Tripping Over Joy

What is the difference
Between your experience of Existence
And that of a saint?
The saint knows
That the spiritual path
Is a sublime chess game with God
And that the Beloved
Has just made such a Fantastic Move
That the saint is now continually
Tripping over Joy
And bursting out in Laughter
And saying, “I Surrender!”
Whereas, my dear,
I am afraid you still think
You have a thousand serious moves.

-Hafiz

Hundreds Protest Global Warming

This is so silly and cute, and yet it does make a significant statement. There is a lot of debate right now about whether or not it's true that carbon emissions are causing global temperatures to fluctuate. To me, this is nothing but a distraction from the truth of what is really happening. As long as we stay caught up in the nit picking little details of these scientific studies and debates, we can lie to ourselves about what we are doing to our planet. But if we really take a long, hard look at the global situation, there is no way to deceive ourselves into thinking that there is any possibility that we can continue to act as we have been acting and survive as a species.

We are destroying the forests which give us the plant species that we need to eat and the oxygen that we need to breathe. We are filling our landfills at an alarming rate. And because modern landfills are lined on the bottom with clay and plastic to keep waste from escaping into the soil and are covered daily with a layer of earth to reduce odor, the garbage within receives little air, water, or sunlight. This means that even things like paper and food scraps, are more likely to mummify than decompose.

For the most part, I have stepped out of fear about all of this because I have come to realize that the Earth will be fine. She will heal Herself and continue on, with or without human beings. I do feel pretty sad though sometimes because I really would like to see humanity triumph in the end, overcoming our dark sides and stepping into a place of empowerment, healing, and light.

We, as a human speices, are acting like parasites on the generous and loving Mother who both gave us life and sustains our lives by nourishing us with everything we need. And at this moment in history we are deciding with our choices and actions whether or not we wish to continue living here. Either way, the Universe just keeps on going, growing, evolving, creating, and destroying. With, or without us.

It's interesting to be part of the human race at this fork in the road. I am curious to find out which road we will choose. We have free will, so it's completely up to us. And it's not up to one of us or a few of us because we are all in this together.

And we must choose soon because in order to take the path in which we choose to sustain our lives here, we must take action NOW. If we truly want to survive, then we must actually make our survival a top priority and stop bickering over the details, stop killing one another for resources, stop acting like wasteful, selfish, spoiled children who just take and take and take without thinking of the consequences, and actually get to work.

Truly, our survivial depends on us.

The Circle

There is a circle here ....

There is a web

A network

Strands connecting

Those who share the vision

Who feel the hope

Who sense the mystery

We touch life

We hear the planet’s pulse

We work quietly

Together

And alone

Each task

Each piece

Each a part of wholeness

There is a circle here ....

This is a Hopi poem that is circular in nature, meaning it ends where it begins. It is meant to be repeated four times, once for each of the four directions and the four races of humankind.

Seed Meditation - Bursting Forth

I wrote on the last morning of my Woman Within weekend after a seed meditation. I whole heartedly recommend Woman Within for any and every woman. www.womanwithin.org.

Infinite possibility exists within me and I know the new life I am creating for myself. I can feel it, see it, taste it, and smell it. I know it. I’ve been dreaming it, seeing it, writing it into being for years now, and the seed has sprouted this morning. The new life has burst forth into being, been born into life, into manifestation, into reality.

I am a brand new woman today, although my soul is ancient & eternal. I know the Truth of who I Am. I know my birthright. My heart has been emptied of all impurities and is now full of white light and pink femininity, like the energy of a rose quartz crystal.

I have gone through the pain of the dark confinement and growing pains of seed-dom, and now feel the shining light of love & grace upon my radiant, blissful, smiling face. I am a beautiful green being, reaching always joyfully toward the light of the sun, the Truth, the divine, the infinite.

I am woman. I am empowered, graceful, beautiful, feminine woman. I am, I am, I am.

Amen, halleluia. Thank you, God. Thank you, Goddess.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

A True Fairytale

I wrote this during my Woman Within weekend, which I whole heartedly recommend for any and every woman. www.womanwithin.org.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. She was the most powerful woman in all the land. But she was locked in a cage of fear.

She felt sometimes resigned, apathetic, and victimized. And when she felt like this she would sulk in her cage and give up hope.

And at other times she would feel a lot of anger & passion and she would stand up and rattle the bars, screaming in a rage for someone to let her out. She had some very beautiful work to do in the world that she could not do from within the cage. She was on the Earth to shed & spread light, and she had a burning fire in her belly to fulfill the purpose of her life.

And one day, a very beautiful, amazing, powerful thing happened. She became aware that the cage was made of the fear that her mind had created. She knew then that her cage was only a thought. A strong thought that had been reinforced over & over through time by her parents, herself, and others around her as well.

And she knew that she could unthink the cage by using positive affirmations to make it disappear. She knew it was her responsibility to create the reality that she wanted.

At first this realization & awareness felt exciting & liberating. But soon a new fear set in – a fear of taking responsibility for this ability & power. And so she continued to vacillate between resignation & rage, between feeling victimized and attempting to control everything around her in a way that did not allow any room for God’s will.

And then one day she snapped. Like a sudden popping, like a kernel of popping corn that has reached the temperature threshold that it needs to reach in order to blossom into a delicious piece of fluffy popcorn, she popped.

She, in that instant, decided that it was time, from that moment on, to live fully in her power. To take full responsibility for it and to use it well. The heating process, the process of talking, writing, and contemplating about all of this, is not to be disregarded. This was an important part of her journey and needs to be acknowledged.

But in the moment in which she “popped” she left this process in the past and stepped fully, boldly, courageously, strongly, radiantly into a brand new reality.

