The Pine

Silent green giant

In all your still wisdom,

Touching the waking sky

So close to both earth and heaven —

Home to all:

The lovers

The givers 

the takers

And the watchers —

But my heart, too.

The Sword

The path of peace does not come without conflict;

We must face our fears

As well as other people

To reach them, as well as ourselves

Armed with the most brilliant weapon — 

Our hearts reflected

With it, we must cut through the fog

And let light shine through

We must bear the sword responsibly —

For it can both build and ruin,

And acknowledge that sometimes, 

We must destroy before we can create

The dilemma of using our words wisely;

The choice is yours to make

Crickets

Whatever emotions you think are gone, for whichever reason —

They’re not gone;

Even the nightly song of crickets 

Makes its encore at dawn 

As well as its appearance throughout the day

With other artists who set the stage

And the beautiful tumult that permeates — 

In whatever form it may take

The crickets are restless —

Enduring,

Like thoughts and memories we think to have bottled away,

Or those from long ago on a beloved day

We carry them with us in some way

Whether it be their echoes singing a tune in our ears

And the actions, like puppets played by strings we take

But we must cut these strings — 

Through the tension of hiding our love and our woes; 

Like a Jack crammed in a Box — 

Only when you trap your emotions are you a fool,

As they are meant to be given to the world and let go

Like a shark in a fishbowl, 

We do not belong in a prison

Like a caged dove taking flight 

We must not explode, but flow freely

There are no strings on me —

What about you?

Under The Umbrella

A Star in a sky of teal

Two dreamers in its shadow 

The palms dance under the passionate sun

While still mountains keep a watchful eye 

As the breeze’s song drowns out the cacophony

And lulls me to sleep

My dreams rest on her shoulder 

As the pool and its crowds disappear

For my love is deeper than the bluest ocean

Suffering

 My personal interpretation of suffering is a feeling of unpleasantness that is prolonged. One that latches onto us, that we knowingly, or unknowingly, carry into the present moment — and our spirit suffers as a result.And I think most if not all suffering is rooted in ignoring this.

Discomfort And Dissatisfaction

 Usually, when we experience discomfort and dissatisfaction in our lives, it’s because there’s something deep down, that we know we should be doing, that we don’t for whatever reason — but the main culprit is Fear.

Distractions

Sometimes, we watch tv shows, movies, and play video-games to run away from the noise and mask it with an another noise, to distract ourselves — to avoid confronting the root noise. We can confront the root noise by lowering its volume and observing it objectively for what it is, without any kind of judgement

And when you do this, you realize the noise isn’t as scary as you think it is — and naturally the solutions to your “problems” reveal themselves to you. Then you are finally free

The Seamstress

O wise weaver,

In the dawn’s waking glow,

High upon your bed of silk

Still you are,

In your apathetic benevolence,

For you just are —

Giving and taking simultaneously,

For destruction and creation bear the same surname

Meditations on Jesus and The Nature of Spirituality

    I cannot confirm nor deny that Jesus Christ existed sometime, somewhere, in the history of earth, But if he did, and events unfolded as was said in the Bible, I believe the death of Jesus, or at least the claim that he did it for our sins, is symbolic. Jesus sacrificed himself to be a symbol. I had this epiphany in a quiet car ride home in silence, as I explored my own thoughts. Jesus probably knew that most people wouldn’t be able to truly recognize their own divinity and was to be that conduit. So that people can learn to forgive themselves. Because if people are burdened by their guilt, they live a life of pain - or in this case, hell. To guilt yourself is to reject yourself, and to reject yourself is to reject “God.” Jesus used himself as a way for the average person to love themselves and forgive themselves through him, because for one reason or another, they don’t recognize their true nature: that they are all reflections of God, and our essence is Love - Something else that he sought to show us. 

    I’d like to preface that I recognize my lack of credibility, though, as I have not read the Bible in all its entirety and am only going on what I’ve read so far, and what I’ve learned from available sources from my own research.

    I think most organized religion resists beliefs like mine because it dissolves hierarchy (no need for priests as intermediaries) and makes salvation a realization, not a ritual. Traditionalists might fear chaos, and like the structure of power and hierarchy, which needs “correct answers.” Jesus wasn’t my conduit for finding “heaven,” But everybody’s faith and experiences are conduits for getting closer to this truth.

Per Jesus’ own words, Luke 17:21 says, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” The peace, love, and connection we seek - Or rather, the kingdom of heaven- lives within us. Is it possible that Jesus didn’t mean to teach that he alone was the way in a literal sense? Perhaps things get lost in translation, and that claim is said in context to the time period. I interpret that Jesus was referring to his teachings and the path he embodied and his way of life (love, selflessness, union with the Divine) rather than asserting exclusivity and the worship of him alone being the only path to “salvation.” But the beauty of it lies in that being my interpretation. I’d like to emphasize that my faith, like all faith, is deeply personal. I respect it all - Because maybe, Jesus intuitively knew many would not be capable of seeing the non-duality of existence, and that we and God are one and the same. So the Bible is written or told in a way to get people living in the material, relatively close to spirituality in some form - keeping their own beautiful connection to the divine, in whatever form it may take - alive. At the same time, he leaves the deeper message in his words intact for those with the eyes to see it.

