Journey of the Heart

How well do we really know each other? My world has been rocked. You know the feeling. Like a seasick sailor praying for land, I am washed away from the life I thought I knew just a few short weeks ago. As a spiritual woman, in times of distress I reach for my heart, for loving kindness, for compassion, for God. But these days bring an uncertainty for the earth and humanity that presses in on my faith. As a Jew, a Muslim and a bisexual woman of dubious Gypsy ancestry I am on Code Red Alert. My bones carry the memories of my people. They made sure to teach us as children to “never forget”. We. Have. Not. Forgotten. This poem is an unlikely prayer, but, pray with me dear s isters….for a true conversation. Indeed a miracle we all need. Conversation by  Salyna Gracie   Until you look into the depth of my eyes Do you think you know me? You think you know me By the way I walk down the sidewalk By the length of my skirt And the c...

The Universe continually brings us opportunities to review the circumstances of our lives… The best of times and the hardest. What we have experienced in the moment, its power, lingers and becomes threaded into the makeup of who we are. As powerful as even the deepest grief may be, it too can soften with time. As eyes and heart witness the unfolding of so much to be grateful for, life moves us ever forward to walk in beauty.  May tomorrow bring you closer to truth...May it feel something like joy.  Collage: "Something Like Joy" by the author, Salyna Gracie Forever by Salyna Gracie We will always Remember We say, certain And with conviction But, the mind  Has other agendas Makes new plans As each day begins Life cannot be  Static, unbending How can we hold on When the point is to let it go I will remember Maybe even often, But, not always There is too much beauty in the way ...

It's amazing how easily perspective can change.... We can become almost blinded by what happens to us/around us ...it's all we can see. If we can pull back and shift how we perceive our lives it becomes clear that, in fact, these things are tiny, almost imperceptible in the vastness of the universe. It is only then we can see the ART, the path, the vastness, the love. Always the love. Artistic Collage "In Your Rose garden" by the author Salyna Gracie In Your Rose Garden by Salyna Gracie Where once The days Blended Reflection upon Reflection Here, now They are dawning Propelled With purpose Attention The fragile tips Of frost, blooming On the early Morning grass The promise Of a new day Before the great Swelling tide of art We speak of love Yet, it must be Tended There is no other way Photography by Yuko Ishii  Salyna Gracie  is the director of Red Lotus Dance Company. She performs a...

As the seasons turn we often experience their lessons for change deep within.  What we have loved is lost. What we have found begins. This is the season for letting go.....making room for what is yet to come. Lost November Days Salyna Gracie Those barren days, Last summer I heard your insistent call Over and over Through the dry-scented pine Frantic with expectation And you, In patient repose Waiting, Confident I would rise to the task Finding you, Shattered my glass heart I cradled your darkness Clutched at your stillness A heaving, terrible beauty I have known For some time That this is the season For letting go Yet, my hands lay idle Folded on aching breast I know I should trust I know that your treasure Lies not in these feathers But, in the spirit that Lifts them into flight   These could be happy tear...

There are moments when the power of collective prayer brings even the heaviest heart into grace… The earth, in all her beauty, and all her suffering brings us together beautifully for healing.  When the moon is dark and we fear we have no hope left, this is when we must gather to bring back the light. Artistic collage: "Upon Your Flames" by Salyna Gracie Upon Your Flames  The dark night  Concedes to hold This prayer But, only for her Salt and sea And fire Singing light Rhythms of peace Lovers circle In gestures of healing Dancing remembrance With long-forgotten tongues of love I want to give you my heart! Or my blood Casting my drum upon your flames A sacrifice for indifference Mine and yours To watch it burn Photography by Yuko Ishii  Salyna Gracie  is the director of Red Lotus Dance Company. She performs and teaches Middle Eastern Dance and facilitates the Red Lotus SEEDs program which me...

How do we decide what is worth saving?... This summer, a forest fire raged around moving hungrily through the trees. My land, my house, my family, the place where all the memories of the life I had lived could be gone in a moment. In those vivid and frightful days I found myself unattached to all of the things we had decorated our lives with. The people, the moments we spent hugging and laughing and crying were all that truly mattered. These are the gifts that make it a Home. Artwork: "This does not belong to you" (collage with wax on panel) by the author This Does Not Belong To You Ask yourself As you stand there In the pale grey air Frozen to these four walls Feet turned to stone Decide! What is worth saving? Can you will your hands To grab the memories You carry only in your heart Can you pack your boxes full With the laughter that rings in your ears The clouds taunt you Hurry! There is no time left Three red flags declar...

We feel the pull of life's calling to us deep down in our bones… The songs our soul sings to guide us in the task of sharing our beauty with the world. Taking us to the place where we can witness the smallest of miracles and the magnificent power of grace. Dancing our prayers, our hopes, our dreams: A deep breath for all of humanity. Dances Begging To Be Danced There were so many dances in me I could not find the hours to dance them all Up dances Down dances In dances Out dances Dances leading into dances and around again Rhythms and melodies pounding the blood in my head Pushing at the soles of my feet All day dances All night dances Dances begging to be danced Dances borrowing sleep Stealing time Dances like a firestorm Raging and wild Dances like silence Breath and sinew Dances all alone Dances with you There is a dance within me still Curled among the backbones Locked into frozen joints Floating in the palm of my ...