She became a queen – Queen Erin. She became a fully empowered adult woman. She began a beautiful new chapter of her life. She emerged as a caterpillar emerges as a butterfly from its cocoon, smiling brilliantly, seeing the world with its new eyes, as if for the first time.

And in this moment, eyes welled up with tears of gratitude & bliss, awe & wonder at the magic of the Universe, this transformed Queen Erin began to shine her light in the way she knew she had come to the Earth to do. She sang, she danced, she wrote, she celebrated the goodness of it all, fully inspired.

And this happiness, this light, rippled out to all the world.

And it was good.

The End.

Affirmations

I make fully empowered choices at all times.

I have a healthy, balanced, nourishing relationship with my food, my emotions, my mind, my inner Self, all of the people in my life, etc.

I take full responsibility for my power and use it well.

I surrender to God’s will, allowing life to live me, living in the flow.

I have clarity in all situations – proper perspective on my life.

I am confident & certain about my nature as a child of God, a divine being capable of creating & manifesting whatever I want to with my intentions.

I honor my nature.

I nurture & nourish all levels of myself at all times.

I am in balance.

I have just enough on my plate at all times – not too much & not too little.

I am supported fully.

I take excellent care of myself.

Nature supports me to manifest my desires.

I am authentic.

I am grateful for all of my many blessings.

I experience life as an effortless, graceful unfolding.

I experience deep peace.

I trust myself & my intuition.

I breathe deeply.

I feel my emotions deeply, fully, courageously.

I am relaxed & at ease.

I honor my artist and prioritize the time to sing, to dance, to write music/poetry/etc, to play, to explore, to adventure, to relax and enjoy.

I trust that all is right & well in the Universe.

I am constantly aware that I am more than my body, mind, and emotions.

I observe them with equanimity.

I am well-rested & clear-minded.

I am healthy, wealthy, blissful, abundant, wise, happy, joyful.

I am expressing myself in fulfilling & beautiful ways.

I have a solid home base and travel as much as I want from there.

I am financially abundant.

My Creative Voice

My Creative Voice Expresses:

• The highest, purest, deepest, most beautiful truths

• The most uplifting, inspiring, enlivening, encouraging, enlightening, loving, life-supporting, healing

• The infinite, the divine, the sacred, the heart, the eternal, the unbounded, the endless, the silence, the stillness, the Absolute, the field of pure awareness/consciousness, soul

• Unconditional LOVE, open-heartedness, lovingkindness

• Peace, joy, bliss, happiness, beauty

• Positivity, optimism, hope, comfort

• Abundance, well-being, deep inner knowing, deep peace, goodness, richness

• That it’s all within, inner guidance

• Easy-to-understand, my words resonate deeply in people’s hearts and in the depths of their consciousness

• Elegant simplicity, exquisite sweetness

• The Great Mystery, magic

• Gratitude, awe, agape

• MANY people hear me (everyone who needs to)!!!

• Nature’s wisdom & beauty

• Compassion, human fellowship & comradery, empathy, companionship

• Harmony, light, health, clarity

• Empowerment, strength, courage, commitment, endurance

• Devotion, heart, bhakti, forgiveness

• Effortlessness, ease, surrender, letting go, allowing God to work through us as conduits

• Grace, blessings, angels, patience

• Following our passions & bliss

• Fulfillment, satisfaction, equanimity

• Relaxation, playfulness, laughter/humor

• Meditation, introspection, prayer

• Purification, cleansing, breath

• Sustainability, sufficiency

• Openness, receptivity

• Divine plan, synchronicity, alignment, God’s perfection, divine timing

• Ancient, timeless knowledge & wisdom

• Thoughts, intentions, attention, no-tension, manifestation

• Art of living

• Taking responsibility for our power and using it well

• Honoring ourselves, our unique natures & temperaments

• New Paradigm

• Yes!

• Positive affirmations

• Balance, centeredness, groundedness

• Life’s amazing learning journey

• Unity, oneness, wholeness

The Moon

The moon is deep and seductive, secretive and wise. She flows through her cycles and pulls the tides of the vast, watery, dark oceans. She knows that these ebbs & flows, these cycles & rhythms, this waxing & waning is her nature. She honors them as beautiful & divine & perfect. Her femininity is rounded and curvy and open and receptive. She is ancient and she is our grandmother, looking over us, pouring light upon us and drenching us in the light of pure awareness…silently.

Three Months

"Three months, and I couldn't be happier,"
You recently said to me
"Three months, and I couldn't be happier,"
I couldn't more fully agree

These three months have been for me
The happiest of my life
The gods have smiled & it's clear to me
That it's all divinely aligned

Three bright months of smiling more
Than I ever have before
Three beautiful months of loving you
More & more & more

Three full months of thanking God
And my lucky stars above
Three wonderful months of glowing
‘Cause I've met my one true Love

I look at you and I know in my heart
That you're the one for me
This deep inner knowing feels so inspiring
With you, I’m finally set free

When we’re together, I truly feel

There’s nothing we can’t do

We’ll scale the heights of Everest’s peaks

And play shows at Bonnaroo

Together we'll explore every continent
On this blessed Planet Earth
We'll travel to mystical, magical lands
And the deep inner world we’ll traverse

Hand in hand, we'll spread our light
And do the work we're here to do
You are my partner, my love, and best friend
And my truest love I pledge to you

My intention is to treat you gently
Like the fine crystal china that you are
I acknowledge your greatness and see your bright light
And I know together we'll go high and far

I love you truly, deeply, completely
I love you more than I knew I could
Your heart is a precious & radiant diamond
And I want for it always the highest Good

I promise to love you the best that I can
I give myself to you ~ You are my man
I give you my word to always be true
To myself and to God and to sweet, sweet YOU.