    We need no middleman to be close to God. We are all God and beautiful expressions of it. Everything is God, and God is Love, and everything is Love. That’s what Jesus was trying to teach. He realized that man was God, and he, as god in the flesh, was proof of that potential. He himself alludes to this when he quotes Psalm 82:6 ("You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High") to hint at the divine potential in all people. That’s why they crucified him and labeled him a heretic. To further drive in my point that the understanding of the Bible is subjective, one has to understand that Jesus did not write the New Testament, or any part of the Bible really, and the part of the Bible containing his teachings are just personal accounts and interpretations of Jesus’ words, rather than direct translation of his thoughts - so things are bound to be lost in translation. One must also understand these teachings in relation to the context of the time period, and be open to the idea that actions and values of back then might have had different connotations than they do today. In addition, His critiques of religious hypocrisy (e.g., Matthew 23) support the idea that he rejected rigid intermediaries between humans and the Divine. Organized religion is a cultural and rigid view of teachings rooted ultimately in other people’s interpretations that people adopt and choose to believe.

However, I don’t believe traditional Christians or any other religion are wrong for that matter, I believe everything lines up the way it’s supposed to. Even people’s beliefs, and all the “bad” things in the world. It’s all perfect. And everyone is me as well. I can’t judge them and their decisions. They’re only doing all they ever could with all they ever knew.

In 1 Corinthians 13:12 Paul says,"For now we see in a mirror dimly; but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."

    For context, ancient mirrors were murky compared to those of today. This alludes to the fact that we have a limited and incomplete understanding of the divine or spiritual. Paul admits that human understanding is partial, dim, and distorted. No one has the complete picture, myself included. Dogma is limited—what traditional Christians call "absolute truth" is still just a reflection of the Divine, not the whole picture. "As I am fully known" suggests that Truth isn’t something we grasp—it’s what already holds us. Paul hints that full knowledge comes only when we meet God "face to face"—beyond concepts, beyond "right" vs. "wrong" paths. If God is all-in-all (1 Cor 15:28), then judging others as 'wrong' is judging an illusion. Paul’s own admission, “I know in part" - undermines religious arrogance.

    But even then, I recognize that even rigid Christians are playing their part in the whole; it’s all perfect, even the crucifixion. For without it, the resurrection - the revelation of indestructible divine life would not have shone. The same applies to religious conflict: The friction between exclusivism and universalism generates the heat needed for deeper awakening.

As Rumi wrote: "Where there is ruin, there is hope for treasure."

    The judgment of traditional Christians and others who may see my beliefs as wrong

is just another expression of divine play—part of the tapestry of beliefs that make up this world. 

As the Sufis say: "You are Truth, through You, to You, from You."

We are all expressions of God—not seekers of God, but seekers as God.

• Hindu Advaita: "Tat Tvam Asi" (You are That)
• Meister Eckhart: "The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me."
• Jesus in Thomas 3: "The Kingdom is inside you and outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known."

The Party

Under the awning of the leaves,

The hairs on my leg mingle with the grass below —

As the sun dances on my face to the beat of my heart,

A smile seeps its way up my spine;

Yes, I say 

As the worms sing

In the dance,

The bugs see me with impartial eyes,

As the world that I am 

In synch, the both of us

For we are lost in the melody 

The Lights Before Dawn

Flying through a field of stars,

I hear the roaring of rubber

I see distant travelers

off to see the world

But maybe they aren't so distant

After all, we're all on the same ride

Joy For Free

 It's amazing how much you can hear in complete silence - When you take time to really listen, without the noise of self-centered thoughts and the things we use to distract ourselves. God, the Creator, the Universe, Allah, Brahman, Yaweh, the Absolute, etc.; Whatever word you use to describe it, hands out beautiful realizations and happiness (free of charge, mind you) like candy on Halloween, but we're too caught up in trying to buy it, thinking we dont deserve it, or thinking we need to somehow earn it to see that truth. Happiness lives inside us and is something we've always had; We only need to return home. We need to open our eyes, ears, but most importantly our hearts - and look within.

The Myth of Independence and The Truth of Listening

    It all works very beautifully, the world. It's all interconnected - us included. Everything you own, everything you eat, everything you wear, the medicine you take, the media you consume, the car you drive - even your own thoughts and values (unless you were raised in complete solitude) are the result of other human beings. There is no such thing as true independence. The separation from other people is an illusion. We are all so fundamentally tied to other human beings, both socially and in relation to the physical world. Even our conception, our very existence, is tied to other human beings - and those before them, too. Even if you resign to living in the mountains as a hermit for the rest of your life, you cannot deny that your values and understanding of the world that led you to make that decision, as well as the knowledge to survive "independently," came about as a result of interaction with other human beings.

