2019

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Jo Beall

today’s image of the astonishing light of being, is a radiant field of flowers with our peace pilgrim of light poised in the unknown, great mystery, great mother as the sun rises on the new day, the new world with the sacred mountain of light in the background holding the center, transporting us to the great beyond, bridging the worlds of heavenearth…

during this happy turn around the sun re-creation maifestival celebration week, i’m on quite a journey into ultima thule for project awakening, the pilgrimage we are all called to saunter along letting go, letting go, suspending certainty for this moment and simply being present in what is, not our ideas of what should be but the true reality of what is without judgement or opinion or denial or repression or projection… the naked now as a gift from the cosmos bringing us to who we truly be by seeing what we want in this moment… for me, it’s peace, love and joy – hallelujah! this is our birthright, our true reality, our true nature…

may we all begin anew with every awakening breath flowing in the rhythm of the cosmic hum, dreaming into being a world of one where we re-member we are free dancing light bodies of rainbow mystery…

namaste, beloveds… shanti shanti shantihi…

Poetic PEACE Pilgrimage – Year 6 – Day 216 – 7/20/2019

Posted on July 20, 2019 by Jo Beall

in a field of love may we walk
all day long may we walk
through the turnings may
we walk
on the trail of pollen
may we walk
with love in our one heart may we walk
with love before us may we walk
with love behind us may we walk
with love above us may we walk
with love all around us may we
walk
in any age, wandering on a trail of
love, lively, may we walk
in any age, wandering on a trail of
love, living again, may we walk
it is beginning in love
it is deepening in love

it is always being love

so much dancing in the stillness of the guesthouse today… sadness and in the room below grief and in the spacious room below, deep peace of the running wave and below in the basement, being true and in that moment pure being comes sniffing carrying me into the field of overflowing sunshine and smile…

Poetic PEACE Pilgrimage – Year 6 – Day 215 – 7/19/2019

Posted on July 19, 2019 by Jo Beall

Prayers for the Other

~

Guardian of the ‘Others’ Among Us
We turn to You with deep concern for the immigrants and refugees —
those who have come seeking survival, safety, and sustenance in our country —
who, even as we pray these words, are being tracked down, rounded up, and terrorized
by a cruel, bigoted, and abusive administration,
a government that ignores the cries of the oppressed and the desperate,
and chooses the ruthless power of might over the enduring strength of compassion.

Help us to stand up for the vulnerable and protect the exposed
with commitment, creativity, courage, and success,
as righteous non-Jews have done for us,
saving lives and preserving families,
affirming Your Image reflected in each and every soul.

True Helper in Times of Trouble:
Grant us the wisdom, understanding, and knowledge
to save the defenseless from all harm,
to shield and sustain those at risk of deportation and detention,
and to sustain our advocacy and support
with Your teachings of loving kindness, human kinship, and faithful justice.

~ Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub ~

~

We light this candle to uplift the prayers of refugees and immigrants fleeing their homes for safety and security just as our ancestors did before them. We not only remember the mitzvah to care for the stranger, the other, we, even more importantly, remind ourselves of the commandment to act, perform, and do this mitzvah. The light of this candle is a light of hope, possibility, and love. We are and must be love in action. Close your eyes and take a moment and make a commitment to engage in at least one concrete act this next week to love the stranger, the other, the refugee. Blessings flow abundantly forth from You, Transformative Power of the Universe, who calls us to care for and act on behalf of the needy, the stranger, the other.

~ Cat Zavis ~

~

MyNameIsImmigrant—No. 3
Write
Write this down
My name is Maya Angelou
Daughter of Africa, Voice of America
The KKKs want to send me back
You may shoot me with your words
You may cut me with your eyes
You may kill me with your hatefulness
But still, like air, I’ll rise

Write
Write this down
My name is Ilhan Omar
Daughter of Somalia, Congresswoman of America
The President wants to send me back
You may shoot me with your chant
You may cut me with your lies
You may kill me with your bigotry
But still, like wind, I rise.

