the dreaming Press.

i bottled the blue sky with conviction & grace

the blue sky she tested me!

one day as a thrill.

she shone down and through silver and pewter cumulus puffs she asked me one question;

Do you know the difference between a conviction and an opinion? she purred.

"Yes," said I. "I'll bottle the sky. It is my conviction to do so, I don't even need to try. There are those who would argue, with conviction even, that I haven't actually done it. But being so true to myself I know those opinions are only reflections of the opinionators themselves. You see, opinions are like mirrors, they reflect back to us what we truly are."

You think you are so clever don't you? and then she misted me with a light rain and rolled in her ominous dark cloud. She thought she could sway me, {she thought me too proud.}

"That is YOUR opinion," I stated with a smile.

As I lay back on that croaking frog grass while the rain fell in sheets to blanket me, I still held my bottle of blue sky {as a hope within a conviction sugared dream.} That she could never take from me. And I grew, as a result of that rain.

xoxo

52 photos project, a ray of light

Imagine their joy!

 

Last Friday morning, my grandfather died.  He was 92.  He came to Canada by ship and landed at Pier 21 when he arrived in Halifax.  He began his new life here in Toronto, and then brought his family over once he was established a year later.  He was a hard worker.  He loved to grow fruit.  He will be missed greatly by all of us who knew him well.

A ship sails and I stand watching till she fades on the horizon and someone at my side says
She is gone.

Gone where? Gone from my sight, that is all. She is just as large now as when I last saw her.  Her diminished size and total loss from my sight is in me, not in her.

And just at that moment, when someone at my side says she is gone, there are others who are watching her coming over their horizon and other voices take up a glad shout -There she comes!

That is what dying is.
An horizon and just the limit of our sight.

Lift us up O Lord, that we may see further.

When I come to the end of the road
And the sun has set for me
I want no rites in a gloom filled room
Why cry for a soul set free

~Bishop Brent

***

Miss me a little - but not too long
And not with your head bowed low
Remember the love that we once shared
Miss me - but let me go

For this is a journey that we must all take
And each must go alone
It's all a part of the Master's plan
A step on the road to home

When you are lonely, and sick of heart
Go to the friends we know
And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds
Miss me - but let me go

~Anonymous

 

My Grandpa doesn't want a large funeral.  Immediate family only, and no parties!  (He was a very practical guy.)  He came to Toronto, Canada in the early '50's from Portugal to make a better life for his three children and his wife. 

On Friday morning my beloved Grandpa quietly went to a new place, a better place. Those who went before him must have seen him walking towards them and I can only imagine their joy! To see his handsome face once again.  Why I'm sure my Grandma clasped her hands together and then over her mouth all the while talking a mile a minute in Portuguese.  And I am most sure that they are together again, walking along that beach on a most glorious balmy day. 

Til we meet again, Grandpa.  I hold the fondest of memories in my heart that no one can diminish or take away.

I love you.

xoxo

Samsara.

 

"From the solemn gloom of the temple children run out to sit in the dust, God watches them play and forgets the priest."

"Love is an endless mystery, for it has nothing else to explain it."

"Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf."

~Rabindranath Tagore

I love Tagore, do you? His words have a dark beauty to them, and a depth that my spirit seeks out in others. I'm drawn to deep people, and occasionally the dark and troubled people.  They seem to have more going on upstairs than the ones who flounder about on the surface of things...the surface of their thoughts too.  I suppose I crave the cerebral. Who is your favourite poet, or philosopher? Who's words do you drink in for sustenance?

Lupe is in the next realm.  We'll meet her again someday in one form or another. Meanwhile, Frida has developed gold spots on her chrysalis that are simply breathtaking. Will try to photograph it for you, without disturbing her too much.

Going to make a quinoa and roasted vegetable salad for dinner.  Drinking lots of smartwater, as it tastes as good as any water from the clouds may taste; soft, palatable and not the least bit boring.  I'm aiming at staying hydrated, and it feels good. 

And that is all for today. xo

 

Tea? Why, yes please....

If I invited you in for tea, would you accept?

Would you offer my child a sweet?  Ask him his name?

