COLORFUL COMMUNITY

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COLORFUL COMMUNITY

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No one owns the rainbow

It is a symbol in many times and places

Belonging to us all 

Whether it means a covenant between a wrathful deity

And a flawed humanity

A bridge for our beloved pets to cross

Waiting in heaven for our joyful reunion

Where a tricky leprechaun hides his secret stash

A symbol of diversity which includes all of us

Or even a food chart to show us the colorful rainbow 

Of fruits and veggies that are healthy

You own the rainbow when it enters your eyes 

And travels to your brain, which assigns meaning

Aside from your own personal inner rainbow

You don't own the rainbow, neither do I

It belongs to everyone on this beautiful planet

Like the air

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HAS BEAN

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HAS BEAN

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If we want to make a recipe with dried beans

We must buy the beans, sort through them for stones

Soak them over night and then cook them

Only then do we have the beans we need to eat

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Was this preparation time wasted? Futile?

Of course not

All those steps were necessary for the finished product

The same is true for the uncountable steps it took 

To get here, now

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Regretting those steps is regretting the very nature of movement

Fruitful or futile those steps were needed

To get to the solid ground where you know with certainty

Because knowing something with certainty

With a united mind and heart

Is a very powerful place to stand

To see what is coming next.

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TAKE TWO EXISTENTIALISTS AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING

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TAKE TWO EXISTENTIALISTS AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING

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Philosophy is like medicine

If it helps us feel better

And promotes healing

It is a success

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GLURGE

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GLURGE

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Animals are rescued

Babies are saved

People are assisted 

In their old age

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People are generous

Life is ultimately fair

Wondrous goodness

Flies through the air

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These stories of goodness

Might not be real

Yet stories of goodness

Can uplift how we feel

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Glurge is annoying

But at the same time

I appreciate the sentiment

Bringing kindness to our minds

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ALL ARE WELCOME

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ALL ARE WELCOME

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There are a bunch of us who kinda think the same

We don't have a clubhouse or even a name

We seek the Wisdom that comes from above

I call us "The Enlightenment Club"

We inch our way o'er the long winding path

We learn to have courage, we all like to laugh

Reality, the great Mystery, we learn as we go

The Enlightenment Club is where we meet to grow

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CRITICAL MASSES

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CRITICAL MASSES

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Instead of complaints

We can have projects

This puts the ball in our court

Where we might have a shot at hitting it

Is the government annoying you?

Write to every politician you can think of

Voicing your concerns

Prices too high?

We can share economy measures

While including this in the messages to politicians

People driving like nutjobs?

Watch videos on defensive driving, get a dash cam

Get uninsured drivers insurance

Be very alert when on the road

You see, a complaint is not a thing in itself

It is a seed to plant the idea that some action is needed

By you, by us, to grow into a mighty solution

You are the Alchemist in your own life

You should not be mute but transmute

Your valid complaint into a plan of action

A project you are currently working on

For the betterment of all.

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SMOKE SIGNAL

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SMOKE SIGNAL

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When a very patient person begins to lose their patience

It is like the ominous black puff of smoke

From a volcano that was long thought to be dormant

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OCCULT

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OCCULT 

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We have a name

But we are not our names

We were born into an ever changing form

We are not our form

We were raised and schooled in a society and culture

That might be quite different from other societies and cultures

So we are not that either, really

Because if we had a different name, a different form

A different society

We would still be ourselves

And that is a mystery

Sitting on the throne of ego

Our tails dipped in the Collective Unconscious

We rely on being This and not That

As an identity

But behind this all encompassing show

The drama, the cast of billions

We remain a mystery to ourselves

All the philosophers and texts in the history of the world

Have not solved the mystery of you and me.

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DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

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DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

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I declare myself independent of any political party or dogma

From any particular religion or specific deity

I think independently about matters of morality

Ethics and judgements

I have my own independent beliefs about the occult

The paranormal and mysteries both scientific and mundane

I do not ascribe to any school of medicine and use my own judgements

About medications and treatments

I am independent of worry over things I can't control

I do not change over the opinions of others

How I should look, act, feel or think

I do not need anyone more than I need my own self-respect and peace of mind

I am independent from scare tactics, threats and mind control

I am free and hope to stay free from imagining futures and fretting over the past

The first condition of happiness is freedom

Especially our freedom to think whatever we want 

To protect our sacred inner selves from attack

I declare my freedom and yours

Because I am not truly free unless you are too.

