Catch the Light

Here is a poem and picture from my friend Judy Todd. It speaks so well to the challenges of staying engaged and present for the pain and darkness; keeping our hearts open and not becoming brittle or blocked to the pain of the world, while letting the beauty of this amazing planet continue to feed and nurture us. Thank you.

Photo: Judy Todd

There is something about looking at things quietly and close up. I was out in early fall admiring birds, mostly geese, as they whirled and gathered like magical currents of feathers, landing and filling the pond. But the early morning gleam on this feather was what really stopped me. The way the light caught the tiny drops on the curves and the down as it perched along the dark stone with the big black crack running through. The feather hadn't fallen in, but rested there. And there it remained, unlike the geese, who moved about noisily all morning.

I'm doing what the feather showed me, not the geese. Staying near the dark cleft, holding there. Studying that dark perhaps, yet not falling in. Knowing it's there, and it doesn't care if I am in or out. But I want to catch the light, and I want to catch the drops of precious water on the edge of that darkness all around us, darkness that is so big, so near, so easy to fall into. I intend to be like the feather and practice a new kind of being -- gleaming like the feather -- for all my kin, whether or not they notice.

                                                                                                                        Judy Todd
                                                                                           
Judy's organization, Nature Connect:

...offers opportunities to reconnect and foster kinship with Nature in many ways and places through the seasons. We wander each landscape waiting expectantly for its teachings. We learn from other-than-human beings – stones, cedars, and antelope. We study watersheds and spider webs. We offer gratitude to ancestors and oceans. We are building a village in harmony with the web of life. We do it for us now, and for future generations. We invite you to join us.

Bird sheltering from the rain. Credit: Sue Peabody

Gift Culture - 'Simon on the Sofa'

Sign at the Sharing Gardens

Hello dear friends - I was poking around on YouTube last night and discovered a wonderful soul who calls himself  'Simon on the Sofa'-LINK. He has done a series of interviews with people he has met through 'couch-surfing' around the world for seven years. These are just regular folks who are doing their best to unplug from the Matrix and live sustainable, authentic lives based on love and service. Some of them are activists and are directly challenging the system to pave the way for a more equitable and healthy future. Others are pro-actively attempting to actually live as if this sustainable future is already here. Both roles seem necessary in order to birth something new. Chris and I prefer the latter but are grateful to those of you actively working to change laws and stand up to corruption where you see it.

There are countless documentaries out there that outline the many problems of the world today but quite a bit fewer that offer clear guidelines for creating the world we want to see. We see this especially when it comes to the topic of money and the economy. How can we begin to untangle our dependency on money? How can we move from a level of just 'surviving' to an open vista of 'thriving'.

Sit back and enjoy this upbeat, inspiring video which offers concrete ways for moving further into the gift culture. Thank you for all the ways you are already helping to make the world a better place. If you have any comments, we appreciate it if you'd leave them below so all can share in your insights and reflections.

Namaste' (the Divine in me honors the Divine in you). Llyn