Would it matter to you that my second floor was absent? Waiting patiently for the second generation to build and move their family in, according to tradition....?

  
Will your children understand the level of patience and calm that our children afford them- in the face of no video games or television to distract them....?

When you stop to breathe in our landscape, will you allow us our space? That in which we have not built up in the name of commerce or gain?  We have precious things to offer the world that don't involve competing with larger cities or countries....!  We hold our own, thank you.

Would you join us for herbal tea?  Perchance in places where famous people were taking steps in their own journeys?  Tea with mint never tasted so nice!  Oh and beautiful Israel is just 15 feet away.  However, do not veer off the provided path, for land mines are located any which way, and cameras are trained on your every step-so going off the path could mean any number of troubles for you!  We are in a military zone, you see. (It is for your own protection, dear friends.)

My goodness the river is cold.  COLD.  See page 157 of the April 2010 National Geographic to see just exactly where a certain group of travellers stood, not three weeks ago.

If you feel enough at home then please accept our hospitality.  We'll be insulted if you do not. 

So-one lump or two? It would seem that in Jordan, sugar in your tea is the norm.  It is expected.  So if this sounds like your kind of place, do visit and stay for tea.  You won't regret a single moment of it.  xo

As usual click to enlarge the photos.  However, the shot of the little girl at Petra was out of focus, but she was so cute I couldn't stand not posting her, so forgive the photographers blunder. :)

Poetry in hand as the winged messengers prepare to take off on a journey....

 
Blimey! Look what Tara's posting about.  That's a bloomin' shame really.  Not in a hurry to visit now if my camera isn't welcome...after all, what is the most enjoyable thing about being a tourist?

Check out this movie {who cares if you've seen it a hundred times...) if you want to jazz up your weekend and infuse it with exotic rhythm.  A virtual trip via Spanish guitars.  Sigh. 

Susanna the dahlin'! is shipping off some of her Winged Messengers to me so I may shoot them in Petra, and other various Jordanian locales.  Won't they look beautiful in such an ancient setting?  I think so too!  Thanks Susanna!

Today is all pirate telescopes, frilly blooming flowers & hot chocolat with a hint of cayenne pepper.  Aztec style, why not? Oh, ever think of hosting one of these? Our next spa party is going to combine it with a real live psychic (I guess that is the only kind there are...but just plain "psychic" sounded less dramatic).  How much fun is that???

Enjoy your weekend loves.  Life is short.  Yell less.

xoxo

{p.s. after this morning, I'm going to take my own advice for a change....}

Don't let go.

Cherish beauty in all cultures.~*

Out
Of a great need
We are all holding hands
And climbing.
Not loving is a letting go.
Listen,
The terrain around here
Is
Far too
Dangerous
For
That.
 ~Hafiz~

Rainy days and permission to shine.

 Basalt stones, used in our Hot Stone Massage Therapy, out re-charging in the rain soaked sunlight of my backyard.

The other night, while catching up on blogs, I watched a video featured in a brilliant posting by one of my fave bloggers, Du Buh Du Designs.  The link to that post with the video is here.  Please watch Elizabeth Gilbert speaking when you have 19 minutes to spare.  I didn't think I'd watch 19 minutes.  I did.

Elizabeth talks about a meeting she had with American poet Ruth Stone.  Whenever Ruth had inspiration to write it came at her barreling over the landscape like a freight train, and she would run like mad until she found pen and paper so that she could capture it before it moved on to find the next poet.  I had a similar experience to Ruth.  I still do, in fact.  Hence the journals I keep by my bedside.  The experience I had recently though, funny enough, was on my way to a very vain medical procedure.  So here I am driving along on my way to an appointment designed to make me "look" better, and I'm having these deep and resonant thoughts descend upon me that I simply must pull over and find my purse so that I can journal these thoughts of a poem that came barreling over me like a freight train.  I managed to get them onto paper before they escaped me.  I felt elated, like something divine had occurred. 

The similarities of what I wrote down eerily echoed Elizabeth's talk.  I had my experience before watching Elizabeth speak.  This is what I wrote:

An ancient dream entered through a crack in the sky, wafting lazily and shimmering; full of the asps of Egypt and courtiers of courts long dust.