Write
Write this down
My name is Ping Wang
Daughter of China, Conscience of America
The President wants to send me back
You may shoot me with your defamations
You may trap me with your fabricated charges
You may kill me with your money and power
But still, in poetry, I speak

In poetry we speak
In poetry we break the cage and sing
Rise
Carrying our ancestors’ dream
We’re the purple of mountain majesties
We’re the waves of amber grain
We’re the wings of America
As we rise
To the halcyon skies

~Wang Ping ~

~

may we all re-member we belong to each other and from that deep knowing may we stand in love for love creating in each moment a cosmos of peace built on justice and guided by love…

Poetic PEACE Pilgrimage – Year 6 – Day 214 – 7/18/2019

Posted on July 18, 2019 by Jo Beall

on today’s pilgrimage of peace, i join hands and come together with my beautiful sangha family and with all our relations across our earth mother as we breathe through our one heart down into the center of all being, breathing in the deep peace that passeth all understanding and holds the center, sacred space of dreaming and creating, in the rhythm of the waves of radiant light re-membering and constellating the words of our brother john… may we all dream peace into reality… blessed be…

“Imagine”

Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today… Aha-ah…

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace… You…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world… You…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

Poetic PEACE Pilgrimage – Year 6 – Day 213 – 7/17/2019

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Jo Beall

ah, the joy of being in a gathering of beings as openhearted as a grove of abundant guesthouse trees while still in the glow of the blessings full moon leads naturally to this amazing picture and lovingkindness practice… yes, may we all be as openhearted as the standing talls rooted in earth’s stillpoint while reaching out to the heavens, allowing birds to perch and fly away without judgment… when our hearts are like this, we are living the openhearted way, practicing bodhichitta…

what follows is Pema Chodron’s teaching on bodhicitta practice… may we open our hearts and be loving compassion…

“The best way to begin this practice is by thinking of a person whose suffering you feel strongly and whose happiness is very important to you. This could be someone you know or have known, or someone you’ve seen on the street or read about in the newspaper. The thought of certain people naturally and easily awakens bodhicitta in us: we care about them and we don’t want them to suffer. Think of such a person and, whether you feel love, gratitude or compassion for them, say, ‘May they be free of suffering and the root of suffering; may they enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.’

There are two aspects of working with bodhicitta, both of equal importance: one is connecting with the flow of bodhicitta we already feel, and the other is being awake to where that flow is blocked. So you can do this practice not only thinking of people you care about, but also visualizing people you don’t like. It’s important to have an unbiased, compassionate attitude toward whatever is arising.

Think, now, of an area of the world that’s in great turmoil—an area where you know people and animals are suffering a lot. When you’ve chosen the place, think of the men there, and say, ‘May all the men in that place be free of suffering and the root of suffering; may they enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.’ Give yourself time. Take a few minutes.

Then think of all the women in that place, and wish that they too could be free of suffering and the root of suffering, and that they could enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.

Then think of all of the children in that place and wish that they be free of suffering and the root of suffering, and that they might enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.

Finally, think of all the animals in that place—the mammals, the birds, the fish, the insects and all the other animals—and wish that they be free of suffering and the root of suffering; that they might enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.

Imagine, then, all the men in the world who are starving to death right now, and wish that they could be free of suffering and the root of suffering; that they could enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.

Then imagine all the women in the world who are starving, and wish that every one of them—starving all over the world at this very moment—could be free of suffering and the root of suffering, and that they could enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.

Imagine all the children who are starving at this very moment all over the earth, and wish that they, too, could be free of suffering and the root of suffering; that they could enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.

Then imagine all the animals in the world who are starving to death right now, and wish that every one of them, all over the planet, could be free of suffering and the root of suffering; that they could enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.

Then bring to mind all the men on this planet—whether you respect them, feel neutral toward them or consider them bad people—and wish that they could be free of suffering and the root of suffering. Wish that they could enjoy happiness and the root of happiness. Because if all of the men on this planet could be free of the root of suffering and could enjoy the root of happiness—if they could be free of all the self-absorption that causes so much pain—we would be at peace.

