Your Own Deep Sense of Truth

This is coming on the heels

of the quote about compassionate

attunement as I believe

its sometimes challenging 

to clear away 

deeply embedded beliefs

(directives)

that can feel like one's truth.

kastilwell

Reflection

 This is an important thought reminder

for those moments when our quiet time

becomes less than compassionate.

"An attunement to the self

that is supportive and kind".

That seems worthy of strong consideration

and dedicated practice.

kastilwell

 

How Do Habits Contribute ?

 I have mixed feelings about this thought.

However, I do like the last two questions.

It has set some contemplation in motion.

I question embodying an identity.

I prefer to discover how to embody

my truest, best self

as defined by me and me alone.

Truest and best does not mean

without human flaws and quirks.

Truest in the sense of real and authentic.

Best in the sense of growing and evolving.

kastilwell

This Is The River

 On a day of downpours with few breaks, 

this seems appropriate.

It reminds me of the river of goodness 

I am determined to believe exists beneath

the surface cacophony of tragic events

mixed with frightful reports of 

impending catastrophe and takeovers.

I choose to believe in the river.

Let It Be.

kastilwell

Love Is A Tree

Not surprising that Richard Powers is the author of this quote.

It conjures up metaphysical properties to trees,

inviting contemplation. 

I've not thought of trees in this way 

until reading this.

"A trunk that is nowhere at all?"

Hmmmmm.  

Love is a notoriously difficult concept

to describe in words.

kastilwell

Small Everyday Blessings

 The first quote I found today said, 

"You Take Your Footprints With You." 

Then I found this image of 23,000 year old footprints!

I was already reconsidering as I believe

we are leaving footprints, 

albeit mostly invisible ones,

that mark the path 

we're making for ourselves 

and the legacy we are leaving behind.

kastilwell

Belong To This World

 "...so much to admire"; 

It seems helpful to spend time with this.

because, "to weep over", produces rivers of tears,

and keeps things out of balance.

Leaning into the loop of doom comes automatically.

Admiring what/who is fair and decent

requires some mind muscle building.

It's possible to hold the heartbreaking

and the heart warming at the same time.

Isn't that the nature of life?

Tragedy and Triumph 

tightly knit within a

multifaceted fabric

of variants and tiny details?

kastilwell

To Be Alone

This thought alters the idea of being alone quite dramatically, I think.

To "live in my body as a question rather than a statement",

invites much contemplation right off the bat.

Then, I've never thought of "the permeability of being alone".

It sounds luscious, especially 

if it leads to reimagining 

those constricting aspects

which keep me from evolving and expanding.

I'm eagerly awaiting the "parallel ears"

and "hearing the story in a different way"!

kastilwell

 

Rearrange Doubt and Fear

 I am enchanted by the idea 

that doubt and fear can be 

rearranged for transformation. 

My life long habitual response

has been to avoid, dismiss, and deny.

Now I can accept and redesign the energy

to something optimistic and positive. 

I delight in thoughts that inspire me

to see things in a more constructive way.

kastilwell

Nothing But Mystery

 If you're awake and aware, 

you know this to be true.

Even though the rhythms and routines

of our lives cause us to forget.

Or we realize it in hindsight.

Like when I'm trance walking

in the woods and notice I'm

almost home and haven't

really "been there" 

during much of the saunter.

Fortunately, I believe

mystery is not offended

and welcomes our presence

even when it's distracted

and disengaged.

kastilwell 

Everyone's Name is Stillness

 This is an excerpt from a longer poem. 

 All of it beautiful.

I continue to believe when enough of us awaken

to our own goodness and dignity,

we will change the trajectory of this world

evolving toward something incredible

beyond our current imagination.

If you have the time, 

revisit John and Yoko's Imagine.

It's a great place to start.

In the words of Terry Tempest Williams,

"We are eroding, we are evolving."

kastilwell

The Magnificence Within

These words ring true for me.  

Reading them, saying them, believing them

does not convey the vastness of the inner wild territory.

And the patience and trust required to navigate 

what can feel like nothing but silence and emptiness.

I don't really know what I'm looking for

until I catch a glimpse...a flash...a fragment ,

of something I cannot truly name.

And a deep knowing I never will.

Not in this lifetime.

kastilwell

Appearing Calm

 I couldn't resist sharing this thought

from a favorite author's latest book.

Eating rage in order to appear calm...

I suppose sharpshooting might be

one unfortunate way of channeling that rage.

However, I am not a fan of shooting of any kind

unless its pool, baskets, or photos.

kastilwell

Screams and Whispers

 Here's another thought that caught my attention

and has me ruminating.