Beneath the glow of streetlights it wisped along hazy and quietly smiling; entering my room, and knowing what part of my thumping dreamy heart to invade.  It  nibbles my earlobe and continues it's voyage onwards, through the Milky Way teasing and promising it's message to whomsoever restful head it passes.

I turn then, my cheek seeking the cool side of the pillow; remembering... as I inhale the remnants of the vague insights it gifted me. The remains of which evaporated with the first burning rays of the sun.  (We aren't meant to know just yet.)

Ordinarily I wouldn't share (because I am shy) but I thought that my experience and that of Ruth were close, and so if I had a similar experience I wondered if this has happened to you too?  Has an idea descended upon you with such clarity and force that you had to write it down because you were desperate not to lose it?

On a different note, our women's night was a huge success.  One participant (who also happens to be a childhood friend) paid me a compliment following the session.  She said what sets my spa apart from the others is largely our "spiritual" feel.  Being that I seek that in my life I was thrilled to hear it.  (Come on, don't we all love to be complimented? I know I do! We all just need LOVE. Yes there is a little narcissism there, most bloggers have a little of that in them, would you agree? LOL)  Our facilitator, Cate Gibson, a dear friend of mine, really helped our guests determine what their theme should be.  The two hours we allotted for the night wasn't enough, we could have made it at least three or longer.  But we came away with clarity of thought, and a new found focus for our lives.  Pretty cool, huh?

Cate left us with one other gift.  This quote by Marianne Williamson.  It is from her book, 'A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles' called:

~Our Deepest Fear~

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Now isn't that nice without being preachy?  I think so.  xo

EDIT: In order to help other women ***shine*** please click on the "i vote HOPE" button in my right sidebar  at the top...and help Shutter Sisters win their dream assignment...a very worthy way to spend a few minutes of your time. xo

The gathering.

 

Would you do me the honour of playing our little game again?  It was so much fun reading your compositions the last time, so I decided to do another one.   You are all smart and creative and you make this comments section alive with the fruition of your intellects!

{The way to play;

Using only the words in the photo, compose a short poem for our enjoyment in comments.  Easy.  Fun. xo}

***

On another note...Lately I'm pursuing some deep and pervasive ideas.  Cosmic, big-picture type stuff.  I remember reading long ago about ancient Egyptian lore, where our souls splinter into pieces when we take on our bodies, and our journey here on Earth is to gather up those fragmented soul parts and put them back together.  Once we do, a sense of completion occurs.  To me, that means a certain enlightenment would occur.  I had this idea, that perhaps the people we meet are splinters of our cosmic soul.  Especially the people we are attracted to as friends.  They open up worlds for us that we knew nothing of until they showed us, resulting in our hearts content.  The people who repulse us, show us our darkest side, the one we don't wish to face. Sometimes a soul fragment could be found in a glorious ray of sunshine on your face, or in a field of lavender.  A small act of kindness could ripple out and gather more fragments for us.  Our bodies as baskets; used to catch our collection of fragments until we are complete once more.  With time, our baskets appear worn, fragile.  In actuality, closer to it's destiny...ashes to ashes, dust to dust.  Once dust, home again in a new form to the star we call home, Earth.  The sun will shine once more to awaken our senses; we journey here again after manifesting a new shell, a new basket.  New lessons to be gathered among hospital corridors and high school graduations.  Soul projections peppered with steaming hot blueberry muffins and love's first kiss.  A resplendent circle of existence, complete with emotional contrasts and bursting colours.  Ours to hold dear and yet also to hold high for all to see. (Just some thoughts I've been having.)

***

Share something here today that may help us gather more fragments.  Put your heart onto the page in comments with your one of a kind poetry piece that will perhaps enlighten another one of your train passengers.  xo

p.s. I'd love to introduce you to someone who is just beginning her train ride.  Her name is Madison!!!  She is only 3 days old.  She is my chunky, sweet faced new niece.  Photos to follow shortly. xoxo

Lessons from a train.