Do the same with all the women on the earth—whether you like them or dislike them or feel neutral about them—and wish that they too could all be free of suffering. If all the women on the earth could be free of the root of suffering and enjoy the root of happiness, the world would be at peace.

Now do the same with all the children on the earth—whether you like them, dislike them or feel neutral about them. Wish that they could all be free of suffering. Because if all the children on the earth could be free of the root of suffering and could enjoy the root of happiness, the world would be at peace.

Finally, do the same with all the animals on the earth—whether you like them, don’t like them or feel neutral about them—and wish that they too could all be free of suffering. If all the animals on the earth could be free of the root of suffering and enjoy the root of happiness, the world would be at peace.

Sometimes when we do this kind of bodhicitta practice, we touch on people who immediately awaken warm feelings in us. Other times, though, we just feel numb. And then there are the times when we contact the hardness of our heart. Noticing this is very good, because it shows us when we’re open and when we’re closed. We should notice all of these things with compassion and loving-kindness towards ourselves, because the more we’re able to feel tenderness towards ourselves, the more easily it flows to others.”

Poetic PEACE Pilgrimage – Year 6 – Day 212 – 7/16/2019

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Jo Beall

as the Capricorn full moon of blessings illuminates our oceanic depths

may we be united in a communion of PEACE

dancing under the cosmic turtle moon

looking into the great shining mirror

listening to the call of the wild to

always be love

~

the partial lunar eclipse today covered about 65% of the earth’s umbral shadow at maximum eclipse and was visible from Africa, Australia, South America, most of Asia, Europe and the very southern and eastern parts of North America…

with an eclipsing moon in Capricorn, the structures, constructs, patterns and traditions of life built on a foundation of distortion, fear and/or falsity are crumbling… does feel like the carpet is being pulled out from under you? such intense times of great catalyzing, illumination and then releasing all the ways we’ve lived from a place of fear to build a new firm and sustainable foundation rooted in trust, wisdom and love…

may the full moon’s luminosity penetrate into our being deconstructing what success, achievement, leadership, power and mastery have meant from the old perspective… high time to shed the chains of comparison, status, competition, power-over / powerlessness… in this moon, allow any sadness, grief, anger, fear and rage to have their holy moment blessing and thanking them for how they have served …

on the other side is liberation! through this deep excavation, we create space for a potent rebirth of love and joy for the benefit of all…

this lunar eclipse full moon guides us into living our dreams and grounding our soul gifts! bathe yourself in the light of love… blessed be… howlelujah!

let us close on this day of Guru Purnima, a Vedic holyday of devotion and celebration with sacred intention…

by the power of divine love, may we serve all on the planet re-membering there’s only one of us here, one beloved communion of our one cosmic heart dwelling in the milagro field out beyond in the great beyond…

deep bows, beloveds…

Poetic PEACE Pilgrimage – Year 6 – Day 211 – 7/15/2019

Posted on July 15, 2019 by Jo Beall

holy synchronicity! this decades long commitment to the teacher of love has been reverberating emphatically the last few days and so, of course, I find myself sitting in circle, in sangha today with an amazing group of teachers of love, practitioners of the awakened heart, cultivators of bodhichitta or unconditional friendliness with oneself…

magically transported back to undergraduate days of the late sixties and early seventies with day after day of movable feasts of consciousness and the standout peak experience of nirvana when it’s all so crystal clear – throw out the books, teach only of love…

and, here we are now in the great turning, a pivotal moment on the clock of the world of shifting consciousness and e-membering who we really are… a field of unitive consciousness supported by the overflowing abundance of source… the rising tide that lifts all sails and invites our seeing through wide open eyes of wisdom… that every experience, every moment is a teacher of love…

Poetic PEACE Pilgrimage – Year 6 – Day 210 – 7/14/2019

Posted on July 14, 2019 by Jo Beall

welcome to the weekly astonishing light of being piece falling on Bastille Day and appropriately so as we celebrate the astonishing light of our being, our interbeing as vessels of great mystery shining forth luminously, bastions of living freely…

i’ll share now a brief meditation from Parker Palmer on life on the Möbius strip…

~

“The curious object pictured is a Möbius strip.