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MIND OVER METAL

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MIND OVER METAL

My imaginary punk rock band

Would play Weighty Metal

Where a dramatic front man

With powerful lungs and much enthusiasm

Would yell out passages from philosophy books

Like they were lyrics

While the band shreds the night

With Old School 80's style buzzsaw punk

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SHOPPING FOR A FUTURE

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SHOPPING FOR A FUTURE

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It is Nature's way to phase out the old

And make way for the new

Because Constant Change is the name of the game

The Future will come for you

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Hang on to the Old Ways tried and true

What has worked successfully before

But also keep an open heart and mind

About what Change has in store

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Be prepared for what may come 

Eat healthy, get sleep, save up what you can

The Future is not yet set in the Now

So being prepared is the Plan

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A MERRY BAND OF MAD SCIENTISTS

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A MERRY BAND OF MAD SCIENTISTS 

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Every life is an experiment

We learn by trial and error

Give and take, live and let live

Good fortune or misfortune

Difficult or easy

We try things that seem like a good idea

At the time

Thus we find out if an idea is a good idea or not

We can share the results of our experiments 

Do some research before we begin

See what the experts have to say

But in the end we are our own science experiments

Explorers and alchemists

Hoping nothing blows up while we are

Inventing a life of meaning and purpose

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HEY EVERYONE

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HEY EVERYONE

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I am thankful I found a place

To interface with the human race

Learn something new

Have a laugh or two

So thank you thank you thank you

For being here

Wishing you and yours a day of peace and cheer

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NO LADY IN THE LAKE

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NO LADY IN THE LAKE

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The knight, imbued with chivalry

Went off to slay the dragon

He pinned a rose favor to his breast

Drank courage from a flagon

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He went through every trial and test

Spent every coin of treasure

Suffered bleak and endless days

Not seeking wealth or pleasure

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Only when his substance was spent

His spirit finally broken

He saw the rose was cheap and fake

A trite and useless token

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Beware, all ye noble Knights

Before venturing forth on a quest

You may not want the worthless prize

Though you nobly passed each test

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HURRY UP AND WAIT

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HURRY UP AND WAIT

I wish I was made of easily replaceable mechanical parts

That my brain could be downloaded onto a disk 

And uploaded into a new brain grown in a lab

i wish we lived at least 900 years 

So we had time to work through all our issues

I wish we had all our basic needs supplied

So we can use our earned assets on improvements

And that there were other planets for us to use

For groups who only want things exclusively one way

There would be prison planets to keep dangerous people

Away from the vulnerable

It would be great if we could download books directly to our brains

Oh so much of the suffering, worry, fear, and uncertainty of life

Could be greatly reduced or eliminated

If only we had the future right now.

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HIGHER AND HIGHER

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HIGHER AND HIGHER

There is an apple on the Tree of Life

I can not yet reach 

The most perfect transcendental apple of them all

I hope through all my seeking and striving

To grasp that magical apple

And in that moment shuffle off

The mortal terror that haunts me

Opening up a vastness of possibilities

Through Understanding and past Understanding

To  the wild blue infinity beyond

Where true freedom is my sword and shield

Where I can fly on wings of love

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NOVEL IDEA

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NOVEL IDEA

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In a work of fiction 

Good is rewarded in the end

Wickedness gets their comeuppance

Wealth and romance around every bend

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Our lively imaginations

Must work with reality

When nothing is ever neatly resolved

The story goes on endlessly

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If you have come to the end of a chapter

Prepare your mind to begin again

A new amazing chapter awaits us

With a plot we could never imagine

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DIMMING

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DIMMING

Those who only exist in the mirror

Of other people's admiration

Start to suffer when the spotlight fades

When the last few admirerers lose interest and drift away

The mirror existence fades out

Like a dying star in a distant galaxy 

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THE CHARM OF THE ORDINARY

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THE CHARM OF THE ORDINARY

I get reassured by simple things

When I observe my neighbor has left her porch light on

In the evening (which comes early this time of year)

I think "Maybe she's expecting a package."

Her porchlight becomes a signal beacon shining

Across the mysterious Universe 

When a delivery truck with her package appears

From the dense darkness of a rural road into that warm circle of light 

I turn away from my window pleased and reassured

That this small detail went exactly as I expected

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CHOOSE WISELY

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CHOOSE WISELY

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Trust is not a crime

Yet we can be punished terribly

If we trust the wrong person

Love can be showered on a stony heart 

That will never bloom and flower

Hope is misplaced if it leads us down the jagged path

Of reckless self-delusion 

Trust, love and hope are beautiful rainments of the spirit

That can be used to camouflage a devious mind

Give out your trust, hope and love sparingly until

You see they are bringing joy and the rewards

Of a wise investment

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DIVINE EVOLUTION

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DIVINE EVOLUTION

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We have our own personal demons

And our own personal higher powers

Customized to fit our needs and notions

Of what a higher power might be

This has changed over time for all of humanity

It has changed for me too

From an angry, punative scary parent

To a kind and supportive friend

I walk with, hand in hand

Unless She has to draw her mighty flaming sword

And slay one of those pesky demons

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MEMORY GAIN

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MEMORY GAIN

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My memory has improved so much over the years

