GOOD ORDERLY DIRECTION

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GOOD ORDERLY DIRECTION

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Lost is a place

Confounded is a state of mind 

And failing is a rock on the road to success

Somewhere things might have taken a wrong turn

But fear not!

Your Higher Self has GPS+

Good Problem Solving Skills

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WELL

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WELL

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Here we are, on an average sized planet

Hurtling through vast inhospitable space

No idea how we got here

Or where we are going

Not a clue how we can get along peacefully

As nations or even as individuals

In all the mind-boggling universe there is only one place

Where you can find peace

That place is within you, in your heart and mind

In every situation you can prioritize your peace

Invite joy, have moments of discovery and wonder

We can wish for peace, pray for peace

Even make signs and protest in the street for peace

Yet we must find it in the only place the calm garden of peace can flourish

We grow world peace in our hearts and minds

The universe within

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THE WAR IS WON IN THE GENERAL'S TENT

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THE WAR IS WON IN THE GENERAL'S TENT

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The General who is a pessimist

Is defeated before he's begun

Yet if the General is too optimistic

He won't know when to turn and run

But if the General is a realist

He will live in the vital moment

While adjusting plans and strategies

And figuring out his opponent

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PIGEON POWER

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PIGEON POWER

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The eagle is not the only bird to define our skies

There is the cheerful robin, harbinger of spring

A crow or raven bringing news from beyond

The stately vulture taking what remains after life

After a hummingbird has carried the spirit to paradise

While a nightingale sings a song of hope and rebirth

There is such a variety of birds to choose from 

If the eagle of liberty and justice is not visible right now

Focus on the dove, the heron or the shrike

For inspiration and encouragement

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WHEN

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WHEN
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When the summer trees sway to and fro

I feel the broken edges of my heart

When music swells inside my soul

I feel the broken edges of my heart

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HOCUS FOCUS

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HOCUS FOCUS

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When a powerful witch has your back

You needn't fear harm or attack

The protection acts like a shield

Consequences are the weapons they wield

Bad actors better think twice

They better back off or be nice

Witches prefer to heal and bless

But don't put their benevolence to the test

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CONSEQUENCES

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CONSEQUENCES

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When the first shot was fired at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, at 4:30 a.m.

The slaves were freed

A war started to perpetuate and expand slavery was actually 

The death knell of that grotesque institution

Events in history are like dominoes in entangled rows

Stretching into the distant futures, over the horizon and beyond

But once the first domino topples, it hits the next one

A series of consequences set in action, beyond anyone's control

No one can say with certainty where this current chain reaction will end

What chains will be unlocked, who will be set free

But once a domino falls it can never rise again

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LOST IN TIME

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LOST IN TIME

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Dinosaurs used to roam where my dwelling now stands

The property is on the edge of an extinct lake

Which is why my soil is so sandy and my basement is dry

The dinosaurs did not know, could not know, about me

But I know about them -  tiny plant-eaters and giant meat-eaters

What unimaginable sequence of events gave me this place in time?

I wonder about the future, in 200 million years

Who or what will live here? 

There is no guarantee that humans will be here

Or anything recognizable to us

I will enjoy my moment in the sun, on the Earth

Rolling around in the mists of time like tumbling dice

Taking a chance, the only chance, to be here now.

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TOWER OF TRUTH

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THE TOWER OF TRUTH

We were taught the Tower of Babel 

Was about all the many languages

But since we can translate any language

Now I don't think that's true

I think the Tower of Babel

Means what is true for me might be something false to you 

The Tower of Babel is a symbol for our unique perspective

Forcing anyone to see things our way

Is going to be, at best, ineffective

We must make bridges between the towers

Made of good will and respect

While we may never have a common vision of things

That we are each a unique tower with a different point of view

Is a fact that we must all accept

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FLUTTER BY

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FLUTTER BY
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What can a little poem do?

It can reach out to touch your heart

It can say "You're going to be all right"

It can hand you a flaming sword

It can say "Stand your ground and fight"

It can bring a flickering candle

And invite you into the light

A little poem can sit quietly by your side

Hold your shaking hand so tight

A little poem

Carried like a leaf on the wind

Can bring the message "Keep going

You can do it. We can do it.

You are not alone."

We travel together as friends

Caring and sharing our lives

You can fold the poem, carry it in your pocket

A talisman, a love letter

As we walk towards the unknown

You and me and a little poem

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YEARNING

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YEARNING

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There is a beautiful garden 

Fragrant and glowing with a heavenly light

Paths of peace and contentment

Wind through the whispering trees

Birdsong and butterflies fill the gentle air

Under radiant blue skies and dreaming clouds

We look at this garden 

Through iron bars, unable to enter

Instead we are given a small handful of seeds

To begin the work of making a garden

Of our own.