 Photograph by Gillian da Silva; Winged Messenger art piece by Susanna Gordon, of Susanna's Sketchbook

Last night, under the tremendous pressure it is some days to just be human, my mum and I played hooky, we headed to a beach in Toronto to take photographs.  The winged messenger you see above will be photographed by me and given to Susanna, for her Winged Messenger project.  These have been sent out to various locations around the globe to be photographed, isn't it the most beautiful idea? Visit Susanna to know more about this amazing project.

Shortly after the picture taking, we headed for home and then made the decision to stop and catch this film. We were glad we did.  There is some drastic contrast in this movie, with a persistent underlying core of LOVE.  Well worth seeing, it is quite the ride.  It made me think a lot afterwards...as most great films do.  Although it wasn't the  theme of the movie, the ever-present trains in India made me ponder.

I thought of my life as a train ride...the wheels clicking on the track in a forward dynamic rhythm, the unknown destination looming sometimes scarily in front of me, the scenery beautiful and ever changing, and my fellow passengers coming, going, changing cars.  We are all on this train ride together.  We occasionally get off at various station stops to do necessary tasks, or sight see, or experience our own contrasts. 

If you have noticed lately, you don't seem to have a handle on things (I know I don't).  Things are rather chaotic.  The Universe is reminding us that we do not ultimately control it.  We manifest, yes.  We create, yes.  But control, no.  Never.  So with that in mind, lets just sit back in our dining cars, while the scenery hums by, the tea glasses tink, and the book's pages turn.  Our destination will come soon enough, and it is up to us to make the best of the train ride until then.  Help your fellow passengers.  Love them, even if sometimes you dislike them.  Hold on, when the tracks feel uneven or bumpy.  Don't forget your manners, lest you should bump into somone while changing cars.  Common courtesies go a long way in this world.  Kindnesses cost nothing and are worth everything.

***

The winner for our poetry challenge a few Sunday's ago is Pam Aries, in Portland, Oregon.  Pammy, you must email me your address, I've changed your prize.  It is at the printers currently, and will be mailed out tomorrow when I pick it up from him.  Prepare to be surprised! Thanks to all of you who played our super fun poetry challenge!  Everyone came up with something wonderful. 

(I'm doing another one next post, if you would like to play again!)

 

Poetic enchanted Sunday~it's all yours

Do with it what you will.

Just don't waste it. (Your Sunday that is.)

Visit "The Soaring Impulse" if you would like to count your blessings, my favourite doctor in the whole wide world, Dr.Maithri Goonetilleke, is working feverishly to help the impoverished and AIDS stricken in Swaziland.  You may like to wish him well while you are there because he is under the weather...(email forthcoming Maithri, hang in there my friend xo)

Why not challenge yourself to a little creativity today?

Use only the words in my photo to manifest a poem for our enjoyment in comments.  Best poem in comments wins a prize!  {A set of photo notecards, so pretty! You'll love 'em, they're so cute!}

Here ya go; {isn't this exciting!}

• click "sea to sky sundays" for a glimpse of the hopeful, potential nature of Spring
• watch W Network this Thursday evening, we will be a small but meaningful part of the Divine Design with Candice Olson show
• take a photo of something hopeful and photoshop your favourite inspiring message onto it...post it to your fridge
• get outdoors and walk, go bowling (like me! 5 pin! after lunch!), or just meditate
• cook a delicious and nutritious dinner, with not a lot of salt, sugar or carbs, focus on lean protein and COLOUR {veggies!}
• link me to a favourite easy recipe that I can make in 30 mins or less during the week, I'm time challenged! or, come back and post one for me in comments if you don't have time right now...I can wait...I'm patient!!! :)

Enjoy, breathe deep, hug your family, manifest goodness for everyone in the world.

Did you know?  A nun wearing a BLUE habit walked into the spa last week.  She was from the Apostles of Infinite Love.  Isn't that the coolest thing?  www.magnificat.ca They work to help the impoverished in the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala...so very meaningful and beautiful.  Service to others.  What else is there?

...well there's this, right HERE; since my mum is completely enamoured with making amends to her carbon footprint...she has found that Woody himself is recommending we use vinegar in our fabric softner dispenser, and my word! This stuff really works well, and the bonus, it makes your colours brighter and your towels much more absorbent.  Way to go Mum, and Woody Harrelson!!!

xoxo