That I remember to notice what is good, who is kind

What kind of approach I wish to make to the day

I have forgotten who did me wrong

What blunders I made, how I compare to others

The brain is both an organ of remembering 

And forgetting

Of focus and of ignoring

I remember the reasons I should rejoice

That I can transcend current circumstances

With the right mind set

My magical mind carries a vision of the highest good

Like a guiding star I wish on in my prayers

Which gives my mind the wings I need

To transcend the limitations of circumstances

Space and time

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ARMCHAIR TOURISM

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ARMCHAIR TOURISM

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Outer space is vast and cold

There isn't any air

My robe and tea are cozy warm

I will learn about it in my reading chair

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LEGAL EAGLE

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LEGAL EAGLE

We have to be law abiding

When it comes to the Laws of Physics

Gravity is a law, not a suggestion

These laws have enforcement built in

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We can tinker with the Laws of Nature

But we can only go so far

Before it starts to backfire

Ending up worse than ever

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There are also Laws for All Times

Like the Golden Rule 

For harmony with others

Life itself combined with empathy

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Then we have our Human Laws

Enforced with iron and steel

Get caught breaking these laws

The consequences will be real

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Finally we have our Inner Laws

The ones we make for our own lives

These are the most immediate laws

They are how we define ourselves

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You have the right to an attorney

You can goof around with science

But as for the Higher Laws we have embraced

There can be no defiance

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GREY ZONE

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GREY ZONE

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In my youth I was very unyielding

I saw things as black or white

Everything neatly divided

Into what was wrong or right

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Then I started to see grey areas

Some situations hard to define 

Gradually the greyness spread

Like a fogbank across my mind

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Try as I might to decide

There was a split in my perception

I could never be completely sure

I was looking in the right direction

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I have come to value the Grey Zones

Filled with open minded peace

When anything can happen

Burdensome judgements are released

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TODAY

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TODAY 

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The thin light of dawn through the pines

A reassuring sight to me

The Universe is still humming along

But there was never a guarantee

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ADVISOR

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ADVISOR

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Wouldn't it be great

If we could see our moment-by-moment challenges

With the same detachment we would view another

In the same situation?

We would care, help, share experiences, sympathize with

Another who comes to us with a problem

As an advisor we are not reacting emotionally

From past traumas or ugly lessons

No, our inner advisor would first calm down the panic

Reassure them that it will be ok

Remind them that they have dealt with equally difficult days

And even some that were worse

A trusted advisor does not criticize

They don't point out what you should have done

Calmly accepting the situation just as it is

In order to figure out what our next step should be

When we need encouragement, forgiveness, understanding 

And comfort

The Inner Advisor brings cushions so you have a soft place to sit

A cup of something warm, perhaps a nourishing snack

As we sit discussing things rationally

in our soul's fortress, a bastion against the storms

Of life

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ON NOTICE

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ON NOTICE

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A ton of grey sky and a herd of dark clouds

The wind carries knives of ice

Nature is cautioning "Winter is near"

It may not warn us twice

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BENEFITS

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BENEFITS

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Everything benefits from a plan

First we must know where we are

Then where we want to go

Chart the steps needed to get there

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Everything benefits from hope

Which ignites the flame of motivation

So grab the end of your rope

We are off to a new destination

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POISE NOT NOISE

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POISE NOT NOISE

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Grace under pressure is a skill

We can develop over time

When we were children our reactions were childish

Having a meltdown when frustrated is par for the course

In a toddler

Just as we develop our other adult skills

We want to develop the ability

To stay calm, think clearly, keep a civil tongue in our heads

Aside from the rare circumstance

Where a violent reaction is called for 

Most of the time staying calm is best

We develop this skill the same way we develop other skills

By practicing mindfully when a situation arises

Our bodies react immediately, adrenalin floods our system

Which triggers a response of emotional anger

Wanting to lash out, escalate, dominate

Staying calm is not natural to us yet in our current stage

Of evolution

The person who masters themself is greater than one who captures a city

Impossible with the limited emotional development of a child

When we were children we thought and reacted as children

When we grow up we want to set aside childish ways

For the grace, wisdom and dignity of an adult

Masters of our thoughts and emotions

Creators of solutions and peace

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VIGILANCE

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VIGILANCE

The feeling that everything is hopeless

Does not originate in your natural mind

There is no survival value in hopelessness

That feeling is a sign

That somewhere you took a wrong turn

Added things up wrong

Because clearly there is still hope

You just need to feel centered and strong

Work on thinking rationally

A positive mindset needs fodder

Feed your clever mind with courage

New ideas will flow like water

Hopelessness is a demon

Don't give it any power

You can cheer yourself on

Every minute of every hour

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WILD WIND

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WILD WIND

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There was wind on the mountain last night

All the colorful leaves took flight

This morning the branches are bare

There is a new chill in the air

Soon Jack Frost will win

Then the drama of winter swirls in

Today I can see at first light

There was wind on the mountain last night

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