Journey of the Heart

  Morning Flow  by Carolyn Chilton Casas A soft crescendo of birdsong  heralds first light through bamboo slats, and consciousness drifts forward.   The things to complete are many, but experience has shown  the day ahead flows smoother with the practice of silence,  and I choose to give myself this time.   Please connect with me, make me a clear and present channel of love, light ,  and restoring energy; it is an honor bestowed, a gift.   Warmth seeps from palms and fingers, breathing slows and deepens, toes tingle with energy. A shift transpires— no longer any desire to move, feelings of being held and cherished.   I am loved.  I am love.   This is how we are meant to be. Carolyn Chilton Casas   lives on the central coast of California, the perfect landscape for a love of nature, hiking, and playing beach volleyball. She is a Reiki master and teacher, whose favorite theme for writing is about ways to heal. Her ...

Abundance   by Carolyn Chilton Casas Morning light bathes  my face and filigrees  the edges of leaves like halos.             The soul-stirring cry of a red-tailed hawk rings out as she flies searching across the sky. If I close my eyes, I hear a gopher chomping roots; lizards scurrying from bush to bush; a sparrow scratching the dirt for grubs. Bees buzz behind my chair  as they dust pollen  from succulent blossoms. Hummingbirds whiz by  my shoulder at full throttle.  A distant wild turkey  calls forlornly for his mate, and other bird species converse in languages I do not yet comprehend.                     Even the far-off hum of a car down on the road                    and faint voices...

A visit from my brother recently got me thinking about the people who come into our lives.  You see, he is not a brother by birth, but a brother borne of circumstance. His family met me after a loss in my life, yet rather than dwell on that loss, I choose to acknowledge my “gains.” When I was a teenager I gained a family, four sisters and a brother, and their parents who welcomed me stay to finish school. Decades later, and I am still blessed to be in their life. Today, I reflected on the road that’s brought me here, the people who’ve molded me, and the glue that binds us together. Broken Pottery Ginny Brannan We do not know the direction life will take when we start our journey: who will stay, who will leave, who dies or who survives— Adversity creates the person we become. If I could’ve mapped this road I’ve travelled I might not have chosen the hardships I’ve borne, the  potholes and pitfalls I’ve encountered; yet I wouldn’t change who ...

Often when I write, it is a stream that comes out of me without knowing exactly why or for whom I am speaking of, or to… This one came out like that. My intention was to write an entirely different piece from a prompt that had nothing to do with what I wrote here.  The first line came out. A gratitude for nothing specific that became very specific.  It rolled out of me as a deep appreciation for everyone and everything that has crossed or merged with my path. This is what I love about writing. It writes me on the page and each time, I am more revealed to myself.  Thank You by Leslie Caplan Thank you for that For the song you played out on my page landing in my vein The one that writes itself sane I thank you
 for taking the road all rugged and mud-slid 
clearing it out
 straightening the line
 so I can walk along side
 with my eyes closed
 My eyes
 Closed Seeping into smoky blue like a misted forest stream breathing...