    Every time we speak to another person, we are exchanging energy. In our brain, there is a spark - the conception of a word, and the thoughtform itself too, if you look a little deeper. And these words are nothing but decipherable expressions or manifestations of our consciousness. Every time we speak to another person, we are exchanging the energy of consciousness. To listen, one must actively focus energy into receiving those words, delivered to you - the perceiver, in auditory form, and is automatically filtered by your brain into meaning - delivered back to your consciousness. This is energy conversion. However, truly listening is the commitment to receiving. One must also practice receiving negative energy: hurtful words and thoughtforms rooted in negative states of being, and meet them with the greater energy - love, as well as understanding. Love and understanding typically go hand-in-hand, and one typically follows the other. And by understanding, I dont just mean understanding the reasoning behind someones actions or behavior rooted in empathy and compassion (albiet equally important), but also the understanding of our true nature of non-duality: that reality is a single, unified whole - ourselves and other people included; the interconectedness of everything and everyone, and the beauty of it. If you know this, and not just a superficial understanding of the concept, love becomes second nature.

    Relatively speaking, and also going back to the concept of listening, if you look beyond the veil of human interpersonal interaction and your own ego, one can learn to listen, even in the absence of words. You can cultivate the ability to receive the beauty of the world, without the filtering of labels, in the silence. By doing this, you also create that space to receive dormant knowledge from your inner wisdom. However, one must make the conscious choice to cultivate, of their own volition. You can learn to see the world for what it is through meditation and taking time to really listen to your surroundings and yourself, without judgment, and practicing living in the present moment, which also involves paying attention to other sensations in your body as well, beyond just sight and sound. I understand the concept of mediation may sound daunting to some - especially to a more logical mind. But honestly and rationally speaking; To start, you don’t have to sit a certain way, place your hands a certain way, and say a certain mantra or what not - all it takes to start is to just breathe. (I recommend breaths with exhales longer than your inhales; Ex. the 4-7-8 technique, which is a 4 count inhale, 7 count breath hold, and 8 count exhale, and repeat at least 4 times, or however many times you feel you need to.) Breathe and focus on that breath; Follow the air as it enters and leaves your lungs, and you will notice your mind start to quiet. But the goal isn’t to silence the mind completely, but to lower the volume a little bit, and naturally, as the cacophony dies down a bit, and the noise isn’t so overwhelming, you can practice observing this noise - your thoughts, as opposed to living in them, with a sort of gentle curiosity and without judgement, You can also practice observing things you typically wouldn’t. You will find that your inner wisdom has a lot to say when the deafening commotion from your outer-world, fears, and worries outside the present moment begin to quiet down. I am still learning myself, and will forever continue to.

Teachers

The seasons are like our teachers. 

They have something to teach us. 

Even the stillness between them as well. 

Isn't it so crazy how everything lines up so perfectly? 

But perhaps it isn't so crazy; 

It's beautiful.

Why do we find the feeling of our feet falling asleep unpleasant?

It doesn’t hurt per se.. 

It tingles? 

It could be an evolutionary fear tied to making us pay attention and fix a problem affecting our bodies.

But it boils down to nerves malfunctioning, 

And the messages they send mean neither “touch” nor “temperature” nor “pain” clearly. 

The feeling is static and formless.

And this is jarring to a brain that is so deeply rooted in seeking patterns.

Maybe it’s because it gives this funny sensation that we have no control over, And that lack of control scares us subconsciously. 

And maybe the fact that for some moments it doesn’t feel like it’s part of us, and that’s scary – 

How would we feel if our whole body went numb? 

Terrified or euphoric? 

The choice is ours

Trees

Like the trees – as the seasons change and time goes on, 

We are shedding old parts of ourselves, both physical ones and old thought-forms, habits, and ideas

But in their place, new ones form too

But there are parts of ourselves, habits, and deeply rooted ideas that are constant, and hardly change; our general shape – akin to fixed branches on a tree trunk

But even these, too, can change - in a way

Although a fixed branch won’t move up or down a trunk, it will adapt to its environment by changing its orientation and structure. 

And naturally, a tree will also gently shed lower branches that are no longer productive – parts that no longer serve them

And something new and beautiful grows in its place 

That's not to say the old isn’t equally beautiful, because without it, the tree wouldn’t be what it is

And as the old branch that no longer serves the tree falls, that lost energy used to sustain it is returned to the soil below to cultivate new growth in the tree and its surroundings

But sometimes it won’t happen so gracefully, and a tree, due to forces outside of its control, will lose parts of itself it can’t sustain anymore; a traumatic event of sorts

We too, are like the trees

And we too, like the trees, must live intuitively, and let go of things that no longer serve us

Grass

In the early morning breeze,

The grass twinkles and hums

Conversing and communing,

Mingling with everyone;

The insects,

Worms, 

The wind,

And the sun

Alive and radiant,

Shining—

Giving without asking for anything in return,

Accepting with no expectation, 

And a beauty for the eyes to behold