to go home, with the car smelling of damp dogs, snoring contentedly in the back. Simple joy that puts a smile on my face even now. I can still smell the salt air, and the damp dog in car smell; I can still see the sun glistening like diamonds on the sea; I can still hear the occasional airplane taking off from the nearby airport and heading out over the sea to America; I can taste the salt on my lips; I can feel the sand ingress t

The Things  by Ulli Stanway The things that make you not fit in. The things that make you the odd one out.  Hold magic and wisdom within.  You see, what they think is weird, too much and indifferent.  Really is a blazing woman, standing strong in her own power and beauty. Full-Hearted. Untamed. Unapologetic, It is She, who Roars.  And She is you.  Photography by Chanel Baran This poem first appeared in Ulli Stanway's debut poetry collection, SHE ROARS.  To obtain your own copy, click here.  Ulli Stanway : I am a poetess/writer/day dreamer, life lover and author of SHE ROARS. I live in Melbourne Australia with my beautiful husband. I love nature and I am a confessing tree hugger. I invite you to  visit my website "Heart Rehab"  here , which I hope will inspire other kindred souls to follow their own dreams and skip down a path they truly enjoy. I believe in becoming your authentic self, become who you are with all your quirkines

Frosting i have a lot of love to spread around its thick like white buttercream frosting sometimes people taste it and thank me smacking their lips, an obvious appreciation for the sweetness sometimes people stare at it stare. at. it. as if they don’t recognize what frosting is for ha! and sometimes they actually say blech blech! I tell ya strange these people are but I don’t say a word (except in my head, I have a few choice ones) I just keep churning out fresh frosting Anita Brown   is a content mother of two teenagers and wife of over 20 years, both of which she is grateful for every day. She began writing poetry in the fall of 2012 after a mini-breakdown cracked open her heart and allowed this newly found gift to shine through. Many months later, she is realizing the truth in the saying that ‘breakdown equals spiritual awakening’ as she is pleasantly shocked at how much more peace she has in her spirit and how that is reflected in her life.  Anita loves yo

Stone and Bone (Let’s Heal) I’m made of water clay bits of stone and bone wisps of hair and a little despair I’m fueled with fire elemental soulfully sentimental I breathe with the trees I dream and scheme I make my start and my art from the heart and after a fashion express my passion ‘cause if I don’t grab onto the now I miss out on living and giving forgiving and thanksgiving I live in this sea of emotion soft hands of devotion wrapped in rays of the rainbow sun and moon I’m not immune to the trials and trivialities before you judge just what you’re seein’ in me try walkin’ a mile in my shoes and I’ll walk in yours let’s open some doors together see each other for real no longer conceal let’s just heal ourselves stand tall for once and for all. Elizabeth Kipp is a health facilitator specializing in stress and chronic pain management, addiction recovery, meditation, and yoga. She is a best-selling author, certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher (RYT/IKYTA/Yoga Alliance),

Choosing Love You choose, sometimes to lose In the game of love Seldom are there winners So the sprint begins Chaste kisses raining On eager, trembling lips To soft caresses Or clasping hands Walking together everywhere Passionate loving, Or heated climax And thrill of victory Soon gives way To defeat at each turn Words out of cadence Stumbling club-footed Tongue always in the way Wanting to express What cannot be? So the race becomes a dance Dashing becomes spinning Whirling and catching As we fall into each other’s arms Bending gracefully Then awkwardly we pause Panting, sweating, waiting Lose the beat, music dies A slow death march ensues And like the ballerina Twirling in the music box We start the dance again Spinning, then winding down Knowing full well That it could be The slow-dance or the fugue, The last we lovers can endure Before we separate forever The race ended, no victory crown Just regret, endless regret Julia W.

Allow  Some clouds are stormy, some benign, some hard to read. And yet the sun has the potential to illuminate the edges of them all, given the right conditions. Just as our nearest star  facilitates the splendor of silver linings, so can we humans permit our  inner brilliance to radiate  from behind whatever barricades may be in place. We all want to, though the desire may be somewhat sequestered. No matter what fronts have blown through, our own exquisite uniqueness is there nestled within, ours to share when  we feel secure and right. And that we should - both feel safe and allow. The sun doesn’t hesitate. Why should we? Sarah Carlson   has many pieces to her whole, as most of us do. Those pieces include: mother, teacher, daughter, friend, widow, sister, skier, bicyclist, hiker, coach, drummer, and poet. Sarah lives in the western foothills of Maine where opportunities to make connections amid the splendor of the

I am feeling awash with gratitude for the constant love, companionship and motivation that Mother Goddess so graciously gives. Even the days when nothing seems worth striving for, she gently reminds me I have so much to be grateful for, have so many blessings, and a heart full of the knowing she will always lead me to my rightful place however winding the road may be. Gratitude for Goddess   Rhea Ruth Aitken      Gratitude seeps ever from my soul   Wells and springs forth from within me   Erupts in tears, smiles and ecstatic screams   With a pounding heart and a soft touch   With the falling or budding of a leaf   And the crunch or melt of the snow   Seasons of sun beating on my face   And the wind whispering   Things I need to know.   There are not enough words   Not enough books, or poets   Or quotes from lyricists’ tongues   Or sighs from my soul to capture   My love of the Goddess   And my gratitude for her glorious gifts.   The way she touches my deepest places   Soothes m