If you take your index finger and trace what seems to be the outside surface, you suddenly find yourself on what seems to be the inside surface. Continue along what seems to be the inside surface, and you suddenly find yourself on what seems to be the outside surface.

I need to keep saying “what seems to be” because the Möbius strip has only one side! What look like its inner and outer surfaces flow into each other seamlessly, co-creating the whole. The first time I saw a Möbius strip, I thought, “Amazing! That’s exactly how life works!”

Whatever is inside of us continually flows outward, helping to form or deform the world — depending on what we send out. Whatever is outside us continually flows inward, helping to form or deform us — depending on how we take it in. Bit by bit, we and our world are endlessly re-made in this eternal inner-outer exchange.

Much depends on what we choose to put into the world from within ourselves — and much depends on how we handle what the world sends back to us. As Thomas Merton said:

“We don’t have to adjust to the world. We can adjust the world.”

Here’s the question I’ve been asking myself ever since I understood that we live our lives on the Möbius strip:

How can I make more life-giving choices about what to put into the world and how to deal with what the world sends back — choices that might bring new life to me, to others, and to the world we share?”

~

yes to there’s only one of us here, all that is confluing, flowing together, dancing into the stillpoint, dancing out from the stillpoint seamlessly always connected, always interbeing, always flowing in the seasky of love energy empowering luminosity and shining the light so brightly that all our relations see the way home, home to our one heart…

Poetic PEACE Pilgrimage – Year 6 – Day 209 – 7/13/2019

Posted on July 13, 2019 by Jo Beall

deep within our ancient bloodstream

ma we listen for the lost chords’ echoes

of a mystical, ethereal consciousness

where we all swim in an ocean of flow

~

may we listen for the lost chords’ echoes

coursing throughout the river beloved

where we all swim in an ocean of flow

re-membering paradise in pachamama’s watery womb

~

coursing throughout the river beloved

awakening to dreams of this new world breathing

re-membering paradise in pachamama’s watery womb

as we travel as one on spirit’s pathless path

~

awakening to dreams of this new world breathing

where peace, love and bliss abide in each moment

re-membering paradise in pachamaam’s watery womb,

what dreams are whispering through you of the new world awaiting birth?

~

thank you to the ancientfuture ones, beings of luminosity, dwelling in the hidden realms always at the ready to dance the pathless path lighting the way into the unknown vast sea sky of infinity, twinkling sacred space of rainbow mystery, cosmic realm of harmony…

Poetic PEACE Pilgrimage – Year 6 – Day 208 – 7/12/2019

Posted on July 12, 2019 by Jo Beall

If you are seeking, seek us with joy
For we live in the kingdom of joy.
Do not give your heart to anything else
But to the love of those who are clear joy,
Do not stray into the neighborhood of despair.
For there are hopes: they are real, they exist –
Do not go in the direction of darkness –
I tell you: suns exist.

~ Rumi ~

~

in these very interesting times and under the waxing full moon in cancer calling us to truth, i’m feeling rebellious and seeing that the ultimate act of rebellion is vibrating at the frequency of joy which is our true nature, the bubbling wellspring at the core of our being… i’ve already begun planting seeds of joy in every moment… with a smile, painting peace in the sky, chanting thank you in a continuous feedback loop, laughing, dancing, singing again and again and again… thousandfold thanks for being joy seeders, opening our one heart wider and deeper…

namaste’

Abundance Created Together (ACT)

This is the miracle that happens every time to those who really love; the more they give, the more they possess. – Rainer Maria Rilke –

Monthly Archives: July 2019