Journey of the Heart

I’m preparing a book on spiritual themes, and thought I’d concentrate on dark versus light… While on retreat at Omega Institute at Blue Spirit in Nosara, Costa Rica, I noticed the light and dark of the leaves as I was gazing out of the window during a writing session. This led me to the second stanza of the poem below and the notion that light has many different meanings, spiritually and physically.  The third stanza compares the light of each season and how my preference is the clarity of spring light, as close to heaven as I imagine it to be. Much of my writing is guided by the strong belief in an afterlife that is more real and more perfect than anything we can imagine, and my belief that we can rarely glimpse it here on earth, but that a beautiful sunset, garden, butterfly hints at the possibilities and beauty to be seen in the life beyond. Illumination by Mary L. Westcott I’m attracted to light, not the dark under shadow on the leaves, the ferns hidi...

This past month has been one of loss and pain and suffering for me… I have gotten to know the darkest depths of myself. One day, I was at a coffee shop and they had these candles decorating a corner table. Each candle was different. One was thick and tall, another was stubby and the last one had the shape of a baby angel. I have a profound appreciation for candles. They are elements I use to meditate, to open creativity pathways, etc. However, in my darkness, nothing seemed to work. Yet, when I saw these three candles I realized something: No matter how down I was, how consumed I was by darkness, there was always a spark of light. It never, ever died. It just reduced itself to the smallest size...but there it was within me. Where there is light, there is life!   The Fire of Life by Dolly Mahtani The light of this candle Reminds me a lot of my own. The way it shines, The way it flickers, The way it dances, The way it shimmers. This little light in me...

This poem was inspired by a line in one of Rumi's poems: "Tear off the mask. Your face is glorious."  It resonated with me deeply and so I had been pondering that idea; thinking about all the masks we wear to protect ourselves, to keep ourselves from having to be too vulnerable in the world. We basically walk through life playing a role, trading our authenticity for safety and approval. We all do it, to some extent. Yet in doing so, we also create distance between ourselves and others, even in the areas we don't want distance. It's a cushion from the things we are afraid of, yes, but it cushions us from all the beautiful things in life, too. We can't be truly seen with our masks on, and we can't fully see anyone else. The view is obscured. We cannot be fully loved and we cannot fully love anyone else. We are separated by these masks. We allow fear to divide us.  With these masks on, we can no longer even see ourselves.  We get confused and begin t...

As I reflect on the turmoil of daily living… I see how sometimes, in those moments of darkness and despair,  it can be challenging to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  And yet, the magical hand of the Divine asserts Its Presence at the subtlest levels of our being.    At challenging moments, I meditate on how every breath, every moment is infused with the brush strokes of the Infinite light that permeate the darkest corners on this Earth.   The light informs and infuses every particle of our existence. And I take solace in reflecting on how our life’s work is to find it in the inner, deeper dimensions of our being, of our own inner light. For we are never really in darkness.  Photography by Robert Sturman Weaving  The weaver of light Creates forms and souls In the image of waves Originating from its core The magic of light Unveiling the hidden In the mystery of sound In the middle of this Being In the ...