I "think" I agree but would love to hear

how others feel about this particular line of thinking.

For one thing, I'm not sure my desires scream

except in high stress situations

where the scream is about STOPPING the upheaval.

Now that I'm considering it, 

this would be a great time to examine 

what values are whispering, 

wouldn't it? 

Hmmmm.  

This may be part one of 

an ongoing discussion.

kastilwell

There Is A Space

 This quote crossed my path yesterday.

It's been circling around since.

One thing I notice is how minute that space is.

(Or how deeply embedded

my automatic response is.)

"PAUSE" is what keeps surfacing

as I consider one tiny step in a better direction.

kastilwell

Is Earth Enough?

 These are meaty questions.

It causes me to consider

the "margins of my undoing and remaking"?

I've not given thought to this before.

However, now that I am,

it brings to mind The Enchanted Life *

which has given me a glimpse

into my margins;

where new perspectives are revealed,

and expanded ways 

of being alive are opening up.

Is Earth enough?

What if it's not?

There is so much majesty

and possibility in the 

vastness of the Universe.

That does not mean we squander our planet.

It seems to me its an invitation and an appeal 

to cherish and nurture it

so we can explore those possibilities.

kastilwell

*by Sharon Blackie

Pledge of Interdependence

 "Can we agree to be grateful for all that is given?"

Can we?  I'm thinking of the wave of authoritarianism

seeking to gain control; 

seeking to impose their ego 

on the freedoms and choices of others.

Willing to murder and lie to achieve their wish? 

Can we be grateful for that?

I suppose, in a roundabout way, we can;

IF it awakens the river of decency and dignity

flowing unseen and unheard, below the radar.

This leads me to the place I often find myself.

Holding a plate full of contradiction,

opposing forces ever present.

An endless tug of war.

For what?

Dominance?  Control?  A sense of security?

Does anyone else get the irony in a campaign 

titled "Right To Life"

while our Earth dies all around us?

It feels like I robbed this thought of its intention.

I'm shifting my perspective.

I "choose" to say yes!

"We can agree to be grateful for

all that has been given."

That list is long and even includes

the half a dozen squirrels

gorging on the birdseed while the birds

it is meant for

attempt to get their share.

kastilwell

Enlarge The Box

 A giant YES to this thought.

I can get so caught up in my view of things,

I forget to zoom in or zoom out; 

Or, to move around the subject 

to look from a different angle.

Or to pretend I'm someone else

from a different place or time

and consider how they would view it.

It changes things and gives me hope.

kastilwell

To The Heart In You

 It took some time to find this thought for today.

It's giving me much to contemplate--

being afraid to

feel, shine, heal, rage and break?

Yikes!

Hunting for my courage as I 

enter this adventure!

kastilwell

Solitude

 It was encouraging to encounter this thought.

I've been ambivalent about the amount of solitary time

I've been experiencing over the past few weeks

as the pandemic "appears" to be fading into history.

Yet, vigilance continues.

For someone whose lived life based on the needs,

 wishes and assumed expectations of those I encounter,

having solitude be "a support and a home"

is a refreshing and challenging endeavor.

It's daunting how deeply ingrained 

the need for approval has been 

etched into my psyche.

kastilwell

 

The Mower

 My daughter and I were discussing 

finding enjoyment in the midst of the extremely 

hectic schedule she has ahead of her this week.

Sharon Blackie talks about bodyfulness

as an evolution from mindfulness.

Hearing an owl hoot and a turkey gobble

this morning when I walked outside

to spread birdseed was a reminder

to absorb the sights and sounds

and sensations of the world around me.

To be enchanted with the line of finches

feasting on the birdseed 

scattered along the deck railing.

By doing so, I activate synapses

inside of me and we are all

together instead of separate

in this microcosm of chronos time.

(thus shifting it into kairos?)

May you experience a bodyful day.

kastilwell

"IT-ness"

 This line of thinking has affected many aspects of my thinking, being and doing.

For I most certainly fit the description of seeing myself as "other"

from pretty much everything and (everyone) "outside" of me.

This is not intentional.  It was etched into me from conception.

Once you see "it", 

"it" cannot be unseen.

"It" becomes we 

in a whole wild, new way.

It changes the way I see the world around me.

The chipmunks are no longer those critters out there robbing the birdseed.

It feels awkward, clumsy, threatening and fascinating all at the same time.

Stepping down from a place of unconscious superiority

has its challenges, as you can imagine, 

especially when considering rodents and stinging insects,

but I will continue on this path of discovery.

However, I promise not to steal anyone's birdseed.

kastilwell