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FIVE

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FIVE

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This is what I am here to say:

Eat five fruits and vegetables every day

Consume fresh produce - at least five

To keep you healthy and alive

Dark leafy greens, cruciferous ones too

Five fruits and veggies working hard for you

A few simple recipes, you're on your way!

To eating five fruits and vegetables every day

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BRAVE NEW WHIRL

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BRAVE NEW WHIRL

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When an addicted person finally struggles their way

Onto the safe dry land of recovery

They discover a whole new world

Possibilities abound, paths going in every direction

It can be confusing and overwhelming

The best thing about the land of sobriety and abstinence

Is that you only need to take the first step

Then assess if this is a good orderly direction

Towards the better life envisioned 

The journey of a thousand miles

Begins with that first uncertain step

On this, the first day, the only day 

Any of us have to make our way towards

The Light

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MIRACLE OF MIRACLES

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MIRACLE OF MIRACLES

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When you are born you are given a "you"

To care for and cherish, to learn what to do

To keep the "you" safe, watered and fed

Exercised daily, put gently to bed

Your "you" is amazing, only one in the world

From out of the void that drifted and swirled

The atoms all joined, they knew what to do

The cosmos delighted to make wonderful "you"

Every cell in your body, every thought in your mind

Is precious and special, the only one of its kind

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WHEN

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WHEN

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She'll be coming round the mountain

She'll be coming round the bend

The mountain trail is so winding

She can never see the end

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Onward she will travel

Over hill and over dale

Sometimes friends walk with her

As she hikes along her trail

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There are many glorious beauties

There are dangers out there too

She must factor in the weather

She must make her footsteps true

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We each have our mountain trail

Sometimes our paths converge

Someday we'll reach the trail's end

Where all our paths will merge

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CH CH CH CHANGES

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Ch Ch Ch Changes

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Some creatures, when they molt

Are just slightly larger versions of their prior life

Some creatures, when they molt

Change so dramatically that they emerge looking nothing like

The old version

There is no missing link, no Mr. Inbetween

Just one day it becomes obvious that things

Simply can not go on as they were

Change is needed, required, the only viable option

Then we need a safe cocoon of quiet and solitude

As the changes magically occur

(Because if this isn't magic, nothing is magic)

One fine day we emerge in our new form

Reborn, a new creature, a blessing to the world

With colorful wings and a new mandate of peace and good will

Towards all

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VISITATION

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VISITATION
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Out of the corner of my eye

I saw a ghost nearby

I sat very still

Felt an icy thrill

It hovered in the air

I felt it was aware

It was someone, I could tell

That had come to say farewell

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UPHOLDING

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UPHOLDING

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The Pillar of Severity is carved from the Rock of Truth

It is a Pillar that can never be moved

But it can bear the weight of sorrow and regret

To hold up the Holy Temple of Life

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CALM AND CENTERED

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CALM AND CENTERED

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When we are calm and centered

We have fewer accidents, make better decisions

Cut back on errors of inattention

When we are calm and centered

We see with greater clarity, spend time wisely

Look after our health and well being

Getting calm and centered is the trick

Keeping calm and centered is an even trickier trick

But CaC can become a habit 

If we practice practice practice everyday

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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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YOUR REAL NAME

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YOUR REAL NAME

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Remember when you were a child

Right before sleep

You would whisper a name

A name only you knew

A magical name?

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It existed before caves became buildings

The name grew on the Tree of Life

Plucked by a great angel

Spoken secretly to you at birth 

And will be given as a password

On the Four Watchtowers 

As you go to your dwelling place

Among the stars.

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ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL

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ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL

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Queen of Heaven, hear my prayers

We have problems, we have cares

We are worried the bad will win

The Dark Ages returning once again

Yet time will eventually reveal 

What the power mad try to conceal

That while one small voice might be weak

We are a deafening roar when we all speak

Though we might never get full restitution

We still have the Constitution

That sacred instrument is number one

And will lawfully prevail, when all this nonsense

Is done

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NAVIGATION

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NAVIGATION

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The flashes of light

Inside the pitch-black cave of my skull

Reveal everything

Yet explain nothing

Like snapshots of fleeing moments

I must interpret and integrate these pictures

Into a cohesive narrative

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They are all I have

To inform me

To remember my past

Plan my future

Orient myself each day

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No wonder I make mistakes

Blundering along

Trying to plot my course

By a fickle moon on a jet-black night

While dense oddly shaped clouds

Scud by, parting for a moment

When I can imagine I see

The path I must take

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