Journey of the Heart

Confronting my Aloneness Aloneness, why does it make me feel so empty When it is the truth of humanity  We are each alone in our individuality  On our own path, with our own destiny  No two bodies or minds alike Nor is our history  We meet as travelers for a short while Taking it to be forever  Seeking to build a nest  With illusory twigs of water. Tara Anand  is a Life Coach, Counselor, Mindfulness & Yoga Teacher, Writer & Author of  " Why the Lotus Blooms: Choosing to Stand Tall" . Deciding to honor her inner voice at the age of thirty-four saw her life and identity profoundly transform, including her legal name. Tara helps women connect to their inner wisdom and make authentic, fulfilling choices. Her writing has been featured in national publications, the poetry anthology, " Where Journeys Meet: The Voice of Women's Poetry " and on leading wellness blogs. Tara is based in India and can be contacted via her  website   or ...

This poem arrived out of spirit, upon taking care of my mother as she took her final breath... I cared for Mother with the help of hospice, in her home, where she wished to pass into spirit. We  administered morphine to ease the pain as her body struggled in letting go. My  mother  and I shared this most tender and sacred time of departure in one’s life, crossing every bridge together, till her last breath, with my cradling her body, and holding her hand just as she had asked me to do. This poem is about Mother's animal spirit, the cardinal. Cardinals In Shamanism, it is said,  When a cardinal visits  It is someone from heaven Stopping by to say hello.  They appear in one’s life When they are in a time of despair, And also in times of celebration.  When my mother took her last breath I already knew the cardinals would visit. The cardinal was her animal spirit And she loved their singing As she, too, sang beautifull...

This poem came to me starting with the phrase, “Something in me sighs,” and it compelled me to sit down and see where it wanted to go..   It turned out to be a story of spiritual journey.   First, a quiet longing that gets stronger, until it lays one bare.   Alongside that, the expression of grief over loss... whether a person, an ability, an opportunity, an expectation.   Allowing the grief to wash through until nothing is left, starting from bone.   The burning of heart-purpose starting as a pinprick of light, then growing so powerful that the old story of who you were is unrecognizable in the new landscape of who you are becoming.   It is a poem about surrendering to one’s own heart wisdom, rising from the ashes, and rebirthing the Self. Photography by Katharina Jung   Resurrection by Tamara Fairbanks-Ishmael Something in me sighs. A small voice, A whisper of breeze, gently lifting hair, hesitant, playful, grasses swaying. The...

I am someone that promotes the removal of everything and anything in life that doesn’t make you happy... It’s a process I’ve been working on personally. For me it’s been a process of destruction and transformation: I’ve had to destroy the things I didn’t want, destroy the person I didn’t want to be in order to end up with the person I am today.  It’s hard. It’s really hard, I’m not going to lie. There came a point where I was actively working on letting go of things and I thought I had come a long way, so long that I began to settle for where I was and who I was. I began to start a process of acceptance. It was all roses and cozy until very recently. I was confronted with my neglect. I had neglected to continue my process of removing the negative from within. They were still things there and even though I had piled a bunch of goodness on top, there was still crap at the bottom. But that’s life, no? It’s all about the struggle I’ve learned. It’s what makes us or bre...

  I have a tendency to over-analyze things... Beliefs, methods, values, emotions and conversations, and even my technique and form when I play music or run. Analysis isn’t a bad thing; it’s born, in the first place, of questions and curiosity and a desire to be better - to learn. This is good. It can take over, though. When thinking about something, or trying to measure it in some way, becomes bigger than the thing itself - bigger than the enjoyment of it or the beauty of it, the just because of it - I think it can be damaging. Certainly, I’ve seen this with my musical performances, amongst other things! I love blowing bubbles. I love balloons. I love the blooming, the colour, the “just because” of being a part of their release. There’s a symbolism there, for me - a metaphor for letting go and letting be - even if only for the sake of a few glorious moments of translucent colour, set free. Everything floats away - our lives are transient things - and it’s goo...

Recently, I had to let go of a person whom I really love and care about… The pain I felt because of it, and my asking for guidance to get through the days that followed, moved me to write this poem. As I have always yearned for a relationship that lasts forever, and as this wish has not yet become my destiny, I have realized that the foreverness is in the shared moments of love. These loving moments are forever.  The love that we shared is forever a part of me. Realizing this I am learning to go with the flow of life, and trust in the road before me no matter what it holds. I feel less fear in the unknown as I feel Peace in the arms of the Divine cradling me always. I also don't feel the urge to control, and try to force doors to open, which aren't ready to open. Instead I focus on how we are One. Namaste. Artwork by Vicente Romero Redondo Shared Love by Jennieke Janaki Love that Is Shared Forever Heart opening A precious lasting joyful moment ...